The competition for available land in Southern Arizona has intensified in recent years. Local governments now regularly compete with private business to purchase raw land.
Where developers look for land for new housing communities to serve the growing population, special interest environmental groups often pressure government officials to set it aside as permanent open space.
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In Pima County, about 90 percent of all land is already permanently off limits. Since the supply of raw land is so scarce, where will residents and builders go to build homes in the future?
They will follow our transportation corridors.
Interstate 10, Interstate 19 and the Oracle Junction corridors are developing out of town and beyond the county line. New neighborhoods are taking root along I-10 north to Red Rock and east to Benson, and from State Highways 77 and 79 toward Florence and east to San Manuel. There will be continued growth in these areas because land is available at more affordable prices, and the restrictions on development are more balanced and reasonable.
All these conditions bring Pinal County into play right now. Pinal County has more private land and its elected officials have indicated they want their tax base to widen and see more job creation.
Pinal County land rush
Pinal County’s land rush lynch pin is Park Link Drive. Located west of Highway 79, 11 miles north of Oracle Junction, Park Link Drive offers an 18-mile corridor to I-10. When that road is fully paved, it will open up vast, developable lands between Florence Highway and I-10.
Leapfrog, then backfill
Because political hurdles cause leapfrog development, new large master planned communities are separated by huge stretches of open land. It’s an unintended consequence that is unfairly blamed on builders.
It is typical of how bad regulations affect development. When developable land becomes scarce in the urban core, the price of the remaining land becomes too high to allow for affordable housing production. That forces builders to move to more affordable land that is typically farther from the population center.
An example of this phenomenon is Pulte Homes’ Red Rock master planned community in the Picacho region. Pulte Homes has developed a community remote from Tucson, yet it’s attracting Tucson-based workers and families because of its affordable home prices.
In the Oracle Junction area, housing around Biosphere 2, on to Oracle and even San Manuel will increase that area’s sprawl. It will be many years before the backfill to the Tucson core from these new development areas is complete.
To the southeast, the Benson area also will see growth in years to come driven by available land at affordable prices. The town fathers are seeking better economics that come from increased residential and commercial activity.
For the future, developers are looking beyond the urban core. Over the next 20 years, Marana, Casa Grande, Picacho, Park Link Drive, Vail, Benson and other areas remote from greater Tucson will benefit from commercial development and housing activity.
But there is hope
Because I’m an optimist, I believe certain proactive steps can be taken by Pima County and City of Tucson officials to bring housing affordability back to their districts and wards.
During the market’s current downturn, now is the time to re-evaluate the land ordinances and open space requirements that cause sprawl. Collaborate with builders to ease environmental regulations on washes and onerous public hearing requirements on infill development.
Allow parcels with large set asides to be used for infill, where existing utility and government services would help developers produce affordable housing.
A co-operative hand from elected officials can ensure a more productive future for the urban core of metropolitan Tucson.
Art Flagg is Chairman of the Board, Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA) and Vice President, KB Home.
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