Pima County Regional Park in Vail Opens Wednesday, May 3

Esmond Station Regional Park (Click to enlarge)

Pima County — A Pima County park located on the southeast side of Tucson and named for a historic Southern Pacific Railroad stop will open on Wednesday, May 3.

The 274-acre Esmond Station Regional Park will serve Vail and Rita Ranch area residents, offering a walking trail, five separate fitness stations with exercise equipment, and a ramada.

“These amenities are just the first phase of a much larger plan to provide robust recreation opportunities for county and city residents alike in this growing region,” District 4 Supervisor Steve Christy said.

Entry Esmonds Station Regional Park (photo courtesy Pima County)

The 2004 voter-approved bonds funded the land acquisition for the “Southeast Community Park” as well as a master plan that calls for a library, sheriff’s substation, multiple softball and baseball fields, soccer fields, dog park, swimming facility, tennis courts, and the Esmond Station historic area – which will be developed in the future as funding becomes available.

The park is located near Empire High School on Mary Ann Cleveland Way, east of Houghton Road.

The park’s ties to the railroad run deep. Several historic buildings in the area were part of the Esmond Station stop, which was constructed in the 1880’s as a stop along the Southern Pacific rail line through southern Arizona.

Esmond Station became notorious in 1903 when a deadly train wreck occurred near what is now Houghton Road. Two trains collided head-on causing a fiery derailment that killed more than a dozen and injured many more.

The park also features a one-mile long segment of the old Southern Pacific rail bed, the adobe Crew Quarters building, and foundations associated with other historic structures.

 

 




Trails and bike advocate to receive second Chuck Catino Community Leadership Award

Bill Adamson (center)

Pima County, Arizona – Few communities in America can match Pima County’s passion for bicycling trails and safety.

From the bike routes along every major roadway to the sustained efforts toward safety education, Green Valley and the surrounding areas are constantly working to improve cycling conditions for riders of every level.

Green Valley resident, Bill Adamson has been vital to this cause and as a result, has been named the second recipient of the Chuck Catino Community Leadership Award, named for the longtime volunteer and founder of the Born Again Jocks Association (BAJA) Sporting Club by the Parks & Recreation Commission of Pima County.

Adamson is a longtime Green Valley resident and trails and bicycle advocate. He co-founded the Santa Cruz Valley Bicycle Advocate Committee and has been a cycling advocate for more than 15 years.

Adamson has volunteered on numerous occasions to help the county’s Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department with trail construction, said Steve Anderson, NRPR planning division manager who nominated Adamson for the honor.

“Bill was instrumental in securing a $39,000 grant from Freeport McMoran Foundation to create a trail to bridge the 1.9-mile gap between Abrego (Anza) Trailhead to Canoa Preserve Park, the only public park in Green Valley,” Anderson said.

“Bill Adamson is the prototypical trails and bike paths advocate. He knows how to communicate his wishes, but does it so that everyone wins,” Anderson said. “He’s a truly extraordinary advocate.”

Nominees for the Catino Award must be at least 45 years of age and be unpaid volunteers. Nominations are accepted each fall, then candidates are recommended to the Parks and Recreation Commission in February. Contact Valerie Samoy at 520-724-5220 for details.

Pima County District 4 Supervisor Steve Christy will present the award to Adamson at the March 7 Board of Supervisors meeting.

Mr. Adamson may be reached at 520-400-7707.

 




Houghton Town Center Expands Footprint, Breaks Ground on 56K SF New Retail

Source: Real Estate Daily News

TUCSON, Ariz.— Ryan Companies US, Inc., Diamond Ventures, one of the leading real estate development and investment companies in the southwest, and elected officials gathered Thursday for the groundbreaking of a 56,000-square-foot new retail pad with three stores at Houghton Town Center: Ross Dress for Less®, T.J. Maxx® and Petco®.

Elected officials attending included City of Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Ward 4 Council Member Shirley Scott, and newly-elected Pima County District 4 Supervisor Steve Christy.

Mayor Rothschild welcomed Ryan Companies and spoke proudly about some of the other new developments in the area. The recently completed Houghton Road widening project and the recently announced Raytheon expansion of 1,900 jobs nearby at the UA Tech Center. Also La Estancia, a 2,500-lot masterplan community at I-10 between Kolb Road and Wilmot Road, under development by Sunbelt Holdings, that opened last April with Meritage Homes under construction with 195-homes there.

Ross, T.J. Maxx and Petco will open by fall of 2017 at the 60+ acre community shopping center, at the southwest corner of Old Vail Road and Houghton, which caters to the residents of Rita Ranch, Vail and Corona de Tucson.  The three new stores will be next door to one another and directly east of the 99,000-square-foot Walmart Super Center that opened in 2013.

“We have partnered with Ryan to add these retailers to the development and we believe that it’s a win for all involved,” said Bill Kelley, CFO of Diamond Ventures. “The city of Tucson was very instrumental in getting this approved expeditiously, so that the development and construction timelines agreed to by Ryan could be met.”

Ryan is the owner, developer and general contractor of this $6 million retail project at Houghton Town Center in Southeast Tucson and purchased the 6.13 acres for $1.98 million ($7.39PSF).

Ryan Companies US, Inc. is a 3rd generation, family-owned national developer, designer, capital investment consultant, builder and real estate manager specializing in fully integrated solutions for over 75 years.

“Our team is eager to further enhance the amenities at Houghton Town Center and look forward to continued growth in Tucson,” said John Strittmatter, Chairman/Southwest, Ryan Companies US, Inc.

No brokers were involved in the land sale. Shannon Murphy in-house broker with Diamond Ventures represented the tenant in the transaction and should be reached at 520.577.0200.

To learn more, see RED Comps #4210 and 4386.