TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Big changes coming to 100 Acre Bike Park in Midtown Tucson, changes the city says are more than 20 years in the making.
In October, the city plans to start construction on the park, adding obstacles and pathways for cyclists of all ages and abilities.
Thursday night, Tucson leaders invited the community to an open house laying out the progress and planning for the area.
However, the park is already home to some Tucsonans. The city says since early 2020, the park has temporarily closed due as a nearby encampment for Tucson's unhoused neighbors spread into the bike park.
It's become one of Tucson's largest encampments within the city limits. Over the past year, that encampment has thinned. In May of 2024, the city cleared out part of 100 Acre to allow the military to test the ground for PFAS.
A year later, another area was cleared for development.
Before construction starts in the fall, the city says they'll have to clean up the remaining camps.
So city outreach workers and community partners have ramped up outreach. Since July 7, city workers have spent four mornings a week at 100 Acre offering housing and social services to the community living there.
Tucson's Multiagency Coordinator Justin Hamilton says the city has enough shelter beds to temporarily house everyone at the park should everyone accept the offer, but he noted that there are many reasons people may turn down those beds, including a lack of space for their pets, shelter rules and regulations or broken trust between an individual and an agency.
Still, the city says area will need to be cleared and blocked off before construction begins.
See the plan for the 100 Acre Bike Park here.
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Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.
