Residents from Tucson’s Jefferson Park neighborhood huddled around a conference room table in the Ward 3 office on Monday, accompanied by planning and development officials with the city.
In February, a home built in 1918 was demolished.
The Annie Lester House was named after the woman who homesteaded that area of Tucson in the late 19th century.
Residents raised concerns on the legality of the demolition.
“Why is the burden of proof on the neighborhood?” Cindy Doklan, a Jefferson Park resident, asked a city official. “To sign an affidavit is not proof that they did anything.”
Koren Manning is the director for the city’s planning and development department. She said that for any non-commercial demolition, city officials advise that property owners demolishing a structure to distribute affidavits to adjacent neighbors at least 10 days in advance of demolition.
However, it is a courtesy that is not strictly enforced, she said.
None of the 10 residents at the meeting said they received an affidavit about the demolition.
“If someone has signed an affidavit, we take that as his word. We have no reason to question somebody's affidavit unless, in this case, we did hear from people that you did not receive notification. That's very difficult to prove,” Manning said.
Neighbors asked if the city could be more transparent with future demolitions, and how to access the affidavit publicly.
Michael Goodman, a real estate developer, purchased the lot in 2012 and obtained a permit to demolish the home in July 2025. Goodman’s company developed several homes in the Jefferson Park neighborhood.
Residents and city officials at the meeting were familiar with Goodman and the changes made to the overall neighborhood’s historic charm.
“Every house we lose, we lose contributing properties. We are going to be in trouble,” said Joan Daniels, the president of the Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association.
Jefferson Park is a Neighborhood Preservation Zone (NPZ), which does not protect houses from demolition, according to city officials.
To have eligibility for protection, at least 50% of the residences need to be contributing properties with historical significance to that area, said Desiree Aranda with PDSD.
Residents raised concerns about the possibility of losing the NPZ status because old homes are torn up and replaced with new properties–and the neighbors cannot do anything to stop it.
“I don't know any examples where a district has actually been de-listed for an entire district. It would be very rare,” Aranda said. “I wouldn't say that Jefferson Park is under any threat in terms of losing its entire designation.”
Manning said the city’s planning and development department will consider a policy to create larger posted signage in front of future demolition sites. She also suggested more transparency regarding the affidavit’s publicity.
