Pima County To Announce Old Tucson Studios Buyer In March

TUCSON, AZ —Pima County announced Tuesday that it anticipates having a buyer for Old Tucson Studios in the coming weeks. The county said it currently is negotiating with the expected buyer, though no details about the buyer's identity were revealed.

Jan Lesher, the acting county administrator of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, said a proposed operating agreement is expected to be considered at a Board of Supervisors meeting in March.

The film studio —which was built in 1939 and has been the setting for more than 300 movies and television shows — and historic village attraction closed in August 2020 when the leaseholder Old Tucson Company (OTC) announced it was terminating its 25-year operating agreement three years early due to COVID-19.

Pima County has maintained the closed facility since 2020 as it sought a new owner.

Lesher delivered a memorandum this week detailing the thorough process the county has undergone to select the new owner of the property.

According to Lesher, an Intent to Negotiate with a proposed operator was issued in September of last year.

Since then, the proposed operator has been conducting its due diligence, according to Lesher.

"During the negotiations period, the proposed operator conducted two on-site visits to the Old Tucson Studios property with Pima County staff who answered specific questions and provided background information related to the property," Lesher wrote. "The proposed operator also visited other attraction properties and met with the former leaseholder to review personal property they might want to purchase."

According to Lesher, after taking control of the property, the county formed a 14-member task force to provide input on the future direction of the Old Tucson Studios.

The task force included people with backgrounds in western history, film, tourism and knowledge of property and resources, in addition to Pima County staff representing tourism and attractions, film production and conservation and stability.

Additional public input and suggestions also were solicited.

Using the information gathered by the task force and the public, a Solicitation for Qualifications (SFQ) was issued for an attractions operator for Old Tucson Studios.

Two companies responded to the SFQ, according to Lesher, and a seven-member evaluation committee scored the responses. That committee included four Pima County employees and three members of the public.

In March 2021, one of the respondents was invited to move forward and submit a Request for Proposal (RFP). It was reviewed and the Intent to Negotiate was issued six months later.