Purchase of land for new Tucson park approved

Tucson’s south side will be getting a new park.

The City Council last week approved the purchase of a nearly 4-acre vacant parcel of land for the park.

The 3.83-acre parcel is within the Barrio Nopal neighborhood in the 300 block of East Elvira Road. The parcel is just west of South Old Nogales Highway near Tucson International Airport and south of West Valencia Road.

The land was formerly owned by the Sunnyside Unified School District. The council approved buying it for $420,000.

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The purchase is funded by Proposition 407, the $225 million bond package approved by voters in 2018, as well as federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), according to the Barrio Nopal master plan.

Construction is expected to begin in March or April. The project intends to provide a new park and amenities using roughly six acres of land, which this park will sit in.

The plan was approved by mayor and council in October 2022.

Park improvements will include a playground with a shade structure, a splash pad, restrooms, soft walking paths, accessible sidewalks, water harvesting areas, ramadas and a picnic area, according to the master plan website.