It’s probably the most recognizable of Tucson’s landmarks, and a place where many residents take visitors to get a great view of the city. But when you get to “A” Mountain, you find out that it’s hot, there’s no shade, no water, no parking, and not much there to explain what you’re seeing.

The view from “A” Mountain is spectacular, and the history of Tucson is actually centered on what is officially called Sentinel Peak. Now an effort is underway to make it a better place to visit.

Armed with a remote control, Rob Hoard did his best to make his model airplane soar like an eagle through the sky. “Today’s good and windy, so I came on up here because we’re pretty dependent on the wind,” he says. It’s called slope-zoning, an activity he does twice a week atop “A” Mountain. “It’s about the only place in Tucson for slope-zoning,” he says.

It’s also about the only place where visitors can get pristine views the city, as well as a history lesson on Tucson’s birth. However, the park has it’s downside. Aside from the occasional rock, there aren’t too many places to sit, and shade is virtually non-existent. Now some city leaders hope to change that.

“For many years, the mountain hasn’t really been reinvested in,” says City Councilmember Regina Romero. A couple of dozen people came out for an open house on October 27 to see some of the artists’ renderings of how “A” Mountain could change.

One idea is to limit traffic in front of the “A” to bicyclists and pedestrians. Lily Fimbres lives nearby and loves the idea. “I’m really excited about it,” she says. “We hear a lot of gunshots and things like that, and we think that with more pedestrians and more people, that these people who are up there will probably move away somewhere else.”

These are big ideas for something that’s a part of Tucson’s history, but any changes are dependent on money and public feedback. “I hope it goes all the way to the master plan, I really do,” says Fimbres.

The city has already spent $130,000 on the planning process, and the city and county are both supporting a $2.5 million dollar bond. Voters would have to approve that in the next couple of years to make this project a reality.