Phoenix buys 945 acres of preserve land

[Source: RD Investments] -- Capping off a record-setting year for the Arizona State Land Department, The City of Phoenix expanded its open space land preserve acreage when Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon gave the winning bid of $85 million for 945-acres of preserve land located East of I-17 and South of the Carefree Highway. Today’s auction marked two major milestones: This land sale pushed the value of the State Land Trust Permanent Fund above $2 billion. This is the first time in four years that preserve land was sold under the Arizona Preserve Initiative. According to State Land Commissioner Mark Winkleman, the auction marks major success for both the City of Phoenix and The State of Arizona. “Selling 945-acres to the City of Phoenix for its Sonoran Desert Preserve is a benchmark event,” Winkleman said. “Importantly, it provides permanent open space for the public and it demonstrates that cities can work with the Land Department to acquire Trust Land for this purpose,” he said. “I applaud Mayor Gordon, Councilwoman Neely and the City Staff for their leadership and willingness to accomplish this important task,” Winkleman said. Winkleman explained that the Arizona Preserve Initiative is designed to encourage the preservation of select parcels of State Trust Land in and around urban areas for open space to benefit future generations. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]