Marana’s New “Uptown”

This week, Marana’s Town Council agreed to approve the rezoning of 205 acres on the west side of Interstate 10 at Marana Road for what’s being billed as “Uptown for Marana.” This new uptown plan is unconventional for Marana developments because it includes mixed-use areas that will intertwine commercial and residential developments. Uptown will be unlike anything that currently exists in Marana, and I, for one, as a Marana resident, am excited about the change. All the other new major residential developments, such as Gladden Farms, Continental Ranch, Continental Reserve, and Dove Mountain all feel very similar to me, although each has its own identity. I think Marana is definitely taking the right step to mix up the normal development. In my opinion, the location for this new mixed-use development could not be better because there is much land available to develop around this new Uptown project. The proximity of I-10 will make it a very alluring location for many companies looking to establish a business presence in Marana.

The zoning for this new Marana development allows for up to 930 homes of varying densities. In this plan, the development also calls for in excess of 80 acres of commercial areas. The talk from the town is that part of the commercial development will even feature residential and commercial intertwined, possibly one on top of the other. Jordan Rose, the lawyer representing the developer (The Cardon Group and JF Properties) stated, “This, from our experience, is going to be Marana’s first truly mixed-use community.”

There is no timetable for when the development will begin construction. The plan calls for many housing options, including single-family detached homes, town homes, row houses, duplexes, and commercial properties. I personally think this mixed-use development should be a home run for Marana and get the upscale developments and activity that the town of Marana desperately wants for I-10 and Marana Road. Having major developments in the center of Marana will allow for natural and orderly development of Marana from the center outward. The current pattern of developing in a few different corners of Marana prevents the city from being able to obtain and build a downtown area like other smaller cities around Tucson have established.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 26th, 2007 at 1:30 am and is filed under Marana. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.