If things stay on track, a year from now about 3,000 acres of state-owned land on Tucson’s southeast side is supposed to be put up for auction and sold to the highest bidder for development. There will be answers to lots of questions before that happens.
Will there be enough water? What will it have in it? What about other infrastructure?
 Shirley Scott |
"This is exactly what I wanted to see happen," says Tucson City Councilwoman Shirley Scott, whose Ward 4 includes all of the 12,000 acres the Arizona State Land Department has turned over to developer Westcor to come up with a master plan. "Years from now people from other cities will look back on this and say ‘that’s what we should have done’."
Mitch Stallard, vice president of development for Westcor, said his company will probably put $3 million into developing a master plan for the first phase that will go up for auction.
That’s more money than the annual state land department’s budget for land planning for the entire state, said Arizona State Land Commissioner Mark Winkleman. The land department is charged.
Beyond that, though, the money Westcor is putting up is pretty much a bet on the come. It’s possible the company could be outbid by another developer when it goes up for auction.
But if staying power has anything to do with it, Westcor is already been in it for a long haul. Discussions about planning the area have been underway with the state land department since December 2006. At least one other developer, KB Home, had participated in some of the earlier talks but the others dropped out, either because of the size and scope of the project or due to the recent economic down-turn in the real estate industry.
The 12,000 acres borders Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Rita Ranch, the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park, Rancho Del Lago, Rocking K. Ranch, the Union Pacific Railroad and extends along both sides of Interstate 10 both northwest and southeast from Houghton Road.
Over the next five months, Westcor will analyze the existing conditions of the entire area, including a preliminary infrastructure and environmental assessment and conduct an economic study. As part of that it will be responsible for developing conceptual land use plans and ultimately determine what land should be the first parcel that goes up for auction.
After that, another seven months will be spent doing more precise studies and conducting reviews as the land is prepared for auction.
Specific site planning would then be the responsibility of the successful bidder.
"So far, this is a deal between the state land department and a private developer, Westcor," Scott said. "But there will be plenty of opportunity to involve all stakeholders."
All of the data city officials have gathered about the area, including information that went into developing the Houghton Area Master Plan finished just three years ago, has been turned over to Westcor and its consultants.
Officials from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base attended the signing of the agreement Jan. 11 and said they’ve already had some talks with Westcor and feel comfortable they can be compatible.
As for water, both Mayor Bob Walkup and Scott said there is enough in Tucson Water’s allocation from the Central Arizona Project and other identified sources to provide water to the development that could house as many 250,000 people when its finished. And, because it’s in the city, it wouldn’t fall under City Manager Mike Hein’s freeze on allowing new water hookups where it is not legally obligated to do so.
For his part, Stallard says he doesn’t know what form the master planning will take. He envisions the area will probably include a wide range of housing in different price ranges. There will be different kinds of retail, including probably at least a shopping center or two, perhaps a regional mall.
As Scott points out this is big. Within the City of Tucson, the largest master planned communities are on the scale of Williams Centre, at East Broadway and Craycroft Road.
"But that was one square mile," she said. "This 20 square miles."
Scott likes to point that her southeast ward is expansive. The only working cattle ranch inside the city limits is in her ward. On the other hand, she says it doesn’t get much attention. Rita Ranch is in the city limits but Sun Tran doesn’t serve the area.
"For the longest time it was heaven help you if you get sick out here," she said. The nearest full-service hospital is St. Joseph’s Hospital at Wilmot Road.
It will be at least two years before the first residents move into the area being master planned.
One thing Scott says she’s looking forward to is going out to eat a meal at a restaurant in Ward 4 that has a table cloth and linen napkins.
Contact David Hatfield at dhatfield@azbiz.com or (520) 295-4237.
Comments
We The Rest of The People wrote on Jan 23, 2008 3:16 PM:
We The People wrote on Jan 18, 2008 1:44 PM:
There is no amount of "selling," "convincing," or "persuation" to make this a viable, and wise choice for the Sonoran Desert.
We have already over-extended ourselves in the resources this land provides.
Council, the State, and We The People, please wake up and be responsible stewards of the Land. The Earth suffocates every time cement is poured of the living, breathing land. More is not better. Please take care of what we already have, before it's gone. "