'Attainable' apartments coming to northwest Tucson

A company with a mission of building privately financed, attainable rentals is building a second community in the Tucson area.

Scottsdale-based Greenlight Communities has broken ground on Villa Cielo Cortaro, a 196-unit complex at 3100 W. Cortaro Farms Road, on the northwest corner near Shannon Road.

Located near Omni Tucson National Resort, the boutique apartment complex will be a mix of studios and one- and two-bedroom units.

About 40% of the units will be studios for about $1,299 a month, with rents up to $1,700 for a two-bedroom unit.

“That allows us to get to a price point that allows people to rent in that neighborhood,” said Dan Richards, a partner with Greenlight.

Rents at the nearby luxury complex Encantada Tucson National, for example, start at $1,572 a month and rise to more than $3,000 a month.

Richards said the area appealed to the company because of its proximity to Interstate 10 and nearby employment.

Villa Cielo will be built in four pods with different themes such as outdoor fitness and a hammock garden.

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Rick Borane, with Volk Co., represented FCI Constructors Inc. in the $3 million sale of the 9.4-acre site.

Richards said the goal is to have the units ready next year.

Greenlight’s first Tucson community, Cabana Bridges, is under construction at Park Avenue and 36th Street in the mixed-use center, The Bridges.

That complex is expected to be finished this summer.

Greenlight also has developments in and around Phoenix.

By streamlining the design and the building process, and eliminating the waste, the company has significantly reduced its building and construction costs. Greenlight also owns and operates an in-house general contracting and civil engineering division that help them deliver a product faster and more affordably.

The company would like to build more locally.

“We are actively looking for opportunities,” Richards said. “We want to do more in Tucson because it’s a great market and fit for us.”