New Affordable Housing Community Breaks Ground On Tucson’s Miracle Mile

TUCSON, AZ — A stretch of Tucson’s historic Miracle Mile corridor is continuing its ongoing transformation.

On Tuesday, city officials and development partners broke ground on Amazon Flats, a 59-unit affordable housing community rising on the site of the former Amazon Motel.

Subscribe

The $24.4 million project at 1135 W. Miracle Mile is the second phase of redevelopment on the property. The first came in September 2025, when the motel itself was converted into 30 units of permanent supportive housing.

The new building will go up adjacent to that structure, adding another layer to what has become one of Tucson's most closely watched neighborhood reinvestment efforts.

Construction is expected to wrap in fall 2027. The City of Tucson, nonprofit developer El Pueblo Housing Development, and Gorman & Company are co-developing the project.

Amazon Flats will serve households earning up to 50 percent of the area median income, with affordability guaranteed for 50 years.

The one-bedroom apartments will come with in-unit washers and dryers and free Wi-Fi, and the complex will include on-site services, community spaces, a public plaza, a basketball half-court and a pet yard.

The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona is also involved, coordinating murals, mosaics and an interior ceiling sculpture for the building, city officials said.

"This project will change lives by providing safe, stable homes and the supportive services people need to rebuild and thrive," said Mayor Regina Romero, who added that investments like this also address workforce needs and strengthen the broader economy.

The project is the third phase of a HUD Choice Neighborhood Implementation Housing Strategy for the area, which falls within Thrive in the 05, a community reinvestment initiative the city has managed since 2018.

In 2023, the city received a $50 million federal Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grant from HUD to support the rehabilitation of Tucson House, resident services and broader neighborhood improvements in the area.

HCD Director Ann Chanecka said the groundbreaking is part of a longer push.

"We will maintain the momentum created from this groundbreaking for Amazon Flats to launch other much-needed affordable housing developments in collaboration with our neighbors and partners," she said.