Some Vail residents concerned construction could impact historic landmarks

Vail Crossings, a planned commercial and residential project on Success Drive and Frontage Road in southeast Pima County, will cover a total combined area of 609 acres and include 1,180 single-family units among other infrastructure, according to a January memorandum from Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher.

The Vail Crossings/Desert Vistas Community Facilities District is a special taxing district created to finance the infrastructure of a master-planned community.

The $87 million project is meant to meet the needs of a rapidly growing area of southeast Pima County, and construction is set to begin this year, according to Jan Lesher.

But some residents are concerned that the project will impede historic preservation, harm wildlife and bring additional traffic to the area.

Resident concerns

“Things out here are very historical, and I like that,” said Bonnie Burger-McLean, a longtime resident of Old Vail. “That stuff really interests me and I don’t want to see our history going away.”

Vail has few remaining physical landmarks that date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. All traces of Vail’s railroad, mining and ranching roots have been erased through time as population and development has grown.

Burger-McLean, 58, who has lived in Vail for 27 years, said she wants what’s left of the area’s history to remain intact.

JJ Lamb is also concerned. She is the co-founder and CEO of the nonprofit Vail Preservation Society, set up in 2006 to safeguard historic resources in the area.

Lamb said she worries new construction at the exit of Success Drive onto Colossal Cave Road will impact remaining historic resources, such as the Shrine of Santa Rita in the Desert and the Old Vail Post Office, which is listed on the National Register of Historic places.

She’s also concerned that Vail Crossings will increase traffic congestion and exacerbate safety access issues at Success Drive and Old Vail Road.

“Development in general impacts an already overburdened existing road system,” she said.

A 2025 Pima County traffic impact study found that Vail Crossings is expected to generate 3,484 daily trips, with 349 during the peak morning hour and 345 during the peak evening hour.

The study also found that a new traffic signal at Colossal Cave Road and Success Drive is needed to mitigate the impact of traffic generated.

“I would hate to see it change for a lot of people out here, because they live out here because they don’t want to be closer to other people,” Burger-McLean added.

“We have asked for some mitigations that should be included in the actual planning,” Lamb said.

Those include extending Camino Loma Alta to create a railroad crossing from Success Drive south to connect Camino Loma Alta to Marsh Station Road, as well as a connection to Sundown Boulevard.

The preservation group also wants builders to use permeable pavement and surfaces for drainage and safety needs, according to a 2023 letter from the Vail Preservation Society.

Lamb said that the group also advocates for environmental conservation and wants to know more about the impacts of the project on wildlife.

“Are we guarding wildlife corridors, applying those?” she said. “Because those corridors also go through the Bear Paw conservation lands that were donated to the preservation society.”

Burger-McClean added that the construction is eating up land that helps keep a balance between residents and critters.

“It’s like, where are they going to go?” she said. “It’s kind of pushing the snakes into our neighborhood, which is also a concern.”

Vail Crossings moves ahead

Still, plans for construction are moving forward.

Steve Christy, District Four supervisor for Pima County, said addressing concerns about the impacts of the new construction is built into the planning process.

“Part of being able to get the plan approved is that (Bourn Companies) have to provide the necessary infrastructure needed to support that plan, and they have demonstrated to the county that they are capable,” he said.

And Erin Johnson, a member of the Pima County Transportation Advisory Committee, said construction of Vail Crossings will not affect the historic buildings in the area, and the railroad easement will also not impact the buildings.

Old Vail will have two parcels of land developed into residential infrastructure by 2027. The commercial portion of the project plan could include retail, restaurants and other businesses.

A preliminary layout for the Vail Crossings residential lots and common areas states that residential installments will disturb 3.34 acres of regulated riparian habitat, and the commercial portion will disturb an additional 15.3 acres.

To mitigate impacts on native species in the construction area, Pima County will impose an in-lieu fee, which will be paid for by the owner of the property to compensate for habitat disturbance, according to the preliminary layout.

Bourn Companies, owner of the 97-acre and 297-acre parcels located along Success Drive and Interstate 10 Frontage Road, plans to build homes in the area.

The property under development will serve as mixed-use, industrial, office and residential assets.

“The immediate focus is on the residential portions,” said Brig Stevens, an analyst for the company.

Groundbreaking is expected later this year.