615 acres to cost $4M; uses to include fields, lake, retail
Becky Pallack Arizona Daily Star
Pima County plans to spend about $4 million to buy the CalPortland gravel pit property along Interstate 10, near West Orange Grove Road, and turn it into a 600-acre park with a lake, soccer fields and shopping.
The Board of Supervisors is set to vote on the plan Tuesday.
Buying the 615 acres is the first step in the county's 20-year Corazón de los Tres Ríos del Norte project, said County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.
The county has been in negotiations with California Portland Co. and CPC Southwest Materials Inc. on and off for 18 months, and the property has been on the market for a long time, Huckelberry said.
He said it's a unique property that would allow the county to do transportation, flood control, water resources, recreation and economic development projects at one site.
The money to buy the land would come from the Flood Control District, which had about $10 million in its budget for this purchase, Huckelberry said.
CalPortland would continue to mine sand and gravel on part of the property, including excavating the Sunset pit to the county's design.
The company would also keep operating its asphalt plant north of Orange Grove for now, but it would eventually have to move the plant to a site near the Camino del Cerro landfill, he said.
Supervisor Sharon Bronson, who represents the area, said she supports the planned purchase.
"It moves us forward in building our community, in defining us as a special place," she said.
More parks and recreation opportunities are a top priority for residents in her district, she said. Plus, unique and beautiful parks help with economic development, she said.
The property would be developed for a wide variety of purposes over the next 20 years, Huckelberry said.
• The parcel north of Orange Grove, which is in Marana, could be redeveloped as a retail shopping center, spurring economic development.
• There's enough land area to build multipurpose sports complex for amateur tournaments, with an emphasis on soccer, and to expand the existing Ted Walker Softball Complex. And Corazón could be a potential site for a velodrome and other bike centers.
• Trails, connections to other parks and cultural interpretation sites would be built.
• The Sunset pit would be reused as a water recharge lake for wildlife and recreation, similar to the Kino Environmental Restoration Project near Kino Stadium.
• Some areas would be revegetated and kept as open space. The Orange Grove pit would be reshaped and revegetated to be an ecosystem restoration project without active water. Other areas could be developed as botanical gardens.
• Overburden material from the mines that's not sand or gravel quality can be used to close the Ina Road landfill.
• The right of way land for a Sunset Road connection between River and Silverbell roads, bridging I-10 and the Santa Cruz River, would be ready for a future road project.
Much of the work on these proposed projects would rely on bond funding and grants. Some components already have been presented to or approved by the Pima County bond advisory committee.
"The committee recognizes a huge unmet need for parks and recreational facilities," said chairman Larry Hecker.
There's not enough bond capacity to meet all the county's needs, and bond projects must be priorized, he said. But this project offers a variety of benefits, including new recreation, he said.
The Corazón project also has the potential to clean up and beautify areas that create a first impression of Tucson for visitors, Hecker said.
About the name
The project is called Corazón de los Tres Ríos del Norte (Heart of the Three Northern Rivers) because it's in the area where the Santa Cruz River, the Rillito River and the Cañada Del Oro wash meet.
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i wish theyd agree to higher buildings but i guess im happy with the density.
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