Tucson Weekly: Park Place (February 11

Developer John Wesley Miller Proposes An Ambitious Development For A Downtown Neighborhood.
By Dave Devine
AFTER TWO DECADES of battling proposals for land along its eastern border, downtown's historic Armory Park neighborhood may have finally found a project its residents can enthusiastically support.
When developer John Wesley Miller unveiled his plans to build 99 homes on property at the corner of South Third Avenue and 16th Street--a 14-acre lot between the neighborhood and the Union Pacific railroad tracks--he was met with overwhelming approval at a recent Armory Park Neighborhood Association meeting. Miller told the 30 people in attendance that he wanted to construct single-family homes, even though the land is zoned for high-density residential development.
Talk about politically correct development: Miller told the crowd he'd build homes that were architecturally compatible with the rest of the neighborhood, and even promised the development would be the "most significant all-solar project in the country." To minimize the impact of more cars in the neighborhood, he promised that parking for the houses would be at the rear of the units and front doors would look out onto wide pedestrian walkways. Little wonder that, at the end of his presentation, Armory Park residents gave Miller a round of applause.
Currents The neighborhood has rarely been so kind to developers who wanted to build on the property. In earlier days, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company maintained executive housing on South Third Avenue, but by 1967 most of the historic homes had been torn down. The 33-acre site sat vacant until 1979, when the City of Tucson spent $2.5 million to acquire and clear the land.
The city adopted a redevelopment plan for the area which called for the 19 acres along its north and east sides to be zoned for industrial uses. The remainder of the property was to contain apartments or other high-density housing with up to 17 units per acre allowed.
The city sold the land, at a considerable loss, and waited for someone to develop the property. Instead, a series of bankruptcies and long delays ensued. Eventually property owner Alan Levine built industrial buildings on some of the property, but the residential portion remained bare.
In the meantime, Armory Park underwent a renaissance, as residents formed one of Tucson's first neighborhood associations and began renovating their run-down homes. As the neighborhood association grew in power, it began to influence proposals for the 14 acres of vacant land zoned for housing. In 1997, when developer Stan Abrams attempted to build a high-density development on the property, neighborhood resistance led him to drop the plans.
But when Miller purchased the land for just over $1 million last year, saying he intended to build single-family homes at a density of seven units to the acre rather than the 17 permitted, neighborhood residents were optimistic for a change. Miller says the 99 homes should be between 800 and 1,400 square feet on lots ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 square feet. Prices will range from $80,000 to $150,000.
Some Armory Park residents are still concerned the development won't be restricted to single-family homes, given the land's high-density zoning. Miller pledges to impose conditions on the land to limit the number of homes and says he'll enforce design guidelines. "Armory Park is a treasure that needs to be preserved," he says.
The neighborhood association is still concerned about a promised private park that will buffer the new development from the enormous industrial buildings along the property's northern edge. Some nearby residents fear this green space could become a haven for the homeless.
Residents are also concerned about additional traffic in the neighborhood. Armory Park Neighborhood Association president Ken Seasholes, who supports Miller's proposal, says some traffic-mitigation measures will be needed along Third Avenue because of the new construction. He hopes Miller will agree to help cover the cost of installing the traffic circles or speed humps.
Seasholes thinks the perceived threats from the pocket park may be overstated.
Miller admits the existing warehouses, along with a new one proposed for the Arizona Department of Economic Security, will affect the marketability of the lots along the northern edge of his property, but says that's just a factor which has to be considered in determining a price for those lots.
Miller also promises an ambitious solar power plan. Rather than have the homes rely on individual solar devices, Miller will connect them to Tucson Electric Power's distribution system. The energy generated from the solar panels located atop of the structures in the project will be sold directly to TEP. Although ownership of these panels--homeowners or outside investors--is still up in the air, Miller hopes every house in the project will cover the costs of a monthly electrical bill through the energy exchange.
It's a plan that has neighbors optimistic. As one remarked, "Before this plan, most of us were hoping the land would turn into a dog run."

Home | Currents | City Week | Music | Review | Books | Cinema | Back Page | Archives