In this edition of News You Can Use you will find:

• SAHBA Member Company MVP's
• New Home Community Locations Now on Website!
• Gasparro, Selected as Top 40 Under 40
• SAHBA Speaks to Municipal Leaders at Annual Conference
• Connecting with COT's Ward 3 Team
• Updated Landscape Manual Released
• SAHBA Meets with OV Officials on Rec Area Requirements
• AIA Seeking Judges for ADU Competition
• Tucson Association of Realtors Hosts: 2023 TAR EXPO
• Lunch & Learn: September 19th
• Fall Home Show: Volunteer & Blood Drive Sign-up
• Save the Date: Fall Mixer on October 26th
• Upcoming Councils & Committees
• Member Benefit: Members Connect
• Industry News

SAHBA Member Company Most Valuable Player Award 

SAHBA would like to honor the Most Valuable Players as chosen by SAHBA member companies who were honored for the 2022 MVP award. Each company may have chosen their MVP for different reasons, but each is recognized as an outstanding employee who goes beyond expectations to bring success to their team. 

The 2022 SAHBA Member Company Most Valuable Player awards were given to the following individuals: 

• Leo Barros | Pulte Homes 
• Lorena Bazua | Chase 
• Audra Brown | Tucson Cabinets and Stoneworks 
• John DeWitt | Richmond American Homes 
• Matt Dickens | Escalante Concrete 
• Eric Hill | First Impression Ironworks 
• Jill Jones | Lennar 
• Chris Laria | The Planning Center 
• Tom Lickliter | Anchor Wave 
• Mary Kate Montgomery | Garment Graphics 
• Matt Minder | Southwest Gas 

• Joseph Navarro | ProTeX 
• Alma Newberry | Pepper Viner Homes 
• Mike Pargas | First Impression Ironworks 
• Briana Radar | Mattamy Homes 
• Chris Reynolds | Tucson Re-Bath 
• Celina Rodriguez | KB Home 
• Sonja Sutton | Santa Rita Landscaping 
• JJ Swinney | American Homes 4 Rent 
• Karla Villalobos | EmV Design Build 

SAHBA is proud to partner with its members to provide extra recognition for their people that exemplify the spirit of success that we celebrate this Labor Day weekend!

New Home Community Locations Now on Website!

Looking for an interactive map of SAHBA Builder new home communities? Look no further than the SAHBA.org home page! Select the FIND A NEW HOME icon on the home page and you will be directed to a map of all of the SAHBA Builder’s active new home communities in Tucson. Map listings provide the community name with a link to the Builder website for that particular community. The map will be kept up-to-date on a monthly basis. 

SAHBA is proud to offer this home buyer guide as a member benefit and community resource. Please contact Ginger Kneup at Ginger@sahba.org if you have any questions about the New Home Community map.

Step 1: www.sahba.org

Step 2: Click on Find a New Home

Step 3: View New Home

Community Locations

Andrew Gasparro, 40 Under 40

Congratulations to SAHBA Board member Andrew Gasparro, VP of Land at KB Home for being recognized by Professional Builder Magazine as a Top 40 Under 40 in the Building Industry. Professional Builder annually recognizes home building's brightest young talent and next-generation leaders and innovators nationwide. In addition to his skills in leading the land team through all aspects of acquisition, entitlement, and development, Andrew is also extremely engaged in the community. Among many other things, Andrew leads the City of Phoenix Ahwatukee Foothills Planning Commission, serves on the Big Brothers Big Sisters Board, and is currently in Tucson Metro Chamber's Emerging Leaders program.  

SAHBA Participates in League Conference

This week, SAHBA president David Godlewski was a panelist at the Annual Conference for League of Cities and Towns. The Conference is an opportunity for elected and other government officials to network and participate in professional development activities. Godlewski joined representative from Arizona Materials and Willmeng Construction for a discussion about “Building a Path to a Healthy Housing Supply.” Topics included: how municipalities can address the housing shortage; factors impacting housing demand; ways for municipalities to better work with the construction industry and more.  

Talking Shop with Ward 3

As part of our ongoing efforts to engage and collaborate with local communities, SAHBA regularly meets with elected officials and their staff to talk about what’s happening in the housing industry and learn about their priorities. This week, SAHBA met with Tucson City Council Member Kevin Dahl and his team. It was a very engaging conversation on a wide range of topics from climate change to water to existing and new housing supply. We are grateful for the opportunity to make deeper connections CM Dahl and the Ward 3 office.

Just Released...Pima County Landscape Design Manual Update

Pima County Planning Services has released a final draft of the updated Landscape Design Manual, now renamed Screening and Bufferyard Manual to better represent the intended use of the manual.  As mentioned in a previous newsletter, the manual includes new water harvesting requirements, changes to bufferyard requirements, and a new approved plant list. The County’s intent on updating the manual was to make it more user friendly, promote the use of native plants, and incorporate on-site water harvesting. SAHBA will review the draft to see how our comments on the previous draft were addressed. Please reach out to david@sahba.org for any questions.

Engaging Oro Valley on Proposed Changes to Private Rec Area Requirements

The Town is proposing a significant amount of changes to their private recreation area requirements that will dramatically increase the cost and time needed to develop a private park in Oro Valley. Some of the changes include consolidating private rec areas in adjacent neighborhoods, increasing shading requirements from 50% to 100%, increasing park size requirements from 512 SF per dwelling unit to 900 SF per dwelling unit, and changing required amenity types. SAHBA has reviewed the proposed changes and met with the Town to discuss recommendations for alleviating the impact of these changes. Please reach out to david@sahba.org for any questions.

Thank You Jennifer!

Please join us in congratulating Jennifer Barroso on her new position in Washington, D.C., with the US Department of State. Jennifer jumped into government affairs at SAHBA a year ago, navigated the complex issues of multiple municipalities, and supported SAHBA’s Technical Committee during her tenure with us.

Her last day with SAHBA will be Friday, September 8. We appreciate Jennifer’s service to our members and wish her much success in her new endeavor.

Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)

Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining"!

AIA Seeking Judges for ADU Competition

AIA Southern Arizona is partnering with the City of Tucson on their Accessible Dwelling Unit competition and would love to have some involvement from some community members with residential construction expertise. They are looking for 2-3 volunteers from SAHBA, one for the selection committee and one or two for the Design Feedback Session that the City is hosting at the Sentinel Bldg., 320 N. Commerce Loop, on 9/7 from 4-6PM. The jury member should not be the same as the volunteer(s) for the feedback session. 

Please contact Rosemary Bright at 520.440.9304 if you are interested.

Tucson Association of Realtors Hosts: 2023 TAR EXPO

Thursday, September 14, 2023

Tucson Convention Center

After a four-year hiatus, the TAR Expo is back!

Click here for sponsorship and exhibitor details here.

Lunch & Learn

SAHBA and Arizona Construction Trades (ACT) are pleased to host an upcoming Lunch and Learn event featuring speaker and sponsor BBSI. During the event, BBSI will provide valuable insights and expertise on managing 1099 workers, navigating HR challenges specific to the construction trades sector, and implementing effective risk management strategies. Attendees can expect to gain practical knowledge that can be applied directly to their businesses.

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

SAHBA Boardroom

12:00-1:30 PM

Home Show Volunteer Opportunities

The SAHBA Fall Home Show is just around the corner on October 6-8 and with it comes the opportunity to see hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of guests. The Home Show exhibitors tell us repeatedly that the volunteer team is one of the reasons the SAHBA show is one of their favorites. We invite you to join us to meet new people and lend a hand at this key SAHBA event.

Volunteers will receive a T-shirt, food tickets and additional home show entry tickets for friends and family - not to mention unlimited free access to the Show throughout the weekend!

Check out the opportunities and sign up today through Signup Genius!

Contact Ginger@Sahba.org with questions.

Blood Drive at the SAHBA Home Show!

The SAHBA Home Show team is excited to announce an American Red Cross Blood Drive will be hosted at the Fall Home Show. A special "thank you" to the SAHBA Remodelers Council for sponsoring and assisting with the blood drive

We are looking for 26 donors to sign up before September 16, 2023, so please spread the word and donate blood if you can!

Friday, October 6, 2023

Tucson Convention Center

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Fall Mixer: SAVE THE DATE!

Join fellow members for drinks, music, and BBQ at Arizona Grill & Hearth. A special thank you to the SAHBA Remodelers Council for sponsoring this event!

Thursday, October 26, 2023

Arizona Grill & Heath

(1045 N Jerrie Avenue)

4:00 - 7:00 PM

Upcoming Councils & Committees - Mark Your Calendars!

Business Referral Exchange (BRE) - Tuesday, September 5th at 7:30 am (SAHBA)

Sales & Marketing Council - Tuesday, September 12th at 12 pm (Hybrid)

Remodelers Council - Wednesday, September 13th at 12 pm (SAHBA)

Tech Committee - Tuesday, September 19th at 3:30 pm (SAHBA)

MEMBER BENEFITS

One of the standout benefits of being a SAHBA member is the opportunity to participate in Members Connect. This event takes place on a quarterly basis and serves as a platform for members to connect with one another and gain valuable insights into the association.

The most recent Members Connect, held on August 23, had an exceptional turnout, highlighting the enthusiasm and engagement of SAHBA members. During this event, committee chairs had the opportunity to speak about their respective committees and encourage members to get involved.

In addition to networking opportunities, Members Connect also provides a unique chance for members to interact with SAHBA staff. This interaction allows members to understand the association's operations and initiatives better. Furthermore, attendees are introduced to various networking events and member savings.

If you missed out on the last Members Connect event, don't worry! Keep a lookout for the next gathering scheduled for December. 

• Single-Family Home Size Falls to More Than a Decade Low. New home size has trended lower because of higher interest rates and worsening housing affordability conditions. Click here to read more.

• New data shows a slowing economy brought on by tighter monetary policy. This should convince Fed hawks that now is the time to pause and let the current restrictive monetary policy finish the job. The Fed should want to avoid tightening too much, which is now the greater risk. Continue reading the NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz's economic overview.

• The new WOTUS rule is a missed opportunity to provide regulatory certainty to the home building industry. The uncertainty regarding what waters are subject to federal jurisdiction sets the stage for continued federal overreach, bureaucratic delays during the wetlands permitting process, and regulatory confusion for home builders and land developers. Click here to read more.

• A recent meeting of the housing leaders from Group of Seven (G7) countries included recommendations and principles regarding housing affordability, which included language to address housing costs using private sector investment aimed at lower- and middle-income households. Click here to continue to read more.