With blessings of the Southeastern Arizona Governments Organization (SEAGO) and a 3 to 1 majority of supporters at the Benson City Council Meeting Monday night, the Master Planned Community of “The Villages at Vigneto” a 12,300-acre master-planned community with 28,000 homes planned within the City of Benson, passed unanimously. El Dorado Holdings is the developer for the project.

Forecasts are that the Villages at Vigneto will re-ignite the struggling Benson and Cochise County economies and create an estimated 16,350 jobs at the height of construction and $79.6 million in cash surplus to the City of Benson, according to a US Economic Research report and covered in Real Estate Daily News October, 2015.

The Villages at Vigneto will certainly be the largest economic driving force in Southern Arizona. Located directly to the south of The Canyons where 55-60 homes are already built. El Dorado will build into the retirement community a golf course with rec center and golf club, and a recreational Village Center as part of the upfront development, with houses to be delivered simultaneously.

Mike Reinbold, project manager for the Villages at Vigneto with El Dorado, told us that with this major milestone completed, final engineering and architectural plans can begin. Infrastructure construction should begin as early as next summer and first move-ins are  expected as early as 3 years from now, Reinbold estimated.

“The Council should be commended for doing an excellent job Monday night at the meeting, and allowing time for all members of the public to be heard,” Reinbold said.

Each year, the City of Benson with slightly over 5,000 residents swells to an estimated 32,000 people, with winter visitors from Canada and cold states who inhabit the 16,000 RV spaces in Benson. Such rapid growth of people seems to agree well with this historic town, only 45 miles southeast of Tucson in Cochise County.

Mike Reinhold, principal with Phoenix-based El Dorado Holdings and development partner for the Villages at Vigneto in Benson, Arizona presented an overview of this exciting project to the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA) members at its regular luncheon meeting this week. The presentation was one of several meetings that the Southeast Arizona Economic Development Group (SAEDG) have coordinated on this project for the public.

The purpose of the meetings are really twofold: one is for Reinhold to explain the El Dorado’s vision of Vigneto to the region, and the other, to provide a forum for the community to comment and put forth questions about the development of this master plan community.

El Dorado Holdings was the prime developer of the Town of Maricopa starting when it was only 450 homes; while today it exceeds 47,000 homes. Reinhold spoke at length about the multiple reasons for selecting Benson for this development, in large part due to the natural beauty of the area and nearby attractions, including the vineyards, which reminded them of Tuscany, thus the name was selected Vigneto, which means vineyards.

The project is expected to mirror the lifestyle of the successful Villages in Florida and be 80% active adult housing, drawing from the more than one-million people currently retiring each year and offering residents golf, recreation, shopping, dining, medical and professional services – everything needed to live life to its fullest – just a golf car ride away, in a beautifully designed, open, yet access controlled community.

The economic impact to the region forecasted for the Villages at Vigneto is estimated at $23.8 billion over 18 years in spending and sales, as well as an estimated 16,350 jobs that are to be created. The developer plans to hire locally as much as possible.

Cochise College will also play a major part in the lifestyle, offering personal enrichment opportunities for active adults, as well as volunteer and business opportunities stemming from the community and connecting to the region, including Tucson.

Promotion of the community and region will need to be on a national basis, something that will help regional tourism activity, as visitors come to see the community amenities for a weekend or a week.

The developer has ambitious plans for 2,000 homes per year to be built with a total 28,000 homes. “The timeline goal,” Reinhold said, “is to wrap up the public process by the end of this year and have final design and engineering ready by late summer or early fall 2016.”

Westland Resources of Tucson has been contracted for its engineering and environmental services for the project.

In the past month, Reinhold has met with various other groups including the Cochise County Tourism Council, the Southeastern Arizona Contractors Association (SACA) and the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and has upcoming meetings planned with Visit Tucson and also with Pima County officials.

As Reinhold put it, “Success for El Dorado is defined by how a community can grow and flourish.” The fact that they have chosen Benson for this project will benefit our entire region.

Benson AZ – Dr. Robert Carreira, principal of USEconomicResearch.com, forecasts the Villages at Vigneto will ignite the struggling Benson and Cochise County economies. The development, including 28,000 homes, a destination resort, and four million square feet of commercial/retail space, will bring an estimated $23.8 billion* in economic activity (spending/sales) over 18 years. Additionally, It will create an estimated 16,350 jobs at the height of construction and $79.6 million in cash surplus to the City of Benson.

Dr. Carreira’s economic study of the Villages at Vigneto utilized the Regional Input-Output Modeling System (RIMS II) developed by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (www.bea.gov). The study estimates the Villages at Vigneto, developed by Phoenix-based El Dorado Benson LLC, will produce $7.7 billion in associated household earnings.

According to Dr. Carreira’s study, the Villages at Vigneto will transform the economies of Benson and Cochise County, spurring unprecedented economic activity, job growth, business expansion, population growth and reduce the unemployment rate, which has burdened the entire region. Over the past six years, Cochise County has lost more than 4,000 jobs. The current unemployment rate in Cochise County is 8.4 percent, while Benson’s has increased to over 10 percent.

The Study assumes 2,000 home sales annually by 2020, and shows the economic impact will reach an annual reoccurring revenue of $1.2 billion, generating $426 million in household earnings. This growth will peak in 2031, resulting in $2.2 billion in economic activity, $674 million in household earnings, and 16,355 jobs to Cochise County. Upon completion of the development of Vigneto, the region will sustain $1.2 billion in economic activity annually, and over 8,780 permanent full time jobs.

During build out, the Villages at Vigneto will generate $1.5 billion in new tax revenues for all Cochise county taxing districts.  The fiscal impact on the City of Benson over the same period will create $557.6 million in tax revenue compared to $478.1 million in expenses.  The net impact to the City of Benson will be $79.6 million in tax surplus.

Mike Reinbold, development partner with El Dorado Benson, LLC, said, “The increase in jobs, sales, business expansion and tourism that this project will bring will directly benefit Benson and Cochise County residents. Immediately there will be construction jobs created that would last for a number of years. The sudden increase in jobs will instantly increase boost sales in the retail, transportation, lodging, and the food and beverage industries. Public safety, social services, hospitals, medical facilities and schools will also see increases in revenues as a result of this project.”