Tortolita: The Town Too Tough To Grow. By Emil Franzi AMONG THE MANY new communities currently proposed for incorporation locally, one will be unique--the Town of Tortolita. Named for the mountains behind it, Tortolita is Spanish for "little turtledove." Residents would like the doves and other wildlife to remain. Bordered by Pinal County to the north, Oro Valley to the east, Marana to the west and the proposed Village of Casas Adobes to the south, Tortolita would contain about 3,000 people, nearly 22 square miles, and close to 1,800 registered voters. There are no apartments, no commercial developments, and with the exception of one 309-acre parcel owned by a big Editor's Note: Emil Franzi, The Weekly's automatic weapons editor, is one of the leaders of the Tortolita incorporation drive. Cleveland-based developer next to what would become the Marana border, nothing zoned for more than one house per acre. And those who want to make Tortolita a town plan to keep it that way. The impetus for this and other incorporations came from a recently passed amendment to state law allowing communities within six miles of an incorporated entity to form towns without getting the neighboring town's permission. The City of Tucson is suing over the constitutionality of the statute, worried less about Tortolita than the other new towns being discussed. An independent town on the far northwest side has been discussed for some time, but a number of converging factors are pushing it closer to reality. The area now contains more than enough people to comply with the statutory minimum population of 1,500. The constant expansions of both Marana and Oro Valley are approaching a local version of "Manifest Destiny," and the bureaucrats in both of those communities have already drawn a line down the middle of what would be Tortolita, thus defining "spheres of influence" for future annexations--sort of like what Stalin and Hitler did with Poland. And the bladers and graders are currently running overtime, destroying both the environment and the local lifestyle. Casas Adobes residents originally planned to take their proposed city of 60,000 all the way to the county line, but residents in the far northern portion of the territory saw little advantage to being part of another Oro Valley. They formed an exploratory committee to determine whether another town was financially feasible, and whether the residents were willing to be part of one. The answers were "yes" and "Hell yes!" Two-hundred people came to the first Tortolita organizational meeting, and nearly 300 showed up for the second. About 20 percent of the potential town's total population has attended at least one incorporation meeting. And despite some whining from a few local politicians and media types who don't believe it's possible to have a town without a whole lot of government and strip malls, the money from state revenue-sharing programs is at least enough to supply the would-be citizens of Tortolita with services--provided by Pima County on a contract basis--equal to what little they have now, without imposing a property tax. What most surprised organizers, including incorporation chairman Lan Lester, was the depth of support from the people in the area. "We were worried there would be great concerns over taxes and services, but most of the people who live up here feel so strongly about preserving at least part of this valley that many are even willing to pay a local property tax if that's what it takes. Not for street lights or ball fields, but just to control our own planning destiny." Criticism of the Tortolita concept is coming from outside the area. Those unfamiliar with the lifestyle can't seem to understand how you have a town without apartments and a Kmart. And others who were part of the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Growth are hurt that the Tortolita portion of the outfit doesn't want to be part of the much larger Casas Adobes. Charges that Tortolita doesn't have an adequate revenue base are refuted by the assessed value of those 22 square miles--more than $25 million, or more than double that of the Town of Sahuarita, which has nine square miles and 2,100 people, and South Tucson's 5,500 people living in one square mile. And Tortolita is more viable initially than other communities were. Marana had only 1,600 people on eight square miles when it began, and Paradise Valley and Oro Valley were both much smaller, with neither originally having any commercial areas. There are 27 other communities in Arizona with fewer than 3,000 people, and 40 of the 87 incorporated municipalities in Arizona have no primary property tax. For Tortolita, the incorporation process is well underway--more than 40 volunteers are circulating petitions to secure not only the 10 percent of voter registration needed to call an incorporation election, but--better yet--to get the signatures of two-thirds of all voters, which, under Arizona law, would create an instant town. In the first five days 35 percent of those registered in the area--more than 650 voters--signed petitions, which the committee has notarized and processed. More signatures have been secured but are not yet collected, causing Tortolita leaders consider the two-thirds option possible, despite all the deadwood that accumulates on voting rolls. Why such a strong desire for self-determination on the far northwest side? Tortolita could grow to 15,000 under existing zoning. The town's organizers and the vast majority of residents think that's plenty. But should the area remain in the county under the current comprehensive plan, the population could grow to 155,000. So much for the benefits of regional planning. Tortolita's current organizers believe in representative government, although the first town council will be appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Tortolita folks plan to hold a giant town meeting to choose the seven people they'll request the Board to appoint. That's why so many people are aiding the process. And it's plenty of reasons for those who care about the environment and think it's past time to restrain growth in Pima County to support their endeavors.

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