Marana and Gladden Farms New Homes (Tucson, Oro Valley: foreclosures, hotels, new house)

[Rudydog1]

Morning..if we are fortunate to sell out this year and move back to Tucson, the new developments in Marana and Gladden Farms appear to be of interest.

We lived in Tucson previously up by Catalina however wanted to expand our horizons. My brother in law might be moving in with us and he works in Casa Grande. Also Red Rock was brought up however it looks very undeveloped.

When we lived there before, Marana was building out however I felt it was very windy and dusty. My brother in law stated that there has been alot more homes built north of Tangerine which we should check into to get new construction at a reasonable price. Also any builders we should be aware of? Our previous home was a Lennar build and no problems there.

Any info would be greatly appreciated...Thank you

[maranaman]

I moved to Gladden farms in 2009[new house]. It is great ,good schools if you compare them to Tucson. Shopping centers are going up at Twin Peaks.The landfill on Tangerrine is now closed. Come and join us. Small town feel but not to far from north side of Tucson.

[Rudydog1]

Originally Posted by maranaman

I moved to Gladden farms in 2009[new house]. It is great ,good schools if you compare them to Tucson. Shopping centers are going up at Twin Peaks.The landfill on Tangerrine is now closed. Come and join us. Small town feel but not to far from north side of Tucson.

Great to know maranaman...we plan on calling this it for moving as we are in our 60's however do not wish to be in an age restricted community. Young at heart..

I remember that Gladden Farms was pretty flat...my brother in law stated there are some rolling hills near by or maybe he is referring to a different area?

Thanks

[maranaman]

Gladden farms has great walking trails. The area is flat but very close to the hills if you are into hiking. The area was farmland, still alot of cotton production that gives Gladdens farms a real country feel. Good mixture of young and old folks. We are in our sixties[still in my prime]. GF is 2 miles from the interstate.

[Jukesgrrl]

One of the best things about Marana is all the new community facilities that have been built in recent years:

-A beautiful municipal building to house city services and the local court.
-New fire houses.
-Crossroads at Silverbell District Park (at Silverbell and Cortaro Rds.). The park features playgrounds, walking trails, ramadas, festival and performance areas, soccer/multi-use fields, one softball and two baseball fields, tennis, sand volleyball, horseshoes, basketball, concessions, and restrooms.
-The Geasa-Marana branch of the Pima County libraries, which has activities and classes as well as books and computers.
Geasa-Marana Branch Library | Pima County Public Library | Tucson, Marana, Ajo, Oro Valley, Sahuarita, Green Valley, Vail, Arivaca | Arizona
-The Marana Community Center where seniors (people over 50) can use a fitness center, computer lab, and enjoy classes and trips for $40 per year.
-The fantastic Marana Health Center, the single nicest heathcare facility I've even been in.
Marana Health Center :: Home
-The Marana Unified School District Solar Power Project:
Marana Unified School District - Solar Project

Enjoyable community activities, too:
Marana, AZ - Official Website - Events

While Marana maintains the look of a rural area (with its horse facilities, cotton fields, and farmers market), the community appears to me to be run like a modern, sophisticated suburb. The ever-growing Arizona Pavilions Shopping Center at the Cortaro exit of I-10 has every typical suburban store, as well as multiple restaurants and hotels. There is also a lot of shopping and access to the chic Dove Mountain development along Tangerine Road. The fact that Marana houses a municipal airport is also helping development.

[Rudydog1]

[quote=Jukesgrrl;33065664]One of the best things about Marana is all the new community facilities that have been built in recent years:

Thank you Jukesgrrl...I am getting really excited. Now if I can only get my home sold this year. One question I do have is where is the closest indoor mall? Would the Tucson Mall off Oracle be it?

[tom4416]

There are some not necessarily good changes coming to the Marana area that any potential resident should be aware of. First is the 5,000 unit housing development that has now started off Twin Peaks and will surely cause some congestion at Silverbell/Twin Peaks and then out to I-10. Second, two outlet style malls to break ground soon, one at Arvo Valley exit and the other at Twin Peaks Exit. Both the housing development and these malls were due to start back in 2007/08 when the great recession hit so they already have the necessary permits and water rights to build so unless the economy retreats, I suspect they are going to happen.

Marana seems to have managed growth well up to this point, hopefully they will continue in that vein and will require responsible behavior by developers. I'm still unclear where these massive developments are obtaining the water necessary to exist as there are studies that have to be done and submitted that "prove" there is sufficient potable water supplies to support these operations. Given the general drought for the last dozen years and the diminished capacity of the Colorado River, I suspect some numbers may have been fudged to make all this work. Or, I'm just being a NIMBY

[Rudydog1]

Originally Posted by tom4416

There are some not necessarily good changes coming to the Marana area that any potential resident should be aware of. First is the 5,000 unit housing development that has now started off Twin Peaks and will surely cause some congestion at Silverbell/Twin Peaks and then out to I-10. Second, two outlet style malls to break ground soon, one at Arvo Valley exit and the other at Twin Peaks Exit. Both the housing development and these malls were due to start back in 2007/08 when the great recession hit so they already have the necessary permits and water rights to build so unless the economy retreats, I suspect they are going to happen.

Marana seems to have managed growth well up to this point, hopefully they will continue in that vein and will require responsible behavior by developers. I'm still unclear where these massive developments are obtaining the water necessary to exist as there are studies that have to be done and submitted that "prove" there is sufficient potable water supplies to support these operations. Given the general drought for the last dozen years and the diminished capacity of the Colorado River, I suspect some numbers may have been fudged to make all this work. Or, I'm just being a NIMBY

Well this is interesting to know. I got burned here in Virginia on new construction just before our market went south. Luckily my area is very rural so there were not alot of foreclosures around to really tank the prices. It sounds like the flood gates are lifting there like it did back in 2004 when we purchased a new home from Lennar up by Catalina. Fortunately we got out before the crash. So..I will check into this information. If we were to consider moving to the other side of I-10 vs our previous location up by Catalina we will have to research and travel up the I-10 to see what the heck in going on there. New housing areas are tempting and usually have a good deals as long as the economy stays stable.. Been there and done that. We are still somewhat upside down but do not wish to wait any longer to get out of Virginia with interest rates raising. Thanks for the heads up.