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Pima County agrees to buy 108.8 acres known as Kelly Ranch to expand lands adjacent to Catalina State Park
Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved a $6 million acquisition of the Desert Springs subdivision (Kelly Ranch), using Open Space funds and a Regional Flood Control contribution. Supporters said the purchase protects wildlife corridors; one supervisor voted against citing economic development and tax revenue loss.
Pima County supervisors voted 4-1 on Tuesday to approve an agreement to buy roughly 108.8 acres known as the Desert Springs subdivision, commonly called Kelly Ranch, for $6,000,000 plus closing costs.
The acquisition, which is immediately adjacent to Catalina State Park and identified in the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan as important for habitat connectivity, will be funded in part from the county’s Open Space program with a $600,000 contribution from the Regional Flood Control District and a potential $1.5 million state parks grant being sought. The Pima County Parklands Foundation is also soliciting private donations for the purchase.
County staff described the property as biologically significant, showing photos of riparian habitat and explaining the parcel’s role in maintaining wildlife corridors to the supervisors. “This property is identified as being important in maintaining habitat connectivity…
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