A site near the Tucson area's Saguaro National Park could soon feature an "eco-resort" where guests ride bicycles instead of horses.
As KOLD-TV and other outlets reported, the Pima County Board of Supervisors last week voted to approve Bike Ranch Tucson, which is planned for a 20-acre parcel near the park's eastern district.
The planned motel-style resort will accommodate up to 50 guests, mostly in single-room casitas. Its developers hope to turn it into a hub for cyclists and make it remiscent of Tucson-area guest ranches of the 1930s.
Opponents of the project voiced concerns about development encroaching on Saguaro National Park, saying it goes against the spirit of regulations creating "buffer zones" around National Park Service sites.
The park itself says it plans to monitor how Bike Ranch Tucson could impact wildlife and traffic at the site.