Pima Community College looking for developers to transform 3 historic buildings

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — If you drive down Drachman Street in Midtown, you’ll notice three vintage motels that Pima Community College is eyeing for a new development: Copper Cactus Inn, Frontier Motel, and Tucson Inn.

On Tuesday night, PCC’s governing board unanimously voted to look for private developers that are going to propose ideas to them about what to do with those three buildings.

At the meeting, Jude Cook, the owner of the Ignite Sign Art Museum, encouraged the board to reuse the buildings.

“Don’t tear down the history, don’t gut the buildings we have left,” Cook said.

He said the Tucson Inn should still keep the office and restaurant but should also add new features.

“I can see them being turned into little incubator spaces for businesses tied in with Pima College,” he suggested.

He helped restore some of the signs at the Drachman buildings and said because they’re historic, they should stay.

“The neon part of this equation is what sets Tucson apart from a lot of communities,” Cook said.

District 3 board member Marla Garcia said they don’t have money for this project, but that’s why PCC’s General Counsel and Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs Jeff Silvyn said a private developer could pay for the buildings and lease some of it back to PCC. He said at the end, PCC would keep the buildings.

Kristina Scholz is a part of a group that helped come up with ideas for the Drachman properties and hopes they keep its history.

“This was a motor court corridor. That’s a really vital piece of Americana history,” Scholz said.

PCC’s governing board can still say no to any of the plans developers come forward with. Because they are looking at private developers, board members said tax payers wouldn’t have to pay for this project.

Silvyn said the project could take up to 3 years.