A former hotel near downtown Tucson is now home to dozens of residents.
Presidio Palms Apartments, 475 N. Granada Ave., was previously the Hotel Tucson City Center and, originally, a Ramada Inn.
Scottsdale developer Sterling Real Estate Partners got the zoning changed and remodeled the old hotel into 212 apartments with rents between $1,050 and $1,650 per month.
The median rent across the Tucson area is $1,545 and upwards of $4,000 in the downtown area.
The three-year project opened for leasing in the fall and more than 20 units are already occupied.
βIf you want to live downtown, this is a great option,β said David Zeff, president of Sterling and a graduate of the University of Arizona.
βThe hotel was such a big part of the Tucson community,β he said. βSo many people have memories of having been here to attend a wedding or a quinceaΓ±era.β
The renovations at the Presidio Palms includes the addition of a small arcade area.
Zeffβs goal in redeveloping the property was to create housing near downtown at an attainable price.
βIn terms of contribution to the community, the empty hotel wasnβt providing anything,β he said. βThis is my first Tucson project, but I would consider another.β
The first phase of Presidio Palms, named for the presidio and the numerous palm trees on the property, has 100 studios and 112 one-bedroom units.
Currently available studios are between 315 and 367 square feet and the one-bedrooms, created out of two adjoining hotel rooms, are between 680 and 740 square feet.
The main living space of a one-bedroom apartment. These units are created out of two adjoining hotel rooms.
All have full kitchens and stackable washers and dryers. Some of the units have balconies with views of downtown Tucson and A Mountain.
The swimming pool is being renovated and an outdoor seating and grilling area will be added, as well as a game lawn and sand volleyball court.
The former Downtown βR bar is now a gym and there is a business center on site for tenants.
The Presidio Palms apartments has completed 212 apartment units in the first phase.
More than 150 new units will be built on the outskirts of the property, on the southwest corner of Granada Avenue and St. Maryβs Road.
The project received a 2022 Common Ground Award from the Metropolitan Pima Alliance for its engagement of the surrounding neighborhoods to address concerns about the proposed complex.
The original Ramada Inn was built in the 1960s by prominent Tucson developer Donald Millstone.
In 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle held a political rally at the hotel.
A grand opening of the Presidio Palms was held Feb. 13 and tours are available.
Visit presidiopalms.com for more information.
