Tucson Mountain Park is set to grow by 276 acres under a purchase agreement thatโs inked and awaiting consideration by the Pima County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
The four lots, which straddle West 36th Street on the way to the trailhead at the roadwayโs end, will be sold for $2.1 million, with a $375,000 down payment due if the deal is approved. That down payment is included in the current budget and it, along with three annual payment of roughly $567,000, will be covered using revenue from the Starr Pass Environmental Enhancement Fund.
The county included the property in a list of potential acquisitions using 2004 open-space bonds. However, according to a memo from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry , the owner was hoping to sell it for more than comparable properties purchased by the county.
A homebuilder recently had the property in escrow for $4.1 million, according to the same memo.
The lots are owned by William Frick and Christine Glass, according to assessorโs records.
A number of informal trails already crisscross the property, making it effectively a part of the Tucson Mountain Park. However, Robert Padilla, deputy county parks director, said the county being the owner means development wonโt take place. That guarantees continued public access.
Additionally, Padilla said, many of the trails were wildcat efforts and could be washed away by heavy rains.
If the deal is approved, Padilla said, his department will install a permanent trail system and discourage use of the numerous wildcat trails in the area.
โFrom a sustainability aspect, we want to build trails that will withstand the test of time,โ he said.
The funds come from a fee paid by the operators of the J.W. Marriott Starr Pass Resort equal to 2 percent of all room rentals and guest purchases.
For the first 10 years of the two decade agreement โ now in its 11th year โ 75 percent of proceeds went to the resort and the remainder went to the county, according to the memo.
The arrangement recently flipped, so the county now takes in 75 percent of the fee.
The resortโs share of the fee is simply returned to it with no strings, though several memos state that the county must spend its share on efforts to expand and improve Tucson Mountain Park.
So far, the county has taken in $3.6 million from the arrangement, with another $790,000 expected this fiscal year. The fund was also used for part of the $7.5 million 2014 purchase of 286 acres in the Painted Hills area.
The property, which is habitat for Sonoran Desert tortoises and other native species, would also count as mitigation land for the countyโs recently approved Section 10 permit and Multi-species Conservation Plan.
The permit allows the county and developers to harm certain species in exchange for conservation and habitat preservation efforts elsewhere.
