In southeastern Arizona, mountain vistas and the ecologically diverse and beautiful Sonoran Desert surround the City of Tucson. Like many popular western cities, Tucson is experiencing significant growth as more and more people make their home there. As Tucson’s growth pattern shifts from northwest to southeast, a large section of undeveloped land on the southeastern edge of the city known as the Houghton Road Area is projected to become the focus of development. Most of the land in this area is state trust land, owned and managed by the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD).

The City of Tucson’s Department of Urban Planning and Design decided to take advantage of the opportunity to develop a comprehensive growth strategy for this large, undeveloped area to meet the needs of Tucson’s growing population. In 2003, the city initiated a collaborative planning process for the development of the Houghton Area Master Plan (HAMP) and created a Citizens Review Committee. The city invited the ASLD to participate on the committee and an agency planner agreed to serve in an advisory role on state trust land-related issues.

Throughout the planning process, the Committee encountered a number of challenges including unfamiliarity with the parameters of the ASLD trust mandate, constrained resources, and lack of comprehensive information and research for planning decisions. Although the appropriate maps and research for the planning area were eventually completed, some participants found the delays difficult and thought they interrupted the productivity of the experience.

In spite of these challenges, the collaborative effort successfully produced a master plan for the area. There were a number of factors that helped the process including the parties sharing a common goal, and recognition by participants that they could create a better plan by working together.

The HAMP was completed in 2005 and was unanimously adopted by the Tucson Mayor and City Council. In order to achieve the development goals put forward in the HAMP, the city has encouraged the ASLD to use the plan as a guide as it begins to sell land in the area for development.