An on-going topic of interest to our community has been the long-awaited development of what is now known as Vail Crossings. Your District 4 Office recently met with a Bourn Companies development team member to learn more about the status of the project as part of our effort to monitor development activities in our Southeast Region.
The location, known in years past as The Passages of Tucson, originally was envisioned to include millions of square feet of retail and commercial space with hotels and a medical facility. That effort failed, bankruptcies ensued, different owners took over and now, finally, after many years of languishing, a highly respected and successful new owner, Bourn Companies has taken ownership and initiated this re-crafted project.
For those unfamiliar with Bourn, this company has completed about six million square feet of real estate projects across the Southwestern United States, with 28 office, industrial, retail, and mixed-use developments in Pima County. Bourn currently has six projects underway locally, including the transformation of the Foothills Mall into an urban village called Uptown.
The roughly 400-acre Vail project consists of two distinct parcels. The 97-acre northern piece is located along Success Drive, east of Colossal Cave Road. The 297-acre southern piece runs along the I-10 Frontage Road, around the Vail School District headquarters. With approved zoning for residential and commercial developments in both parcels, the bulk of the commercial uses, as well as the most residential lots, are in the southern parcel.
With such a unique project, infrastructure needs are great and Bourn is committed to extending some four miles of sewer hook-up lines, collaborating with TEP to install a two-mile loop of power lines and constructing an 800,000-gallon water storage tank with Vail Water among other improvements, including the paving of Dawn Road and Sundown Boulevard.
Naturally, concerns are being expressed about traffic issues and Bourn has worked with our Pima County Development Services and Transportation Departments as well as the Arizona Department of Transportation to obtain approvals for project elements including a traffic signal, additional turn lanes and on/off ramps for access to I-10. These additional traffic control improvements are significant – and expensive – projects with Bourn Companies bearing their costs.
Keep in mind that throughout this activity, Bourn is navigating a maze of complicated issues that are impacted by numerous entities such as the Union Pacific Railroad, both the County and State Transportation Departments, County Developmental Services, the Vail School District, and others. Thrown into this mix are outdated area roadways and obsolete thoroughfares going back decades with additional issues caused by much greater on-going and pre-existing regional challenges outside and unconnected to this specific project. It should be noted that the current traffic studies show that traffic will not increase in the Vail Crossings development area.
However, traffic will not decrease in the region, even with Bourn’s new infrastructure improvements. Another aspect must be considered: Our Southeast Region needs the new transportation infrastructure to properly address congestion problems that are included in RTA Next, which comes up for renewal with an election on March 10th.
Your District 4 Office is working closely with Bourn Companies, and Bourn has pledged to be good neighbors, proactive developers, and involved members of our Southeast Region community. We are monitoring all entities involved with Vail Crossings and we will keep you apprised of the development’s progress.
On another note, our Vail Community said a fond and uplifting fare-thee-well to education and leadership icon, Cal Baker on January 17th. The church’s massive auditorium was packed with colleagues, family, and many friends for a powerful and heartfelt tribute highlighting the many contributions and gifts given to all of us by Cal. Children and relatives shared many loving and emotional stories of Cal’s life, faith, and personality. His legacy of accomplishments and innovations will live on within our region, as will his memory, and Vail will reap the benefits for years to come of having Cal Baker as an integral part of our lives and as our friend.
Pima County Supervisor Steve Christy, District 4
33 N. Stone Avenue, Floor 11
Tucson, AZ 85701
520-724-8094
district4@pima.gov
