Sugar Hill on Stone affording housing project breaks ground

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Drills are spinning, nails are being hammered in, and groundwork has officially begun on an affordable housing complex in Sugar Hill.

Mayor Regina Romero and the Housing and Community Development Team broke ground on Sugar Hill today.

Jack Anderson, President of the Sugar Hill Neighborhood Association, has lived in Sugar Hill for over 60 years.

He sees the need for change that this affordable housing project may bring.

"It's going to house some people, some families, that really need housing," Anderson said.

Sugar Hill on Stone is a 66-unit affordable housing project meant to serve a community, Mayor Romero says is historically overlooked.

"It was an abandoned property and right in the middle of our city. And this is the culmination of more than 20 years of work by the mayor and city council," Romero said. "It really started happening because of the lack of investment in affordable housing and housing development for decades. “

The new homes will house 37 families that are already living in the Tucson House.

Romero says that this community project has a lot of people to thank.

"We've been aggressive at pursuing grants and low-income housing tax credits, and public and private partnerships to develop affordable housing units for our community," Romero said. "Affordable housing is, I believe, a right that individuals have, and access to housing is a human right.

Sugar Hill on Stone is expected to be finished in October of 2026.

Anderson hopes that the construction of the project is just a step in improving the community.

"I am hoping we can maintain what's going on here; don't just build it, maintain it," Anderson said. "We just want to make things better for the next generation.”