TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On Tuesday night, Tucson City Council voted unanimously to approve a new student housing development near the University of Arizona, which is coming to the corner of Speedway and Euclid.
Five historic bungalows currently sitting on that corner will survive and be moved a few blocks away in the West University neighborhood. One historic home deemed to be in too much disrepair will be demolished. The homes are more than a hundred years old.
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Four of the five will go to a mostly empty lot on Second Avenue, with another going across the street where a home currently standing will be taken down.
“Part of it that attracts me is the fun of it,” said Joel Ireland, who owns the land where the homes are going. A lawyer and former priest, he’s been living in West University for more than 40 years.
“I love these old homes,” he told KGUN. “I like the character of them and the look of them. And I like working on them.”
He’s already doing that inside the buildings already standing on the lot where the homes will go.
And he’ll soon take ownership of the historic homes after striking a deal with the developer, Alabama-based Capstone Communities. Capstone is buying the homes from their current owners, paying for the relocation and compensating Ireland for taking the homes on his property.
“They said ‘Well, we’ve got a proposition for you… give you a little money to fix ‘em up and we’ll both go on our way,’” he recalled. “I think it’s great, we’re gonna bring ‘em in. We’re gonna put ‘em on new foundations. We’re gonna shore up the foundation and redo the floors and the walls. Put good electricity in ‘em.”
Ireland bought the property a few years ago, he says, when a mini-dorm developer had his project shut down on the land. That opened the door for Ireland and Capstone to prepare the land as a landing spot for the historic homes.
After the homes are moved, Ireland and his son Sam will then manage them as rentals.
Though it’s not just a good deal for them. Neighbors seem to be very supportive of the project after five years of conversations and compromise between them, the developer and the city.
The city agreed to rezone the corner in order to accommodate the project, while Capstone agreed to alter the building design and invest in new sidewalks in the neighborhood at the requests of neighbors.
“I think they came to know each other, began to trust each other, and made this deal,” Ireland said of the different parties involved. “People should be watching that and say, ‘This is how you get it done. You wanna get something done in Tucson? Well, here’s a template to do it, man.’”
There is currently no date set for when the homes will be moved.
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Ryan Fish is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9 and comes to the Sonoran Desert from California’s Central Coast after working as a reporter, sports anchor and weather forecaster in Santa Barbara. Ryan grew up in the Chicago suburbs, frequently visiting family in Tucson. Share your story ideas and important issues with Ryan by emailing ryan.fish@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
