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Many of Arizona’s successful charter schools have long waiting lists with an 8% annual enrollment growth each year. There are a reported, 145,000 students enrolled in 535 charter schools statewide. Here in Tucson, as the school year drew to a close Friday several charter schools were packing to move into new schools for the Fall.

Charter School Capital of Portland, OR dba Arizona College Prep Academy, will be moving from 7444 E Broadway Blvd into the 11,308 sq. ft. retail building (built 1977 and 2007) at 3434 E Broadway in Tucson. The building formerly occupied by BASIS Schools was purchased from BASIS for $1.4 million ($124 PSF). Located on the south side of Tucson’s main thoroughfare, Broadway Blvd. on .95 acres, it is directly across the street from the El Con Mall and Reid Park. The Arizona College Prep Academy will be relocated this summer in preparation for the 2013-2014 school year to commence in August.

Nancy McClure of CBRE in Tucson represented the buyer in the transaction.
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BASIS Schools at 3825 E 2nd Street purchased the property immediately adjacent to the existing school, formerly occupied by Desert Springs Academy, at 3833 E 2nd Street (built 1966) paying $1.65 million for the 8,801 sq. ft building on a 40,132 sq. ft. lot. The staff at BASIS was busy packing Friday in anticipation of the building being razed for construction of a new 2-story 42,468 sq. ft. school at this northwest corner of Alvernon Way and 2nd Street. BASIS currently serves 5th, 6th 7th grades and will introduce kindergarten through 4th grade for the 2013-2014 school year.

Carhuff + Cueva are the architects for the new building.

Desert Springs Academy will be moving to the property it purchased at 10129 E Speedway Blvd for $1.7 million cash ($96 PSF) for the 17,865 sq. ft. in three buildings (built 2003) on 8.9 acres. The property was formerly occupied by TAG Charter School that did not renew its charter for next year. Desert Springs is a K-8 charter school that plans to be open in its new location west of Houghton on Speedway for the coming school year.

Academy Del Sol, a K-8 charter school, is adding a second campus at 7102 W Valley Crest Place in the Star Valley neighborhood, located off Wade Road and Valencia in the West Valley. The school purchased 7.69 acres of vacant land for $1.007 million cash ($3 PSF) under the name of Schoolhouse Star Valley, LLC an affiliate of Schoolhouse Development from a trust managed by Joe Cesar of Broadway Realty and Trust of Tucson. The 32,000 sq. ft. building with 21 classrooms is currently under construction and scheduled to open July 29th for the new school year. The school’s Midtown campus is at 4525 E Broadway Blvd in Tucson.

GT Alley of Broadway Realty and Trust in Tucson represented the seller; while the buyer was self-represented in the transaction.

Mexicayoti Academy of Nogales, AZ a K-8 charter school, purchased from B77 Development, LLC (Clayton Niles, manager) the former charter school at 667 N 7th Ave in Tucson. The 7,627 sq. ft. building (built 1971) on a 20,328 sq. ft. lot sold for $475,000 ($62 PSF). Located at the southeast corner of 4th Street and 7th Avenue and close to U of A, this former charter school is in the West University Historical District. The building has fire retardant sprinklers, an alarm system and was designed to add a future 2nd floor. There are 8 back-in parking spaces on the street and 23 secured parking spaces of which 5 are covered. The transaction was an REO sale; the seller was also the lender in a seller carry back to the former charter school when it closed.

Gary Best and John Hamner of Keller Williams of Southern Arizona Commercial in Tucson represented the seller and Rafael Douglas of US Preferred Realty in Mesa represented the school.

For more information on Arizona College Prep Academy call (520) 722-1200. McClure at CBRE can be reached at (520) 323-5117. BASIS Schools can be contacted at (520) 326-3444. Desert Springs Academy is at (520) 321-1709. Academy Del Sol should be contacted at (520) 325-2800. Alley with Broadway Realty & Trust is at (520) 747-5700.

For more information on Mexicayoti Academy call (520) 287-6790. Niles can be reached at (520) 615-9500. Best and Hamner of Keller Williams Southern Arizona Commercial are at (520) 615-8400. Douglas of US Preferred can be contacted at (480) 756-9922. [/mepr-show]

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On 3/27/2013 Two office condos sold as investment sales at Magee Center Office Condominium, 2292 West Magee Road Suites #230 & 270 in Northwest Tucson for

[mepr-show rules=”58038″]$250,000 ($117 PSF). The transaction was a short sale, the seller, Devkey, LLC of North Las Vegas.

Both suites were leased at time of sale, Del Oro Realty in Suite 230 and Executive Pest Control in Suite 270.

With this purchase, the buyer, John Kai of Tucson owns seven suites at Magee Center and reported three currently vacant. The complex was reported to be 85% economically occupied at time of sale and 50% physically vacant.

John Hamner of Keller Williams represented the seller in the transaction.

Hamner can be reached at (520) 907-0030.

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With the extended economic down-turn, non-profits have had to adapt to a tightened economy and increased demands, the same as other businesses. This is how three non-profit groups, all working with youth in the community, have recently found to cope with their real estate challenges.

Open Inn, Inc. an Arizona non-profit (Judy Tocco, President) sold its 4,500 sq. ft. building with excess land at 630 E 9th Street for[mepr-show rules=”58038″]$240,000 ($53 PSF) to Jet To The Promised Land, LLC (Phil Lipman, manager) in a sale leaseback agreement. The building was built in 1947 on an 8,024 sq. ft lot and sold with an additional 14,500 sq. ft of excess land.

Open Inn is a community based non-profit organization that has provided shelter and crisis intervention services for homeless, runaway, and at-risk youth and their families since its inception in 1974. From its Tucson hub, Open Inn has developed programs for runaway and homeless youth in rural communities in Northern and Southern Arizona, which would otherwise not be served. Open Inn serves more than 6,000 individuals per year in shelter care, supervised transitional living, independent living, life skills training, community assessment, truancy and outreach services. The non-profit occupied the building at 9th Street since 1999 and will continue to occupy it as a tenant in a sale leaseback agreement with new owner.

Gary Best and John Hamner of Keller Williams of Southern Arizona represented the seller and Phil Lipman of Bright Properties represented himself in the transaction.

In an unrelated sale, Youth On Their Own (Theresa Baker, Executive Director), also a local non-profit for youth, sold the property at 1443-1449 W Prince Road to Southwest Conservation Corps (Rob Spath, Executive Director) a Colorado based non-profit. The property sold for $331,500 ($121 PSF) for the 2,736 sq. ft. building that was built in 1980 on a 42,000 sq. ft lot.

The buyer, Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC), was founded in 1998 to provide 14-25 year old youth with structured, safe and challenging service and educational opportunities through projects that promote personal growth, the development of social skills, and an ethic of natural resource stewardship. The SCC program model was built upon the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, and incorporates guiding principles of experiential learning, respect, openness, willingness, commitment, responsibility, pride, excellence, health and safety, and fun.

According to Spath, “We are happy to continue to be good stewards for the building and found we shared much in common with the seller, both in the same business of helping youth. During the course of the sale, we formed a good working relationship with the seller that resulted in referrals to one another. SCC will merge 3-1/2 locations, spread out around town now, under one roof at its new Prince Road headquarters.”

Dave Blanchette of CBRE in Tucson represented the seller and Tony Reed of Long Realty in Tucson represented the buyer in the transaction.

Reed is also marketing SCC’s 2,485 sq. ft. building at 1376 W St. Mary’s Road that is now vacant for sale.

Youth On Their Own moved into its new headquarters at 1660 N Alvernon Way that was acquired last December from P&J Enterprises (Eric Hein, manager) for $597,500 ($124 PSF) for this 4,800 sq. ft., 1-1/2 story building, built in 2001 on a 16,500 sq. ft. lot. According to Baker, “We were looking for more space, that would be more centrally located, and were about to give up the search when they found the Alvernon Way property. The split floor plan allows for youth programs to be expanded on the ground floor with administrative offices and board room upstairs.”

Youth On Their Own provides youth, through no fault of their own, who lack a parent or long-term legal guardian in their lives with a stable nighttime residence, financial assistance, basic needs and guidance as they work to obtain a high school diploma.

According to Baker, “It’s important to remember that non-profits are like any other business, we just give our profits back to the community. There is also a fiduciary duty to not allocate more than 30% of our contributions to the business operations while providing services. That means we must run our operation as streamlined and efficient as any other business, and that requires the right people with experience and modern equipment.” Baker continues, “It has been made possible through community sponsors, that Youth On Their Own has grown from assisting 400 students in 2010, to over 1,000 students graduating last June.”

Mark Irvin of Mark Irvin Commercial Real Estate Services represented the buyer and Ian Stuart of CBRE in Tucson represented P&J Enterprises, the seller.

For more information or to assist any of these non-profits, Open Inn is at (520) 628-9590, contact Youth On Their Own at (520) 293-1136, or reach Southwest Conservation Corps. at (520) 884-5550. Lipman can be reached at (520) 906-7215. Best and Hamner are at (520) 615-8400. Blanchette should be contacted at (520) 323-5138 and Reed is at (520) 918-5189. Stuart is able to be reached at (520) 323-5180 and Irvin is at (520) 620-1833.

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