The City of Tucson has sold 173 acres of land in the Houghton Road Corridor. One of the City’s largest land offerings in recent memory, it is part of the greater 320-acre Civano land parcel which fronts the west side of South Houghton Road, between East Irvington Road to the north and East Valencia Road to the South. The parcel commanded a sale price of $8.26 million.

Ian Stuart, Ben Becker and Adam Becker of CBRE’s Tucson office negotiated the sale on behalf of the City. Thrac Paulette of Cantera Real Estate, LLC, represented the buyer, Mattamy Homes.

Mattamy’s plans for the 173-acre parcel are not yet final, but will involve a master planned residential community. Across Houghton Road, directly east of the property, is the Civano residential neighborhood, which is approaching full build out. Mattamy’s future project will be well positioned to capitalize on remaining, significant demand for homes in the Houghton Road Corridor. Over the past several years, the Houghton Road Corridor has developed as a regionally significant corridor and is recognized as such by the Pima Association of Governments.

“The Houghton Road Corridor has been established as a desirable place where people enjoy a comfortable environment in which to work, raise children, be close to nature, and pursue an outdoor-centered lifestyle,” Stuart said.

Mattamy Homes is one of the largest privately owned builders in North America, and the company has built more than 70,000 homes in hundreds of communities across the United States and Canada. Mattamy’s first expansion into the Tucson area occurred in August 2014. The premier homebuilder currently has two active communities in the market. Mattamy intends to develop the property as a residential master planned community centered around active and healthy lifestyles that complement the surrounding amenities.

“We are excited to be a part of this opportunity and look forward to working with the City of Tucson and other stakeholders on this important and exciting project,” said Josh Robinson, Mattamy Tucson division president.

In addition to the 173-acre parcel sold to Mattamy, the area is also known for the popular system of mountain bike trails collectively known as Fantasy Island Trails Park, which extend onto the greater 320-acre Civano Parcel.

The City has taken steps to put aside approximately 106 acres to the north of the sale site to be preserved as open space for the purpose of protecting the trails system on the greater Civano Parcel as a public resource.

In addition to preserving the 106 acres for the Fantasy Island Trails Park, approximately 40 acres in the southwest corner of the Civano Parcel will be used by Tucson Water for a groundwater recharge facility and a small well site. Areas within the Tucson Water property will also be set aside for public recreation.

“The City has worked closely with the mountain bike and development communities since 2005 to bring responsible development to this parcel, while protecting the Fantasy Island trails so many people love and enjoy,” said James MacAdam, a project manager in the City Manager’s Office who worked with the stakeholders to prepare for the sale. “We see this as a win for bikers, the City, and our growing east side communities.”

The 173-acre parcel in the Houghton Road Corridor is the largest parcel to date to be declared surplus by the City of Tucson and put up for sale. The City retained CBRE in March of 2012 to identify and categorize its inventory of surplus properties, and to market high value properties from the portfolio.