redevelopment of tucson's historic benedictine monastery site set to launch

Construction is expected to begin by next spring on more than 250 residential units that will be a part of the historic Benedictine Monastery property at 800 N. Country Club Road in Tucson.

The Tucson City Council has now given its final approval to what is officially called the Benedictine Monastery Planned Area Development, a blueprint that will allow for the building of the new units, surrounding the main iconic Benedictine cathedral.

Built in 1940, the Benedictine Sanctuary and Covenant of Perpetual Adoration was for decades the home to fifty of so Sisters, a number that had declined to less than a dozen three years ago when the monastery’s board of advisors decided to sell the property.

Tucson developer Ross Rulney shortly purchased the 6-acre site, adding an additional adjacent one acre to the property later.

In a series of neighborhood outreach meetings, Rulney said his plans for the site included building three, four, and five-story buildings that would be designed to surround the cathedral.

Rulney’s plans have also included building roughly 10,000 square feet of commercial space, along with a parking garage with room for up to 250 vehicles.

The developer has promised to maintain the Spanish Colonial Revival-style cathedral, on a site lined with stately palm trees.

Work mixing the new with the historic is expected to be completed by the summer of 2021.

By Garry Boulard

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