TUCSON, AZ (Nov. 6, 2024) – A new interpretive sign at Pima County’s Raul M. Grijalva Canoa Ranch Conservation Park near Green Valley features the Sky Islands & Desert Seas of the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area (SCVNHA). The outdoor wayfinding sign on the park’s east side faces east with a panoramic view overlooking the Anza Trail, the Santa Cruz Valley, and the beautiful Santa Rita Mountains.

The new sign provides important natural, cultural, and historical context to help orient visitors at Historic Canoa Ranch within the larger context of the National Heritage Area and encourage further exploration of the NHA’s heritage experiences. The sign shares information relevant to the site about the NHA’s Sky Islands & Desert Seas, Native American Lifeways, and Spanish & Mexican Frontier storylines. It also lists 14 nearby sites within the SCVNHA that people can visit.

“This sign, the third in a collection that will feature all 11 of our heritage area storylines, is especially fitting since Congressman Raul Grijalva spent his formative years growing up on this ranch where his parents worked, and as a U.S. Congressman, he was integral in advocating for the designation of the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area,” said Lesley Kontowicz, executive director of the Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance.

“It was a pleasure for Historic Canoa Ranch staff to work with SCVNHA on this project. The sign overlooks a 30-acre floodplain restoration project implemented by Pima County Regional Flood Control. It also represents the value of working collaboratively among stakeholders, with input from Canoa Ranch, Pima County Environmental Education, and SCVNHA.” said Matthew Roberts, Park Ranger at the Historic Canoa Ranch.

The 4′ x 3′ sign, created for outdoor use, is available for viewing during normal business hours, sunrise to sunset, 7 days a week. It will educate visitors to the area for years to come. The sign installation is complete and will be celebrated with a public ribbon-cutting at 9 a.m. on November 7th.

MARANA, AZ (November 5, 2024) – KB Home recently purchased 35.26 acres across two adjacent parcels within Phase 1 of Mandarina, the newest masterplan within the region, located near the northeast corner of Interstate 10 and Tangerine Road in Marana.  The approved tentative plat for the property provides 182 homesites – (122) – 40′ x 115′ and (60)  50’x 115′  with a matching final plat being presented to Marana Town Council for approval this week.  The initial 182 lots, part of an option for 383 total lots, were purchased by KB for $5,773,000 ($31,719 per lot) from Mandarina Holdings, an affiliate of Bela Flor Communities.

Mandarina is a mixed-use community on 455 acres at the intersection of Tangerine and the I-10/Union Pacific Railroad (UPR) Corridor. The project will include up to 2,500 residential units (single-family detached, single-family attached, and multi-family units) and commercial, including retail, hotels, and more.

Innovative design plays an essential role in every home KB builds. The company’s floor plans are designed for contemporary living, focusing on creating roomy, light-filled spaces with easy indoor/outdoor flow. In addition, KB homes are engineered to be highly energy and water-efficient and to provide healthier indoor air environments. Thanks to quality construction techniques and materials, every home KB builds is ENERGY STAR® certified — a standard that fewer than 10% of new homes nationwide meet — to deliver greater comfort, well-being, and utility cost savings than new homes without certification.

KB Home currently has nine new-home communities open for sale across Tucson, with pricing ranging from $270,000s to $470,000s.  These new KB homes are designed for how people live today, with attractive design features like modern kitchens overlooking large great rooms, expansive bedroom suites with walk-in closets, and ample storage space.  For more information on the “Builder of the Year,” KB Home, call 1-888-KB-HOMES or visit kbhome.com

KB Home is always looking for additional land opportunities in the greater Tucson market.  Sellers and brokers can reach out directly to Andrew Gasparro, KB Home, Vice President of Land, at 602.686.9889 or [email protected]

Heatherwood Plaza Offered Strategic Asset Near Banner T-Bird Medical Center

PHOENIX, (November 5, 2024) – Heatherwood Plaza, a neighborhood shopping center shadow anchored by Fry’s Food and Drug, has been sold to an Arizona investor. The retail plaza at 13631 N. 59th Ave. in Glendale was 79 percent leased at the time of sale.

“This property is extremely well located in a neighborhood offering strong demographics and proximity to the patients and employees of Banner Thunderbird Medical Center,” says Mindy Korth, executive vice president with Colliers. “Twenty percent of the plaza’s tenants have occupied space here for longer than 20 years, which is a testament to the strength of the asset and its location.”

Korth, JK Jackson, and Kristina Remon of Colliers in Phoenix worked alongside El Warner and Caitlin Zirpolo of Colliers in Irvine, CA, to handle the transaction. BRLS Properties AZ-Glendale LLC sold the property to a private investor, represented by Trevor Von Behren and Alex DeSoto of Matthews Real Estate Investment Services in Scottsdale, AZ.

Heatherwood Plaza, situated at the southeast corner of 59th Avenue and Thunderbird Road, contains ±22,115 square feet of leasable space on a ±3.13 acre site. Built in 1988, the neighborhood shopping buildings are configured for small shop tenants with 11 spaces currently in place spanning 1,200 to 4,236 square feet each. Upscale surrounding demographics, abundant parking, and convenient ingress and egress all contributed to the investment appeal of this property.

The 79 percent leased plaza is currently occupied by nine tenants, including four restaurants and personal and professional service retailers. The plaza is shadow-anchored by Fry’s Food and Drug, Arizona’s #1 grocery chain. In addition to this draw, the nearby Banner Thunderbird Medical Center generates an estimated 5,500 daily visits to the area. The property is easily accessible to both Interstate 17 and the Loop 101 freeway for access to other regions of the metropolitan area.