TUCSON, AZ - A local non-profit agency is hoping to team up with the city to build an affordable-housing project on a piece of land wedged between a Downtown hotel and the freeway. The Primavera Foundation is working with the Downtown Tucson Partnership to try to broker a deal with city officials to donate or sell for far below market value 1.6 acres the city owns southeast of West St. Mary's Road and the westbound Interstate 10 frontage road, Primavera Executive Director Peggy Hutchison said. "We're looking to see if, through this partnership, we can put our assets together and see if we can make this happen, even in this economic difficult time," Hutchison said. "I've talked with several City Council members, and there's a feeling that they really would like to see affordable housing Downtown."
The land could hold as many as 25 multifamily housing units, Hutchison said. "We think it's a great concept," said Jaret Barr, assistant to City Manager Mike Hein. "We have a larger affordable-housing strategy for the city that this fits into."
Discussions between Primavera and the Downtown Tucson Partnership began about a year ago for the organizations to collaborate on a housing project, Downtown Tucson Partnership CEO Glenn Lyons said.
That led to talks with the City Manager's Office, which identified the proposed site on a triangle of land adjacent to the InnSuites Tucson City Center, 475 N. Granada Ave.
The land is made up mostly of abandoned right of way that once held a frontage road exit ramp, Lyons said.
"This is one of those pieces that's hard to build on," Lyons said. "It doesn't work for many projects, but for a town house project, you can stick an 'L' on it. You don't get good land for free, but it's one that we can work with."
Whether the land will be free is up to the City Council, Barr said.
"We've asked for it either to be free or (sold) for a nominal value," Lyons said. Barr said his office is putting together a resolution to take to the City Council for an upcoming meeting. He said discussions on any sort of price for the land would likely occur during a study session.
While work still has to be done to secure funding for the project, Lyons said the key is getting control of the land. Doing that, he said, can make the various grants that Primavera would apply for that much easier to obtain.
"To compete (for grants), you really need to have access or control of a site," Lyons said. Development costs are estimated at about $3 million, Lyons said. The project would likely take a year to build, he said.
As the plan moves forward, Hutchison said, Primavera will meet with neighboring land-owners about the prospect of an affordable-housing project in the area. "We like to work really closely with neighborhoods," Hutchison said.
Rich Hendrix, general manager for InnSuites Tucson City Center, said his hotel is in favor of any development that enhances the neighborhood. He said he looks forward to being involved in discussions regarding the affordable-housing project. "We certainly would want to have a voice in what is going on," Hendrix said.
Source: AZstarNet.com