1650 E. River Road
Commercial/Residential Developments Being Built in Continental Ranch and Continental Reserve and What It Means To You
Areas of Continental Ranch and Continental Reserve (located on the northwest side of Tucson at Silverbell and Cortaro Rd) are being developed for commercial purposes and have been for the past 3 years. All along Cortaro, just west of I-10, properties have been continuously developed and now offer residents extreme convenience, and most residents never have to cross I-10 to get anything they are in search of. In the past few years, a Super Wal-Mart, Kohls, Checker, Autozone (automotive stores), Chili’s, Ace Hardware, Fry’s, Chase, Bank of America, Movie Theater Complex, several restaurants, and service providers have made Continental Ranch and Continental Reserve home to their businesses. Just a few years ago, an urgent care center was built, providing medical care.
Continental Ranch and Reserve comprise over 4000 homes and 2 large apartment complexes. The outlying areas around Continental Ranch/Reserve offer many custom homes as well as horse properties remaining from before the area was heavily developed. Continental Ranch, with over 3000 homes, has been being developed for the past 15 years and is nearly completely built out. Continental Reserve is smaller, with just over 1000 homes. Development began on Reserve in 2001 and it is now also built out. Ironwood Reserve is an extension of Continental Reserve and still offers new homes, although these, too, are also almost completely built out since the demand for homes and commercial services has grown considerably in the past 5 years.
What makes the area so appealing and pushes both commercial and residential expansion is that Cortaro Road is one of the northernmost streets in the Tucson area. It is the last I-10 freeway exit (when driving towards Phoenix from Tucson) and the first exit (when arriving in Tucson from Phoenix). Since the natural tendency for travelers is to eat, sleep, and shop when just arriving in a large city or after passing through a city, Cortaro Road is where they stop. Furthermore, being so close to I-10 saves residents hours of additional drive time. Urban sprawl and a fast rate of population growth has made drive times significantly increase over the past 10 years, making the use of the I-10 freeway that runs straight through Tucson a major time saver when you can access it quickly.
Everyone who has lived in the vicinity of Continental Ranch/Reserve has noticed a spectacular increase in population, traffic, and services now accessible to them. The northwest side of Tucson will continue this growth over the next 25 years. The population of Tucson is predicted to increase from just over 1,000,000 residents in 2006 to in excess of 1,500,000 residents by 2030. It would most likely be wise — from both a lifestyle standpoint and as an investment — for those looking to purchase a home on the northwest side to take a look at the Continental Ranch/Reserve area. The need to be located close to the freeway will be of utmost importance in Tucson, just as it is across California. Since this locale is virtually built out, values should only continue to ascend as more services come to the vicinity. With services increasing, demand to live in the area will mount, thereby increasing home prices.