New housing and commercial development to come to south Marana

A new housing and commercial development that could bring as many as 1,500 residential units to Marana, a small but growing town north of Tucson, reflects increasing interest in areas near Arizona’s growing industries.

Mesa-based development company Bela Flor Communities announced it plans to develop a 162-acre parcel in its Mandarina South project with a mix of residential, shopping and entertainment facilities, adjacent to 342 acres of its other development in Marana.

“By integrating a broad mix of uses that provide jobs and services for the community, workers and residents will have access to conveniently located shopping, dining and employment opportunities,” the Mandarina South project plan stated.

In their current plan, the developers said they envision the project to be a “gateway” for the region as it sits on the convergence of Interstate 10, Tangerine Road and Union Pacific Railway.

Currently, no buildings have been proposed, and the developer will have to add infrastructure like roads, utilities and sewer before the project can be completed, which will occur in several phases over six to 15 years.

Marana Mayor Ed Honea praised the project for its flood control efforts, including the building of a regional park that he said will act as a retention basin for the water.

With the town’s continuous rapid growth, he said the project will be an asset adding much-needed rentals to the area to meet demand.

“We need to get to a point that new people coming to our community can afford to live here, and so we need to provide some of that product,” Honea said.

For over a decade, Marana has continuously increased in population. The town counted a population of 34,961 in 2010 to 51,908 in 2022 and continues to grow. Most recent census estimates calculate the current population at 55,962. Including the nearby unincorporated areas, the population is larger, according to Honea.

Mayor Honea attributes much of the growth to the increase in industry in nearby cities with less housing.

From Lucid Motors in Casa Grande to Procter and Gamble and Nikola plants in Coolidge, many companies are looking for where to house their employees. With these companies just 45 minutes from Marana, Honea said many look to the town to live.

“A lot of times they make their money in another community and come to Marana to spend it,” he said.

Marana has been known for agriculture since Indigenous people first made it their home

Marana has been a historically agricultural area. Indigenous groups first farmed the land through a complex irrigation system to water their crops.

In 1919, during World War I, the area began growing cotton and other crops for the manufacture of war-related materials, according to the Marana Heritage Project.

In the 1920s, families migrated to Marana to grow cotton, and in subsequent years farmers began to cultivate a range of produce, and people turned to cattle ranching, which became a significant industry.

Marana was incorporated in 1977 to protect the town's future water rights, and the town continued to grow. Many of the historic farms have since been converted to housing developments, and the remaining farms primarily raise cotton and some wheat.

Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republic’s coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New housing and commercial development to come to south Marana