[Source: Greg Holt, Northwest Explorer] -- Oro Valley's first residents might be happy to learn how much the town values its earliest history and native heritage. With a new partnership officially in place, the historic Hohokam Indian site in Oro Valley -- known as Honey Bee Village -- will now be preserved, thanks to the combined efforts of the town of Oro Valley, Pima County, a local developer, and the Tohono O'Odham nation. Creation of the Honey Bee Village Preserve was marked in a ceremony featuring speeches from town and county officials and leaders of the Tohono O'odham nation Feb. 23. An archeologist was on hand to lead a tour of the site.The new preserve was established to protect what is considered to be the most historically and archeologically important site in Oro Valley. A large Hohokam Indian community occupied the site between 700 AD and 1200 AD, according to archeologists. Honey Bee Village is located just north of the intersection of Rancho Vistoso Boulevard and Moore Road. Archeologists have identified the locations of hundreds of pit houses, a ball court, a walled compound and a central compound on the relatively undisturbed site where developers once intended to build the town center for Oro Valley. Preservation of the 13-acre village core was made possible through a donation of the land by Canada Vista Homes, which will put the $8 million piece of real estate into the public trust after a final archeological survey is completed this summer and the final plat for the site is approved by the town council. "The Hohokam picked a nice piece of real estate to settle. On one hand, we have 13 acres of highly valuable real estate, and on the other hand we have an invaluable historic resource that would be plowed over and lost forever," said Steve Solomon, owner of Canada Vistas Homes, the development company that purchased the land last year.
Pima County originally intended to use $1 million in preservation bond funds to purchase the land before its real estate value skyrocketed to $8 million. In exchange for his donation, Pima County has agreed to use those funds to conduct an archeological survey of the land around the Honey Bee Village Preserve to collect any artifacts or Indian remains and clear the way for future development. Solomon plans to use surrounding land for 145 single family homes, 124 luxury condominiums and a 10-acre neighborhood mall to be known as Honey Bee Plaza. The mall will include 90,000 square feet of specialty shops, restaurants and office space. "(Donating the land) was the right thing to do, and if it's done the right way, it will be an asset to the development around it. People will be buying homes there because they want be a part of the historic site," Solomon said.
[Note: To read the full article, click here. Map: Arizona Daily Star.]
