A message from Development Services Director Jason Angell, originally published by Tucson Local Media.
By all accounts, development during this past fiscal year defied economic predictions and saw some historic highs due to the effects of COVID.
An unexpected outcome of the pandemic has been the positive impact on the housing market. Because of the economic uncertainty early in the onset of the pandemic during the spring of 2020, market activity fell dramatically. By early summer 2020, the market rallied with historically low interest rates and high demand from buyers. With an increasing number of buyers, not enough sellers, and lack of inventory, homebuyers faced a very strong seller’s market. This translated to higher listing prices and quick sales.
During Fiscal Year 2021, the General Plan was amended in two areas; the Dove Mountain Specific Plan Amendment and the Alexander Specific Plan Amendment.
The Dove Mountain Specific Plan Amendment added 9.38 acres of land on the north side of Tangerine Road, east of North Camino de Oeste Road, to the Dove Mountain Specific Plan, as well as a rezoning of the property to a designation of Mixed-Use Commercial property.
The Alexander Specific Plan Amendment changed the land use designation of the Alexander project from Commercial to Master Plan Area. The Alexander development proposes 211 multifamily dwelling units, and a portion of the property has been dedicated to Pima County for construction of the extension of The Loop shared-use path along the back of the CDO.
There was also an amendment to the Town Code made this year—the Subdivision Private On-site Recreational Areas Amendment. It was recognized that the Subdivision Recreational Areas section of the Town Code had become outdated and inadequate. After extensive outreach with stakeholders, staff drafted revisions to the Code, creating minimum required recreational areas based on average lot size, instituted design standards, including the requirement for a recreation area plan (RAP) and established the recreational areas design standards manual.
Town Council adopted these Code changes in December, 2020, which became effective in January 2021.
Several public projects were completed within the Town’s infrastructure; the Camino de Oeste Road reconstruction improved the right-of-way landscaping and added a multi-use path that connects to the path at Tangerine Road, the opening of Adonis Road/Mandarina Boulevard now provides secondary access for residents and emergency services, and the opening of CAP Trailhead provides the Town’s gateway to the CAP trail system that runs 17 miles into Pinal County.
Some completed commercial projects you may have noticed around town include the QuikTrip at West Ina Road and North Starcommerce Way, O’Reilly Auto Parts in the Safeway Shopping Center at Continental Ranch, Circle K in Gladden Farms, and Dutch Bros Coffee on Ina Road.
In Fiscal Year 2022, residents can look forward to seeing a few commercial projects coming to Marana. The new Northwest Fire District Administration Complex will serve as the District’s headquarters, located on Marana Main Street. Construction is now underway. Cortaro Ranch Shopping Center and Safeway Shopping Center at Continental Ranch have been proposed to offer more shopping opportunities. Filiberto’s Mexican Food, Great Clips, Starbucks, and Freytag Orthodontics are among the confirmed tenants. Other commercial projects include Silverbell Gateway Distribution Center, National Self-Storage, Golden Leaf Expansion, and Bill Luke Automotive. To see all current and proposed commercial projects in the Town, visit maranaaz.gov/projectinfo.
Several residential projects are also underway. Multifamily development plans have been submitted for Encantada at Marana Center, Silverbell Gateway Apartments, and the Alexander Apartments. In Single Family development, the northwest area of Marana continues to develop with active sales and new construction in the Gladden Farms Blocks between Tangerine Farms Road and Moore Road, in Rancho Marana, and in the Village at Barnett. Additionally, activity remains strong in Saguaro Bloom and along the Twin Peaks corridor.
Development activity remained strong in fiscal year 2021, with 67 commercial permits issued at a valuation of almost $36 million, and 1,067 single-family house permits issued with a record-breaking month in June 2021. Subdivision plats approved in fiscal year 2021 reached a new high of 996 lots. As new home construction continues to boom, so does the need for new water and sewer connections, as the Town saw a very high number of new connections in relation to housing permits.
It’s exciting to see the rapid growth in Marana. All of us here at the Town of Marana are looking forward to our next year of growth, welcoming both new residents and new businesses to the Marana community.
To read the full Annual Development Activity Report, please head to maranaaz.gov/developmentservices.
