Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Still hope for Tucson's Ghost Ranch project

[Source: Josh Brodesky and Erica Meltzer, Daily Star] -- For several years now, the Ghost Ranch Lodge has sat empty, its cactus garden and historic buildings sealed off by chain-link fencing. Instead of being a monument to Tucson's history, the lodge, on West Miracle Mile near North Oracle Road, became a monument to stagnation. The abandoned inn was supposed to be turned into quality, low-cost housing for the elderly. The project never came to fruition, as the non-profit developer, Development Design Group, buckled under the financial strain that comes with mismanagement and infighting. But the property is now under new ownership. Mesa-based developer Mark Breen purchased it last summer, and his group, Atlantic Development, has plans to follow through on the conversion to affordable housing for the elderly. The city has money set aside to support the project, and on Tuesday the Pima County Board of Supervisors will consider sending a letter to the state Department of Housing, asking the state to support the new developer. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]