Vistoso Trails Master Plan

SITES prepared the Vistoso Trails Master Plan for the Town of Oro Valley, creating a community-focused plan that honored the area’s natural resources while aligning with the Town’s vision for high quality open space. The project required a careful balance between community amenities and long-term conservation goals, and SITES delivered a plan that met both.

Public engagement was central to the process. To make participation easy and effective, SITES held meetings in locations similar to the site being planned, allowing residents to experience comparable environments as they provided input. Community feedback shaped key elements of the plan, including nature play areas, an amphitheater for classes and star gazing, and safer pedestrian connections for children walking from the nearby school. SITES also worked with the school to designate parking areas that make it convenient for families to access the trail system.

The project area winds through an affluent residential community with ongoing development, a pattern similar to the High Desert Community Plan. That experience helped SITES tailor a design that fits seamlessly within its surroundings while remaining true to the project’s conservation goals.

Partnerships were essential to the plan’s success. SITES worked closely with The Conservation Fund, the Arizona chapter of Audubon, and local archaeologists to ensure that preservation remained at the center of the design. The plan protects wildlife habitat, enhances bird-friendly open spaces, and safeguards on-site petroglyphs, integrating conservation into every aspect of the trail system.