COT Approves 100 Acre Bike Park and Other Consent Agenda Items

TUCSON, ARIZONA — There were some interesting real estate items on the consent agenda at Tuesday night’s Mayor and Council meeting.

The Tucson Mayor and Council voted to approve the 100-acre Wood Community Bicycle Park master plan that has been in the works since 2014, including trail plan and the general agreement with the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists (SDMB).  This agreement allows SDMB to raise funds for the park’s construction through donations and sponsorships, as well as to construct, operate and maintain the bicycle park.

McGann & Associates Landscape Architects and Planners prepared the (+/-) 100-Acre Wood Community Bicycle Park Master Plan in consultation with Tucson Parks and Recreation.  Banner University Medical Center, Carondelet Health Network, and Tucson Medical Center provided financial support for the master plan.

The park will sit on a large unused plot of land located near the north end of the Davis-Monthan runway, bordered by Alvernon to the west, Golf Links to the south and Swan to the east.  The 100-acre parcel was once part of Davis Monthan, but after the construction of Golf Links Road it became separated from the base and was deemed not necessary for the base’s mission.

Now the US Air Force at Davis Monthan will be leasing the land to the City of Tucson for $1.00 as full consideration in-kind to allow construction of the bicycle park. The plan also includes reconstruction of the Aviation Bike Path, part of Tucson’s larger Loop network. and two pedestrian/bicycle bridges. With one pedestrian / bicycle bridges on each end of the park, the first will connect users over a drainage area at the northwest corner of Swan and Golf Links and the second will take users across the levees that channel runoff.

The completed park is expected to cost around $2.5 million and will be completed in phases as the funds become available through donations to SDMB and other sources.  If you would like to view the 100 Acre Wood Community Bicycle Park master plan, you can locate that here: 100 Acre Woods Bike Park Master Plan.  For more information on SDMB, visit the website here https://www.sdmb.org/.

At the same meeting, Mayor and Council approved the sale of surplus City-owned property located at the NWC of Elm Street and 7th Avenue, consisting of approximately one acre of vacant R-2 zoned land for the sale price of $150,000.

The property consists of five (5) separate parcels.  One parcel was acquired in 1971 by a Superintendent of Streets deed for delinquent assessments (TDOT).  Four of the parcels were purchased in 1978 for use as a sanitation transfer site (General Fund).

The proposed sale was circulated to the appropriate departments for comment and there were no objections.  The property was marketed for 90 days through the RFP process.  Desert Peak Holdings, LLC was the only bidder and the proposed use is the development of the site with multi-family residential units.

The subject property was appraised at $136,000.  The current offer for the Subject Property is $150,000.  Proceeds from the sale will be distributed back to the General Fund ($120,000) and TDOT ($30,000).

Mayor and Council also granted authorization to proceed with the acquisition of a 4.9 acre (212,294 SF) parcel, which is required for the replacement of a failing Tucson Water potable production well located on the adjacent property.    The seller, Steven J. Hollingsworth has accepted the staff offer of $188,500 (the appraised value) for the property.

Tucson Water operates an isolated water system that serves the small community of Rancho del Sol Lindo, in northern Avra Valley.  Tucson Water’s hydrologists have determined that one of the potable wells (W-005) in this system is in an advanced state of failure, and must be re-drilled as soon as possible to continue meeting customer demands.  The Tucson Water-owned land containing the existing well and associated facilities isn’t large enough to accommodate drilling equipment and to provide a safe distance between the old and new wells.  Tucson Water staff have negotiated with a neighboring landowner to acquire a portion of adjacent land sufficient to drill the new well.

Approval of a Resolution expressing the Mayor and Council’s opposition to uranium mining in the Grand Canyon and transporting uranium ore through the City of Tucson was also passed as as part of the consent agenda.