That training includes construction. But it’s new construction.
“They work with Habitat for Humanity, building new homes. That’s all well and good. But we also have this large industry called remodel and you can’t teach that without doing it,” says Mark Flynn, president of Flynn Electric and JTED board member.
 The close community of Milagro Cohousing contains 28 homes on 43 acres, but leaves three fourths of the development as a nature preserve.Janelle Montenegro photo |
The federal housing bill passed in July allows municipalities to buy up foreclosed homes to use as low-income properties. That got Flynn wondering why foreclosed properties couldn’t be used for JTED training.
“If we could get a few of these foreclosed homes, we get some of the foreclosed homes off the market so it will hopefully help stabilize the Tucson market,” Flynn said. “Then the kids could go in and do the remodeling - electrical, plumbing, whatever - and do it throughout the whole year. Then at the end of the year, they could keep going or put the house up for sale and buy another one, give it to a low-income family or use it for that teacher program TUSD has for teachers buying their first house.”
Flynn has generated some interest and is working to bring this leg of the program to life.
“I’ve approached a couple of the banks,” he said. “They were a little bit hesitant at first. But my pitch was: what if you donate one of these foreclosed houses to the JTED program. Then you could write the house off 100 percent as opposed to selling a foreclosure where you get what you get for it,” he said. “Some of them showed a little interest. They weren’t jumping up and down or anything, but it’s a start. I also talked to a couple Realtors that deal with foreclosures as well. They were very interested.”
Flynn said the JTED program is a necessary one because currently the average age of a construction worker is 54.
“Imagine what it is going to be in 10 years,” he said. “There are just no young kids going into the trade. Academia has almost made a construction worker into a negative thing and we have to change that. A journeyman electrician makes really good money. It is a little less than someone with a PhD but it is a little more than someone with a master’s degree.”
At this point, Flynn is setting up a meeting for this month and hopes to bring the major players together; the City of Tucson’s Housing Department, Tucson Unified School District, the JTED board, some banks, some Realtors and others to hash out how this program could work and move forward.
“I want to get everyone on the same page,” Flynn said. “I want to hear their ideas and put them together and say alright, this is the program. Now let’s run with it. “
If you’re interested, contact Flynn at mflynn@flynnelectric.net.
Arizona Restaurant Supply expands northward to Tempe
Roosevelt Investments LLC, led by Arizona Restaurant Supply, purchased an industrial building in Tempe for $1.45 million from Phoenix-based DA-RO Investments LLC.
Arizona Restaurant Supply specializes in the design, supply and installation of commercial kitchens for hotels, casinos, schools and restaurants. With the acquisition, the 33-year-old Tucson-based firm is expanding into the Phoenix market.
The Tempe property will be used by three companies, all related to Arizona Restaurant Supply. A portion of the building will be used for warehouse/distribution of restaurant supply materials. Another portion will be used by a newly formed company named Stainless Concepts LLC, which fabricates custom stainless steel products for commercial applications. A third tenant will be Scottsdale Restaurant Supply, a sales oriented operation that will relocate.
“We do a tremendous amount of work in the Valley,” says Tom Carr, president of Arizona Restaurant Supply. “We currently have 40,000 square feet of space in Tucson and feel the need to expand with space in the Phoenix area. We have hired approximately 10 new people in the past six months and are looking to expand our staff further as the Stainless Concepts company grows.”
Mark Detmer and Bo Mills of Cushman & Wakefield of Arizona Inc. represented the buyer in the purchase negotiations. Jeff Woudenberg with Ross Brown Partners represented the seller.
Madera Canyon developers seek court to reject claims
Developers hoping to built 180-upscale houses near the entrance to Madera Canyon have asked that challenges against the project be rejected because they claim the opponents lack legal standing to bring such action.
Developers Michael Kettenbach, Kerry Kettenbach and Lauren Kettenbach asked Arizona Superior Court in a Dec. 17 filing to rule the conservation group Friends of Madera Canyon doesn’t have authority to challenge the project.
The Kettenbachs claimed the group doesn’t own or otherwise control the canyon and thus won’t suffer “particularized harm that is different and more substantial than suffered by the general community.” The filing said the court will find that none of the members of Friends of Madera Canyon own property within “the 300-foot protest area recognized by Arizona.”
Further, the filing said any damages suffered to the canyon area by the group “are not qualitatively or quantitatively different from any harm that will be generally sustained by the public at large.”
Luis Calvo, proprietor of Chuparosa Inn bed and breakfast in Madera Canyon and a lawyer, told reporter Jim Lamb of the Green Valley News, the claim is “almost incredible” and “basically” the developers are saying Friends of Madera Canyon “don’t have legal standing” to bring action to try to regulate some parts of the proposed development.
Madera Canyon is on the northwest face of the Santa Rita Mountains, 11 miles east of Green Valley.
Friends of Madera Canyon members conduct routine trash pickups and are involved in preserving the natural beauty of this corner of the Coronado National Forest.
Milagro a top-10 green community
Milagro Cohousing Community, 3057 N. Gaia Place, was named one of the top 10 greenest cohousing developments in the country by Natural Home magazine.
Natural Home selected Milagro because it incorporates a variety of sustainable practices. Twenty-eight homes are clustered to save more than three-fourths of the development’s 43 acres of Sonoran Desert land as a nature preserve. The common areas include a kitchen, meeting room, library, playroom, storage rooms, laundry facilities, playground and a community vegetable garden. Residents also share a community solar oven for baking. Each home is designed using passive solar concepts, including adobe walls and concrete floors, and powered by roof-mounted solar panels. The roofs also collect rainwater for basins or storage cisterns to water gardens and landscaping. In addition, the parking lot and driveways are permeable, allowing for better water drainage.
“The Top 10 Green Cohousing Developments list is a fun way to recognize these communities for their commitment to environmentally friendly living, and also raises awareness of cohousing as an alternative type of development that can be successful,” says Natural Home Editor-in-Chief Robyn Griggs Lawrence.
The January/February issue of Natural Home, featuring the “Top 10 Green Cohousing Developments,” is on newsstands now.
Submit items for this column to Joe Pangburn at jpangburn@azbiz.com.
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