Prime coues area being developed

[Huntin'AZ]

Published: 02.10.2006

 

Development plans imperil Biosphere

Landmark glass terrarium impedes views

By Joseph Barrios

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

 

A local developer's plan for the 1,600-acre Biosphere 2 property north of Tucson may mean tearing down its landmark glass terrarium to improve the view for new, luxury houses.

Fairfield Homes has signed a contract to buy the huge tract 16 miles north in Pinal County and intends to close the deal sometime this fall, said David Williamson, CEO and president of the company.

Fairfield plans to develop a master-planned community with residential lots no smaller than about 1 acre and homes costing at least $300,000. Williamson would not discuss the price of the property.

"We have tied up the Biosphere and we're talking about doing a master-planned community and commercial property. We're going to do a high-end community," Williamson said.

Although the plans are still preliminary, Williamson said it will be a challenge to integrate the 70 buildings at the Biosphere 2 site, including the 3.1-acre glass terrarium on the 140-acre campus. Several structures may have to be torn down.

"We've been looking at the Biosphere and been trying to integrate. There's probably no way of making those building code requirements work, so we're probably going to be shutting that down," Williamson said. "If there's anything we can save and utilize, we'll save it."

Roughly 200 acres of the land could be used for commercial projects, he said.

Last month, Fairfield Acquisition Inc., a subsidiary, registered the trade name "Biosphere Ranch" with the Arizona Secretary of State's Office.

The Biosphere property's landscape is "magnificent," said Peter Douglas, a broker with Picor Commercial Real Estate Services. He said he worked with two developers ? one from Tucson, one from out of town, neither of whom he would name ? competing with Fairfield to buy the property.

"It has fabulous views. It lends itself to custom and luxury home building, as well as some production home building. You just have to figure out what to do with the Biosphere in the middle," Douglas said.

"Every real-estate transaction has an issue, and I think that's what it is in this one," he said. "Do you keep it? Do you demo (demolish) it? I think that's going to be the challenge for Williamson."

Christopher Bannon, the general manager for property owner Decisions Investments Corp., said in a written statement that the company is "excited to have a potential buyer for this extraordinary property. We hope to be able to announce by year's end that we have successfully concluded the transaction."

Bannon did not return calls seeking elaboration.

Texas billionaire Ed Bass, president of Decisions Investment, spent more than $200 million building Biosphere 2 as a self-sustaining environment for humans. In 1993, eight "biospherians" ended their two-year residence in the sealed ecosystem.

Columbia University began managing the complex in 1996 and three years later pledged to expand research and programs there. But Columbia pulled out in 2003, as part of a lawsuit settlement with Decisions Investments.

Decisions announced in January 2005 that the campus and surrounding land were for sale.

Biosphere 2 is uniquely equipped to study global climate changes by studying "carbon cycling," or how carbon is absorbed and redistributed in the environment, said Joaquin Ruiz, dean of the University of Arizona's College of Science. The campus experienced scientific shortcomings because not all conditions inside the glass could be controlled.

"All the issues of what we call carbon cycling are really complicated, and the Biosphere would have been a really good place to study that in detail," Ruiz said. "It is too bad, but it's not surprising that this is going to happen."

Ruiz also said the facility is "extraordinarily expensive to run."

"The story now is that it's going to be a bunch of houses," Ruiz said. "Does it have scientific merit? The answer to that is there were a few things that this facility could do better than any other place, but that the experiments were really, really expensive."

The purchase, if each unimproved acre costs a minimum of $25,000, would cost Fairfield about $40 million, said Richard Foerster, a broker with Tucson Realty & Trust Co. He called that estimate a "guess" but said the land could be costly.

"This would be excluding (demolishing) the Biosphere. If that had to be torn down, it would be expensive," Foerster said.

● Contact reporter Joseph Barrios at 573-4237 or jbarrios@azstarnet.com.

[AZLance]

This has been the plan for several years now. When I worked at the Biosphere 2 4 years ago, they were already bringing bigger electric lines, and digging new wells in preparation for development.

 

Lance

 

Published: 02.10.2006

 

Development plans imperil Biosphere

Landmark glass terrarium impedes views

By Joseph Barrios

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

 

A local developer's plan for the 1,600-acre Biosphere 2 property north of Tucson may mean tearing down its landmark glass terrarium to improve the view for new, luxury houses.

Fairfield Homes has signed a contract to buy the huge tract 16 miles north in Pinal County and intends to close the deal sometime this fall, said David Williamson, CEO and president of the company.

Fairfield plans to develop a master-planned community with residential lots no smaller than about 1 acre and homes costing at least $300,000. Williamson would not discuss the price of the property.

"We have tied up the Biosphere and we're talking about doing a master-planned community and commercial property. We're going to do a high-end community," Williamson said.

Although the plans are still preliminary, Williamson said it will be a challenge to integrate the 70 buildings at the Biosphere 2 site, including the 3.1-acre glass terrarium on the 140-acre campus. Several structures may have to be torn down.

"We've been looking at the Biosphere and been trying to integrate. There's probably no way of making those building code requirements work, so we're probably going to be shutting that down," Williamson said. "If there's anything we can save and utilize, we'll save it."

Roughly 200 acres of the land could be used for commercial projects, he said.

Last month, Fairfield Acquisition Inc., a subsidiary, registered the trade name "Biosphere Ranch" with the Arizona Secretary of State's Office.

The Biosphere property's landscape is "magnificent," said Peter Douglas, a broker with Picor Commercial Real Estate Services. He said he worked with two developers ? one from Tucson, one from out of town, neither of whom he would name ? competing with Fairfield to buy the property.

"It has fabulous views. It lends itself to custom and luxury home building, as well as some production home building. You just have to figure out what to do with the Biosphere in the middle," Douglas said.

"Every real-estate transaction has an issue, and I think that's what it is in this one," he said. "Do you keep it? Do you demo (demolish) it? I think that's going to be the challenge for Williamson."

Christopher Bannon, the general manager for property owner Decisions Investments Corp., said in a written statement that the company is "excited to have a potential buyer for this extraordinary property. We hope to be able to announce by year's end that we have successfully concluded the transaction."

Bannon did not return calls seeking elaboration.

Texas billionaire Ed Bass, president of Decisions Investment, spent more than $200 million building Biosphere 2 as a self-sustaining environment for humans. In 1993, eight "biospherians" ended their two-year residence in the sealed ecosystem.

Columbia University began managing the complex in 1996 and three years later pledged to expand research and programs there. But Columbia pulled out in 2003, as part of a lawsuit settlement with Decisions Investments.

Decisions announced in January 2005 that the campus and surrounding land were for sale.

Biosphere 2 is uniquely equipped to study global climate changes by studying "carbon cycling," or how carbon is absorbed and redistributed in the environment, said Joaquin Ruiz, dean of the University of Arizona's College of Science. The campus experienced scientific shortcomings because not all conditions inside the glass could be controlled.

"All the issues of what we call carbon cycling are really complicated, and the Biosphere would have been a really good place to study that in detail," Ruiz said. "It is too bad, but it's not surprising that this is going to happen."

Ruiz also said the facility is "extraordinarily expensive to run."

"The story now is that it's going to be a bunch of houses," Ruiz said. "Does it have scientific merit? The answer to that is there were a few things that this facility could do better than any other place, but that the experiments were really, really expensive."

The purchase, if each unimproved acre costs a minimum of $25,000, would cost Fairfield about $40 million, said Richard Foerster, a broker with Tucson Realty & Trust Co. He called that estimate a "guess" but said the land could be costly.

"This would be excluding (demolishing) the Biosphere. If that had to be torn down, it would be expensive," Foerster said.

● Contact reporter Joseph Barrios at 573-4237 or jbarrios@azstarnet.com.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[DesertBull]

There are some big desert mule deer around that place too.

[grizzly]

I chased some muleys up there several years ago. I was within view of the dome most of the time. Beautiful country, shame to see it go to houses.

[105Coues]

This does suck as does every foothills development. However, at least this should get rid of the archery/shotgun only area and it will go back to the 1/4 mile rule.

 

I was sitting on the west ridge above Saddlebrook glassing when the first bulldozers came into that valley years ago and I was devastated. I guess it isn't my idea of progress.

 

It really does amaze me how years ago the county wouldn't let these developments happen due to the fact there was not sufficient water. Now we are a corrupt enough society that they don't care if we have any water or not.