Update on Tucson’s Commercial Water Harvesting Ordinance
Local Tucsonan Brad Lancaster wrote the book on water harvesting-literally. He has traveled extensively around the world educating communities about harvesting rain and storm water run off . If you visit his Dunbar Springs Neighborhood near downtown Tucson, you will find a lush desert oasis. Brad and his neighbors have planted thousands of trees and native vegetation watered only through what is captured by rain and street run off.
 Before: The blue arrow represents the water that would run off the property into the street.
Brad was also integral in the creation of the City’s Commercial Water Harvesting Ordinance. The ordinance was passed in 2008 and was the first of its kind in the Nation. It required new businesses to get at least 50% of their landscaping water from rain or storm run-off. One of the goals is to lessen our dependence on drinking water when it comes to vegetation and landscaping. In 2018, Brad was hired to do an audit of the ordinance to see how it was working. Unfortunately what he found was that the City was approving plans submitted on paper, but not following up on what was actually built. It turns out that a lot of properties that were developed under the ordinance were not in compliance.
 After: The Blue Arrow represents the water now flowing into the basins full of native vegetation.
Since then, the Planning and Development Services hired additional inspectors. Brad was back in front of Mayor and Council earlier this month with additional requests to “tweak” the ordinance in order to make it more effective. You can watch Brad's presentation here. One of his biggest concerns is the lack of Trees and shrubs that are native to the Tucson Basin. Vegetation that is Native to the Sonoran Desert has evolved to live in the Desert’s harsh conditions and provides habitat and food to insects and the birds that depend on them.
 Brad Lancaster speaking at Mayor and Council.
City staff will return to Mayor and Council in the fall with an update on the proposed changes to the ordinance.
Amazon Flats Groundbreaking
 Mayor Romero with Council Member Dahl in front of the soon to be Amazon Flats.
Last week, Council Member Dahl joined the groundbreaking of Amazon Flats, an affordable housing project located at 1135 W. Miracle Mile. If Amazon Flats sounds familiar, you would not be mistaken, as this is the second construction project on this property. In September of last year Ward 3 joined in the ribbon cutting of the redevelopment of the Amazon Motel to a 30-unit supportive housing project. The Amazon Motel continues to remain fully operational while a new building on the west side of the property undergoes construction.
 Pictured left to right: City of Tucson Housing and Community Development Director Ann Chanecka, Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona Director Adriana Gallego, City of Tucson Planning and Development Services Director Koren Manning, Gorman & Company Arizona Market President Sally Schwenn, COT Housing and Community Development Deputy Director Johanna Hernandez, Council Member Kevin Dahl, Mayor Romero, Poster Mirto McDonald Architect Zoe Sadorf, Vectra Bank’s Anton Bengtson, and City of Tucson Assistant City Manager Liz Morales
Amazon Flats will bring 59 one-bedroom, affordable housing units to the Miracle Mile corridor. This project was made possible through the Community Corridors Tool (CCT). This is one of the first projects to utilize the CCT, which allows underutilized sites the ability for more height, density, reduced setbacks, and lower parking requirements in the effort to build more affordable housing within the City.
 Poster board displaying Amazon Flats renderings.
Amazon Flats is projected to be completed in Fall of 2027 where it will then welcome households earning up to 50% of the Area Median Income to units with in-unit washer, dryer and dishwasher, free Wi-Fi, on-site supportive services, community spaces, a basketball half court, public plaza and a pet yard. The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona will also be assisting in the coordination of installing murals both inside and outside of the building. By combining thoughtful amenities, built-in support, and close access to nearby services, Amazon Flats will not only bring investment to the area but also create meaningful opportunities for 59 households to grow and succeed.
Changes To Our Events Section
Is your thumb tired? Does your attention span fade away after reading two paragraphs on your mobile device? You might be suffering from a condition known as "scroll fatigue". The cause is usually long-winded and poorly designed digital content that increases screen time, which has been proven to have detrimental effects on cognition. Fear not, the Ward 3 newsletter is here to help! In an attempt to minimize this terrible affliction, we have redesigned a popular section of our newsletter so it no longer looks like a Geocities website.
 The Ward 3 events header throughout the years.
Our “Ward 3 & City-wide Events” is now simply our “Events” section. We have opted to forgo the usual graphics and pictures for a much cleaner and easier-to-digest list format. This now includes the event titles, dates, and locations, as well as a hyperlink to our new events page on the City’s Ward 3 website, which offers more detailed information, pictures, more functionality, and a broader range of features. Among those are: maps to locate the event, ability to register and or purchase tickets, social media and website links for the event, just to name a few. We hope you appreciate the redesign.
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