Phoenix mall developer Westcor is close to signing an agreement to develop a Master Plan for 12,000 acres of state-owned land on the SE side of Tucson.  The state would retain ownership of the land while Westcor develops a master plan to include shops, businesses and residences.  Parts of the property will be sold to the private sector at auction. 

Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup spoke about the project in his 2007 State of The City address, which at that time was for 8,000 acres.  He was quoted as saying that the project would bring "the highest-quality master planning and managed growth" to the city. 

Mark Winkelman, the State Land Commissioner approved 3 orders before Christmas to approve Westcor's concept plan and declare the land suitable for development, including commercial.  Final paperwork has not been completed for the permit, but a signing ceremony has been planned for January 11 in City Councilwoman Shirley Scott's office. 

Officials have characterized the project as a "2nd City" and estimate that Westcor will spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $12 million in the next year to develop the Master Plan, which could take up to 40 years to implement fully. 

(Information for this blog post was obtained from an article in the Arizona Daily Star and confirmed by a teacher of seminars on growth in Pima county)