Mayor Romero and Housing Representatives Celebrate Milagro on Oracle

Published on January 09, 2025

Mayor Regina Romero, Tucson City Council Members Lane Santa Cruz and Kevin Dahl, Arizona Department of Housing Director Joan Serviss, HCD Director Ann Chanecka cutting the ribbon and the Milagro on Oracle Housewarming event.,

Milagro on Oracle is an example of our City’s dedication to affordable housing and community revitalization.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero was joined by Arizona Department of Housing Director Joan Serviss, Tucson Housing and Community Development Director Ann Chanecka, Tucson City Manager 's office and other City officials, affordable housing advocates, and future residents to celebrate the opening of Milagro on Oracle, a significant step in the City’s commitment to creating more affordable housing. The 63-unit senior housing project demonstrates how the City is putting its Housing Affordability Strategy for Tucson into action.

Milagro is located at 2445 N. Oracle Rd. in the Thrive in the 05 zone, a part of Tucson with deep history. It will provide housing for residents 55 years and older who are especially vulnerable to rising rents. The project also includes 19 units of permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness. It is the first project created under El Pueblo Housing Development, the City of Tucson’s nonprofit affordable housing development arm. Milagro on Oracle is Tucson’s first Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) in the last 10 years.

“This Mayor and Council is getting the work done, confronting a housing crisis that has been decades in the making,” said Tucson Mayor Regina Romero. “We are seeing the concrete results of the Housing Affordability Strategy for Tucson on people. Milagro on Oracle provides 63 units of affordable housing for seniors and the formerly unsheltered in a beautiful and thoughtfully designed environment. Thank you to Governor Hobbs, our federal partners and all who collaborated to create this much needed affordable housing resource for Tucsonans,” added the Mayor.

Milagro on Oracle repurposes two pre-World War 2 structures, the DeAnza Motel (No-Tel Motel), built in 1940, and the Don Motel, built in 1941, and added a new four-story structure with an elevator. It is a great example of adaptive reuse, preserving the past while paving the way for the future.

“Led by the City of Tucson's non-profit development arm, El Pueblo Housing Development, Milagro on Oracle demonstrates that the City of Tucson, HCD, the state of Arizona and our community partners, can come together to create critical housing infrastructure for our community. Milagro is the first of several similar projects that the City of Tucson will create in the next several years,” said Ann Chanecka, Housing and Community Development director.

Future City of Tucson housing developments include Sugar Hill on Stone, Amazon Flats, and South 10th Avenue. These projects are part of the City’s 10-point Housing Affordable Strategy for Tucson (HAST), which calls for the creation of more affordable housing.

Richard J. Monocchio, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing for the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has been in Tucson twice in recent years, and has endorsed Milagro on Oracle and the City’s housing initiatives.

“The City and the Housing Authority are thoughtfully working with residents and the broader community for a vibrant and sustainable future for this development,” said Monocchio. “We celebrate the success they have had here and look forward to how they help shape Tucson’s future.”

Milagro on Oracle is made possible by $18.1 million dollars in Low Income Tax Credit funds. The Mayor and Council allocated $1 million dollars from American Rescue Plan funds, half a million dollars of federal HOME-ARP funds and approximately $1 million dollars from other sources that brought the total funding up to the $20.6 million dollars.

Milagro on Oracle will be managed by Gorman & Company, a nationally known developer and property management firm

“Gorman & Company is excited to bring our construction and property management expertise to this amazing adaptive reuse project! We are honored to collaborate with the City of Tucson & the El Pueblo Housing Development to bring much needed affordable housing to seniors through this amazing transformation,” said Sally Schwenn, Arizona Market President for Gorman & Company.

In addition to Gorman & Company, other key partners made Milagro on Oracle a reality:

  • Enterprise
  • Arizona Department of Housing
  • Poster Mirto McDonald
  • Sabino Community Development Resources
  • American Express
  • Chase Development Community Development Banking

Milagro on Oracle is located at 2445 N. Oracle Rd. Individuals looking for information on how to rent a unit can call (520) 771-0704 or visit www.milagroonoracle.com. Beware of Scams! For the application, the City of Tucson will not require you to provide your social security number, any form of payment (credit card number, cash, bank transfer, etc.), or legal status to apply.


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