Plans are advancing for the construction of just under 140 new homes on the southwest side of Tucson.
The project will go up near the intersection of South La Cholla Boulevard and West 36th Street across the way from the upscale Enchanted Hills residential neighborhood.
As planned, the homes will be built on some 60 acres of vacant desert land, with at least 14 of the homes designated as affordable housing.
Members of the Tucson City Council have now voted to approve a proposal presented by the Tempe-based Buena Vista Properties 2000 doing away with a minimum lot size of 36,000 square feet at the site and maximum of two single family residences on those lots.
In return, the company has committed to leaving more than two thirds of the larger area undeveloped, with a bike and pedestrian path to be built on the site’s west side.
According to city documents, Buena Vista’s goal for the project is to not only “provide much-needed housing options for residents and future residents,” but to do so with “an environmentally sound approach that fits within this area of the region.”
The project has been in the talking stage for around two years, with at least two public input meetings.
According to news sources, several hundred saguaros may be uprooted and transplanted elsewhere to make way for the project. That tree-like cactus species is native to southern Arizona.
By Garry Boulard
