Despites recommendations from staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission to approve, the Oro Valley Town Council rejected a proposal to allow the St. Mark Catholic Church to build a new sanctuary that would reach 45 feet in height.

Last Friday, the Interfaith Community Services ceremoniously broke ground for its food bank expansion. Construction of the 2,700-square-foot food bank will begin late spring; it is expected to be completed by late fall.

Following Ventana Medical Systems' announcement to add as many as 500 jobs in Southern Arizona, state and local governments have made public their plans to provide incentives to the company.

Train traffic may be increasing from Tucson to Phoenix soon, as Union Pacific continues expansion of its rail lines, with plans for parallel tracks running across the state’s Sunset Line by 2011.

Feb. 9, 2005 - A proposal to adjust inmate criteria to allow more serious offenders into the privately-run state prison in Marana could be the first step toward an expansion, roughly doubling the size of the current facility, if approved.

Economic development is the process in which governments or community organizations engage to stimulate or maintain business activity and/or employment. The principal goal of economic development is to be a catalyst for employment opportunities in sectors that improve the region or community using existing human, natural and institutional resources. Within this framework are the “three pillars” that define most of what is considered to be economic development:

The public got a chance to express concerns over Oro Valley’s plan to annex 107 acres into Town limits during the April 18 public hearing.

The $130 million expansion at the Casino Del Sol opened on Nov. 11 with a ribbon cutting and salute to America’s veterans.

The Marana Town Council unanimously approved rezoning a portion of land near Cortaro Farms and Hartman roads, paving the way for an expansion of the Qwest Communications facility there.

Northwest Medical Center (NMC) last week broke ground for a $46 million expansion that will deliver a new surgical wing and add four minimally invasive operating room (OR) suites to the existing dozen ORs in the hospital.

A lengthy discussion over the implementation of an economic expansion zone (EEZ) in Innovation Park took place in the Oro Valley council chambers on Oct. 3.

A controversial building expansion is one step closer to reality in Marana.

November 1, 2006 - First, store and local officials made welcoming speeches. Then, the doors flung open and the invited guests filed into the town's newest retailer, greeted with the sound of trumpets. Once packed inside, they ate a catered breakfast while serenaded by a string quartet.

Pima Community College hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week to celebrate the newly-renovated Campus Resource Center.

Looking to bring national attention to Oro Valley, the town council voted unanimously last year to fund a major expansion of the Aquatic Center.

What if a business planned a move to Arizona that would pour more than a billion dollars into our economy every year while creating 21,000 jobs? Now imagine those jobs would be spread around the state, including areas hardest hit by the economic downturn. And there’s this added bonus: the money would be spent on pollution-free activities, which would actually increase the health and welfare of Arizonans.