TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The city of Tucson is moving forward with plans to transform a 12-acre site on South 10th Avenue into affordable housing, with city leaders saying the project will honor the surrounding community while addressing the city's housing needs.
The property sits south of Santa Rita Park and West Barrio Ochoa, just south of the historic Barrio Viejo District.
The 12-acre site, owned by the city, was being used by Environmental & General Services and Tucson Water. Now, infrastructure work is already underway.
Ann Chanecka, director of Housing and Community Development for the city of Tucson, said the construction people see now is just the beginning of a long-term effort.
"So, we were really fortunate, thanks to a lot of hard work in getting some funding to put the infrastructure in now," Chanecka said.
Community members recently gathered to review draft proposals from potential co-developers and provide feedback before final designs are submitted.
"The design will be better with good community input," Chanecka said.
She says plans presented so far include one-to-two-story townhome-style buildings on the exterior of the site and more dense apartment buildings in the interior. Plans also include a total of 300-400 potential units of housing.
"We want to create housing that is affordable to families, affordable to families that are there now, or affordable to families that moved away for any reason but want to come back, but can't come back because of how expensive Tucson has gotten for housing," Chanecka said.
In a neighborhood with deep cultural roots, some community members have expressed concern about displacement. Chanecka said affordable housing is one way to help address that issue.
"To me, one of the best ways to make sure that people are not displaced and that folks can afford to stay in neighborhoods that are experiencing gentrification is to build affordable housing," Chanecka said.
The city also conducted a community outreach survey on what people living around the project site liked about their neighborhood and what challenges they experience. If you're interested in reading the results, click here.
Due to the size of the project, she tells me development will likely happen in phases and require additional funding in the coming years. Chanecka said the city intends to retain ownership of the land throughout the process.
"So even though we're working with a co-developer, we intend to keep owning the land, because we want it to be affordable in perpetuity," Chanecka said.
City officials say they hope to select a co-developer by spring, with more community meetings expected as plans continue to take shape.
Click here for more information on the project in planning.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
