Tucson Development Thread

[Teacher_AZ_84]

I wonder what is going to be built here?

Longtime Tucson movie-multiplex to close
Century Park 16, the movie theater on the east side of Interstate 10 near West Grant Road, is closing at the beginning of the year.
A group of investors recently purchased the 74,000-square-foot, 16-screen multiplex for about $2.77 million, says an affidavit filed in the Pima County Recorder’s Office.
The property’s future use isn’t yet clear, said Michael Wattis, one of the investors involved in the purchase. He did confirm it will no longer operate as a theater after the holidays.

While this movie theater was very outdated, these investors better do something with this property instead of sitting on it.

[kaneui]

In this Arizona Illustrated interview, Providence Service Corp. CEO Fletcher McCusker again touts the city center's many changes, saying he foresees downtown Tucson becoming a "mini" Austin, TX with its dining and entertainment offerings, citing the success of Second Saturday that now attracts a crowd of over 10,000 each month:


http://ondemand.azpm.org/videoshorts/watch/2010/12/2/855-can-private-investors-pump-life-into-downtown/

[kaneui]

While this movie theater was very outdated, these investors better do something with this property instead of sitting on it.


I'm guessing they're not spending $2.77M to land bank it, but will perhaps convert the structure to a large retail store/outlet, assuming there is sufficient parking, easy freeway access and good visibility.

[kaneui]

With $30k from fundraising and a state grant, the Friends of Tucson's Birthplace non-profit will begin planting the re-created four-acre Mission Gardens west of I-10, using numerous heirloom trees that descended from the original gardens planted along the Santa Cruz River:


http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/MissionGardentrees.jpg
Jason Elam, a Desert Survivors nursery employee, checks on irrigation emitters
to make sure that water is getting to these pomegranate trees. Desert Survivors
grows clones of a number of centuries-old fruit trees.
(photo: Benjie Sanders)


Fruit trees re-create Tucson's birthplace
Jesuit missionaries planted orchards at Mission San Agustín

by Tom Beal
Arizona Daily Star
December 6, 2010

The trees came from Spain, Morocco and the Canary Islands, surviving months of sea and overland travel to find homes in the infrequent oases of New Spain. They were planted wherever the presence of water allowed establishment of missions and presidios. They were planted by Jesuit missionaries at Tucson's birthplace along the Santa Cruz River, where seasonal floods and perennial springs had supported agriculture for 4,000 years. Those mission trees disappeared long ago, but their offspring survived as cuttings and transplants - propagated generation by generation in the yards of Tucson homes and in the riparian creases of nearby mountains. They are returning, this time with utility connections and irrigation lines, to the place where Tucson began, as part of the re-created Mission Garden at the foot of Sentinel Peak ("A" Mountain).

Local groups interested in preserving the heirloom trees joined with a community group advocating for the cultural and historical features approved in the 1999 Rio Nuevo vote. They want to restart the moribund plan to re-create the orchards and gardens of Mission San Agustín - a fortified mission and Convento built in the 1770s at a site now bounded by West Congress Street and South Mission Road. An adobe-block wall currently surrounds the 4-acre site where pea gravel covers future planting areas. The wall is in turn surrounded by a chain-link fence that wards off graffiti vandals. The Friends of Tucson's Birthplace, whose ultimate goal is to push for the reconstruction of the entire mission complex promised in the Rio Nuevo vote, raised $15,000 to kick-start the planting of 100 trees, an amount matched by a grant from the Arizona State Forestry division. It's a down payment, said Bill DuPont, chairman of the local group.

The group is now looking for Tucsonans interested in adopting the trees - $200 buys a one-fifth of a share and a plaque on the wall with the buyer's name on it. The heirloom trees were found and gathered in an effort headed by Jesús Manuel García-Yánez of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's Kino Fruit Tree project - named for Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who founded the Spanish missions in present-day Sonora and Arizona. "The fantasy would be to have the trees put in before the Kino anniversary in March," DuPont said. March 15, 2011, is the 300th anniversary of Kino's death in Magdalena, Sonora, where his bones remain on display in the courtyard of the mission church that he established there.

García was born and raised in Magdalena. The smell, taste and feel of the quince, sweet lime and pomegranate are his sensual heritage. His late father cultivated the trees. His mother, now 86, still makes quince jam. "It's a normal way of life," García said. "You buy a house, you plant some trees - apricots, plums, whatever. You go to any house, and any individual backyard will have a variety of 10 different fruit trees. Tucson used to be like that, especially among Mexican families." García has been working for more than 10 years to help re-create mission orchards, first at Tumacacori National Historical Park south of Tucson, where 60 to 70 quinces, pomegranates and figs now grow on a site identified as the original gardens for that mission, founded by Kino in 1691.

García began collecting trees for the Tucson Origins Mission Garden project seven years ago, bringing them to Desert Survivors Nursery, at 1020 W. Starr Pass Blvd., for cultivation. The meltdown of the Rio Nuevo projects has produced one benefit, said nursery director Jim Verrier. He now has a big enough stock of heritage fruit trees to supply the Mission Garden and to offer them to customers. The trees sit in plastic pots, leaves blasted by the recent frost, labeled with the locations at which they were found. An Oro Blanco fig comes from the former mining camp in the Atascosa Mountains of Santa Cruz County. A Sosa-Carrillo pomegranate comes from the yard of the historic home surrounded by the parking lots of the Tucson Convention Center. García's favorite is one he found in a backyard in the Menlo Park neighborhood. It's a sweet lime, "the biggest, healthiest one in Tucson. It is a sweet, sweet citrus, no acidity whatsoever - as sweet as an orange," García said. "That is my childhood."

Finding the trees has been an exercise in social history. None of them were alive in the time of the missionaries, but they are direct descendants. It's easier to find heritage varieties in remote mission sites, such as Baja California. García worked with naturalist Gary Paul Nabhan on a study that compared mission records with existing groves, finding nine Baja sites they suggested as refuges for the heirloom varieties. They found mission olive trees that five members of the expedition couldn't girdle holding hands. They located a 200- to 300-year-old grapevine. Nabhan said some genetic tracing has been conducted, and the links don't end in Spain or Morocco. They come from Damascus and Baghdad. The quinces are believed to be from the Indian subcontinent. The organizations funding the project don't have money for genetic typing of these trees, but García found families that knew the histories of their trees. The danger of genetic mixing is lessened by the method of propagation. "You lop off a branch and put it in soil," Nabhan said. "In most cases, with figs and pomegranates, they are still genetically identical." "This is living history," he said. "It connects us to our past."

Jonathan Mabry, the city's historic-preservation officer, said the Mission Garden will "connect visitors to Tucson's past and ensure the survival of the heirloom fruit trees and grapevines of our region." "When they are mature enough to take cuttings, these rare historical varieties will be made available to the public, so that they proliferate and become part of our household gardens and community identity again."


For more info.: http://www.tucsonsbirthplace.org/

[acatalanb]

Speaking of having all the street fairs around downtown, I wished downtown would allocate a block of downtown filled with food trailers/trucks. I got this idea after watching the Food Channel about food trailers. There was these group of food trailers in downtown Portland that were initially unwelcomed by the city of Portland until they gave in thus allocating a section of downtown Portland for food trailers. The food trailers would served exotic gourmet meals that are affordable. I remember this Thai food trailer parked across the Pima County Courthouse only around lunch time ... the lady sells $5 meals that is both good and filling ... she moved out because she said it's just too expensive to open shop at that location. I missed that hangout.

[kaneui]

With shoddy construction at the new TCC east entrance, it looks like Garfield Traub will have little chance of getting paid on an outstanding $275k invoice, much less for a million dollar change order that both Rio Nuevo and the city said they never approved. (And Greg Shelko was getting $100/hr. to oversee this project? The city should be grateful the hotel deal with Garfield never panned out.)


http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/TCCEastEntry-5-10.jpg
new TCC east entrance
(photo: city of Tucson)


City cites slipshod work on TCC entry
Delays final payment; developer also adds nearly $1M in unexpected bills

by Rob O'Dell
Arizona Daily Star
December 7, 2010

Work on the new $4.3 million entrance to the Tucson Convention Center, built to accommodate a downtown convention hotel that now won't be built, is so shoddy that Rio Nuevo is refusing to make final payments. City and Rio Nuevo officials complain a support column is misaligned, and installation of an intricately patterned floor was so slipshod there are expanses of bare, unadorned concrete and in one location rebar showing through.

While the city is disputing the quality of developer Garfield Traub's work, the company is submitting another nearly $1 million in bills for work it insists was authorized, despite no record it was ever officially approved. Garfield Traub officials told city and Rio Nuevo representatives this week the two new bills, totaling $951,000, were change orders for work added to the project, City Finance Manager Stacie Bird said in an e-mail.

Garfield Traub told officials the costs were always in the budget for the TCC east entrance, but payments were deferred until the city and Rio Nuevo approved the $190 million convention hotel, the e-mail said. The Tucson City Council voted to kill the hotel in October, so now the bills are being submitted, Bird's e-mail said. The developer said Hector Martinez, project manager for the city, and Greg Shelko, the hired consultant for the Rio Nuevo Board, knew about the payments, Bird's e-mail said. Rio Nuevo Board Chairwoman Jodi Bain, who also attended the meeting, said Garfield Traub officials "claimed the city knew and approved it." Martinez and Shelko, however, both said they didn't know about the bills, didn't agree to them and had no authority to authorize any such payments.

The city is withholding the final $275,000 worth of payments to Garfield Traub until the disputes over the column and floor are settled. And officials already are balking at the expected $1 million in additional bills. Unless they reach a settlement, Bain said the two sides could end up in litigation, or the Rio Nuevo Board could file a complaint with the attorney general. The Rio Nuevo Board voted this week to give its attorney on the hotel construction, John Sundt, a waiver allowing him to be interviewed by the attorney general or auditor general about confidential matters. Stephen Moffett, president of hospitality for Garfield Traub, said the two sides are in confidential settlement discussion and said he won't talk about the issues.

Shoddy work
The $4.3 million east entrance was supposed to be finished on time for the 2010 gem show, and was hurriedly approved by the former Rio Nuevo Board in September 2009 as a way to show the Tucson Gem and Mineral Showcase that the community was serious about keeping it here. It was also the reason the former Rio Nuevo Board hired Shelko on a $100-an-hour consulting contract. Construction hit a snag, however, after workers discovered a foundation listed in the plans was not there. The entrance was finished in June, but the final bills are on hold because of the dispute over the quality of the work. After the work was done, TCC Director Tommy Obermaier found a column that is so tilted it doesn't meet industry standards.

It's not a safety issue, but it's far enough out of line that Rio Nuevo should be compensated for its diminished value because the work wasn't done properly, Obermaier said. He also questioned why he could see the column was out of line as he walked through the entrance one day, but the developer never mentioned it. "We took major issue with it," Obermaier said. "I find it hard to believe with everyone involved, no one at some point caught it." The second issue was with the aggregate concrete floor that was supposed to be filled with a random mosaic pattern of small rocks and then polished down. In several places there are large sections of the floor that have none of the mosaic rock patterns and are simply sanded concrete that doesn't have the shine of other areas.

Mark Irvin, the Rio Nuevo Board's vice chairman, said no one finds the floors acceptable, especially given that in one place the concrete was sanded down so far that the rebar underneath is visible. City Councilman Steve Kozachik said the fact it "has taken all year to get anybody from Garfield Traub ... to own up to the errors is probably a good indicator as to why we were unable to come to any sensible terms on the hotel-financing deal." He said the TCC entrance was forced through ahead of the 2009 city elections in order to "save the gem show." It's not done to anyone's satisfaction "despite the taxpayers having footed the bill, and the gem show is still one of our anchor tenants," Kozachik said.

New $1 million bill
Garfield Traub has not yet submitted the two change orders worth $951,000 to Rio Nuevo, but said it will soon. Moffett said the district owes the developer money for other work done as well. But both the city and Rio Nuevo took exception to the new bills. Bain pointed to a letter of understanding, signed by Moffett on behalf of Garfield Traub and Rio Nuevo attorney Keri Silvyn, saying Garfield Traub is owed no additional funds unless the bonds are sold to build the hotel. Garfield Traub officials made similar statements at several public meetings, Bain said. "It's a lot of money," Bain said. "All of us were like, huh?"

Shelko said he's never seen the change orders and said he never changed agreements involving fees, adding the construction was guided by two signed contracts. Martinez also said he's never seen the change orders and didn't approve them. In addition, he said change orders would have to be submitted and negotiated before being approved. What's more, Martinez said Garfield Traub officials balked at doing $160,000 worth of additional work that was authorized for the new TCC entrance without a guarantee it would be paid. That makes him question why, if they were unwilling to take the risk on $160,000, they would be simultaneously doing nearly $1 million worth of work without an agreement. "That's not how it works," Martinez said. "You agree to costs upfront."

[kaneui]

Is there actually some light at the end of this long tunnel? The city and Rio Nuevo are finally hammering out a joint IGA, deciding who pays for what and who owns which properties. (By the way, it's only taken nine months.)


Council OKs plan to clear up its ties to Rio Nuevo
Upcoming vote also aims to settle ownership of downtown property

by Rob O'Dell
Arizona Daily Star
December 8, 2010

The Tucson City Council and the new Rio Nuevo Board could be a step closer to settling their differences. The council agreed unanimously Tuesday to vote on two settlements with Rio Nuevo next week. The council and the Rio Nuevo have wrangled for months over two legal agreements - one on how the two entities can work together, and the second on sorting out who owns which assets and property downtown. The council also voted unanimously to cooperate with any audit or other investigation of Rio Nuevo that occurs in the future. The council met in closed session before the vote.

Untangling the complex legal agreements has become a knotty problem for both groups, as Rio Nuevo was effectively a city department for 10 years before control of the district was stripped away by the Legislature, which appointed a new board to take control of the tax-increment financing district after the city spent $230 million downtown with little to show for it. When the Legislature created the new board to run Rio Nuevo, it invalidated the previous "governing" agreements between Rio Nuevo, Tucson and the city of South Tucson, which also approved Rio Nuevo and is a party to the agreements. The new governance agreement will spell out what approvals are needed by Rio Nuevo and the city of Tucson to OK projects and to do business with each other. Although Rio Nuevo is in control of the tax-increment financing, the city needs to match the total spending of Rio Nuevo in either money or projects by 2025.

The more complex agreement is a "global settlement" of who owns what property downtown and which entity owes the other money. City Attorney Mike Rankin said the settlement is very similar to what has been talked about publicly. The deal the city has laid out includes a number of properties that the city would turn over to the district. Included would be west-side land and much of the money generated from the Depot Plaza garage, which Rio Nuevo paid for. In addition, the city said it would forgo $1.7 million that it lent to the district in exchange for Rio Nuevo's paying up on some projects on which it is withholding payment, such as infrastructure work in Barrio Viejo and Barrio San Agustín.

[acatalanb]

Here's a link of Food Trucks in Portland, Oregon (http://www.foodcartsportland.com/) , just to give an idea what they served. It's quite popular in the trend setter called California. Competition is good. Food Trucks are roaming democracies. They keep the big money business from monopoly and adds more 'spice' in the food business.

Yep, message sent about this old idea to one of the councilman. Hopefully, this guy, Greg Shelko, doesn't get involve in this ... I want this to succeed.;)

... like to add, I sure would like to see the comments of the downtown welfare rich if these food trucks get implemented. These same group like to take credit with their east side 'private' investments when the govn't paved the way for their 'success' .

A good LA Times article about Portland Food Carts (http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-portland22-2009nov22) .

[kaneui]

Ross Rulney has new residential and commercial tenants filling his renovated spaces at the historic Julian-Drew Building and adjacent carriage house, although the 53-unit condo conversion of the Tiburon Apartments (The Flats at Julian-Drew) never quite came together:


http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/Julian-Drewbuilding.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/siteplanb.jpg
Julian-Drew Building renovation render and block site plan
(renders: Rob Paulus)


Julian-Drew/Tiburon properties fill up at Broadway and 5th
by Teya Vitu
Downtown Tucsonan
December 07, 2010

Ross Rulney has put away the “for rent” sign for his Julian-Drew Building, the adjacent carriage house and the 53-unit Tiburon Apartments, all clustered at Broadway and Fifth Avenue. “For the first time ever, I’m fully leased,” Rulney reported. “I don’t know if its anything more than we’re just putting out cool, reasonably priced product.”

A half-dozen people could be seen vigorously pedaling stationary bicycles one weeknight at 5:45 p.m. at O2 Modern Fitness, which has had enough success in its Julian-Drew storefront that owner Susan Frank has expanded into the carriage house at the back with a cross training studio, Rulney since spring has worked inside the carriage house to build four 1,000-square-foot apartments with two bedrooms and two bathrooms in one half of the building. Amity Foundation and O2 fill the other half. Amity’s primary headquarters office is in the Julian-Drew, where Hollis Graphics, Fitworks Cycling Support and Aviar Commercial Space Planning and Design also have space.

Rulney bought Julian-Drew and the carriage house in 2006 and the Tiburon Apartments in 2000. He has wrestled with changing plans and economic climates since buying Julian-Drew until suddenly having full occupancy now. “Maybe TEP and Providence saved me from myself,” said Rulney, whose property is one block west of the UniSource Energy construction site for its new nine-story headquarters. “We did a lot of planning. We were patient. We let the market develop around us. We didn’t rush anything.”

[kaneui]

Speaking of having all the street fairs around downtown, I wished downtown would allocate a block of downtown filled with food trailers/trucks. I got this idea after watching the Food Channel about food trailers. There was these group of food trailers in downtown Portland that were initially unwelcomed by the city of Portland until they gave in thus allocating a section of downtown Portland for food trailers. The food trailers would served exotic gourmet meals that are affordable. I remember this Thai food trailer parked across the Pima County Courthouse only around lunch time ... the lady sells $5 meals that is both good and filling ... she moved out because she said it's just too expensive to open shop at that location. I missed that hangout.


There are plenty of vacant downtown lots for these food trucks. On the west side are the mostly empty TCC parking lots, the Norville property just south of the federal courthouse, and the big parking lot across from El Charro. On the east end is the empty lot for the proposed city/county courthouse, and more lots east and south of the Rialto Theatre--just to name a few.

[acatalanb]

There are plenty of vacant downtown lots for these food trucks. On the west side are the mostly empty TCC parking lots, the Norville property just south of the federal courthouse, and the big parking lot across from El Charro. On the east end is the empty lot for the proposed city/county courthouse, and more lots east and south of the Rialto Theatre--just to name a few.

Got that right! There's nothing much to lose. If the food truck is a failure, all that's needed is the food truck to not visit the lot or another food truck to take over. You won't have to worry about having an empty building or even spend on construction of a building. Might as well fill those empty lots and create revenue while the city is figuring out what to put there - you know how long that takes.

I think it will be a success considering that Tucson is the culinary capital of Arizona. Not too mention that they are fast food prices but gourmet dishes. Some trucks would tweet where they would park ... this makes it more appealing for customers ... considering one location can have different trucks.

Here's another link about the San Fran Food Truck Scene (http://www.sfcartproject.com/about/sfcp-press) .

The city can convinced the gourmet or family restaurants that were out of business to just go truckin. It's cheaper to start a food truck as opposed to the standard restaurant. I hope the city would consider this ... you guys help yourself in calling or emailing our mayor or city council about this old ongoing trend of Gourmet Truckin of the Great Recession.

[acatalanb]

Ross Rulney has new residential and commercial tenants filling his renovated spaces at the historic Julian-Drew Building and adjacent carriage house, although the 53-unit condo conversion of the Tiburon Apartments (The Flats at Julian-Drew) never quite came together:


http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/Julian-Drewbuilding.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/siteplanb.jpg
Julian-Drew Building renovation render and block site plan
(renders: Rob Paulus)


Julian-Drew/Tiburon properties fill up at Broadway and 5th
by Teya Vitu
Downtown Tucsonan
December 07, 2010

Ross Rulney has put away the “for rent” sign for his Julian-Drew Building, the adjacent carriage house and the 53-unit Tiburon Apartments, all clustered at Broadway and Fifth Avenue. “For the first time ever, I’m fully leased,” Rulney reported. “I don’t know if its anything more than we’re just putting out cool, reasonably priced product.”

A half-dozen people could be seen vigorously pedaling stationary bicycles one weeknight at 5:45 p.m. at O2 Modern Fitness, which has had enough success in its Julian-Drew storefront that owner Susan Frank has expanded into the carriage house at the back with a cross training studio, Rulney since spring has worked inside the carriage house to build four 1,000-square-foot apartments with two bedrooms and two bathrooms in one half of the building. Amity Foundation and O2 fill the other half. Amity’s primary headquarters office is in the Julian-Drew, where Hollis Graphics, Fitworks Cycling Support and Aviar Commercial Space Planning and Design also have space.

Rulney bought Julian-Drew and the carriage house in 2006 and the Tiburon Apartments in 2000. He has wrestled with changing plans and economic climates since buying Julian-Drew until suddenly having full occupancy now. “Maybe TEP and Providence saved me from myself,” said Rulney, whose property is one block west of the UniSource Energy construction site for its new nine-story headquarters. “We did a lot of planning. We were patient. We let the market develop around us. We didn’t rush anything.”

Every time I pass by this building , the O2 Modern Fitness business has always been filled with customers even last summer. I think most of the customers came from the One Fifth North housing. I predict this business skyrocketing some more in the future.

[acatalanb]

Hey guys, looks like there might me another space for those gourmet trucks. The Arizona Hotel might only have weeks from shutting down, link (http://azstarnet.com/business/local/article_33667ff6-0306-11e0-a260-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story) :tup:

[kaneui]

Hey guys, looks like there might me another space for those gourmet trucks. The Arizona Hotel might only have weeks from shutting down, link (http://azstarnet.com/business/local/article_33667ff6-0306-11e0-a260-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story) :tup:

It's probably time for Bert Lopez to either close the doors on his run-down Hotel Arizona or sell it to someone who's willing to upgrade the place to make it an attractive, viable property. (He's projecting only 6% occupancy for December? The guy obviously doesn't give a damn.) So far, the City Council and Rio Nuevo have been cool to all of his far-fetched proposals asking for handouts, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Meanwhile, there are a number of other private sector developers/investors who are interested in building new hotels downtown, once they have a realistic timeline for a TCC upgrade/renovation and the completion of the modern streetcar.

[acatalanb]

It's probably time for Bert Lopez to either close the doors on his run-down Hotel Arizona or sell it to someone who's willing to upgrade the place to make it an attractive, viable property. (He's projecting only 6% occupancy for December? The guy obviously doesn't give a damn.) So far, the City Council and Rio Nuevo have been cool to all of his far-fetched proposals asking for handouts, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Meanwhile, there are a number of other private sector developers/investors who are interested in building new hotels downtown, once they have a realistic timeline for a TCC upgrade/renovation and the completion of the modern streetcar.

I think Mr. Lopez needs to focus on the apartment business. He should just sell that property. I had lunch a few times in his hotel way back in the 90's. The food was average. The place looks empty all the time. I lived in one of his apartments - Foothills Apt ( Swan/Sunrise ) and it happens to be THE best apartment I ever lived in Tucson due to it's location and safety ( foothills ). I'd recommend living there. The rent is also at fairly market priced. However, he tried to convert that same apartment to a condo somewhere in the 2000's . I'd be curious about the quality of his new luxury apartment(s) in Tucson.

[BrandonJXN]

There really needs to be some sort of residential on Broadway and Fifth. Everytime I would walk under the 4th Ave Underpass, I would envision some sort of residential building with retail on the bottom that would help keep the Hotel Congress/Rialto folk walking about.

Another dream: The Warehouse area has all the potential in the world to be a cool little arts district.

[kaneui]

There really needs to be some sort of residential on Broadway and Fifth. Everytime I would walk under the 4th Ave Underpass, I would envision some sort of residential building with retail on the bottom that would help keep the Hotel Congress/Rialto folk walking about.

Another dream: The Warehouse area has all the potential in the world to be a cool little arts district.


A four-level parking structure is currently under construction at Depot Plaza right next to the 4th Ave. underpass, and a private developer will be adding three floors of apartments on top once the garage is finished, as well as street-level retail.

[acatalanb]

An estimated 300,000 people will be stopping by the 4th Ave. Street Fair for 3 days. Imagine adding a few of those food booths converted to trailers will do at those empty lots downtown. Downtown Portland, Oregon has about 80 food trucks. Tucson CONNECT the FREAKIN DOTS!!

[kaneui]

Tucson is looking to bolster the future of the region's largest employer, Raytheon (12,500 employees), by contributing up to $40M to facilitate the future expansion of the company as well as Tucson International Airport:


Plan aims to assist Raytheon expansion
City, county would have to kick in up to $40M for land, work on roads

by Rob O'Dell
Arizona Daily Star
December 10, 2010

Stung by Raytheon Missile Systems' decision to build a new missile facility in Alabama rather than Tucson, Pima County and Tucson are drafting plans that could put up as much as $40 million to help Raytheon stay and expand in Tucson. Raytheon is the region's largest overall employer and is by far its largest private employer. Most of the $40 million is planned to come from a county bond election that won't occur until at least 2012. The remaining money would be $2 million from several county funds and $8 million that Tucson will receive from an annexation agreement with Raytheon approved in 2009.

Raytheon would need to agree to have the $8 million from the city's annexation be used to buy land surrounding its plant, said Byron Howard, a city special-projects manager. About $8 million of the plan would go toward buying land south of East Hughes Access Road - which is owned by developer Don Diamond along with First Tucson Airport Investors and the Tucson Airport Authority. All the land would serve as a "buffer" from urban encroachment around Raytheon, said Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry. The hope would be that Raytheon would eventually lease or buy the property to expand its facilities there, he said.

But to properly expand into the area, Raytheon would need to have Hughes Access Road shut to the public, which means reworking the road system in the area south of Tucson International Airport, Huckelberry said. Fixing the roads would be the major expense in the plans, which could take two years to finalize. There are two options, although city and county officials said they prefer the more expensive option.

The options:

• Shut down Hughes Access and extend South Alvernon Way to East Old Vail Connection Road and expand and improve Old Vail to carry the Hughes Access traffic. Cost: $16 million.

• Divert South Alvernon Way to the southeast so it will no longer cut across the future location of a third runway for Tucson International that the airport could build 20 to 40 years from now. Alvernon Way would travel to the southeast until it connected to the alignment of South Craycroft Road - where Craycroft would be if it extended that far south. The current alignment of South Alvernon would be closed as would portions of South Swan Road along with Hughes Access. Old Vail would be improved and expanded. Cost: $31 million.

City and county officials prefer the more expensive option because they don't want to improve and extend Alvernon only to close it in the future if the airport adds a third runway. City Councilman Steve Kozachik said the cheaper option is "almost throwing good money after bad." Huckelberry said the first option would be a quick fix, but wouldn't solve problems in the long run. "It's probably the cheapest, but it would ultimately be obsolete," Huckelberry said. "I always believe in doing it right the first time."

Taxpayers need to help facilitate Raytheon's expansion because one of the reasons Tucson lost out to Huntsville, Ala., for Raytheon's new missile facility is that Raytheon didn't have enough room at its south-side site here, Huckelberry said. When it awarded the new facility to Huntsville - which will employ an estimated 300 workers at an annual average wage of $60,000 - in July, Tucson was a finalist. But the company said Tucson was bypassed because of limits to expansion at Raytheon's current missile plant and a lack of development-ready alternative sites. Richard A. Mendez, Raytheon's director of facility management, told the City Council that Raytheon is confined in a box where it is now, which causes problems for the company and limits potential expansion. "Our existing condition is a constant state of risk," he said.

Joe Snell, chief executive officer for Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities (TREO), said the city, the county and the whole region need to think big in order to make sure Raytheon stays and expands in Tucson. He said Raytheon brings billions into the local economy but that "we're treating them like a street vendor." Local governments should think even bigger than the $40 million plans and help attract more defense contracting to Tucson, Snell said. The biggest impediment to Raytheon's expansion, he said, is the region's lack of a large class of high-paying jobs that can help it attract top talent to Tucson. Spouses and even Raytheon's recruits want to see high-paying jobs in the region to ensure there are options if they choose to move to Tucson, he said. "If Raytheon leaves, we're cooked," Snell said. "This is our economic engine."

[kaneui]

Oro Valley's biotech hub at the city's Innovation Park will soon be adding 500 new jobs with an average salary of $75k--nearly double the average wage in metro Tucson:


http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/VentanaOroValley-RyanMihalyi.jpg
After announcing in 2009 its plans to more than double its real estate
footprint in Oro Valley, Ariz., over the forthcoming decade, Roche Group
company Ventana Medical Systems in October announced it would invest
approximately $180 million and add up to 500 jobs over the next five years
at the site just north of Tucson.
(photo: Ryan Mihalyi)


Golden Valley
Roche continues to double down in southern Arizona

by Adam Bruns
www.siteselection.com
November 29, 2010

Many the corporate acquisition comes with the promise of continuing investment in the acquired party. All too often that promise ends up unkept or watered down. But such is not the case in the Tucson-area community of Oro Valley, where in October, two years after acquiring tissue diagnostic firm Ventana Medical Systems, Switzerland’s Roche Group announced it would invest at least $180 million over the next five years, creating up to 500 new jobs with an average salary off $75,000. That wage is equal to 175 percent of Pima County’s average wages in spring 2009. The decision concluded a national site analysis that included other locations where Roche already has a presence: Indianapolis, Southern California and Northern New Jersey. According to Joe Snell, president of Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities (TREO), the process unfolded over 11 months. The end result is expected to have an economic impact of $600 million, Snell told the TREO annual luncheon audience in October. Roche plans to build new facilities on part of the approximately 60 acres (24 hectares) it owns at Innovation Park, across the street from its existing operation. The new jobs, spread among science, administration and manufacturing, will bring Ventana’s total Oro Valley payroll to more than 1,400.

Ventana originally was launched in 1985 by former University of Arizona professor and pathologist Thomas Grogan. The firm pioneered an automated method of cell staining for cancer testing and personalized treatment. Today, as the global research site of Roche Tissue Diagnostics, it is among the world’s leading developers and manufacturers of automated tissue-based diagnostic systems and tests focused on the detection of cancer. As documented in Site Selection’s September 2009 interview with Ventana facilities director Gregg Forszt, the company is pursuing a master plan that looks toward 2020, going from six buildings in fall 2009 to as many as 14 buildings eventually. Ultimately the company would more than double its real estate footprint over the next decade. Last year’s ongoing expansion activity included a 115,000-sq.-ft. (10,680-sq.-m.) R&D facility, a parking garage and a central utility plant.

These Are the Breaks
The incentives package for the project totals nearly $14 million, including $8.2 million in property tax waivers from Pima County, $2 million in stimulus funds for training via the State of Arizona’s Quality Jobs program, and Oro Valley’s rebate of up to $1 million in infrastructure development impact fees. The property tax waiver from the county was approved by county supervisors in late October, and allows Ventana, by state law, to pay taxes based on 5 percent of the assessed value, as opposed to the normal business rate of 21 percent. The taxes waived could reach $10 million if the job creation target surpasses projections and reaches as high as 730. The waiver is contingent on federal approval of Ventana’s application for Foreign Trade Zone sub-zone status. An application for reclassification of FTZ No. 174 under the alternative site framework, submitted by TREO in October 2009, was approved in June 2010 by the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board. Such reclassifications allow for the naming of magnet sites with a named service area, which in TREO’s case is the whole of Pima County.

In an October 15 memo from Pima County Deputy Administrator Hank Atha to Pima County Administrator C.H. Huckelberry, Atha outlines all aspects of the agreement, noting that Ventana’s investment should provide an annual average of $348,000 in revenue over the next decade, despite the reduction in levy caused by the FTZ reclassification. The payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) in the agreement protects Pima’s annual real property revenue from current operations ($204,817 in 2010) and at least $100,000 of annual personal property revenue from current operations. “After ten years, Ventana revenue to Pima County is estimated to be at least $1,500,000 annually, and to continue at that level for the foreseeable future,” writes Atha. “Cumulative tax and PILOT revenue to the three educational districts and the fire district will average $1,500,000 annually during the first 10 years and the foreseeable future.”

According to an attached Oct. 12 memo from Huckelberry to the Board of Supervisors, Ventana’s outlay over the next five years could be as high as $192 million. According to cost/benefit analysis by the county’s finance and risk management department, the property tax relief to Ventana vs. incremental tax revenue from new employees purchasing homes is “essentially a break-even proposition,” says Huckelberry, who recommends using this first-ever application of FTZ commercial property tax relief by an existing company as a model from which to formulate new minimum-requirement policies for future agreements.

Nice Neighborhood
A decade after its germination, the 535-acre (217-hectare) Innovation Park is living up to its name as a growth medium for biomedical business. Sanofi-Aventis also operates a major research operation there. The University of Arizona operates a commercialization center called the Bio5 Institute, and the Critical Path Institute also resides at the park, helping smooth the way for medical innovations to get to the people who need them faster. The area’s biotech momentum is increasing on the academic side too, said University of Arizona Vice President for Research, Graduate Studies, and Economic Development Leslie Tolbert, Ph.D., in an interview in early October, noting the school’s recent purchase of a former Sanofi building. “Sanofi actually moved out of this building as they created their wonderful new facility,” said Tolbert, a neurobiology professor. “We bought it for an extremely good price. It’s very good for drug development. So we’re moving some of our faculty into this facility. They already collaborate with Sanofi — one has a 25- to 30-year history with them. They now will increase collaborations.”

Research areas include small molecules and particular cellular processes and disease areas. Tolbert said the idea is to work toward “the handoff.” Also in the building is 27,000 sq. ft. (2,508 sq. m.) of incubator space, where small companies that want to be part of the two companies’ ecosystem can locate. "It’s just enough space for a few labs with a real focus in this area, to do high-throughput development and screening,” said Tolbert. “One investigator is a colon cancer investigator who has a drug in clinical trials that is preventive. We’re especially interested in the preventive side.” A new 501(c)(3) will put an entrepreneur in residence at the incubator’s location. “So there is a whole continuum happening in one place,” said Tolbert. “And both companies are happy to have us there in that part of town.” Not as happy as the town named after the golden sunlight is to have both companies shining bright in its backyard.

[acatalanb]

I found this excellent site containing pictures of Tucson's historic sites (http://www.pbase.com/bearpaw/historic_tucson&page=1), enjoy.

I came about this site after learning more about that great Pioneer Hotel of Dec 1970.

Man, I loved early 20th century architecture!
Here are photos of the old Pioneer Hotel before it was destroyed by subsequent 'renovations' after the Fire. The Pioneer Hotel is worth renovating from it's original design , at least from the outside ... it's a good candidate for the facade renovation projects.

http://www3.gendisasters.com/files/admin/photos/az-tuscon-pioneer-intl-hotel.jpg

http://www3.gendisasters.com/files/admin/photos/az-tuscon-pioneer-hotel32r.jpg

Here's a bit of trivia : The Rialto Theatre was for a time (twice) a Spanish language only theatre ( El Cine Plaza ) and a pornographic theatre ( 5 years ) - Rialto at Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rialto_Theatre_%28Arizona%29)

I wished Tucson could have saved the Santa Rita Hotel ... sad . Downtown Tucson Public Library? ... UGLY!! :yuck:

Like I said before, architecture design died somewhere between the 60's and 90's . However, let me add, the downtown underpasses do need a modern update. Hopefully, the 6th Ave and Stone Ave underpasses updates will be a copy of the new 4th ave. underpass!

[acatalanb]

Vintage Postcards of Tucson (http://roadsidepc.esmartguy.com/azroute80pc4.html) ... I have more appreciation for renovation of Tucson buildings after looking at these postcards.

Old Santa Rita hotel :

http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/drachman/images/santarita2.jpg

http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/drachman/images/santarita3.jpg

[bleunick]

I found this excellent site containing pictures of Tucson's historic sites (http://www.pbase.com/bearpaw/historic_tucson&page=1), enjoy.

I came about this site after learning more about that great Pioneer Hotel of Dec 1970.

Man, I loved early 20th century architecture!
Here are photos of the old Pioneer Hotel before it was destroyed by subsequent 'renovations' after the Fire. The Pioneer Hotel is worth renovating from it's original design , at least from the outside ... it's a good candidate for the facade renovation projects.

http://www3.gendisasters.com/files/admin/photos/az-tuscon-pioneer-intl-hotel.jpg

http://www3.gendisasters.com/files/admin/photos/az-tuscon-pioneer-hotel32r.jpg

Here's a bit of trivia : The Rialto Theatre was for a time (twice) a Spanish language only theatre ( El Cine Plaza ) and a pornographic theatre ( 5 years ) - Rialto at Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rialto_Theatre_%28Arizona%29)

I wished Tucson could have saved the Santa Rita Hotel ... sad . Downtown Tucson Public Library? ... UGLY!! :yuck:

Like I said before, architecture design died somewhere between the 60's and 90's . However, let me add, the downtown underpasses do need a modern update. Hopefully, the 6th Ave and Stone Ave underpasses updates will be a copy of the new 4th ave. underpass!

I loved the original look of the old Pioneer building too. About 10 years ago my dad had an office in there and i would get to explore it on the weekends, that really cool pool is actually still there! Unfortunately I read some place that its current facade is non-reversible and is actually needed for structural support, so i doubt the facade project would be an option. :(

[acatalanb]

I got carried away with Tucson historical architecture. It would be nice to find a site with complete photos and history during the glory days of Tucson - pre-1960's 'revitalization' projects.

El Conquistador Hotel was demolished to make way for the El Con Mall around 68' . Looks like the 60's were good years for the wrecking ball business in Tucson. Here's a story (http://weeklywire.com/ww/01-31-00/tw_feat.html) about it's architect, the first Arizona registered female architect.

http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue/files/2007/11/l67576-1.jpg

Photos from a Drachman ( I guess of Drachman St. fame ) . Drachman Story (http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/drachman/foreword.html).

http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/drachman/images/congressst1.jpg

Looks like Tucson wasn't that bad until it was nuked during the 60's . Tucson would've been a great city if all of it's historic buildings were saved plus a sprinkle of current modern architecture ... and maybe a tower, rainbow bridge and the modern light rail. :dead:

[acatalanb]

Portland has 600+ licensed food carts (http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/12/12/2010-a-food-cart-year-in-review/)

An El Charro Cafe or Janos food cart in the northwest side ain't bad ... for $5 per meal. Let's bring back some of the bankrupt restaurants into a food cart!

Food Truck Revolution Pt 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKMmrQCIYzw)

Food Truck Revolution Pt 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2_qT2Wzfqk&feature=related)

Food Truck Revolution Pt 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnF4Pxjjko8&feature=related)

Food Truck Revolution Pt 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGAsUO4VDEU&feature=related)

Let's bring back the barrio community to the 21st century. Emailed the mayor about this :yes:

[HooverDam]

Looks like Tucson wasn't that bad until it was nuked during the 60's .

Same with Phoenix and a lot of cities all across the country. The "Urban renewal" of the mid century did to a lot of American cities what WW2 did to European cities, sadly we did it to ourselves.

[acatalanb]

Vanishing Tucson Yahoo Group (http://vanishingtucson.com/) contains loads of photos and links of the 'early' years of Tucson. You need to register as a member.

Some links from this group:

Early 1900's Tucson from Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pimacountypubliclibrary/sets/72157603995506230/with/2329204051/)

The 'amenities' block west of the UA right by Univeristy Blvd. has a 'Marshall Foundation' plaque nailed to one of the buildings, I think they are referring to these guys (http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/tommarshallstucson/preface.htm)

YouTube Tucson (http://www.youtube.com/user/vanishingtucson#p/u)

Related to Bourne Partners? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eulalia_Bourne)

[acatalanb]

Same with Phoenix and a lot of cities all across the country. The "Urban renewal" of the mid century did to a lot of American cities what WW2 did to European cities, sadly we did it to ourselves.

Yep. But it looks like Tucson got nuked by a hydrogen bomb instead of an atomic bomb after looking at pictures pre-Nagasaki Tucson.

[tucsonnativeresident]

Yep. But it looks like Tucson got nuked by a hydrogen bomb instead of an atomic bomb after looking at pictures pre-Nagasaki Tucson.

My god man why are you here?

Also, I completely disagree with you on many issues.
1) Greyhound station - they actually prefer to be near 1-10 it keeps them on schedule to not have to go through a congested downtown. I would rather use downtown core properties to serve residents not people just passing through. Yes downtown's have congestion but why make congestion worse?

2) Half of the things you tout as great and like (historic preservation, mercado district etc) were enabled by the city you hate so much. Its perfectly ok to dole out criticism where criticism is due but dole out credit when it is due.

3) You have lunch with humberto lopez the slumlord and you expect us to think you are not biased? He buys a hotel, runs it into the ground - who is going to want to buy that now?

4) Food carts will renovate downtown. OK you want to give them more credit than the businesses that really invest in brick and mortar and give more competition to these establishments. People with vacant property will get a lot more money for a real business or from parking revenues (like the big parking lot next to el charro) these food carts won't pay nearly as much.. Vacant lots and development sites? Take the county complex site - it would cost more for the liability insurance than what minor revenues they would make do you think they want to do that? But guess what - food carts DO exist on public property - in el presidio park, at the library and at the courthouse. so where exactly is your criticism aimed - private landholders?

By my count I've seen requests for Arenas, Rainbow Bridges, Towers, Fountains, and even an aquarium all on this thread. The biggest problem with rio nuevo is that the council listened to all of you concurrently. It is impossible for "the public" to all be right at the same time.

[acatalanb]

My god man why are you here?

Also, I completely disagree with you on many issues.
1) Greyhound station - they actually prefer to be near 1-10 it keeps them on schedule to not have to go through a congested downtown. I would rather use downtown core properties to serve residents not people just passing through. Yes downtown's have congestion but why make congestion worse?

2) Half of the things you tout as great and like (historic preservation, mercado district etc) were enabled by the city you hate so much. Its perfectly ok to dole out criticism where criticism is due but dole out credit when it is due.

3) You have lunch with humberto lopez the slumlord and you expect us to think you are not biased? He buys a hotel, runs it into the ground - who is going to want to buy that now?

4) Food carts will renovate downtown. OK you want to give them more credit than the businesses that really invest in brick and mortar and give more competition to these establishments. People with vacant property will get a lot more money for a real business or from parking revenues (like the big parking lot next to el charro) these food carts won't pay nearly as much.. Vacant lots and development sites? Take the county complex site - it would cost more for the liability insurance than what minor revenues they would make do you think they want to do that? But guess what - food carts DO exist on public property - in el presidio park, at the library and at the courthouse. so where exactly is your criticism aimed - private landholders?

By my count I've seen requests for Arenas, Rainbow Bridges, Towers, Fountains, and even an aquarium all on this thread. The biggest problem with rio nuevo is that the council listened to all of you concurrently. It is impossible for "the public" to all be right at the same time.

My god man why are you here? ... Listen man, take it easy! I'm here to post my opinion ... don't be scared!!

Retort on your questions above.
1) Fine disagree. Who are they? I think the Greyhound Bus station should be on 6th/Toole Ave. It's just appropriate to be close to the Transit Center and Train Station - a transportation hub. So you care more about the bus drivers than the customers? I supposed you want the Ronstadt Transit Center moved, too? Tucson is a big city. Expect congestion. If you want to live in a place with no or 'less' congestion, move to the countryside.

2) Dont' put words into my mouth. I don't hate this city. I credit the the city on some cases and I criticized the city on other cases. I'm not against historic preservation or renovation. I'm against re-creating what's been destroyed. Why rebuild the convento? What is it that you like about the Mercado District?

3) What makes you think I like Humberto Lopez? Just because I lived in one of his apartments (and liked it) doesn't mean I like the guy. His apartments are decent, not great. One of his apartments at the foothills is great relative to the other apartments I lived. I think he should stay away from the hotel business or downtown.

4) No, I'm not against private landowners. Downtown needs more competition. That's free enterprise! Yes, Food carts do exist downtown. I was referring to the gourmet food carts that's been gaining popularity in America. Why not have more here downtown or the rest of Tucson? You must hate competition.

Last comment - "By my count I've seen requests for Arenas, Rainbow Bridges, Towers, Fountains, and even an aquarium all on this thread. The biggest problem with rio nuevo is that the council listened to all of you concurrently. It is impossible for "the public" to all be right at the same time"
I liked those request mentioned by posters on this thread. So I see that you are blaming the public more than the city council?

Listen man, sorry if I've shaken you. Calm down.

[Ritarancher]

I got carried away with Tucson historical architecture. It would be nice to find a site with complete photos and history during the glory days of Tucson - pre-1960's 'revitalization' projects.

El Conquistador Hotel was demolished to make way for the El Con Mall around 68' . Looks like the 60's were good years for the wrecking ball business in Tucson. Here's a story (http://weeklywire.com/ww/01-31-00/tw_feat.html) about it's architect, the first Arizona registered female architect.

http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue/files/2007/11/l67576-1.jpg

Photos from a Drachman ( I guess of Drachman St. fame ) . Drachman Story (http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/drachman/foreword.html).

http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/drachman/images/congressst1.jpg

Looks like Tucson wasn't that bad until it was nuked during the 60's . Tucson would've been a great city if all of it's historic buildings were saved plus a sprinkle of current modern architecture ... and maybe a tower, rainbow bridge and the modern light rail. :dead:

Keeping the el conquisidor would have been of more use than the el con mall but the mall is coming back to life so maybe it still has a chance of being worth knocking down the hotel. Still the designers should have picked a better location for the mall. I heard that walmart is going to the mall is that true?

[acatalanb]

Keeping the el conquisidor would have been of more use than the el con mall but the mall is coming back to life so maybe it still has a chance of being worth knocking down the hotel. Still the designers should have picked a better location for the mall. I heard that walmart is going to the mall is that true?

I agree. I don't know why they have to knock down the El Conquistador. Never heard of Walmart going to the mall. That's news to me. However, I won't mind having a Walmart or Target downtown.

[Ritarancher]

I am still a fan of rainbow bridge and i think that the city is making a mistake by not building it

[Ritarancher]

I agree. I don't know why they have to knock down the El Conquistador. Never heard of Walmart going to the mall. That's news to me. However, I won't mind having a Walmart or Target downtown.

That would be nice. I think that they should put a target downtown rather than a walmart. No offense to walmart lovers but it loose their value pretty fast. Also a Macys and Toys r u would be nice. Especially if they were two stories and had free parking at a parking garage near by.

[acatalanb]

That would be nice. I think that they should put a target downtown rather than a walmart. No offense to walmart lovers but it loose their value pretty fast. Also a Macys and Toys r u would be nice. Especially if they were two stories and had free parking at a parking garage near by.

I won't mind having any big box store downtown. In fact, I won't mind if they put a McDonald's or Carl's Jr right smack in the middle of downtown ( and yes, gourmet food carts). The current stores downtown didn't help revitalized the place. In fact, I think there was a Montgomery Wards right by the current UA Roy Place building. Walgreens was busy when they were at that Roy Place building. People stand in-line at Walgreens when I was working downtown. Competition is good.

[Ritarancher]

I won't mind having any big box store downtown. In fact, I won't mind if they put a McDonald's or Carl's Jr right smack in the middle of downtown ( and yes, gourmet food carts). The current stores downtown didn't help revitalized the place. In fact, I think there was a Montgomery Wards right by the current UA Roy Place building. Walgreens was busy when they were at that Roy Place building. People stand in-line at Walgreens when I was working downtown. Competition is good.

Definitely a mc donalds. And a chili's or an apple bees

[acatalanb]

Definitely a mc donalds. And a chili's or an apple bees

Heck, I'd take anything that's cheap, good and filling. Downtown has a Bruegger's Bagels and Subway....But McDonald's have those $1 burgers and ice cream. Carl's Jr has $1 chicken sandwich.

I'd like to see a Trader's Joes or Safeway right smack in the middle of downtown, too. I live walking distance from 17th St. Market (there's a food cart besides it too) but there's some things that I can buy cheap at Safeway or Traders.

[Ritarancher]

Heck, I'd take anything that's cheap, good and filling. Downtown has a Bruegger's Bagels and Subway....But McDonald's have those $1 burgers and ice cream. Carl's Jr has $1 chicken sandwich.

I'd like to see a Trader's Joes or Safeway right smack in the middle of downtown, too. I live walking distance from 17th St. Market (there's a food cart besides it too) but there's some things that I can buy cheap at Safeway or Traders.

A farmers market/grocery store ( preferably fry's because they are cheaper than the other stores) would be great. It will be like in seattle. Speaking of seattle, that is a very good city for tucson to be like. they have a downtown and lots of stores. They also have the space needle and water but tucson will never get water so a landmark (RAINBOW BRIDGE) would be nice. People also buy hotel rooms in downtown seattle to see the space needle so if tucson had the RAINBOW BRIDGE people would want to have a room with a view of the coolest bridge. So by then we would have both the Sheraton and rainbow bridge. Seattle has a very unique library and so does tucson. Seattle has lot's of stores downtown and hotels. If tucson had that stuff then we would probably have an I max theator and aquarium.

[acatalanb]

A farmers market/grocery store ( preferably fry's because they are cheaper than the other stores) would be great. It will be like in seattle. Speaking of seattle, that is a very good city for tucson to be like. they have a downtown and lots of stores. They also have the space needle and water but tucson will never get water so a landmark (RAINBOW BRIDGE) would be nice. People also buy hotel rooms in downtown seattle to see the space needle so if tucson had the RAINBOW BRIDGE people would want to have a room with a view of the coolest bridge. So by then we would have both the Sheraton and rainbow bridge. Seattle has a very unique library and so does tucson. Seattle has lot's of stores downtown and hotels. If tucson had that stuff then we would probably have an I max theator and aquarium.

Never been to Seattle but I lived in Portland. One thing that Tucson can't have is good tasting tap water.

Anyway, Valencia, Spain's Arts and Sciences (http://www.1000lonelyplaces.com/tourist-destination/luxury/valencia-city-of-art-and-sciences-spain/) cost about 150 million euros ( about $170 million - $240 million ) has an IMAX, Aquarium , Planetarium etc... I'd put this in place of the Mercado District, Convention Center and Convento. Here's another link (http://www.cac.es/)

This one (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eden_Project) cost 50 million british pounds ( $100 million ) .

Those are places that Tucsonans or most people would want to visit. They're expensive but considering all the waste and the discounts that the city has offered developers I don't see it impossible to build.

[bleunick]

http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue/files/2008/05/l86207-8.jpg

I really think the Crescent Smoke Shop should get its original early 1900s facade restored. Apparently that whole block is the only block in downtown still historically intact since 1921 and it would be pretty cool bringing all of the original exterior back.

[acatalanb]

....
I really think the Crescent Smoke Shop should get its original early 1900s facade restored. Apparently that whole block is the only block in downtown still historically intact since 1921 and it would be pretty cool bringing all of the original exterior back.

I agree. The original design looks much better. That block would also be a good candidate for a grocery store...keeping the original facade, of course. fyi, the current museum by the Rialto Theatre was a grocery store (http://www.seventeenthstreetmarket.com/17th_Street_Market/Welcome_to_17th_Street_Market.html) .

[tucsonnativeresident]

My god man why are you here? ... Listen man, take it easy! I'm here to post my opinion ... don't be scared!!

Retort on your questions above.
1) Fine disagree. Who are they? I think the Greyhound Bus station should be on 6th/Toole Ave. It's just appropriate to be close to the Transit Center and Train Station - a transportation hub. So you care more about the bus drivers than the customers? I supposed you want the Ronstadt Transit Center moved, too? Tucson is a big city. Expect congestion. If you want to live in a place with no or 'less' congestion, move to the countryside.

2) Dont' put words into my mouth. I don't hate this city. I credit the the city on some cases and I criticized the city on other cases. I'm not against historic preservation or renovation. I'm against re-creating what's been destroyed. Why rebuild the convento? What is it that you like about the Mercado District?

3) What makes you think I like Humberto Lopez? Just because I lived in one of his apartments (and liked it) doesn't mean I like the guy. His apartments are decent, not great. One of his apartments at the foothills is great relative to the other apartments I lived. I think he should stay away from the hotel business or downtown.

4) No, I'm not against private landowners. Downtown needs more competition. That's free enterprise! Yes, Food carts do exist downtown. I was referring to the gourmet food carts that's been gaining popularity in America. Why not have more here downtown or the rest of Tucson? You must hate competition.

Last comment - "By my count I've seen requests for Arenas, Rainbow Bridges, Towers, Fountains, and even an aquarium all on this thread. The biggest problem with rio nuevo is that the council listened to all of you concurrently. It is impossible for "the public" to all be right at the same time"
I liked those request mentioned by posters on this thread. So I see that you are blaming the public more than the city council?

Listen man, sorry if I've shaken you. Calm down.


You didn't shake me I was just tired of the increasing negative nature of your rants.

1) Greyhound is the "they" and their customers are always coming here from some place else or going some place else so schedule matters. I don't think the local greyhound customers outrank the businesses and people who spend all day here 5 - 7 days a week. Don't assume what I think about the transit station but I do think you can have a transfer location somewhere else and still have the same service to downtown without a single problem for bus riders. There are other places with more appropriate amenities nearby that serve the same riders. Do I think it should be moved? Only if it makes sense after all the options have been considered. and that is MY opinion.

2) I too prefer historical over historical recreations but there are buildings that would cost 10x the amount to restore than re-build. Unless you can convince private developers and local taxpayers to foot the cost… it is what it is. I do like the Mercado – a lot! Are you this much up in arms about Palomino Plaza and St. Phillips Plaza too?

3) I read a lot about his slum properties and you are the only person I have ever seen defend him on anything that's why I thought you were biased.

4)) Food trucks are great I have no problem with them. If they can convince private landholders that is the best use for their properties fine. They are allowed to set up anywhere according to the wishes of the landholder and in conjunction with the vendor law here (in other places they are not licensed and operate illegally) However I don't see how they should get preferential treatment over other businesses that are established and that have "built in" accountability and won't just disappear after serving you.

No, I am not blaming anyone for their opinion but that the council is to blame for listening to everyone concurrently. They went ahead with everything at once instead of starting and completing them off one at a time in accordance with priority levels. But setting those priorities (which means some projects wouldn't be prioritized) means they can't try to please everyone at once which they are so fond of doing.

[tucsonnativeresident]

Heck, I'd take anything that's cheap, good and filling. Downtown has a Bruegger's Bagels and Subway....But McDonald's have those $1 burgers and ice cream. Carl's Jr has $1 chicken sandwich.

I'd like to see a Trader's Joes or Safeway right smack in the middle of downtown, too. I live walking distance from 17th St. Market (there's a food cart besides it too) but there's some things that I can buy cheap at Safeway or Traders.

I agree with Trader Joes but I'd hate to see a Carl's Jr. or a chili's or an applebee's in the middle of downtown. There is already a Carls Jr right off the Congress/Freeway exit that is good enough (BK at St Mary's & Freeway and tons more fast food on st. mary's right off the freeway). I work downtown and I love the local restaurants I can get "chain" food anywhere else in town or the country. Besides local companies care far more about their local workers than the chains where most the mgmt decisions are made in other states and cities - see the closing of chili's on the north side as an example.

[tucsonnativeresident]

Never been to Seattle but I lived in Portland. One thing that Tucson can't have is good tasting tap water.

Anyway, Valencia, Spain's Arts and Sciences (http://www.1000lonelyplaces.com/tourist-destination/luxury/valencia-city-of-art-and-sciences-spain/) cost about 150 million euros ( about $170 million - $240 million ) has an IMAX, Aquarium , Planetarium etc... I'd put this in place of the Mercado District, Convention Center and Convento. Here's another link (http://www.cac.es/)

This one (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eden_Project) cost 50 million british pounds ( $100 million ) .

Those are places that Tucsonans or most people would want to visit. They're expensive but considering all the waste and the discounts that the city has offered developers I don't see it impossible to build.


There is a planetarium a mile away from downtown. The aquarium did get a feasibility study and the cost to build was was high, O&M costs were huge, and the amount of water used would be astounding (we do live in a desert) which, after the slim fast debacle, is not an issue local politicians want to tackle. An IMAX I agree about but I heard one was supposed to go up on the south side? Anyone remember that?

[acatalanb]

You didn't shake me I was just tired of the increasing negative nature of your rants.

1) Greyhound is the "they" and their customers are always coming here from some place else or going some place else so schedule matters. I don't think the local greyhound customers outrank the businesses and people who spend all day here 5 - 7 days a week. Don't assume what I think about the transit station but I do think you can have a transfer location somewhere else and still have the same service to downtown without a single problem for bus riders. There are other places with more appropriate amenities nearby that serve the same riders. Do I think it should be moved? Only if it makes sense after all the options have been considered. and that is MY opinion.

2) I too prefer historical over historical recreations but there are buildings that would cost 10x the amount to restore than re-build. Unless you can convince private developers and local taxpayers to foot the cost… it is what it is. I do like the Mercado – a lot! Are you this much up in arms about Palomino Plaza and St. Phillips Plaza too?

3) I read a lot about his slum properties and you are the only person I have ever seen defend him on anything that's why I thought you were biased.

4)) Food trucks are great I have no problem with them. If they can convince private landholders that is the best use for their properties fine. They are allowed to set up anywhere according to the wishes of the landholder and in conjunction with the vendor law here (in other places they are not licensed and operate illegally) However I don't see how they should get preferential treatment over other businesses that are established and that have "built in" accountability and won't just disappear after serving you.

No, I am not blaming anyone for their opinion but that the council is to blame for listening to everyone concurrently. They went ahead with everything at once instead of starting and completing them off one at a time in accordance with priority levels. But setting those priorities (which means some projects wouldn't be prioritized) means they can't try to please everyone at once which they are so fond of doing.

Increasing nature of my rants ? Get used to the 'rants' in this forum. I just find you to be someone who get irked easily with minor criticisms. And fine, your opinions respected and well said. However with respect to Humberto Lopez, I didn't like his bullying tactics with regard to initiating the recall efforts of the city council and his constant failed efforts to renovating downtown. He needs to stay away from downtown. But just to be fair to the guy calling him a slumlord , I just don't see it. I lived in one of his apartments for about 2 years and visited one of his apartments on the east side of town. Those apartments are well maintained and cleaned regularly. Here's a link (http://www.hslproperties.com/) to his properties. What makes you think he is a slumlord?

And I don't know much about Palomino Plaza and St. Phillips Plaza too. If it's owned by private landowners that's their business on what they want to do with their property. I am against the councils support on re-creating the Convento on the westside. In fact, I am also against the council building that hotel-convention center. I'd rather have something that is more in line with Valencia, Spain's Arts and Sciences (http://www.1000lonelyplaces.com/tourist-destination/luxury/valencia-city-of-art-and-sciences-spain/) . They could add an open and close concert hall along with it. Add an aquarium ,planetarium and/or something else... fine. It doesn't even need to have that large pool around it. They should just build it in steps as money permits. Start with something that is affordable and can be built in shorter time than the other parts of this center .

[Butta]

Increasing nature of my rants ? Get used to the 'rants' in this forum. I just find you to be someone who get irked easily with minor criticisms. And fine, your opinions respected and well said. However with respect to Humberto Lopez, I didn't like his bullying tactics with regard to initiating the recall efforts of the city council and his constant failed efforts to renovating downtown. He needs to stay away from downtown. But just to be fair to the guy calling him a slumlord , I just don't see it. I lived in one of his apartments for about 2 years and visited one of his apartments on the east side of town. Those apartments are well maintained and cleaned regularly. Here's a link (http://www.hslproperties.com/) to his properties. What makes you think he is a slumlord?

And I don't know much about Palomino Plaza and St. Phillips Plaza too. If it's owned by private landowners that's their business on what they want to do with their property. I am against the councils support on re-creating the Convento on the westside. In fact, I am also against the council building that hotel-convention center. I'd rather have something that is more in line with Valencia, Spain's Arts and Sciences (http://www.1000lonelyplaces.com/tourist-destination/luxury/valencia-city-of-art-and-sciences-spain/) . They could add an open and close concert hall along with it. Add an aquarium ,planetarium and/or something else... fine. It doesn't even need to have that large pool around it. They should just build it in steps as money permits. Start with something that is affordable and can be built in shorter time than the other parts of this center .

My company used to be in business with Humberto Lopez business, and although I agree that his properties are not slums (You should visit their office at Broadway/Alvernon I believe), his business conduct leaves a lot to be desired. Very demanding, rude and yet very slow to pay the bills or pay them at all.

[acatalanb]

My company used to be in business with Humberto Lopez business, and although I agree that his properties are not slums (You should visit their office at Broadway/Alvernon I believe), his business conduct leaves a lot to be desired. Very demanding, rude and yet very slow to pay the bills or pay them at all.

Thanks for the inside info. He's not a slumlord but an A**H*** . I think that some or if not all of his employees at the apt. complex I used to live in are all 'temps' . The other apt I visited seem to have a very high turnover rate among it's employees.

[Anqrew]

Spinning in Downtown Tucson
Story By Luis Carrión
December 22, 2010
http://media.azpm.org/master/image/2010/12/22/spot/O2-617x347.jpg

By now most people are familiar with the seemingly unending tale of downtown Tucson's revitalization efforts. The story is characterized by a perpetual optimism that seems to have us always on the verge of reaching a panacea of urban renewal. The most jaded amongst us have begun to feel like we’re spinning our wheels.
But if you spend any amount of time in the city’s core you might notice some tangible signs of progress. Susan Frank is an entrepreneur who, along with her fiancée and business partner Kurt Rosenquist, has committed to downtown Tucson’s re-birth. Frank owns and operates O2 Modern Fitness, an indoor cycling studio and fitness center, and she says the dense urban environment is a place where cultural collisions take place, and creative energy is developed.
Frank says her journey as an entrepreneur in downtown Tucson seemed like a risky proposition to many when she began. But she says as a native Tucsonan it was important for her to be a part of the city’s urban core. O2 Modern Fitness recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, and it’s clear that the business has found a place in the evolving dynamic of downtown Tucson.

Video here at this link
http://www.azpm.org/news/story/2010/12/22/1235-spinning-in-downtown-tucson/

[davidmperre@gmail.co]

Whoa!! Thats awesome! good for Tuscon :) would look even cooler if Tuscon had more skyscrapers!

[aznate27]

Found a cool link with pictures on the constuction of the Unisource Energy tower going up downtown.


http://dot.tucsonaz.gov/projects/project.cfm?cip=5ADA8BE9-0049-903E-AD031811909A46CF

[Anqrew]

Buffalo Exchange will buy-sell-trade fashion Downtown

January 03, 2011

By Teya Vitu


Buffalo Exchange will join the Downtown renaissance triggered in the past two years with a slew of new restaurants and now getting reinforced with the new UniSource Energy headquarters and rehabilitation of 44 E. Broadway.

The nationally prominent Buffalo Exchange will finally open shop Downtown after 36 years in business and its corporate headquarters on Helen Street barely 1 mile from Congress Street.

The store will be at 250 E. Congress St., which was once occupied by Café Magritte. Company President and Co-founder Kerstin Block believes she’ll have the smallish 2,000-square-foot store open some time in March.

“I don’t know if we’re going to do OK or not, but I’m willing to take a chance,” Block said.

Block and her late husband, Spencer Block, have been taking chances since launching their buy-sell-trade clothing concept in 1974, long before such a notion became trendy.

Buffalo Exchange in the past decade has become a national phenomenon with stores just steps from universities in Berkeley, Seattle and Austin; hugely popular in Portland, Dallas, and Houston; and taking New York City by storm in the past five years.

In all, Buffalo Exchange has 40 stores and two franchise stores in 14 states with 700 employees and $64.4 million in annual revenue.

Now Downtown Tucson joins places with Buffalo Exchange stores like San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury and Mission districts, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Chicago and Boston.

Why Downtown Tucson has never had a Buffalo Exchange doesn’t require a mathematics degree.

But why now? Buffalo Exchange will be the first major retailer to commit to Downtown since the department stores vaporized 30 years ago.

“I know Janos and Fletcher,” Block said of restaurateur Janos Wilder and Fletcher McCusker, CEO of Providence Service Corps, owner of 44 E. Broadway, and the driving force behind 2nd Saturdays Downtown.

“They’re telling me how great it would be for me to move Downtown. A lot of the time we move into spaces that are kind of iffy.”

Five years ago, Buffalo Exchanged opened in Brooklyn’s lesser known Williamsburg neighborhood. Two years ago, the clothier arrived in Manhattan’s East Village and just on Oct. 30, 2010, a third NYC store opened in Chelsea.

“New York is the fastest growth we’ve ever had,” Block said. “The only reason we could open in New York was the recession. All of our stores are off the beaten tack.”

Buffalo Exchange follows the Trader Joe’s model of finding low-rent store fronts, often in odd locations. End result: inexpensive shopping.

“The most successful place we’ve ever had is Portland,” Block said. “I went to school in Eugene. They are very liberal and into recycling.”

Conversely, the Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas stores fall in line right under the Oregon stores.

“People like to shop in Texas,” Block said.

Buffalo Exchange ranks as the 3,850th fastest growing Inc. 500 company, gets mentions in the Wall Street Journal, Woman’s Day, the Boston Globe and Inked magazine. The Orange County Register in 2010 tabbed Buffalo Exchange as Best Vintage Clothing in its Best of Orange County section.

But the company remains as hometown as much as Tucson resists shaking its small town past.

“We don’t brand ourselves as a national company,” Block said. “We like a neighborhood feel.”

Unlike the typical national retailer with identical stores from city to city, each Buffalo Exchange store is different. Indeed, nearly all the clothing is local to each individual city.

The Downtown Tucson store will have its own identity, too, driven by its small size.

“We might carry more gift items,” Block said.

That harkens back to Block’s prior Downtown retailing with a vintage knick-knack store called El Retro, which had a short run in the early 1990s in what Block describes as “the first wave of enthusiasm for Downtown.”

“Now I’m thinking were in a new wave,” Block said. “Downtown is more like the setting we are used to in other places. We’re at the end of Downtown that is more eclectic. I like being right by the Rialto and Hotel Congress.”

[Anqrew]

Speedway getting a wider footprint
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/azstarnet.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/6/15/11d/61511d10-f779-52fd-ad0e-91ddb37418a9-revisions/4d23ee160e7ac.image.jpg

Traffic moves slowly amid a road-widening project on East Speedway between North Camino Seco and North Houghton Road. The $13.9 million project, funded by the Regional Transportation Authority, was started in September and is expected to take about two years.
Overhead utility lines are being put underground, and new signal lights will go in at Harrison and Houghton. Jermaine Roebuck, left, cuts a concrete pipe for a storm drain as part of the project, which will widen Speedway to two lanes in each direction.

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_1defa53b-2d38-59a5-95c8-eee938f3cb60.html

[acatalanb]

It's nice to see a Buffalo Exchange moving downtown. The TEP building is moving along ( I lived closed by ). Janos's restaurant across the street is one big success. And looks like the light rail grant got locked and guaranteed . (http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_b12c97f3-22cd-57ff-9c5e-84b579cbb303.html) Let's hope those funds don't go to other projects :fingerscrossed: .

fyi, there's a new chinese/thai restaurant (http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2010/12/15/new-thai-and-chinese-food-downtown) that opened last December. The good news about this restaurant is the price of their good meals - $4-$6 . I'm still hoping for a McDonald's and a Carl's Jr (I've been at the freeway branch...it needs to move right smack in the middle of downtown) right in that area .

Whatever happened to that proposed high end mall at the current Greyhound Bus Depot ?

[Anqrew]

I'd really like for there to be either an Eegee's downtown or a BTO Yogurt. I emailed Eegee's and they said a downtown location wasn't in their plans but said they would forward my email to the owner. hmm. on a side note i hope some of the Eegee's here get redesigned to look like the new one in Casa Grande.

[Anqrew]

Whatever happened to that proposed high end mall at the current Greyhound Bus Depot ?

this was all i could find on it. (if you look at the video screen shot its a layout of the land)
http://www.kvoa.com/news/high-end-retailers-coming-to-downtown-tucson/

[acatalanb]

I'd really like for there to be either an Eegee's downtown or a BTO Yogurt. I emailed Eegee's and they said a downtown location wasn't in their plans but said they would forward my email to the owner. hmm. on a side note i hope some of the Eegee's here get redesigned to look like the new one in Casa Grande.

There used to be an Eegee's at the current Enoteca Pizza/Bar . One of the reasons I want those gourmet food carts in Tucson is to have garden variety of meals that are affordable ($3-$6 meals). An Eegee's or BTO Yogurt or even a Janos food cart won't hurt downtown.

Thanks for the high end mall link. I hope it goes through. And I also hope the mall doesn't end up looking like a typical boxy cookie cutter 'high rise'. Here's a scathing remark about downtown Tucson's architecture (http://www.qando.net/details.aspx?Entry=6814).

[Teacher_AZ_84]

I think that Buffalo Exchange coming to downtown is great news. My only complaint is how picky they are on accepting clothes. I've tried to turn in clothes that were never worn and were brand named. Ever since I just donate it to DES who passes it on to families.

I think Eeges should have a location downtown. Only seems right for a Tucson company.

On another note, I hope 2011 sees more job growth for Tucson. I've been laid off now since May from teaching high school and have applied to almost 30 positions mostly at UA and Pima with only 1 interview. I don't want to leave.

[acatalanb]

I think that Buffalo Exchange coming to downtown is great news. My only complaint is how picky they are on accepting clothes. I've tried to turn in clothes that were never worn and were brand named. Ever since I just donate it to DES who passes it on to families.

I think Eeges should have a location downtown. Only seems right for a Tucson company.

On another note, I hope 2011 sees more job growth for Tucson. I've been laid off now since May from teaching high school and have applied to almost 30 positions mostly at UA and Pima with only 1 interview. I don't want to leave.

You're not alone with your suffering. I've been working as a software engineer contracting on and off from one company. I got another startup software company I've been trying to build ( I'm also a small business owner of a LLC ). I think you need to be 'connected' to get in the U. I and several others had interviews over the years at the U and none got in except for those with 'connections'.

Tucson has alot of potential but one big impediment to progress are the NIMBY's in town. I couldn't stand these guys! I'm looking into CAL, Phx and Vegas if I can find better opportunities. If I move, I'm gonna miss the cheap rent!

[davidmperre@gmail.co]

so...did they ever build this???:shrug:

[Anqrew]

so...did they ever build this???:shrug:

The high end outlet mall? its still in the works

[RTD]

Has anyone heard about this tragic shooting in Tucson?

http://www.thestar.com/videozone/918654--giffords-shooting

[Vicelord John]

I went shopping at that Safeway on Friday night. I also drove be while officers and ambulances were still just arriving and spent half the drive to Phoenix trying to figure out what went down. Not sure I've ever seen so many emergency units.

[aznate27]

The whole thing is just senseless. It will definetly have an impact on how politicians in this country speak on hot button issues. and Sarah Palin's going to be a lot more lonely as people distance themselves from her after this tragedy. The news is having a field day with her gun target list she put out with including Giffords district. Palin needs to just shut up and dissapear!

[acatalanb]

I used to shop at that Safeway on weekends when I was living at the Foothills. It's a nice area and fairly but not completely crime free. I remember a robbery at the Walgreens besides it about 2-3 years ago.

Whenever Arizona is mentioned to anyone, you are more than likely going to get a negative response ( including it's modern architecture ). Arizona has a very negative image to the rest of the world. After this incident, I think it has a chance to turn to a positive direction.

[Teacher_AZ_84]

The whole thing is just senseless. It will definetly have an impact on how politicians in this country speak on hot button issues. and Sarah Palin's going to be a lot more lonely as people distance themselves from her after this tragedy. The news is having a field day with her gun target list she put out with including Giffords district. Palin needs to just shut up and dissapear!

Oh, I could not agree more.

[Teacher_AZ_84]

I used to shop at that Safeway on weekends when I was living at the Foothills. It's a nice area and fairly but not completely crime free. I remember a robbery at the Walgreens besides it about 2-3 years ago.

Whenever Arizona is mentioned to anyone, you are more than likely going to get a negative response ( including it's modern architecture ). Arizona has a very negative image to the rest of the world. After this incident, I think it has a chance to turn to a positive direction.

It is sad that AZ has this image. There are many people to blame. I for one, do not support a majority of what has been going on. I am a 4th generation Arizonan. I love this state and am saddened at what it has become. Let's hope some change happens and some Arizonans wake up.

[Teacher_AZ_84]

You're not alone with your suffering. I've been working as a software engineer contracting on and off from one company. I got another startup software company I've been trying to build ( I'm also a small business owner of a LLC ). I think you need to be 'connected' to get in the U. I and several others had interviews over the years at the U and none got in except for those with 'connections'.

Tucson has alot of potential but one big impediment to progress are the NIMBY's in town. I couldn't stand these guys! I'm looking into CAL, Phx and Vegas if I can find better opportunities. If I move, I'm gonna miss the cheap rent!

You are not the first to tell me that you need to connections into the U. Your response confirmed it. I have had 20 staff/faculty positions I have applied to and not one interview at least.

Cali. will not have cheap rent. LV is too "deserty" to me. Tucson is pretty with more diverse flora and weather.

[Anqrew]

Hotel proposals are in for Greyhound lot
By Teya Vitu

A Downtown hotel could once again be in play.

A 180-room Drury Inn & Suites is part of two of the three proposals submitted for 8.45 acres of city-owned land along the freeway frontage road between Congress and Cushing streets.

Drury Development Corp. turned in a stand-alone proposal for its namesake hotel and it is also part of Evergreen Real Estate Development’s master-plan development proposals that includes a hotel, office and residential elements.

The third proposal from Peach Properties offers a mixed-use development with commercial, a boutique hotel, a continued presence of Greyhound, and a prominent pedestrian/bicycle path.

A selection committee including City Manager Mike Letcher, four city staff members and two Rio Nuevo board members is presently evaluating the three proposals.

Letcher is expected to have a staff recommendation ready for the Feb. 8 City Council study session, where the council may give direction for which proposal to pursue.

This is the property with the temporary Greyhound bus depot and the Catalina Parking Lot.

The city issued a request for proposals Oct. 20 with the desire to sell the land for at least its appraised value of $5.35 million.

St. Louis-based Drury Development Corp., a family-owned hotel developer with hotels in northern Phoenix and Flagstaff, is proposing to buy only 3 acres for its seven-story, 180-room Drury Inn hotel, said John Dirnberger, Drury’s director of development.

“Tucson seems like a logical expansion,” Dirnberger said. “We’ve been looking at that particular property for three-four years.”

Phoenix-based Evergreen Real Estate Development is partnering with Drury to include the Drury Inn in Evergreen’s master-plan development for all 8.45 acres. Evergreen proposes a sit-down restaurant along Congress Street.

“We think thre is long-term potential for some kind of housing and some kind of office, commercial less so,” said Zach Bonsall, Evergreen’s vice president. “We like the idea of the streetcar on the south side of the property.”

Evergreen Real Estate Development developed Steam Pump Village in Oro Valley and has a planned grocery-anchored shopping center at Valencia and Mark roads, near Casino del Sol and Casino of the Sun. The company is in partnership with Tucson-based Diamond Ventures on six properties, Bonsall said.

Evergreen has 21 commercial properties from Goodyear and Phoenix through Pinal County and down to Rio Rico and Sahuarita. Evergreen over 20 years has also built 263 Walgreens stores, primarily in California and Arizona, with nine in the Tucson area.

Peach Properties is calling its proposal The Green Line because of the prominent role the El Paso & Southwest Greenway will play as a pedestrian and bicycle path that passes through the property.

“That’s a huge piece of our deal,” Peach owner Ron Schwabe said.

The Peach proposal includes 40,000 square feet of streetfront commercial, an 80-100-room boutique urban hotel, residential units, and the Greyhound depot would remain on the property, Schwabe said.

Peach is the most ingrained Downtown among the proposers. Peach owns the Providences Services Corp. headquarters building, the warehouses at 1 E. Toole and 110 E. Toole Avenue; and is a minority owner in the One North Fifth commercial strip.

http://www.downtowntucson.org/news/?p=2986

[Anqrew]

Sonoran Institute will move into 44 E. Broadway
By Teya Vitu

The Sonoran Institute becomes the latest Tucson company to move its headquarters Downtown from suburbia.

Sonoran follows Madden Media, Amity Foundation and Providence Service Corp. in its move to Downtown and adds to the blossoming Broadway street frontage dominated by the nine-story UniSource Energy/ Tucson Electric Power headquarters now under construction a half block to the east of the Institute’s new home.

The Institute will occupy most of the third floor of the former U.S. Courthouse Annex at 44 E. Broadway - the building that has had no front or rear walls the past couple years.

Once the building’s restored, the Sonoran Institute will move about 20 employees in March or April into the building bought last year by Fletcher McCusker, chief executive of Providence Service Corp., located next door.

“There’s been talk about moving Downtown for years,” said Ian Wilson, Sonoran’s communications director. “It came down to practicality, to available space and money.”

The institute needed about 6,500 square feet to consolidate the three separate offices it now occupies at the Broadway Proper Garden Offices, 7650 E. Broadway.

“This move with Fletcher came about very recently,” Wilson said. “He was very eager to find a way and incent us. Our lease was set to expire here in the first quarter. Fletcher made us a very good deal.”

Sonoran is the second tenant McCusker has lined up for the vacant building he acquired in late July from Bank of the West. The Southern Arizona Green Chamber of Commerce a few months back took on the street level space along Broadway.

Providence’s 25-person information technology department will fill the second floor; and McCusker intends to put six residential condos with roof access on the fourth floor.

The Institute has been on Broadway alongside the Pantano Wash since the 1990s and has had to expand into separate offices in the same complex.

“The big advantage is we’re all going to be in one building on one floor,” Wilson said.

Luther Propst, the institute’s executive director, is eager to celebrate the Institute’s core mission with this move.

“Our employees are very excited about the Downtown move since it reduces commute times for most, and opens up new public transportation options for our staff and visitors,” Propst said.

A Downtown office puts Sonoran closer to several of its environmental partners, many with offices in the Historic Y on University Boulevard at Fifth Avenue. City and Pima County offices are nearby as is Interstate 10 for the frequent drives to Phoenix.

“This is a win-win for the Institute and for the Downtown community,” said Denny Minano, vice chair of the Institute’s board of directors. “The Institute is pursuing a sustainable approach to their move by reusing an existing building space, and Downtown is gaining another vibrant organizations as part of its community.”

McCusker has been a revitalization dynamo since moving Providence into 64 E. Broadway in May. Soon thereafter, he launched 2nd Saturdays Downtown, and he’s leading the effort to raise a private funding match to allow for more Downtown façade improvements.

“I am delighted to play a role in enticing he Sonoran Institute to join the Downtown Tucson business community,” McCusker said.

The Sonoran Institute was founded in Tucson in 1990 and has offices in Phoenix; Bozeman, Mont.; Glenwood Springs, Colo.; Sheridan, Wyo.; and Mexicali, Baja California.

With a $5.3 million budget, the Institute is a leading western conservation organization that specializes in land conservation and smart growth.

Its signature projects include:

Remapping the upper Santa Cruz River watershed near Tubac and Tumacacori.
Restoring water flows in the Colorado River to the Gulf of California.
Mapping and designing a desert city of the future for 300 square miles backing up to the Superstition Mountains near Apache Junction.
A Sonoran Desert heritage proposal to increase wilderness and open public lands in western Maricopa County.
Protecting wildlife corridors in Montana.
Incorporate wildlife corridors in to local zoning ordinances in Twentynine Palms, Calif.

http://www.downtowntucson.org/news/?p=2989

[acatalanb]

You are not the first to tell me that you need to connections into the U. Your response confirmed it. I have had 20 staff/faculty positions I have applied to and not one interview at least.

Cali. will not have cheap rent. LV is too "deserty" to me. Tucson is pretty with more diverse flora and weather.

You're damn right Cali is freakin expensive! This is one of the reason why I'm say'in Tucson has a lot of potential - diverse topography (and cheap rent plus rich history). If the NIMBY's would just put a little slack in building Tucson...Tucson would have been a great city. Of course, I'm not talking about destroying the pristine desert perimeter of Tucson...I would like to see that crosstown freeway and that light rail extended...more modern looking buildings/high rises ... a nicer entertainment center downtown, stop building those KB Home type houses etc...

[acatalanb]

Those proposals by I-10 downtown looks promising. I'm always a fan of mixed used developments. Can't wait to see the renderings of those proposals.

[dtnphx]

Just wanted to say peace to my forum friends down in Tucson. Got many old friends living there and fond memories of your town. Know that we're thinking of you in this tough time and wishing you well. Tucson is a supremely awesome place, and nothing, even a tragedy like this, doesn't change that. Unfortunately, like the rest of the world, we're all vulnerable to insanity. :)

[Teacher_AZ_84]

Just wanted to say peace to my forum friends down in Tucson. Got many old friends living there and fond memories of your town. Know that we're thinking of you in this tough time and wishing you well. Tucson is a supremely awesome place, and nothing, even a tragedy like this, doesn't change that. Unfortunately, like the rest of the world, we're all vulnerable to insanity. :)

Thank you very much for your kind words and thoughts.

[Vicelord John]

I forgot to say that my first time in downtown Tucson as a pedestrian I found out it's more vibrant than my city. LAME!

[bleunick]

Has anybody heard anything on the other apartments that are supposed to be built behind one north fifth? I have a feeling that empty lot is going to be an eyesore for a while.

[Anqrew]

Project Status

Tuesday December 7, 2010
Arizona Ave improvements, west and north of the Depot Plaza, are complete. The City and 2nd Tower Developer continue efforts toward collaborating on updated streetscape and plaza design that anticipates new planned footprint of 2nd tower. Funding for safety and aesthetic related items, e.g. temporary walkway along 5th Ave on the westside may be pursued once cost estimates are received.

http://dot.tucsonaz.gov/projects/project.cfm?cip=C91BB4F9-9C6C-FA6D-3BE2FE3CE799906A

[Anqrew]

Plaza Centro is Scheduled to be complete 8/31/11

Progress as of Jan. 6
http://dot.tucsonaz.gov/projects/pictures/6639FB61-F36F-66D5-94CA8433F2B11010_5D8AF0FC-9A7C-B83C-3E6DAF2AFAFAD714.JPG

http://dot.tucsonaz.gov/projects/project.cfm?number=31

[Ritarancher]

Hey everybody I am gonna start reviewing places in Tucson.
I will be harsh.

Play it again sports: My Review: F
1)They sell their used and broken equipment for more than it is worth brand new.They are selling some taped upped hockey sticks for 30 bucks.At sports authority and big 5 a brand new stick cost a fraction of the price.
2)They give too little for what they sell. Other options, Sports authority and Big 5

[Ritarancher]

Another review
5 guys burger.
Total Grade:C
Food: B
Experience: F

The food is very expensive. If they had such a success in other places than they should have gotten a bigger restaurant. You have to fight for a seat and it is very uncomfortable. The food was expensive but came in large portions. The food should be in smaller portions so the price would be cheaper. Good fries, Okay hot dogs and decent burgers. People are used to burgers like in n out but these burgers are original.Original-Not good. They need a secret sauce or something to change the flavor. Not much of a family,elderly or a disabled friendly place. 500 people in 500 square feet is not fun. Skip this place and tell your friends to do so too.

[Teacher_AZ_84]

Another review
5 guys burger.
Total Grade:C
Food: B
Experience: F

The food is very expensive. If they had such a success in other places than they should have gotten a bigger restaurant. You have to fight for a seat and it is very uncomfortable. The food was expensive but came in large portions. The food should be in smaller portions so the price would be cheaper. Good fries, Okay hot dogs and decent burgers. People are used to burgers like in n out but these burgers are original.Original-Not good. They need a secret sauce or something to change the flavor. Not much of a family,elderly or a disabled friendly place. 500 people in 500 square feet is not fun. Skip this place and tell your friends to do so too.

Haven't been to the one here yet. Went to 5 Guys for the first time this past summer in D.C. and enjoyed it. It was a large space and empty. Maybe they should have picked a larger location. I hate to wait forever for a hamburger.

[combusean]

^^ There is yelp, etc. for that (where you're likely to get more traction), but whatever.

[Anqrew]

^^ There is yelp, etc. for that (where you're likely to get more traction), but whatever.

haha yeah... reviews of various places aren't really appropriate for a development thread.

[combusean]

Or you can create a new thread for southwest restaurant reviews. I'll link my Yelp posts there, as I'm sure others will.

[Anqrew]

Hopefully a really good development will arise here, great spot for something nice, we'll see... *fingers crossed* and if this and El Mirador ever come to reality it will be a nice pocket of new development, in an area without much happening.


Lot 175 across from El Charro could see development
By Teya Vitu



The infamous Lot 175 parking lot, a 25-year saga of stalled progress, should become available to developers once the Tucson Industrial Development Authority comes up with a vision for the 1.94-acre site.

The IDA board and staff are in the early research phase for the 300-space Lot 175 at Court Avenue and Franklin Street, across from El Charro Café, IDA President Marilyn Robinson said.

“We have no interest of keeping it a parking lot,” Robinson said. “This needs to be a major downtown development. We’re most concerned that the right development happens, not just any development.”

Robinson said the IDA board will come up with a Request for Proposals that spells out the type of project sought for the site. They will look back at the various ideas bandied about in the past decade or two to see if any of those ideas have merit.

The IDA also wants to make sure a development there is compatible with the neighboring El Presidio Neighborhood.

“We’re not just interested in selling property,” Robinson said. “We want to make sure the development happening there is right for Downtown and that particular area.”

This commitment breaks a quarter-century deep-freeze for development on Lot 175, which was jointly bought in 1985 by the IDA and Downtown Development Corp. expressly to sell it for Downtown development projects. But the DDC, as managing partner, had full control of the property and was content to stick with a parking lot.

The IDA gained sole ownership of Lot 175 and the 59-space Torreon Replacement Lot at Stone Avenue and Council Street in a Nov. 24, 2008, settlement of a long-festering feud with the DDC about revenue shared with the IDA from both parking lots.

Also, since 2007, the IDA’s board has turned over, except for Robinson, who has been a board member since 1996, and Chris Carroll, whose tenure stretches back to IDA’s inception in 1979. The fresh faces on the nine-member board have brought a redirected IDA focus upon Downtown.

“We have a group that has a lot of enthusiasm for the potential of the IDA,” Robinson said. “The board we have now includes people who have an interest and involvement in housing, business, business development and economic development. That wasn’t necessarily true before.

“There is more of a interest to do things. Board members say ‘I want to be on a board to do things.’”

The IDA in 2009 bought the Art’s BBQ property, 450 N. Main Ave., from the Arizona Department of Transportation, the first time the IDA has bought property on its own in its history.

The IDA in 2009 also bid on the Zee’s Warehouse, 1 E. Toole Ave., and offered financial backing for the Warehouse Arts Management Organization to bid on the warehouse with Solar Culture Gallery, 31 E. Toole Ave. Both ended up failed bids.

“I think it would be wonderful if we could provide new life for Downtown,” said Robinson, who grew up in Tucson and worked at Steinfeld’s department store Downtown. “I remember Downtown was a happening place. I believe it can be that again in a new way, a happening way. I think IDA has a role to play to make things happen that need to happen.”

The IDA wants affordable housing to anchor both Art’s BBQ and Lot 175, though mixed-use elements such as retail and offices will likely be written into both requests for proposals.

City Councilmember Regina Romero encouraged the IDA to buy the 6,930-square-foot Art’s BBQ property because the city owns the 22,264-square-foot right of way between the building and Sixth Street, stretching from Main Avenue to Granada.

The El Presidio Neighborhood has wanted to bring housing to its Sixth Street northern boundary for years, Romero said, and the IDA specializes in financing affordable housing projects.

Downtown Links roadway construction opens the door to transform a bleak stretch of Sixth Street and St. Mary’s Road into a “beautiful entryway into Downtown,” Romero said.

“We are seeking to define that area to become part of the neighborhood,” Romero said. “The idea of the IDA purchasing the Art’s BBQ building is to liven up the area to bring people in and make it part of the neighborhood.”

Robinson does not expect a request proposal to go out for three to five years on the combined Art’s BBQ/city right-of-way project because flood plain issues must be resolved and Downtown Links construction in the area must be completed first.

In the mean time, the IDA would like to lease the 2,200-square-foot former Art’s BBQ building. Leasing information is available at Chapman Lindsey Commercial Real Estate Services at 747-4000.

The Industrial Development Authority’s name is a misnomer. It was essentially founded as the financing partner for the Downtown Development Corp. but evolved its primary focus to developing affordable housing citywide and providing financing for first-time homeownership.

IDA issued $108 million in affordable housing bonds from 1996 to 2008. And IDA issued $161 million in mortgage revenue bonds from 1996 through July 2010 to fund loans for 1,343 first-time homeowners.

IDA revenue comes primarily for fees on bonds. The Authority has also taken in $214,000 in parking revenue from Lot 175 since December 2008 and $252,000 from the Stone/Council lot,

The IDA is a nonprofit political subdivision of the state of Arizona with members appointed by the City Council. The all-volunteer IDA contracts with the Business Development Finance Corp. to provide staff services.

“We want to improve the standard of living in Tucson through affordable housing, business and economic development and community/neighborhood/Downtown development,” Robinson said.

Downtown development has always been an IDA pillar, though for long not a strong area of focus. The IDA pledges to “assist projects designed to enhance, revitalize and rehabilitate the cultural, social, economic, historical and physical resources of Downtown.”

“The fact that we own property right now makes it a bigger part,” Robinson said. It makes it a higher priority.”

http://www.downtowntucson.org/news/?p=3025

[kaneui]

A belated Happy New Year to all....after over five years of contributing here, I'll be taking a break from SSP, although I may pop in from time to time. However, it looks like there are some new folks on board to keep the Tucson thread alive (although the Flagstaff thread may be rather quiet). Hasta luego, amigos!

[acatalanb]

I was a Lot 175 Parking Lot customer when I was working downtown about 10 or so years ago. Quite full during working day hours. I hope something nice gets built in that area. Despite the presence of Tucson's famous El Charro's restaurant (featured twice in the Food Channel), the area needs something lively 24/7. A mixed used high rise would be nice and maybe more street lights such as the ones at Mountain Ave across the UA (I'm aware of Tucson's light ordinance due to the sensitivity of Tucson's deep space telescopes).

[acatalanb]

A belated Happy New Year to all....after over five years of contributing here, I'll be taking a break from SSP, although I may pop in from time to time. However, it looks like there are some new folks on board to keep the Tucson thread alive (although the Flagstaff thread may be rather quiet). Hasta luego, amigos!

Thanks for your presence and updates. SkyscraperPage.com is on top of my favorite sites. Hope everyone in Tucson could browse the other forums in this site as a guide to rebuild this city. Here's my other favorite ( I posted this site before ) , WorldArchitectureNews.com (http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.shownewsinpictures&page=1) . I mentioned some kind of biosphere park several posts ago, here's another possible reality from worldachitecturenews (http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=15696) . I see more of these projects popping up lately.

Despite our still feeble economy, Tucson can still eek out some construction. Can't wait when the economy goes to high gear...hopefully we would have that rainbow bridge or our own Eiffel Tower or even a two mile biosphere walk in a tropical forest ... you'll never know. I think Vegas is building it's own biosphere (beach theme) park...let me see if I can find that link.

[aznate27]

A belated Happy New Year to all....after over five years of contributing here, I'll be taking a break from SSP, although I may pop in from time to time. However, it looks like there are some new folks on board to keep the Tucson thread alive (although the Flagstaff thread may be rather quiet). Hasta luego, amigos!

Whaaaaaaaaat???? Dude, you had all the best info on here! I was wondering why we hadn't heard from you in while. I'll miss your post for sure man.:(

[katlin]

Expat checking in from Indianapolis here, looks like goals haven't changed much since my departure 5 years ago.
How does the newly revitalized downtown look?
Missing my sleepy baked apple.
__________________________
Automation Equipment (http://www.ahaus.com/)

[acatalanb]

Expat checking in from Indianapolis here, looks like goals haven't changed much since my departure 5 years ago. How does the newly revitalized downtown look?
Missing my sleepy baked apple.

There 'seems' to be momentum - plans for further building constructions and the downtown light rail got funding. Of course, as you might as well know about Tucson, having funds or plans won't always propagate to fruition. The east-end downtown right by the nice and new 4th ave underpass has more foot traffic than usual. Two new building constructions - 9 story TEP headquarters replacing the old historic Santa Rita hotel and a nice looking student/retail/entertainment/parking housing by the gorgeous 4th Ave. underpass. Central downtown has renovated the old Wallgreens into it's old better looking 20's facade with UofA residing. Looks like downtown is aiming for more of those mixed resident/retail/parking structures - recipe for a successful downtown in my book .I'd say in 10-15 years , IF the NIMBY's would shut the hell up, downtown will be the place to go in Tucson.

However, as expected in a down economy, a lot of 'for lease' signs popping up around downtown. Central downtown is pretty much empty during weekends and nights.

Btw folks, Rice House's (Congress/Church) Thai Red curry is excruciatingly good! One of these days, I'll try Jano's Kitchen + Cocktails ... it's always at least 50 percent full every time I pass by that restaurant ( even at night ).

[Anqrew]

:previous: Also the new MLK building and one north fifth restoration. many new businesses along congress. along with HUB, which is opening next month and is a restaurant and ice cream parlor. & new Buffalo Exchange on congress is opening in March (should cause other retail stores to locate downtown). Lots of other new restaurants in the past year like Janos Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails, A Steak in the Neighborhood, On a Roll Sushi, and many more. A couple new nightclubs, Zen Rock and Sapphire. and that's all that comes to my mind right now. :)

heres a link to HUB's site, i'm excited for it to open.
http://www.hubdowntown.com

[acatalanb]

:fingerscrossed: The HUB looks promising... meats and ice cream. I hope the ice cream is just as good or better than Cold Stone Creamery. And hopefully it serves large tasty succulent $10-$15 steaks smothered with butter. Damn! I'm hungry!

[Anqrew]

Heres a link for all the new proposed zonings for the Warehouse Triangle District/ 4th Ave District as part of the Downtown Links Project. In the coming years i guess we will see many 5-10 floor buildings in this area?

http://www.downtownlinks.info/LandUseUrbanDesign/documents/DL-AZDRAFT1.19.11.pdf

and heres the link to the general website.

http://www.downtownlinks.info/LandUseUrbanDesign/

[acatalanb]

Heres a link for all the new proposed zonings for the Warehouse Triangle District/ 4th Ave District as part of the Downtown Links Project. In the coming years i guess we will see many 5-10 floor buildings in this area?

http://www.downtownlinks.info/LandUseUrbanDesign/documents/DL-AZDRAFT1.19.11.pdf

and heres the link to the general website.

http://www.downtownlinks.info/LandUseUrbanDesign/

Can't wait to see that area built. The renderings blends with most of downtown's architecture. Although I wished the buildings would look more unique architecturally , they're good enough for me ... better than what sits currently.

[Mattic505]

KVOA.com - TUCSON - The City of Tucson received the green light to begin construction on the Modern Streetcar Project today.

The city has also been authorized to begin spending the $63 million from the Transportation Investment Generated Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant. The city had to wait for clearance from the Federal Transit Administration that the project passed the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the environment.

"I believe there's a billion dollars worth of private sector investment that is now going to start coming into the downtown area," Mayor Bob Walkup said.

Over the next several weeks, bids will be entered on four separate contracts for the modern streetcar project, including one for the Cushing Street Bridge over the Santa Cruz River. By 2013, Walkup expects the streetcar to be fully functioning between the campus area to the west side.

In February 2010, the City of Tucson qualified for the TIGER funding, part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The modern streetcar project is part of the Regional Transport Authority's multi-modal plan, approved by Pima County voters in 2006.

According to a release from the City of Tucson, more than 125,000 people live and work along the Modern Streetcar route - a 3.9 mile fixed rail transit system connected the Arizona Health Sciences Center, the University of Arizona, University Main Gate Square, 4th Avenue Shopping District, Downtown Tucson and the Mercado District development area.

Link to story here;

http://www.kvoa.com/news/modern-streetcar-project-gets-the-green-light/

[katlin]

Nice to see Tucson coming together in a cohesive plan and beating stodgy Indianapolis in the metro light rail game!
Would like to see more night life though... Downtown Indy is pretty cool at night.
____________________________
Automation Equipment (http://www.ahaus.com/)

[Teacher_AZ_84]

Thanks for the updates. I am glad what's going on in Tucson during this time.

[Anqrew]

KVOA.com - TUCSON - The City of Tucson received the green light to begin construction on the Modern Streetcar Project today.

The city has also been authorized to begin spending the $63 million from the Transportation Investment Generated Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant. The city had to wait for clearance from the Federal Transit Administration that the project passed the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the environment.

"I believe there's a billion dollars worth of private sector investment that is now going to start coming into the downtown area," Mayor Bob Walkup said.

Over the next several weeks, bids will be entered on four separate contracts for the modern streetcar project, including one for the Cushing Street Bridge over the Santa Cruz River. By 2013, Walkup expects the streetcar to be fully functioning between the campus area to the west side.

In February 2010, the City of Tucson qualified for the TIGER funding, part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The modern streetcar project is part of the Regional Transport Authority's multi-modal plan, approved by Pima County voters in 2006.

According to a release from the City of Tucson, more than 125,000 people live and work along the Modern Streetcar route - a 3.9 mile fixed rail transit system connected the Arizona Health Sciences Center, the University of Arizona, University Main Gate Square, 4th Avenue Shopping District, Downtown Tucson and the Mercado District development area.

Link to story here;

http://www.kvoa.com/news/modern-streetcar-project-gets-the-green-light/


it's hilarious reading all the outraged people's comments claiming how downtown is dead and that the streetcar is an awful idea, clearly they have not been downtown in years. Can't wait for the day they actually visit downtown and realize how wrong they have been. I swear... only the crabbiest unpleasant people comment on News articles.

[acatalanb]

I have this same outrage towards these 'crabby unpleasant' :whip: people.

I have my own theories why they are who they are :
1. They just enjoy complaining and ranting
2. They fear change
3. They fear taking risks or investing for the future
4. They refused to realized Tucson is a major metropolitan city ( US City Ranking (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population)) . We're right besides Vegas, Atlanta and Portland - forward looking cities.

I'm looking forward to the day when Tucson extends that light rail and builds that cross-town freeway on Grant Rd - A sign that the NIMBY's have finally lost! ... let me add an air-tram to Mt. Lemon ( Portland has one (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Aerial_Tram) ) and yes, our very own tower .

[Ritarancher]

Expanding Houghton Road might be better than building the Rainbow Bridge...