Tucson Development Thread [Archive] - Page 13

kaneui

Sep 28, 2009, 5:30 AM

Old Pueblo Trolley says it needs more volunteers and funding to continue service to downtown, but some merchants aren't convinced it's worth supporting:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/OldPuebloTrolley.jpg
(photo: Zocalo Tucson)

A Hitch in the Trolley’s Downtown Giddyup
By Austin Counts
Zócalo Tucson Magazine
September 25, 2009

It's been two years since Old Pueblo Trolley Inc. announced plans to extend their current route into downtown as a part of the 4th Avenue Underpass reconstruction. As trolley rails and overhead wires line downtown streets, it would seem that service to downtown would finally become a reality when the underpass reopened on August 20, 2009. Or would it? After only two weeks, Old Pueblo Trolley scaled back service to downtown due to a lack of funding and volunteers, according to Dick Guthrie, President of Old Pueblo Trolley. "We are getting little help in the way of funding from businesses south of the 4th Avenue Underpass." said Guthrie. "It's time they pony up for the historic trolley."

Rising maintenance and operation costs have reached a new high while only one of the two cars at Old Pueblo Trolleys car depot is equipped to service downtown. However, that car needs additional operators to maintain the original goal of providing transportation to the area. Guthrie suggests these problems could be solved by more financial support from downtown businesses, much like the support they receive from businesses in the University and 4th Avenue areas. "Downtown businesses would profit by helping us because it makes the area more attractive to the university crowd," said Guthrie.

Don Martin, a Rialto Bock partner, admits he does not know enough about the downtown route to say it is a viable opportunity. "I'm committed to understanding [the situation] better." said Martin. "It's a question of how many university students would frequent the area if the trolley ran to downtown more often." Richard Oseran, owner of The Historic Congress Hotel is not so sure that the trolley line will answer the transportation issues downtown faces. "It would be nice to see the historic trolley run to downtown more often, but it does not solve the transportation problem," said Oseran. "We would like to see the modern trolley come into effect, which could really help the community."

Old Pueblo Trolley is also in need of more volunteers to operate the cars. To date, five new volunteers are currently being trained and additional volunteers are always welcome. "We'll take anybody who has an interest in the trolley system," said Guthrie. As it stands now, Old Pueblo Trolley is still serving the University Boulevard to 8th Street route while providing limited service into downtown on weekends. "We run as often to downtown as equipment and personnel can hold out," said Guthrie.

For more information on how to donate or become a volunteer with Old Pueblo Trolley, visit www.OldPuebloTrolley.org

kaneui

Sep 29, 2009, 4:24 AM

And now for a little culture--on the heels of the Spanish and Flamenco Festival and Latin Jazz Festival, the Tucson Culinary Festival kicks off with the World Margarita Championship on Oct. 1 at Maynards Market & Kitchen:

Margarita makers vie at Maynards for title
September 28, 2009
by Tom Stauffer
http://www.downtowntucson.org/

Those of you who insist that your vote doesn’t count must not have made it to the World Margarita Championship held last year at the Historic Train Depot. The People’s Choice award winner at the third annual event, Brian Metzger of jaxKitchen, put the concoction he created for the event onto the menu at the restaurant he co-owns with his wife Sandy Metzger. In honor of the event and the people who voted for it, the Metzgers dubbed it the People’s Choice Margarita. “We were a new restaurant and it was our first time in the event, but we make some mean cocktails here,” said Metzger, who also took home the award for best virgin margarita at last year’s event. “And this year, if we make this drink the way it should be, we think we have a good chance of winning again.”

Anyone with $35 and a hankering to try some of the best margaritas around can help decide this year’s winner at the 4th Annual Milagro Tequila World Margarita Championship, which returns to the Historic Train Depot on the Patio at Maynards Market & Kitchen. This year’s competition will be less strict on ingredients and preparations, a change that should better showcase the creative talents of the mixologists and the independent, local restaurants at which they mix, said finalist Steven Kincade of Pastiche Modern Eatery. “They had some pretty strict guidelines before, and they’re giving us a little more leeway, and that gives us an opportunity to come up with stuff on our own instead of sticking to the classic version,” said Kincade, a veteran of two previous championships.

For this year’s event, Metzger is going with a granita of fresh oranges, Meyer lemons and basil-infused agave nectar, he said. Kincade came up with his entry after perusing liquor stores and holding a margarita party for friends, he said. Like the Mexican dessert that share its name, his “Almendrado Margarita,” features almond liquor, which is actually derived from the agave plant, he said. “I came up with it a few months ago and it got put on the menu here at the beginning of the month,” said Kincade, noting that the drink has been well-received by Pastiche patrons. Given that he made off with two of the three awards at last year’s championship, Metzger would have to be seen as the favorite, though he’ll face some stiff competition.

Both Metzger and Kincade mentioned Chef Janos Wilder of Janos/J Bar, Jeffrey Hughes of Jonathan’s Tucson Cork, and Patrick O’Brien of Barrio as formidable finalists. The margarita championship is the kick-off event for the Tucson Culinary Festival held Oct. 1-4 at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, 7000 N. Resort Drive. Sponsored by Tucson Originals, a group of locally owned, independent restaurants, this year’s proceeds will benefit the Parseghian Foundation, New Beginnings for Women & Children and the Tucson Originals.

IF YOU GO

What: 4th Annual Milagro Tequila World Margarita Championship

Public votes will be combined those of the panel of celebrity judges to select the winner of the “World’s Best Margarita”

When: Oct. 1, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Where: The Patio at Maynards Market & Kitchen at the Historic Train Depot

Cost: $35 per person

Info: www.tucsonculinaryfestival.com

oliveurban

Sep 29, 2009, 6:07 AM

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/TCCEastEntry-renders002-1.jpg
(renders: city of Tucson)

I like it, much more prominent and imposing. I wish this new entrance actually fronted Church St. Would love for the surface parking lot separating the two to disappear. Either by adding another parking garage elsewhere on the property, or moving it below ground. Maybe in future expansions.

kaneui

Sep 29, 2009, 5:07 PM

Steel is going up for Depot Plaza's new 6-story MLK Apartments above the west side of the underground parking garage:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/MLKApts-constr2.jpg

....while the east side of the parking garage is still under construction.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/DepotPlazaGarageConstr5.jpg
(photo: city of Tucson)

http://www.transview.org/cams/LiveViews/east.htm

aznate27

Oct 1, 2009, 3:59 AM

kaneui

Oct 1, 2009, 5:11 AM

So is the trolley free to ride? If so why not start charging a fee? I bet there are students that would use it on their way to school and back, plus maybe on their way from campus toward the Main Library. And tourist would ride it for kicks I'm sure.

Trolley fare is $1 each way Friday and Saturday, 25 cents on Sunday. If they can secure more funding and volunteers, the route extension to downtown may be reinstated.

http://www.oldpueblotrolley.org/map.htm

poconoboy61

Oct 1, 2009, 8:49 PM

Trolley fare is $1 each way Friday and Saturday, 25 cents on Sunday. If they can secure more funding and volunteers, the route extension to downtown may be reinstated.

http://www.oldpueblotrolley.org/map.htm

They have raised the trolley fare to $1.25 for the weekends. Also, they seem to have a lot of mechanical issues that cause them to get stuck in the 4th Avenue underpass. Last weekend, one trolley kept becoming unhooked for the overhead wire, causing it to lose power in the middle of the street multiple times.

It seems that in addition to securing more funding and volunteers, they should work on these mechnical issues, as well.

kaneui

Oct 2, 2009, 7:13 AM

With a collaboration of the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation, the city's Historic Preservation Office, and the Roman Catholic Diocese, there may yet be hope to save the crumbling adobe Marist College:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/MaristCollege.jpg
Jennifer Levstik: "I think very few people know that (Marist College)
was actually integrated. Marist was one of the few places where
African-American students could receive a quality education."
(photo: Tim Vanderpool)

History Resurrected
Downtown's historic Marist College may be on the verge of rebirth

by Tim Vanderpool
Tucson Weekly
September 30, 2009

Marist College dominates West Ochoa Street like a three-story vision of failure: It somehow failed to grasp modernity as 1960s urban renewal gutted surrounding barrios and left the banal Tucson Convention Center as a souvenir. But where man stumbled, nature seems eager to engage: Today, three corners of Marist College bear huge gray tarps, to protect them from further crumbling under furious monsoons. Another corner is bandaged in black plastic strips. On top, what appears to have been a triumphant cross is reduced to a pile of stone. Until recently, this empty old college seemed prepared to fade into quiet dissolution. That would be a tragedy for what's believed to be Arizona's sole remaining tri-story adobe, erected in 1915 by master builder Manuel Flores, and resplendent in its flourishes of Italian renaissance and Spanish colonial revival styles. But architecture is only part of the story. While Marist College may represent the peak of adobe construction, it also marks a progressive milestone for integration at a time when segregated schools were the status quo.

Now in its 94th year, the Marist building is getting a fresh, long-deserved shot at resurrection. A team of history-minded people—ranging from the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation and the city's Historic Preservation Office to the Roman Catholic Diocese—are combining to gain state and national recognition for the building. In turn, that could help raise government funding for restoration, which is projected to cost between $3 million and $4 million. This process is already underway; in 2007, Marist was placed on the Arizona Preservation Foundation's Most Endangered Historic Places List. Local preservationist Ken Scoville subsequently prepared a nomination for listing as an Arizona Centennial Legacy Project. And Jennifer Levstik of the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation wrote a nomination for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. That would make the building eligible for a Save America's Treasures federal grant, or for direct funding from Congress.

Reasons for rescuing this relic go beyond mere structural integrity, and into the heart of cultural dignity. "At the time that (the Marist College) was built, people were saying that adobe architecture was primitive, and that modern European techniques were brick and wood," says Levstik. "Adobe was looked down upon, because it was associated with the Mexican-American community." The Marist College snubbed that notion of ethnic division, and broke barriers as the walls went up. It was built during the tenure of Bishop Henry Regis Granjon, a Frenchman. "But most of the Catholic population at that time would have been Mexican, or Mexican-American," Levstik says. "That was the community he was reaching out to and dealing with on a regular basis."

The school was also deeply integrated, with African-American, Mexican-American and Anglo students, she says. "I believe it was after 1909 that all of the schools in Tucson were segregated by race. Dunbar School was the only one I know of in Tucson that offered any kind of education to African-American students—except for the Marist College. I think very few people know that it was actually integrated. Marist was one of the few places where African-American students could receive a quality education. "It was a day school and a boarding school. So African-Americans, Mexican-Americans and some Anglo students—they all lived together and went to school together. Your economic background or your religious affiliation didn't really matter." This philosophy emanates from the Marist Brothers of the Schools, a Catholic religious order founded by French priest Marcellin Champagnat in 1817. The order's original calling was to educate the impoverished children of France, although it eventually carried this progressive mission worldwide. "Their goal was to provide education to children in Tucson and all over the world who otherwise wouldn't be able to have a quality education," says Levstik.

In Tucson, a magnificent edifice would soon match their lofty goals. The Marist College is stout and robust, with a commanding, linear forthrightness. But stern pretenses are softened by elegant ornamentation, by the adobe underneath, and by touches such as the oversized Atlas figures luxuriating on either side of the arcaded, second-story entryway. Far above them, a small porch juts out like a stiff upper lip; above that, a 6-foot-high parapet rings the broad roof. It operated as a school under various religious orders until 1968, when it became offices for the Tucson Diocese. The building finally fell vacant in 2002. Subsequent neglect—including clogged roof scuppers that allowed water to collect, and the addition of stucco, which disastrously held moisture inside the unfired adobe—led to one corner collapsing after a heavy rain. Today, both western corners bear damage beneath their tarp covers.

Jonathan Mabry is the city's historic preservation officer. He says the process of saving Marist College will be just as elaborate as the building's original design. It starts with emergency stabilization, and retrofitting the old structure to modern, earthquake-resistant standards. Then the first floor will be renovated, and the north, south and perimeter walls stabilized. But that's just the beginning. While every step will be costly, "the initial phase could be done, and then a tenant could complete the work to finish the interior," he says. "So there are several ways to slice and dice this budget." Getting a tenant also means certain changes—such as the diocese relinquishing control of its building. "To receive any government funding, whether city, county or federal, the diocese would have to convey the building to that government entity in exchange for the funding," Mabry says. "And the reason is that public money cannot be spent on privately owned property."

It's been suggested that the Marist College be used as office space for nonprofit groups, or some general public function. That's critical to making this a downtown success story, says Demion Clinco, president of the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation. "It's really exciting to see everyone—the city of Tucson, the diocese, the foundation—come together to find a use for this building that's really public. That makes it more valuable in how people view it. The alternative is undignified decay—for a building that's certainly earned a bit of respect. "The worst thing that can happen to a building is for it not to be in use," Clinco says. "Once it becomes vacant, you can see what happens."

kaneui

Oct 2, 2009, 6:06 PM

Apparently the city is working with "external stakeholders" to erect the garden wall gates and plant the native vegetation area of the planned Mission San Agustín Gardens west of I-10, where they recently spent $1M to build the outer perimeter wall:

http://dot.tucsonaz.gov/projects/project.cfm?cip=663A9BB2-E468-E114-9D339C76A737EF96

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/MissionGarden-siteplan.jpg
(render: city of Tucson)

kaneui

Oct 2, 2009, 10:28 PM

From an update on the city's website, it looks looks the FTA has given the green light to complete the utility relocation along the streetcar route (mostly along Congress St. and Granada Ave. to the western terminus on Avenida del Convento):

Friday September 25, 2009
The FTA has issued a letter of approval for the Tucson Modern Streetcar project to proceed with final design. This FTA determination moves the project design and engineering into its final stage and grants the City of Tucson authority to begin procurement of critical path components -- such as the vehicles and rail as well as the relocation of utilities along the route.

http://dot.tucsonaz.gov/projects/project.cfm?cip=6638D2BE-FBF1-E5C6-A82F29CBF9A9D531

kaneui

Oct 2, 2009, 10:36 PM

University Medical Center's newest tower is now partially open, with the remaining floors to be finished by March:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/UMCtower.jpg
The Diamond building on UMC's campus
(photo: Joe Pangburn)

Growing ‘up’ with new 6-story tower
University Medical Center

By Joe Pangburn
Inside Tucson Business
October 02, 2009

University Medical Center is growing vertically through this and next year as it works to open up new floors of its six-story Diamond Building. The hospital opened up its enlarged Intensive Care Unit on the second floor of the building this week. The new ICU is increasing to 20 beds from 16 as well as opening an additional 22 beds on the floor as a dedicated trauma unit. Many of the beds are in private rooms so families have the ability to spend time without another patient in the room.

The opening of the ICU follows on the heels of the opening of a larger emergency department and trauma center on the ground floor of the tower. At more than 43,000 square feet, the new facility doubles the size of the current emergency department. “It’s a tremendous asset for all of Southern Arizona,” said Michelle Ziemba, RN, UMC director for Trauma and Emergency Services. “We have emergency and trauma teams here that are second to none. Finally we have a facility that matches their excellence and that Southern Arizona can be proud of.” She said the new configuration will only aid in the care patients receive. “I think when patient populations are placed together, it is really more convenient for the trauma surgeons,” Ziemba said. “They see the patients in the emergency department and make their assessments and then they are only going up one level to see them in the ICU. Physician response times will be even better.”

The new emergency department has 61 beds, up from the previous 46, and its own laboratory, radiology section and CT scanner. The third floor of the tower is expected to open in January although Ziemba could not say exactly what would be on that level. The top three floors of the tower will be UMC’s Diamond Children’s Medical Center. It is expected to open up in March 2010. The children’s center is part of a roughly $200 million expansion project on UMC’s main campus. It will be unique in Arizona as the only children’s hospital connected to an academic research facility, the University of Arizona’s Steele Children’s Research Center. The tower has been under construction for more than two years. Other milestones UMC has hit this year were performing Arizona’s first intestine transplant earlier in the year. It was named a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission.

Biz Facts

University Medical Center 1501 N. Campbell Ave.

www.umcaz.org

Locofresh55

Oct 2, 2009, 11:35 PM

kaneui

Oct 4, 2009, 6:25 AM

More details on the FTA's final design approval for the streetcar line:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/streetcar-render.jpg
This illustration shows the Modern Streetcar
along University Boulevard in Main Gate Square.
(render: city of Tucson)

FTA approval gets Modern Streetcar moving
October 02, 2009
by Teya Vitu
http://www.downtowntucson.org/

A milestone moment for the Tucson Modern Streetcar project came Sept. 25 when the city received a letter of final design approval from the Federal Transportation Administration for the 3.9-miles streetcar linking University Medical Center and the West Side. “Before we got the letter, we were not able to move forward with purchasing railroad cars, rails or relocating the utilities along the route,” said Shellie Ginn, the streetcar project manager for the Tucson Department of Transportation. The city had to wait for the FTA go-ahead to not jeopardize the $75 million federal matching grant authorized by Congress in 2005. The local Regional Transportation Authority has allocated $87 million to the streetcar. “This will allow us to move ahead with the design of the actual vehicles,” Ginn said. She anticipates authorizing Oregon Ironworks in Portland to start designing the seven streetcars in the next couple of weeks. Oregon Ironworks has a $30 million contract to design, build and maintain Tucson’s streetcar line.

The city in the coming months will put out a request for proposals to supply the railroad tracks that will be installed through the University of Arizona campus, down Congress Street, Broadway and Granada Avenue and through the Mercado District of Menlo Park. A schedule has not been determined for when Congress, Broadway and Granada will be torn up to relocate utility lines, but Ginn believes it will be summer to inconvenience the fewest drivers. “I would like to thank the Federal Transit Administration and our many supporters in Congress for this approval to move forward with the Modern Streetcar project,” Mayor Bob Walkup said in a statement. “Today, we’ve achieved a big victory for both the region’s multi-modal transportation system and our region’s economy. The Modern Streetcar will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of transportation in Tucson, while adding new strength to our ability to recruit and expand businesses in Southern Arizona.”

Adam Weinstein, President and CEO of the Gadsden Company and a developer of the Mission District on Downtown’s West Side, in a a statement applauded the FTA’s decision and its impact on economic development saying, “The Tucson Modern Streetcar represents the most significant evolution in reconnecting our East and West side communities that make up the Downtown core. This key piece of infrastructure will be an economic catalyst for years to come by stimulating job creation and sales tax revenue along the alignment from University Medical Center to the Mercado San Agustin in Menlo Park.”

kaneui

Oct 4, 2009, 7:03 AM

From the Downtown Links project website, here's an aerial render of what a section of downtown's east end should look like in a few years with the new 4th Ave. underpass, a completed Depot Plaza, a new transportation building north of the Historic Train Depot, the streetcar maintenance yard, and a completed Barraza-Aviation Parkway running next to the railroad tracks:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/9909MCStudySession023.jpg
(render: city of Tucson)

http://www.downtownlinks.info/

BrandonJXN

Oct 5, 2009, 6:52 PM

A apartment building would be nice on that triangular parking lot across from Rondstant.

kaneui

Oct 6, 2009, 5:29 AM

A apartment building would be nice on that triangular parking lot across from Rondstant.

^Probably won't happen any time soon, as Madden Media recently negotiated a lease to use that lot for employee parking as part of their deal to buy the triangular McArthur Building across the street for their new headquarters.

kaneui

Oct 6, 2009, 7:12 AM

Infill Incentive District restrictions loosened
October 05, 2009
by Teya Vitu
http://www.downtowntucson.org/

The city improved the three-year-old Downtown Infill Incentive District by loosening restrictions on larger scale Planned Areas of Development (PAD) and extending the district in three directions. PADs smaller than 40 acres established within the infill district no longer need City Council approval before getting submitted for zoning approval. PADs allow for larger-scale developments where zoning regulations may differ from typical Downtown zoning. The City Council action on Sept. 9 also dropped a requirement for approval of all property owners within the planned area of development to establish a PAD, said Jim Mazzocco, planning administrator in the city’s Planning and Development Services Department. “That does not undermine the ability to protest,” Mazzocco stressed. He said these changes also adjust PAD requirement to better fit existing developments. PAD rules originally were designed for undeveloped plots. The changes allow developers to bypass site analyses on developed infill district property if the Planning and Development Services Department agrees. Until now, all PADs required site analyses, Mazzocco said.

The infill incentive district was established in 2006 to give city planners flexibility to reduce parking requirements for Downtown projects and allow buildings to be up to 60 feet tall in areas zoned for less than 60 feet. These changes work to simplify urban infill projects. “It does two things,” said Glenn Lyons, chief executive at the Downtown Tucson Partnership. “It makes it easier for people to occupy existing buildings. They won’t get hit by parking requirements. The PAD allows people to come up with projects because they can write their own zoning (pending city approval).”

The infill district includes Downtown and north along Oracle Road and Stone Avenue to Grant Road and certain stretches south to 22nd Street. The City Council on Sept. 9 extended the district to include the Downtown Commerce Park along Bonita Avenue north of Congress Street; Meyer Avenue in Barrio Viejo south of the Tucson Convention Center; and east along Broadway. The action also dropped from the district some Dunbar/Spring Neighborhood properties, including Estevan Park, the Dunbar Cultural Center and residentially zoned property along Main Avenue and Speedway.

kaneui

Oct 7, 2009, 4:55 AM

A smoothie shop and yoga studio are a few of the first tenants in the new retail space at One North Fifth on E. Congress:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/AriShapiro.jpg
Ari Shapiro
(photo: David Olsen)

A Smooth(ie) Pebble in the Downtown Pond
By Donovan Durband
Zócalo Tucson Magazine
September 30, 2009

Downtown Tucson has been on Ari Shapiro's radar for several years now. The owner of three local Xoom Juice smoothie stores, Shapiro moved to Tucson in 2000 from San Francisco, where he had owned a mountain bike clothing store with an "urban aesthetic." He loves big cities, but believes that smaller markets like Tucson may be where it's at for maintaining a high quality of life in the new millennium. His new Downtown store, slated to open in early October at the new commercial space at One North Fifth, will replace a shop on Campbell Avenue that he is choosing to close. Shapiro says that three locations are all he feels comfortable managing himself. The other two are on Speedway, one of which draws a significant number of customers from Downtown.

Shapiro had kept an eye on Downtown since he moved to Tucson, and when a customer alerted him to the renovation of One North Fifth and the construction of new commercial space there, he got in touch with Ron Schwabe at Peach Properties. Of course, he didn't want to be the only business there, so he talked to his friend Darren Rhodes about the possibility of them both opening businesses at One North. Each challenged the other to make the first move, and vowed that if the other made the commitment, he would too. Finally, Ari, who describes his impatience and desire to make decisions and keep moving forward as a bit of ADD, decided to make the leap, with a good deal of insistent prodding from Patricia Schwabe. He says he has signed "a very long-term lease."

A regular at the Rialto, Hotel Congress and Plush, Shapiro wants his business to help tip the balance and keep Downtown's momentum moving forward. He is excited about its prospects over the next five years, although he laments the loss of historic buildings such as the Santa Rita Hotel. One North Fifth represents what Downtown should be, says Shapiro, and encapsulates his urban vision: the renovated MLK Apartments tower, Rob Paulus' design for the new space, and the location. He sees the Schwabes, Ron and Patricia, as very positive forces in Downtown. He thinks of his Downtown venture as a pebble in the pond that will create ripples, expanding to meet other ripples. Other pebbles, producing real change for Downtown, are most likely to come from the private sector, he believes.

Worrying about public sector projects coming to fruition would lead to his own paralysis, he says. "The grand plan (of Rio Nuevo) is irrelevant to what I am trying to do. I can't control it. If things do come to pass, it's a bonus, but I am not counting on it." Rather than wait for the public sector to perform, he wants to tap into the wellspring of things that are happening, or are likely to happen in the future--special events, for example. "I'm not used to dealing with those types of activities with my locations on Speedway and Campbell, being where they are, but I will be a sponge, soaking up opportunities that come."

When asked about who he sees as his Downtown customers, Shapiro extends the pebble metaphor to concentric layers building on a central core: "The first layer is the neighborhoods – Armory Park, West University, etcetera – and of course the people living upstairs (at One North Fifth). "The second layer is the 10,000 daytime employees in Downtown, and people who do business every day there. The third layer is the generally younger crowd that populates the Rialto Theatre and Hotel Congress at night." He envisions a thousand hot and sweaty kids coming out of the Rialto after a show and needing a cool treat. Subsequent layers will be determined by Downtown's evolution in the next three to five years. Shapiro's friend Darren Rhodes has also made the leap with a lease at One North Fifth and plans to open Yoga Oasis there this fall and Ari hopes to recruit other compatible businesses to Downtown once he gets Xoom Juice established there.

For more info. on One North Fifth: http://shopcongress.com/

And more info. on Xoom Juice's opening:

Xoom Juice aims for Oct. 19 opening, eyes smoothie delivery
October 08, 2009
by Teya Vitu
http://www.downtowntucson.org/

Xoom Juice plans to open on street level in the One North Fifth Apartments during the week of Oct. 19. For owner Ari Shapiro, it’s a matter of closing his 3055 N. Campbell Road store to open the downtown Xoom Juice. His stores at 2739 E. Speedway and 6222 E. Speedway will remain open. “Three is the perfect number for me to manage by myself,” Shapiro said. Xoom Juice may sound like a chain, but it’s just Shapiro’s three-store company that he launched in 2001. He describes his offerings as über-health fruit shakes with a half pound of whole fruit. That’s all he serves: fruit shakes. But he intends to be a lunch spot. “Ours are a meal replacement,” he said. “That’s why we serve zero food.”

Shapiro is a Downtown enthusiast and spends a lot of time at Hotel Congress and the Rialto Theatre. He has no doubt Xoom Juice will thrive Downtown. “We get dozens of people that come from Downtown for lunch (at Xoom),” Shapiro said. “A lot of customers asked us to go to Downtown.” Shapiro said he’s an urban creature, grew up in New York City and lived 10 years in San Francisco. He’s turn down requests for Xoom stores in Oro Valley and Marana. “I’m not a suburban guy,” he said.

What he is is a guy who wants to appeal to office workers, and he’s willing to adjust hours for whatever Downtown events happen along. Bicycle delivery of Xoom smoothies is in the works. “I’ve always wanted to do bicycle delivery, but you can’t do that on Speedway and Campbell,” Shapiro said. “This is all going to be figured out in time.” Shapiro was attracted to One North Fifth Apartments, especially as it was a remodeling of an existing building. It will be the first Xoom Juice opening in something that wasn’t a real estate office first. “That building appeals to me,” he said. “It has a nice, modern urban feel.” Normal hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but that could change as he gets a feel for Downtown business. “I’m going to try to be like a sponge and soak in whatever is going on Downtown,” Shapiro said.

kaneui

Oct 7, 2009, 5:09 AM

Ron Schwabe, who is renovating 64 E. Broadway as one of five properties in the city's Facade Restoration Program, has also renovated the historic 1880 Old Market Inn in the Warehouse District for a new art gallery:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/OldMarketInn--renov.jpg
(photo: David Olsen)

Firestone Gallery coming to “New” Old Market
By Donovan Durband
Zócalo Tucson Magazine
September 30, 2009

Ron Schwabe has made a positive impact on the Downtown streetscape for over twenty years now. His latest two projects are just the most recent in a series of quiet, subtle, but dramatic improvements to historic Downtown buildings that had been overlooked by others. The newly-renovated Old Market Inn, most recently home of the Arizona Glass & Mirror Company, at 403 N. 6th Ave., joins two neighboring Schwabe projects that have created an island of vitality in the Warehouse District. The 1880 Old Market space features wood trusses, exposed brick inside and out, with original painted signs from the grocer, cigar purveyor and meat markets that were there before and after the turn of the 20th century.

Schwabe was approached by business people interested in opening bars and microbreweries in Old Market, but it will be long-time downtown gallery owner Eric Firestone who will lease the entire building for a gallery that he plans to turn into a destination on the national art circuit. He keeps his pulse on the art scene in New York, San Francisco, and Miami, but says, "My heart is in Tucson, where I've had galleries since I was 22." Firestone is excited to have what he describes as dramatic space, expansive enough for large canvases, sculpture, and other Modernist Contemporary media and plans to open in early November. He's kept space on Congress continuously for about fifteen years, but in recent years the space has been used for storage and private appointments; the more accessible Eric Firestone Gallery has been at Joesler Village at River and Campbell.

Schwabe converted the old Firestone Building (as in tires, not Eric) at 6th and 6th into gallery and retail space over twenty years ago, and about ten years ago, he owned, redeveloped, and sold the building just north of the Old Market to Jim and Sarah DeWitt, who opened the stylish DeWitt Design. Schwabe has almost single-handedly saved an entire historic block. Meanwhile, at the southwest corner of Scott and Broadway, Schwabe has put a City facade grant to good use, renovating the exterior and interior of a century-old building that was non-descript with Tucson beige stucco into a potential restaurant destination (two such spaces on the ground floor), with executive office suites upstairs.

For more info.: http://oldmarketinn.com/

combusean

Oct 7, 2009, 6:41 AM

Good that tucson is embracing PAD type zoning. I think that will really change the landscape up here...phoenix didn't approve the whole concept until recently.

Seems ridiculous that something needed to go to full council to be pre-approved tho. Seems like the worst kind of bureaucracy.

somethingfast

Oct 7, 2009, 2:56 PM

this guy makes, hands down, the best smoothie in the world (or at least that i've had). what's amazing is that his smoothies are not only amazingly good but HEALTHY as well. no jamaba juice sorbet/sherbet crap. just totally wholesome ingredients. he deserves to be successful bc his product is great, his brand/marketing is excellent, and the value is there. good luck, ari :tup:

A smoothie shop and yoga studio are a few of the first tenants in the new retail space at One North Fifth on E. Congress:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/AriShapiro.jpg
Ari Shapiro
(photo: David Olsen)

A Smooth(ie) Pebble in the Downtown Pond
By Donovan Durband
Zócalo Tucson Magazine
September 30, 2009

Downtown Tucson has been on Ari Shapiro's radar for several years now. The owner of three local Xoom Juice smoothie stores, Shapiro moved to Tucson in 2000 from San Francisco, where he had owned a mountain bike clothing store with an "urban aesthetic." He loves big cities, but believes that smaller markets like Tucson may be where it's at for maintaining a high quality of life in the new millennium. His new Downtown store, slated to open in early October at the new commercial space at One North Fifth, will replace a shop on Campbell Avenue that he is choosing to close. Shapiro says that three locations are all he feels comfortable managing himself. The other two are on Speedway, one of which draws a significant number of customers from Downtown.

Shapiro had kept an eye on Downtown since he moved to Tucson, and when a customer alerted him to the renovation of One North Fifth and the construction of new commercial space there, he got in touch with Ron Schwabe at Peach Properties. Of course, he didn't want to be the only business there, so he talked to his friend Darren Rhodes about the possibility of them both opening businesses at One North. Each challenged the other to make the first move, and vowed that if the other made the commitment, he would too. Finally, Ari, who describes his impatience and desire to make decisions and keep moving forward as a bit of ADD, decided to make the leap, with a good deal of insistent prodding from Patricia Schwabe. He says he has signed "a very long-term lease."

A regular at the Rialto, Hotel Congress and Plush, Shapiro wants his business to help tip the balance and keep Downtown's momentum moving forward. He is excited about its prospects over the next five years, although he laments the loss of historic buildings such as the Santa Rita Hotel. One North Fifth represents what Downtown should be, says Shapiro, and encapsulates his urban vision: the renovated MLK Apartments tower, Rob Paulus' design for the new space, and the location. He sees the Schwabes, Ron and Patricia, as very positive forces in Downtown. He thinks of his Downtown venture as a pebble in the pond that will create ripples, expanding to meet other ripples. Other pebbles, producing real change for Downtown, are most likely to come from the private sector, he believes.

Worrying about public sector projects coming to fruition would lead to his own paralysis, he says. "The grand plan (of Rio Nuevo) is irrelevant to what I am trying to do. I can't control it. If things do come to pass, it's a bonus, but I am not counting on it." Rather than wait for the public sector to perform, he wants to tap into the wellspring of things that are happening, or are likely to happen in the future--special events, for example. "I'm not used to dealing with those types of activities with my locations on Speedway and Campbell, being where they are, but I will be a sponge, soaking up opportunities that come."

When asked about who he sees as his Downtown customers, Shapiro extends the pebble metaphor to concentric layers building on a central core: "The first layer is the neighborhoods – Armory Park, West University, etcetera – and of course the people living upstairs (at One North Fifth). "The second layer is the 10,000 daytime employees in Downtown, and people who do business every day there. The third layer is the generally younger crowd that populates the Rialto Theatre and Hotel Congress at night." He envisions a thousand hot and sweaty kids coming out of the Rialto after a show and needing a cool treat. Subsequent layers will be determined by Downtown's evolution in the next three to five years. Shapiro's friend Darren Rhodes has also made the leap with a lease at One North Fifth and plans to open Yoga Oasis there this fall and Ari hopes to recruit other compatible businesses to Downtown once he gets Xoom Juice established there.

For more info. on One North Fifth: http://shopcongress.com/

kaneui

Oct 9, 2009, 6:55 PM

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/FireCentral10-09.jpg
Work on the new facility is expected to be completed by the end of November or early December.
The facility will combine city fire operations from three buildings under one roof.
(photo: James S. Wood)

City Fire Dept.'s big, new HQ nears completion
By Brian J. Pedersen
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
10.09.2009

Work is nearly complete on the Tucson Fire Department's massive new headquarters downtown. A ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday marked the official opening of Fire Station No. 1, which is just one piece of the Fire Central facility at 300 S. Fire Central Place. The facility, expected to be completed by the end of November or early December, brings city fire operations from three buildings into one, department spokeswoman Capt. Tricia Tracy said. "It's a great opportunity for us to all work together," Tracy said. "Fire prevention and education were in two separate buildings before, but now we're all back together again. We can coordinate our efforts and be more efficient."

Did you know
The Tucson Fire Department dates to 1881 and was initially a volunteer organization.
In 1909, it moved into a station called Central Fire, at 142 S. Sixth Ave., near Armory Park.
Source: Star archives

New Digs
• What: Tucson Fire Department's new Fire Central building
• Where: 300 S. Fire Central Place (just east of Interstate 10 near South Granada Avenue and West Cushing Street)
• Project cost: $36.4 million
• Size: 67,000 square feet

kaneui

Oct 10, 2009, 3:37 AM

Largest gem show threatens to leave Tucson if progress doesn't start happening
By Joe Pangburn
Inside Tucson Business
October 09, 2009

If city officials don’t start showing some progress toward renovating the Tucson Convention Center and building a convention hotel downtown, the largest of the annual gem and mineral shows that come to Tucson in February will leave. Douglas Hucker, chief executive of the American Gem Trade Association, said his show, which has been held at the Tucson Convention Center since 1991, could relocate as early as February 2011. “It has finally gotten to the point where it is hurting our business,” Hucker told council members at their Oct. 6 study session. “My members and clients simply aren’t having the kind of experience they need to be having for us to stay. For years, members would tell me that Tucson was their favorite show of the year. I don’t hear that anymore.”

Now, he said, members are complaining that it takes 20 minutes to drive between the convention center and a hotel where “you splash some water on the face and drive another 30 minutes up to the Foothills to go out to eat.” Instead, Hucker said, “I would love nothing more than to get out of the convention, walk across to the hotel, buy some clients some cocktails, walk across the plaza to a restaurant and spend $1,000 all without having to get in my car to drive somewhere.” Members are doing that right now, he said, but they’re spending their money outside the city. In terms of attendance, Hucker said it hasn’t been terrible, down 4 to 5 percent. But he said he could be booking more booths if the proper facilities were in place. “A successful convention needs a nexus,” Hucker said. “That is a place where people can do business, have a cocktail, meet up with clients and go out for a meal without having to drive anywhere. The Hotel Arizona is not that place nor will it ever be.”

The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), now based in Dallas, was formed in Tucson in 1981 and held its first show in Tucson the following year. “We have a long history with Tucson and are very committed to it,” Hucker said in an interview. “Otherwise we would have left long ago. We’ve grown up here, our association has grown up and matured, our industry has matured, but Tucson hasn’t.” Hucker said he has already had conversations with “many” cities but named only Phoenix and Las Vegas as possible other locations for the show. “Tucson has a unique character, we could never replace that,” he said. “But this is not a birthright or a bank account. As my board pointed out to me, this is not Tucson’s show. This is our show – the AGTA show. We have to make some decisions based on what is happening with our show.”

Hucker emphasized this was not intended to be a threat to the city. “This is what we want, and it is all we want in order to be able to hold our show how we need to,” he said. Bonds to fund the new hotel are scheduled to go up for sale after the first of the year. Hucker said if they don’t, he may have his answer. Another indicator is that major work is scheduled to start on the convention center just after the show wraps up this year and he will be watching for it. “We’re making short-term decisions right now,” he said. Other than courtesy ‘thank you’s, the only city council member to say anything to Hucker was Rodney Glassman. “It is not my intention to sit idly by and allow the gem show any opportunity to leave,” Glassman said. “We are going to fight to maintain this important event. It’s an important economic engine for our town and for our businesses.”

Tucson’s lost business:

In the last five years downtown Tucson lost more than 245 conventions, according to the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visistors Bureau. These conventions would have represented:

• 268,000 people. Looking ahead, planners for 14 events scheduled to take place in 2010 to 2013 have decided to pass on Tucson due to insufficient facilities.

• 600,000 room nights

• $230 million in economic impact

kaneui

Oct 11, 2009, 7:13 PM

Looks like the recent freeway widening to four lanes will now be extended from Prince to Ruthrauff:

Tucson freeway widening spared in Ariz. projects slowdown
By Howard Fischer
CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES
10.11.2009

PHOENIX — A move by the state to delay $370 million in road construction because of the deficit will apparently spare the long-sought widening of Interstate 10 north of Tucson. The announcement some projects are being put on hold came hard on the heels of state officials saying they are speeding up the timetable for widening I-10 from West Prince to Ruthrauff roads, now expected to start next year instead of in three years.

Doug Nintzel, spokesman for the Arizona Department of Transportation, said the Tucson project will be exempt from the budget-required delays because the Pima Association of Government agreed to make it a priority. He said PAG agreed to use its portion of federal funds to accelerate the Prince to Ruthrauff section, which reduces the need to use now-scant state dollars. But that doesn’t mean Southern Arizona motorists are going to escape unscathed because of the budget crunch. Nintzel said the state transportation board still has to decide which other long-planned projects scheduled over the next four years will be deferred.

kaneui

Oct 13, 2009, 6:49 PM

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/TwinPeaksInterchange-Marana.jpg
Construction is well under way on the Twin Peaks Interchange in Marana,
including the bridge that is being constructed over the Santa Cruz River.
The interchange will connect Continental Ranch to Interstate 10.
(photo: Randy Metcalf)

Marana moves on big projects
Twin Peaks, park, Camino de Mañana under way

By Randy Metcalf
The Explorer
October-07-2009

Three major projects in and around Marana are well under way. Twin Peaks Interchange, the widening and expansion of Camino de Mañana to connect I-10 to Dove Mountain Boulevard, and a new park near Cortaro and Silverbell are all under construction. The Twin Peaks Interchange will connect the northern portion of Continental Ranch to I-10 directly, reducing traffic along Cortaro Road and curbing travel time. The addition will also connect traffic to the current road-widening and improvement project of Camino de Mañana, which should make a wider, quicker route for traffic traveling between Continental Ranch and Dove Mountain.

Scott Leska, Marana's capital improvement project engineering division manager, is looking forward to how the additions will improve traffic and travel time. "With the opening of this corridor, it provides an opportunity for a vast amount of retail and commercial economic growth," Leska said. "There are well over 1 million square feet of retail space opening up. "In addition to the Twin Peaks Interchange, this will relieve the congestion pressure that is occurring right now along Cortaro and with the residential areas of Continental Ranch."

The Regional Transportation Authority and Marana are funding 90 percent of the Camino de Mañana road project, which is about 10 percent completed. The project has involved a large-scale removal of saguaros and many other desert plants. The project also calls for about 220,000 cubic yards of back fill, which the town is saving about $3 million by using dirt from another town project. For updates on the Twin Peaks project along with traffic alerts for the surrounding area, you can follow I10TwinPeaks on Twitter by going to www.twitter.com/I10TwinPeaks. The park, which has not been named yet, is more than half completed. When it is open to the public, it will have two softball fields, two youth baseball fields and two soccer fields. There will be basketball and volleyball courts along with a big dog and small dog park.

kaneui

Oct 13, 2009, 8:04 PM

Tucson Airport Begins Infrastructure Projects
Work at Tucson International Airport includes an $8-million project won by Granite Construction Co.
Southwest Contractor
October, 2009

The Tucson Airport Authority has begun work on the expansion of the Tucson International Airport’s commercial aircraft parking apron. The $8-million project, designed by Stantec Consulting and constructed by Granite Construction Co., adds 44,000 sq yds for aircraft maneuvering and overnight parking adjacent to the existing aircraft parking apron. Crews will construct a new 18-in. Portland concrete cement apron on the east end of the existing terminal ramp. Other work includes the realignment of a service road, new security fencing and east security gate, area lighting and a concrete blast wall extension. The project, being funded by FAA and ADOT grants, is anticipated to be complete in the spring of 2010.

TAA has also launched several other infrastructure projects designed to meet future demand, including 60 acres southeast of the airfield reserved for industrial development with airfield access; improvements to Aero Park Blvd. that will support new business development on the south side of the airport; and at Ryan Airfield, improvements to the airport main entrance roadway, Airfield Drive.

Locofresh55

Oct 14, 2009, 3:54 AM

kaneui

Oct 14, 2009, 5:30 PM

The Downtown Development Corp. is selling the historic Coronado Hotel Apartments, saying it never intended to manage the property indefinitely:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/CoronadoHotelApts.jpg
(photo: James S. Wood)

Coronado Hotel for sale
Residents, many elderly and disabled, given year's notice to find new housing

By Josh Brodesky
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
10.14.2009

The historical Coronado Hotel Apartments, a source of low-income housing downtown for many elderly and disabled, is for sale. Situated on the edge of the newly renovated Fourth Avenue underpass, the Coronado Hotel Apartments has provided low-income housing since 1991 after the Downtown Development Corp. bought and renovated the building at 402 E. Ninth St. The three-story property has 42 units and is listed for $670,000. Grubb & Ellis is handling the listing. Residents, many of whom have lived there for years with the help of federal rent subsidies, will have a year to find new homes.

Glenn Lyons, CEO of the Downtown Tucson Partnership, which manages the Downtown Development Corp., said it was time to sell. "The Downtown Development Corp. owns the building, and they were pretty much a break-even operation," Lyons said. "There is not enough money in that operation to finance doing major improvements to the building." Lyons said he could envision the property being renovated to mixed-use office space or perhaps again serving as a hotel with a cafe. Perhaps the new owner will continue to provide affordable housing to low-income elderly people, he said. Once a sale goes through, the Downtown Development Corp. will put the proceeds toward small infill projects, although Lyons couldn't say what those would be. "What exactly they are, we are not sure yet," Lyons said.

A random survey of a handful of residents at the Coronado Hotel Apartments Tuesday morning found that nobody wanted to move. The old hotel is not perfect, the residents said. It can be noisy, particularly when people honk horns going through the Fourth Avenue underpass. There can be vandalism during events such as the street fair. And more security would be nice. But the residents like the location and the close community. "We're going to have to go," said Teresa Arroyo, who has lived there for nearly three years. "I don't think anyone really wants to go. I like the location. We're close to the bus station. We're close to Primavera," a shelter and social-service center. Lyons said he was sympathetic to the residents, but he thought the year lead time would allow them to find new homes, particularly in a weak rental market with plenty of space available.

But to City Councilman Steve Leal, who has often spoken about the need for affordable housing, forcing the residents of the apartments to move is unconscionable. "Some people just see resources as an opportunity for their own agenda," Leal said. "They shouldn't have to move. It shouldn't be sold." Leal said he doubted all of the residents could find new homes, and he noted the Coronado Hotel was renovated through federal grants and tax credits specifically for affordable housing. Those tax credits required the Downtown Development Corp. to manage the housing project for 15 years, Star archives show. "Turning low-income people's lives upside down to provide investment money for real estate speculators, well, the partnership should find it someplace else," Leal said. "This is wrong. This is not what Tucson is supposed to be about." Leal then questioned whether this was an attempt to move low-income people out of the downtown area, particularly after the renovation of the Fourth Avenue underpass. "For some people, redevelopment means physically improving it. For other people, it means getting rid of people," he said.

Lyons said that characterization is off-base. It was never the Downtown Development Corp.'s plan to manage the housing project indefinitely, he said, and he maintains that the one-year lead time, coupled with housing vouchers to help with the move, ensures that residents will have quality housing. "He is wrong," Lyons said, adding, "I was pleased when I heard that there was a voucher system and 12 months' notice. It gives people plenty of time."

DID YOU KNOW
The Coronado Hotel was built in 1928 and was listed on the National Registry of historic Places in 1982. It was restored in 1991 by the Downtown Development Corp., which bought the hotel at the very end of 1989 for $150,000.

Source: Star archives.

kaneui

Oct 15, 2009, 1:20 AM

More new businesses for downtown:

Jimmy John’s opens tomorrow; more new businesses coming
October 14, 2009
by Teya Vitu
http://www.downtowntucson.org/

Downtown’s getting a mini-rush of new eateries and a bike-oriented fitness/custom shop. Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches opens Thursday, Oct. 15, at 63 E. Congress St., next door to On a Roll sushi. Hours will be 11-7 Monday to Thursday, with late nights promised in a couple weeks for Friday and Saturday, owner Nick Schaffer said.

Xoom Juice plans to open Monday, Oct. 19, at the One North Fifth Apartments, owner Ari Shapiro said. And, by the end of the month, Michael Seiwert expects to open Uptown Bistro on street level in the Pioneer Building, 100 N. Stone Ave. The bistro is in the former location of the Monkey Box. “We’ll have things all across the map, foodwise,” Seiwert said. That will include seafood, an oyster bar, vegetarian fare and meat dishes. Seiwert plans to keep Uptown Bistro open seven days a week from 7 a.m. with no official closing time each day.

Kurt Rosenquist and Susan Frank are opening a pair of businesses in the Julian-Drew Building, 186 E. Broadway. Up front, Frank will have O2 Modern Fitness, a Spinning Studio with indoor, stationary bike and other cycling fitness courses. In the back, Rosenquist has Fitworks Cycling Support, a bicycle fitting studio, where he also makes custom bikes and coaches bicyclists. He is moving his business from the El Presidio Neighborhood, where he’s been located for two years. Rosenquist and Frank will have an opening party Nov. 13 at their businesses.

kaneui

Oct 15, 2009, 7:54 PM

The council's request for the general public to donate $1M+ to finish the Mission Gardens after having spent tens of millions on unrealized plans for the Tucson Origins Heritage Park carries more than a bit of irony:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/MissionGardensWall-photos004.jpg
An 8' adobe wall around the Mission Garden's perimeter was recently built at a
cost of $1M, but the garden itself remains unfinished.
(photo: city of Tucson)

Gifts sought to complete gardens of Rio Nuevo
City Council passing the hat to raise up to $1 million for project centerpiece

By Rob O'Dell
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
10.15.2009

The city of Tucson will pass the hat, hoping to rake in as much as $1 million in private donations, to help finish Rio Nuevo's Mission Gardens — the centerpiece of what voters approved 10 years ago. Although the city is eligible for about $600 million in state taxes for Rio Nuevo, most of that has been redirected to a Downtown hotel and arena, prompting the City Council to create a short-term and long-term plan to finish the Mission Gardens project through private donations.

Wednesday's unanimous council vote directs contributions to go to a citizens group called Friends of Tucson's Birthplace. However, the group cannot yet collect donations because it doesn't have tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. The donations would go only to finish the Mission Gardens, not the entire Tucson Origins Heritage Park, which was to include the re-creation of Tucson's birthplace including the Mission San Agustín and its convento, granary and Carrillo House, for which the city spent $9 million on design and plans. Jessie Sanders, Rio Nuevo project director, said the fundraising effort and the final construction of the four-acre gardens are "going to take a long time to happen." He said the community needs to donate time, plants, materials and water in order to "make this happen."

Council members enthusiastically backed the plan to seek private donations to finish the Mission Gardens, which the city estimated in March would cost a total of $3 million. It was supposed to be paid for by Rio Nuevo tax-increment financing money, which is state sales tax diverted from the state. Sanders and council members cited last year's economic meltdown as the reason the city could not finish the Mission Gardens with Rio Nuevo money. No one mentioned the millions spent on studies and plans that have since been shelved. Sanders said the city has spent $43 million total on the west side preparing the area for development.

Councilwoman Regina Romero suggested the short-term plan to move ahead quickly, adding that she wants to start thinking about a long-term plan to finish the gardens as well. Mayor Bob Walkup said the city is "poised to move forward." We've already accomplished a lot," Walkup said. "It's really a bright period we're headed into." Sanders said there's no way to know the exact cost to finish the gardens. One estimate was $1 million, but that didn't include a parking lot at the site, which is west of the Santa Cruz River near West Mission Lane. Sanders said there has already been interest in donating money and plants to put at the site. He said anyone interested in helping preserve Tucson's birthplace can call Bill Dupont of the Friends of Tucson's Birthplace at 404-7237. "These are not taxpayer dollars," Sanders said, adding the Mission Gardens are "the best-kept secret in the city of Tucson."

azliam

Oct 15, 2009, 10:36 PM

kaneui

Oct 16, 2009, 2:53 AM

Thanks for your info as always...but isn't this pathetic?

It certainly won't help the two incumbent council members up for re-election in a few weeks.

kaneui

Oct 16, 2009, 3:07 AM

From the Tucson Weekly's recent "Best of Tucson" list:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/ScottAve-impr.jpg
Scott Avenue behind the Tucson Children's Museum
(photo: Downtown Tucson Partnership)

Best Example of City Efficiency
The Scott Avenue remodel

Staff Pick
Tucson Weekly

There are plenty of cranks who will say mean things about the city, and we count ourselves among them much of the time. But we were dazzled by the Scott Avenue makeover. Not only did the city get neighborhood residents, designers, business owners, engineers, utilities and cultural organizations to play nice; they did it in record time: less than 12 months, including the design process. What else to love about it? The solar-illuminated turquoise trail, the dog water fountain, lots of shade trees and gryphon tracks in the sidewalk. Best of all: water-runoff-harvesting curb cuts. These should be required in any new street construction from this day forward.

http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/Home

BrandonJXN

Oct 16, 2009, 8:08 PM

I agree. Scott Ave is really really nice. I just wish that other major streets in downtown would follow that same approach (Stone, 6th, Congress).

kaneui

Oct 16, 2009, 10:10 PM

I agree. Scott Ave is really really nice. I just wish that other major streets in downtown would follow that same approach (Stone, 6th, Congress).

Congress, Broadway and Arizona Ave. improvements are up next as part of the streetcar construction. Glenn Lyons has also suggested Stone and Pennington as the next streets to be done after that.

HooverDam

Oct 16, 2009, 10:30 PM

kaneui

Oct 16, 2009, 10:49 PM

This looks very nice. Do you/anyone have more pictures of it? Phx and Tucson need to do a better job learning from each other since we're both Sonoran Cities, and this looks like a wonderful project from what I can tell. Im particularly interested in the 'solar illuminated turquoise trail' as Im not entirely sure I understand what it means.

The Presidio Trail is a historical walking tour of downtown Tucson, with turquoise paint and tiles along the sidewalk to mark the way (and now on the Scott Ave. portion, illuminated pavers at night).

Scott Ave. info. and photos: http://wheatscharf.com/projects/urban-design/city-of-tucson-downtown-infrastructure-improvements-project-scott-avenue/

Presidio Trail info: http://www.downtowntucson.org/down/presidio_trail.pdf

Locofresh55

Oct 17, 2009, 4:40 AM

Downtown is coming to life slowly but surely and I must tell you all that the improvements are noticeable around the streets and the new projects. Went to Barrio Thursday and it was kind of weird seeing the Santa Rita hotel gone but hopefully the TEP HQ will look nice. Scott avenue is definitely an improvement.

BTW...I highly recommend Barrio for Bistro.

kaneui

Oct 19, 2009, 7:29 AM

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/mlkapts-1.jpg
(render: city of Tucson)

Celebration Set for Martin Luther King Apartments
http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/hottopic/celebration-set-martin-luther-king-apartments

Construction crews began assembling the steel frame for the vertical construction for the new 6-story Martin Luther King Apartment Building at Depot Plaza. This mixed-use project site at North 5th Avenue and East Congress Street has been under development since July 2007, when the City and Rio Nuevo broke ground on the 285-stall subterranean parking garage that will serve as the building platform for the new apartments. A steel raising celebration is planned for Wednesday, October 21, 2009, at 8:30 a.m. on top of the Pennington Street Garage, on Pennington Street, between Scott and 6th Avenues.

This 68-unit public housing building for seniors and persons with disabilities residents is a key milestone in the City's third HOPE VI Project. Tucson successfully revitalized the South Park Neighborhood and Barrio Santa Rosa with HOPE VI awards. The 2004 City of Tucson HOPE VI Martin Luther King Revitalization Plan received $9.85 million in a national competition funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. An additional $60 million from other public and private sources is expected to be leveraged to complete all six phases of the Plan. This mixed-use, transit-oriented development will contain market rate and affordable housing, ground-floor retail, a public plaza, and streetscape improvements adjacent to the modern street car line on east Congress. The total project cost is $23 million.

The new MLK building will include all handicapped accessible one-bedroom units ranging from 628 to 780 square feet, each with a private outdoor balcony. The common area includes a computer lab/library and a rooftop community space, as well as a controlled-access lobby. These amenities are designed to promote maximum independent living and community-based activities for the elderly and disabled residents. Upon completion, the City hopes to fulfill the project’s Silver designation under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council; which is the third highest level that can be achieved for green building. Through the HOPE VI program the City has partnered with a host of non-profit organizations that provide activities and support to public housing residents. This includes onsite medical services, educational programs, social events, transportation, and physical activity.

This new MLK building replaces 68 of the 96 public units that were taken out of service when the (adjacent) old MLK building was sold to the private sector and converted into market rate apartments, now known as One North Fifth. The City has already constructed 28 replacement public housing units in a mixed-income subdivision near N. Silverbell Rd. and W. Goret Rd., northwest of downtown. The new MLK Apartment building will be under construction for approximately one year. Residents will begin to occupy the building in late 2010. Nelsen Partners Architects and Lloyd Construction are the team hired to complete the new building with the City.

kaneui

Oct 19, 2009, 7:46 AM

Rio Nuevo problems and the proposed TCC hotel have become focal points of the city council election contest in Ward 6:

Ward 6: Contest is centered on downtown hotel
Kozachik is convinced Trasoff-backed plan could bankrupt city

By Rhonda Bodfield
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
10.18.2009

To hear City Council incumbent Nina Trasoff tell it, a proposed publicly financed Convention Center hotel downtown will employ 500 people for the next few years and generate millions of dollars by securing conventions that Tucson is losing now or at risk of losing. To hear Republican challenger Steve Kozachik tell it, it could bankrupt the city. He's been pounding away at the fact the city is moving forward and spending $15 million to rebuild a convention center entrance and finalize the design of a project that it hasn't even secured funding for. He's convinced it won't get built and the city will have dumped millions of more dollars down the same sinkhole that consumed other Rio Nuevo funding.

Like the other Democratic incumbent up for election, Karin Uhlich, Trasoff rode into office on a wave of anger over the imposition of a new garbage tax, even though it was never overturned. But it's the downtown redevelopment project and a perceived anti-business mood that have been at the forefront of the campaign. And the hotel has become symbolic of the differences between the two candidates in what is arguably the most heated race on the ticket, in part because it's more personal. Most of downtown lies in Trasoff's Ward 6, so, for better or worse, she and City Councilwoman Regina Romero are largely considered the queen and duchess of Rio Nuevo.

Kozachik has been the most aggressive of all of the Republicans on the stump, saying the city has botched deal after deal and then made ill-advised moves because officials were desperate to show progress. He spent the bulk of his time at the microphone at a recent large tea party to blast the $15 million move. Beyond that, Kozachik has said the bigger issue is that taxpayers shouldn't be paying for a new hotel without first exploring the viability of private-sector plans. He has held up Hotel Arizona as an example, and invited its owner, Humberto Lopez, to join in his press conference to take the city to task. "There were private-sector-funded proposals on the table three years ago. Unfortunately, they got shoved aside," Kozachik complained. He's not convinced there's even a market for the hotel, he said, refusing to buy into Trasoff's contention that money is being left on the table the longer the project brews. "We are not going to be a Phoenix or an L.A. or a San Diego. We are what we are. Accept that for now and take the small steps moving forward," he said at a recent editorial board appearance.

Arizona Daily Star stories on the Hotel Arizona deal say it fell through because its owners wanted millions more than the appraisal said the property was worth. Trasoff noted the city is being careful to minimize risk to taxpayers, saying the city won't move forward with a hotel unless the numbers work out. "Without a convention hotel, we will always be third-rate and will lose the conventions we have even now. And we cannot afford to do that," Trasoff said, maintaining that the gem show and the $100 million it generates will be the first to go. She agreed the market hasn't developed yet, which is why the private sector hasn't stepped up, even though a convention hotel has been talked about for decades. But this will set the stage for future investment, she said. And it will be a city-owned asset. "I'm hoping this is the very last thing that we do of this sort," she said. "But we cannot afford to wait. We have to have this kick-start. We have to stop waiting."

Kozachik said the hotel is only one example of misguided city efforts, criticizing the city for approving several $1 leases to art and community groups, or offering rent breaks for businesses such as Maynard's Market and Kitchen at the Historic Train Depot. The council recently voted to approve a rent reduction for an advertising and marketing firm. And there has been renewed interest in the $1 lease to the Museum of Contemporary Art at the Tucson Fire Department headquarters — to the point that tea party members are planning to picket Monday. "As soon as you start offering deals like that, it has a systemic effect," Kozachik said. "It will drive the whole market down. If you have been given a piece of property for half the market rate, and I'm someone who's looking at investing in Tucson, what incentive do I have to offer market rate? It provides a disincentive for other developers and property owners to offer market rates for their properties." It's also a problem from a revenue standpoint, he said. "We all agree we have a budget problem. And if the city is not maximizing its potential, then we're just exacerbating that problem when we miss opportunities."

But Trasoff said the city's job is to provide the infrastructure that will draw people to spend their money downtown. "If people go downtown, they'll see that Maynard's is bustling and they'll see long lines of people waiting to get into the Rialto (Theatre)." The Tucson Museum of Art draws hundreds of thousands of dollars, as, she predicted, will the Museum of Contemporary Art once it has the appropriate facility. Maynard's got the deal it got, she said, because the city did not do tenant improvements, leaving the owner to bear those costs. "This is economic development at work. Local companies are having a hard time keeping young talent because they want a lifestyle and a place to be. And that's starting to happen now," she said. She said she's gotten a bad rap for Rio Nuevo. The council has asked for an audit, although Kozachik questions why it's taking so long. It has put more financial information online, she said, although Kozachik counters that only happened after media accounts detailed expenditures. She said she inherited a bad plan and had to work to refocus on a new plan, although Kozachik notes most of the money has been spent under her watch and it has taken too long to see progress.

Both agree the city has developed an image of being business-unfriendly, in part because of an unwieldy and confusing land-use code that is too often inconsistently applied. "The business community right now is telling me all over the city — not just downtown, but in any sector of the city — and they are saying that we cannot work with that thing. We cannot operate in this city effectively with that code. It is absolutely an impediment," Kozachik maintains. Trasoff said she agrees, which is why she's been working to make fixes to it. Now, she said, when someone comes in for a permit, one list of requirements is distributed. And no matter who is at the counter when the person comes back, the list remains intact. "Yes, there are contradictions within our code. And we are trying to adjust them. It is a massive thing to adjust."

Ward 6 City Council Candidates

Steve Kozachik

Age: 55

Party: Republican

Occupation: assistant athletic director for facilities, University of Arizona

Why are you running? "Because it matters. It makes me crazy to use out-of-towners for Rio Nuevo. I'm tired of seeing tax money wasted. Now I'm at the point, if you can't join them, beat them. I have a track record of doing the stuff they're trying to do, on time, on budget and in the public sector."

Endorsements include: Tucson Association of Realtors, Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, Southern Arizona Lodging and Resort Association, Tucson Police Officers Association

Nina Trasoff

Age: 63

Party: Democrat

Occupation: Tucson City Council member

Why are you running? "I remain committed to moving this community forward, helping to get us out of this recession and ensuring that Tucson rises to its fullest potential. I would like to continue working toward my vision for Tucson — creating a vibrant city with new, higher-wage jobs, a re-energized downtown, strong neighborhoods and open spaces preserved for future generations.

Endorsements include: U.S. Raúl Grijalva, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, the Arizona Women's Political Caucus, Planned Parenthood of Arizona, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Sierra Club – Rincon Group

See an Arizona Illustrated forum with both candidates: http://ondemand.azpm.org/videoshorts/watch/2009/10/9/kuat-tucson-ward6-forum/

kaneui

Oct 19, 2009, 8:22 AM

The city may finally be adopting a development agreement template to avoid the big missteps of the past several years such as the Presidio Terrace, The Post, and Downtown Development Corporation proposals:

Building outline a useful step for city, developers
Our view: A 'preliminary development agreement outline' will offer clarity
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
10.16.2009

It's about time. The city of Tucson is putting together a standard template to sort out the benefits, costs and repercussions of future deals with private investors — in advance of negotiating the deals. City Manager Mike Letcher presented the details of a "preliminary development agreement outline" to the City Council on Wednesday. The council endorsed the proposal; developers and neighborhoods will also be asked for feedback on the plan. It seems like a no-brainer, but Tucson has had no such process for vetting deals. This system is front-loaded, which means certain questions would have to be addressed — including budget impacts — and then cleared by the City Council before any deal is negotiated.

In the past, development deals were negotiated from scratch. "This will be good for the city because it will set clear parameters for deals," said Glenn Lyons, the chief executive of the Downtown Tucson Partnership, who's been working with the city on development deals. "And it's good for developers because it's a predictable process and they'll know the rules. They won't have to waste their time and money."

We all remember the most egregious deals with developers that turned out badly for the city:

• A 2006 deal with a developer who planned to build a seven-story condominium north of City Hall went south when the developer couldn't get financing. The city-owned land is still undeveloped.

• A century-old building was torn down in 2004 to make way for another condominium project on East Congress Street between Stone and Scott avenues. The city paid $500,000 to demolish George Pusch's 19th-century building and clean up the lot, and sold most of the block to Bourn Partners for $100. So far, nothing has been built and the city's agreement with the developer was structured so that the city cannot reclaim the block.

• Several variations of a deal to redevelop parts of the eastern end of downtown in exchange for city-owned land failed to get through the City Council because of impacts on the Rialto Theatre that weren't adequately addressed in the deal. Eventually the frustrated developers, Don Martin and Scott Stiteler, walked away from negotiations.

The preliminary development agreement outline starts by asking if the deal will benefit the city: "Why are we interested in doing this? What are the economic benefits?" It lists the "due diligence" items that must be satisfied before any agreement is negotiated, including signed financial commitments by funders, an economic-impact analysis and whether other agreements might be affected. It asks what city commitments would be required and their specific costs. And it asks what commitments the city will require from the private investor, including possible green building, preservation of open space and historic preservation.

The preliminary agreement terms would be reviewed by city departments and others affected by the plan. The City Council would approve a detailed preliminary agreement before any actual development agreement is negotiated. "In the past, deals were staff-driven and brought to the council," Letcher told us. "Now the council will direct the framework. We'll think through all the elements rather than do it on the fly." On the fly didn't work out well. The preliminary development agreement process should open discussions among all parties and repair cracks before they become chasms, so negotiations move forward.

kaneui

Oct 21, 2009, 12:44 AM

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/TCCEastEntry-render.jpg
(render: DLR Group)

‘Rock, water and light’ inspire TCC lobby design
October 20, 2009
by Teya Vitu
http://www.downtowntucson.org/

A new main entrance is in the works at the southeast corner of the Tucson Convention Center. Demolition work started Oct. 1 on the Church Avenue side of the TCC, and the new entrance should start taking shape toward the end of November, said Kurt Wadlington, project director for Sundt Construction. The new main lobby will replace the Grand Lobby at the TCC’s northwest corner, off Granada Avenue. A 26-story Sheraton Tucson Convention Center Headquarters Hotel is destined to partially sit on the site of the current lobby.

The new main entrance will give a hint of design features based on “rock, water and light” that will be in place throughout the TCC and hotel, said Gary Worthy, design leader at DLR group, the architect for the convention center and hotel project. “(The east entrance) is just the first phase of where the project is going,” Worthy said. The new main entrance will have a 20-by-100-foot glass curtain wall that slants inward in relation to the TCC. A triangle-shaped roof will project outward to create a covered area for cars to pull up, said Ken Martin, a DLR architect. Worthy describes the slanting angles as “fractured geometry.” They match the penthouse that will slant out at an angle at the top level of the hotel.

The 8,000-square-foot lobby will have a capacity of about 400 people to allow for large gatherings and provide exhibition space, Worth said. The $4.3 million new TCC entrance will be paid for with a $12 million certificate of participation the city intends to sell the last week of October. That COP will also fund the TCC expansion on the west end, said Sylvia Amparano, deputy finance director. The new main entrance should be completed in February to allow construction to start on the hotel in March or April, after the gem show leaves town. The 525-room hotel is expected to open in summer 2012.

kaneui

Oct 21, 2009, 7:28 PM

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/ScreeningRoomMarquee.jpg
(photo: Downtown Tucsonan)

Marquee day
Screening Room façade centerpiece goes up
http://www.downtowntucson.org/

The new Screening Room marquee was hoisted into place on Oct. 20 by workers from Addisigns. The lighted marquee is the centerpiece of a design by Ibarra Rosano Design Architects, which gives the Screening Room a 1930s look. The redesign of the theater at 127 E. Congress St. was part of the city’s Façade Improvement Program, overseen by Downtown Tucson Partnership. The Screening Room will celebrate its new look with a “Light Up the Marquee” event beginning at 6 p.m. Oct. 30. Cocktails and live music both inside and outside the venue will be punctuated by the lighting of the marquee at 7 p.m. by Mayor Bob Walkup.

For more info. on The Screening Room: http://www.azmac.org/scroom/

kaneui

Oct 22, 2009, 3:45 AM

Although less well-known than San Xavier Mission or St. Augustine Cathedral, the Benedictine Monastery on Country Club is a handsome example of Tucson's religious architecture. From a current Tucson Weekly article, here is an excerpt discussing the ongoing restoration efforts for the 1940 Roy Place-designed, Spanish Renaissance-style structure:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/BenedictineMonastery.png
(photo: Benedictine Monastery)

Tucson's Benedictine Monastery offers rose-colored serenity in the heart of the city
by Irene Messina
Tucson Weekly
October 21, 2009

...While other sisters work on Spirit & Life, a 105-year-old publication, make custom-sewn and hand-embroidered liturgical garb, or colorful religious icons mounted on solid walnut, Sister Joan coordinates the maintenance and restoration efforts of the 87,000 square-foot structure. Originally designed by architect Roy Place, the monastery is in need of significant renovation. A fundraising campaign is underway to raise $1 million for three main areas: Spanish tile roof repairs, heating and cooling upgrades and electrical work. Sister Joan explained that when the monastery was built, six air handlers were placed in the attic. This system barely functioned in 2004. So far, three of the units have been taken out and roof repairs have followed.

Some eco-friendly work has been completed, including the installation of two solar panels, a greywater collection system and energy-efficient lighting. But more work is needed, and a benefit for repairs and preservation takes place at 3 and 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21, at the monastery. The Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus and Danish pianist Torsten Juul-Borre will perform.

For more information: http://www.tucsonmonastery.com/

Locofresh55

Oct 22, 2009, 4:10 AM

kaneui

Oct 22, 2009, 4:34 AM

The new entrance will be nice I think but they should try to expand the streets around the convention center....mainly Church avenue. There are too many cars lined up when you have an event like Disney on Ice or some concert. George lopez is coming to Tucson on Saturday and you know "la Raza" will all be there so it will be crazy.

If you look at the site plan for the proposed TCC expansion/Sheraton hotel on the Tucson project list, you'll see that there will be entrances/exits to the new 4-level, 1,160-space parking structure from both Cushing and Granada, which should alleviate the current surface parking congestion at the TCC and arena. (And eventually, a fair number of residents and UA students should be using the new streetcar to get there, which will have a stop right in front of the hotel.)

kaneui

Oct 22, 2009, 7:31 PM

New pocket parks are turning vacant dirt lots into recreational and green spaces for local neighborhoods:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/BarrioAnitapocketpark.jpg
Volunteers and crew work to beautify a small park near Barrio Anita.
(photo: Diana Rhoades)

Second pocket park adds green to vacant Barrio Anita lot
October 22, 2009
by Teya Vitu
http://www.downtowntucson.org/

Desert greenery planted in early October, by Barrio Anita residents brought visual relief to a bleak vacant lot at Main and Davis avenues. The 15 desert ironwood, velvet mesquite, desert willow and blue palo verde trees along with dozens of various cacti instantly created a pocket park at the entryway to the Barrio Anita Neighborhood.

It’s the second of four pocket parks in the works by City Councilwoman Regina Romero’s office. In July, a terraced rock garden with desert landscaping covered a vacant sliver at Silverbell Road and Congress Street. Two more pocket parks are in the works for Los Reales Road in the Elvira Neighborhood near Interstate 19 and Sixth Avenue. “Every neighborhood wants a park, bar none,” said Diana Rhoades, Romero’s aide. “We constantly get requests.” These four pocket park stem from the September 2008 Park(ing) Day event, where 92 downtown metered parking spaces were converted into car-length “parks.” Romero and Rhoades took over a parking space outside City Hall and followed through with Park(ing) Day’s mandate: to fill the need for more urban parks and open spaces.

Pocket parks are very small and typically have no facilities and are not maintained. This one in Barrio Anita was planted around the Bike Church that was erected in August with bicycle frames and wheels. This mini park contrasts with Oury Park a block away. “We need a change in the neighborhood,” said Sheila Rosovich, who lives across the street. “We’re looking forward to really making this a park area. Oury is a recreational park. This is more of a barrio park, a neighborhood park.”

All four pocket park properties are Tucson Department of Transportation rights-of-way. The trees were supplied by Tucson Clean & Beautiful’s Trees for Tucson program. The city will use $7,000 in federal Highway User Revenue Funds to water the vegetation for one year. “Then they are on their own,” Rhoades said. Nearby Dunbar/Spring resident Brad Lancaster, author of “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond,” took charge of the park’s landscape design. “I’ve always wanted to see this moonscape converted into something productive,” Lancaster said.

oliveurban

Oct 23, 2009, 9:15 AM

http://wildcat.arizona.edu/polopoly_fs/1.796383!image/3465612935.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_240/3465612935.jpg
(Lisa Beth Earle/ Arizona Daily Wildcat)

Architecture college proposes downtown UA campus
By Yael Schusterman
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 22, 2009
http://wildcat.arizona.edu/news/architecture-college-proposes-downtown-ua-campus-1.796265

Members of the Tucson community, in partnership with the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, have drafted a proposal describing the creation of a downtown UA campus.

The proposal is very preliminary and does not constitute any official action, officials said, but the aim would be to build a so-called “communiversity” between the UA and downtown.

The proposal was released by Janice Cervelli, the dean of the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and documented a “collection of interested parties looking to create more of a presence for the university downtown,” she said.

A major component of the planning process is trying to get an understanding of what the educational needs of downtown are and matching those needs to those of the UA, she said.

Cervelli cited her own college as an example, saying it would be beneficial to relocate downtown because of the college’s expertise in urban design, which could help in the re-development efforts of downtown Tucson.

The proposal describes the downtown campus as a “center for learning” that would integrate support from the city, the county and the university to “more fully engage the knowledge economy.”

Although officials said many sites are being considered, the proposal calls special attention to the historic Roy Place building at 44-60 W. Stone Ave., near Pennington Street. According to the proposal, Pima County — the building’s owner and landlord — is offering several floors of the building for the university’s use.

Financial challenges in this year’s unstable budget climate will influence the project’s speed and development, she said.

ASU’s downtown Phoenix campus has become a good example to learn from, Cervelli noted. Debra Friedman, dean of the College of Public Programs at ASU, said that developing the downtown Phoenix campus took about three years.
In order to establish the Phoenix campus, the city agreed to bring a bond before the voters of the city to see whether or not they wanted to invest in it, she explained.

Phoenix voters proposed to issue a bond in March 2005 for $233 million — the largest investment in the city, Friedman said.

“Downtown Tucson is in need of some vitalization — which applied to Phoenix as well — so the city was interested in establishing a downtown Phoenix campus as part of the revitalization,” she said.

After the bond passed, ASU colleges moved to the downtown campus and 3,500 students were present on opening day. Now, there are about 7,000 students and it has become the “campus of choice,” she said.

Dean of the UA Outreach College Mike Proctor said he has attended a series of discussions about the proposal led by Cervelli.

“My sense is that people want to explore what the possibilities are and learn more about what that involves — that is where the stage is at,” Proctor said.

Cervelli said that no deadline has been set for finalizing the proposal, but by the end of this academic year, planners should have a better idea of what the possibilities are.

oliveurban

Oct 23, 2009, 9:17 AM

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/BarrioAnitapocketpark.jpg
Volunteers and crew work to beautify a small park near Barrio Anita.
(photo: Diana Rhoades)

Second pocket park adds green to vacant Barrio Anita lot
October 22, 2009
by Teya Vitu
http://www.downtowntucson.org/

Desert greenery planted in early October, by Barrio Anita residents brought visual relief to a bleak vacant lot at Main and Davis avenues. The 15 desert ironwood, velvet mesquite, desert willow and blue palo verde trees along with dozens of various cacti instantly created a pocket park at the entryway to the Barrio Anita Neighborhood.

It’s the second of four pocket parks in the works by City Councilwoman Regina Romero’s office. In July, a terraced rock garden with desert landscaping covered a vacant sliver at Silverbell Road and Congress Street. Two more pocket parks are in the works for Los Reales Road in the Elvira Neighborhood near Interstate 19 and Sixth Avenue. “Every neighborhood wants a park, bar none,” said Diana Rhoades, Romero’s aide. “We constantly get requests.” These four pocket park stem from the September 2008 Park(ing) Day event, where 92 downtown metered parking spaces were converted into car-length “parks.” Romero and Rhoades took over a parking space outside City Hall and followed through with Park(ing) Day’s mandate: to fill the need for more urban parks and open spaces.

Pocket parks are very small and typically have no facilities and are not maintained. This one in Barrio Anita was planted around the Bike Church that was erected in August with bicycle frames and wheels. This mini park contrasts with Oury Park a block away. “We need a change in the neighborhood,” said Sheila Rosovich, who lives across the street. “We’re looking forward to really making this a park area. Oury is a recreational park. This is more of a barrio park, a neighborhood park.”

All four pocket park properties are Tucson Department of Transportation rights-of-way. The trees were supplied by Tucson Clean & Beautiful’s Trees for Tucson program. The city will use $7,000 in federal Highway User Revenue Funds to water the vegetation for one year. “Then they are on their own,” Rhoades said. Nearby Dunbar/Spring resident Brad Lancaster, author of “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond,” took charge of the park’s landscape design. “I’ve always wanted to see this moonscape converted into something productive,” Lancaster said.

Would love to see more of this in Phoenix.

kaneui

Oct 24, 2009, 1:34 AM

With 2009 arrivals down 17% from last year and projected to decline further in 2010, TIA traffic isn't expected to return to 2008 levels for at least another six years:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/TIAControlTower-twomets.jpg
TIA's iconic 1958 Control Tower, expected to be replaced
in the next few years.
(photo: twomets)

Tucson's airport looks to slower, steady growth
By David Hatfield
Inside Tucson Business
October 23, 2009

Airline passenger totals at Tucson International Airport are down nearly 17 percent this year giving businesses and economic development people reason to ask: Can it get much worse? Yes, according to a new forecast from the Boyd Group, an industry consulting firm based in Evergreen, Colo. It’s another one of those cases where it will get worse before it gets better. But the drop won’t be nearly as precipitous; less than 2 percent. The Boyd Group’s forecast is that the number of enplaned (departing) passengers at the airport this year will total about 1.75 million, then drop to about 1.73 million next year before it starts to rebound. Those numbers are even smaller than the 1.76 million enplaned passengers the airport saw in 2002 and 2003 in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Boyd’s forecast doesn’t see Tucson getting back 2008 levels — when there were 2.1 million enplaned passengers — until at least 2015.

It’s not a unique situation to Tucson, Boyd insists. Further, there’s not a lot Tucson can do about it he says. “It’s not about the local economy or people in Tucson wearing out the carpet at the airport waiting for planes,” he said. “It’s about access to Tucson from the rest of the world and what strategies airlines are going to use to react to the economy and their own situations.” Boyd says that a person coming from, say, Albany, N.Y., or most any other place in the world can get to Tucson today just as they’ve been able to to do in the past. And most likely they still can choose from as many or more options as ever before.

The man whose job it is to attract and keep air service at Tucson International says Boyd may be right. Alex Kovach, director of air service development for the Tucson Airport Authority, says Tucson was spoiled by a “growth spurt” from 2007 to 2008. “There was a period there where we were one of the 10 fastest growing airports in the country,” Kovach said. Through a combination of negative economic issues that weren’t unique to Tucson, that came to a halt in 2008 when three airlines — JetBlue, ExpressJet and Aeroméxico — ended all service and five other non-stop destinations were dropped by the eight airlines still operating at the airport. “The economy took its toll on every airport,” Kovach said. Tucson has now returned to a slower growth path, he said. Don’t expect a quick return of longer distance non-stop flights to places such as the New York area, Washington, D.C., or Charlotte, N.C., Kovach says. The economics don’t pencil out considering fuel costs and keeping a plane tied up for the longer amount of time it takes to fly those greater distances. Instead, he said, the airport will remain focused on maintaining and improving service where demand has shown it can be supported.

Kovach also says all was not lost as a result of the airlines cuts. “We created awareness for a lot of customers who see this as an easy airport to use,” he said. That is borne out by passengers who are filling planes to and from like they never have before and that plays an important role as airlines consider their route plans. Both Boyd and Kovach say that Tucson could be in line for more rapid growth in airline service if the recovery from the recession picks up steam faster than economists’ are forecasting. And Kovach doesn’t rule out that there might be some service that could be added. “I can still make the case for new service to certain places,” he said.

Airport brochures online
The Tucson Airport Authority has put its two latest brochures online. One highlights the cost advantages and other reasons to fly from Tucson International Airport and the other is an eight-page history of how air flight has affected Tucson, the airport authority and the development of both Tucson International Airport and Ryan Airfield.

Both brochures can be downloaded from the authority’s website — www.tucsonairport.org — click on “current news” then “brochures.”

Continental’s new alliance
A significant change for international business travelers takes effect Tuesday (Oct. 27) when Continental Airlines officially joins the Star Alliance whose partner airlines include United, US Airways, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Lufthansa, Scandinavian, Singapore and Thai Airways. Up until Oct. 24, Continental had been part of SkyTeam that included Delta, Northwest and others. The new alliance means the possibility that Tucsonans could connect to more flights across the Pacific using United and Continental through Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu.

kaneui

Oct 24, 2009, 2:42 AM

The completion of Oro Valley's new Sanofi-aventis Research Center is a boost for Tucson's quest to become a major biotech hub:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/sanofi-aventiscenterOV.jpg
Oro Valley is home to Sanofi-aventis' new $61 million facility, where scientists search
for new pharmaceuticals.
(photo: Randy Metcalf)

New research center in OV
Sanofi-aventis gets to work in $61M facility

By Dave Perry
The Explorer
October-21-2009

Sanofi-aventis, the international pharmaceutical giant with 15,000 employees in the United States, is settling into its new Tucson Research Center, a gleaming structure in Oro Valley's Innovation Park that is an investment of more than $60 million. It also represents an investment in science, company officials say. "Our scientists are creative, productive, passionate people," said site director Beth Koch. "The company wanted to give them the ability to grow. At the previous site (on Hanley Boulevard), there was no more growth. The scientists really got us here. They're so creative, so productive."

"I kept telling the scientists here that money's tough to get for any capital projects," said John Cocco, senior project engineering manager from the Sanofi-aventis office in Bridgewater, N.J. For Sanofi-aventis to "spend money here, in Tucson, the company saw something, and in my mind, they saw the scientists." Those scientists perform experiments with compounds and biological substances to identify interactions, and search for "leads" that could result in new pharmaceutical products. Many of the scientists in Oro Valley have been with the company for years, and they come from all over the world.

At Hanley Boulevard, Sanofi-aventis was "running out of space" in more than one building. Koch looked to lease more space, and nothing was the right location or fit. Senior Sanofi-aventis leaders visited, recognized the value of the Tucson scientific activity, and gave the go-ahead to build a research center. The search began for land. Sanofi-Aventis bought the Innovation Park parcel, 11.54 acres with 9.5 buildable acres, in June 2007. "It was perfect," Koch said. It helped, she said, "that the technical park is named Innovation Park," with the promise of more biotechnology, and with Ventana Medical Systems as a neighbor. Formal approval to construct soon followed. Engineers and designers began to create a facility with the "needs of the scientists and associates" in mind, Koch said. "What came first was sitting down with the scientists and saying 'what do you want?' What's essential for their work? We couldn't do everything, we had to prioritize. But we met almost all of their needs."

At Hanley Boulevard, Sanofi-aventis operated a "research building," Koch said. On Innovation Park Drive, "we've built a research center." "I've never seen a scientific group be as much a part of the project," Cocco said. "They've been committed, involved, they've been fun." Labs are equipped the way scientists want them. Chemistry laboratories, instrument rooms, chemical storage, shipping and receiving are on the first floor, with biology laboratories, biology automation and analytics on the second floor. People meet in the center "to encourage interaction, for people to sit and talk about science," Koch said. "Interacting is what makes the difference here." The compound collection (see page 5) spans both floors, and there is a chemical "dumb waiter" moving chemicals from one floor to the next. Mechanical systems and the data center are in the basement. Cocco praises architects and engineers from Kling Stubbins, experienced in creating laboratories. "They had a lot of suggestions," he said. "It's almost like two separate buildings," with 30,000 square feet of office space on one wing, 80,000 feet of laboratory space on the other, Cocco said.

"A key on the design and construction was safety," Koch said. Sanofi-aventis used a "red dot" schedule, with meetings about specific tasks, and walk-throughs before "whatever the hazardous construction task was going to be." Sanofi-Aventis is "a leader in that whole area of safety awareness," Cocco said. "Our proudest achievement is we had no serious accidents on this project. It was on time and on budget. He was grateful for the support of town officials. "They didn't cut us any slack," he said. "The town had our best interests at heart. They had inspectors here every day. If it didn't look right, they came right to us."

Moving the Sanofi-aventis scientific laboratory from its Hanley Boulevard location to Innovation Park was no simple task. It was "a three- to four-week process for everything to get in here," Koch said. Yet, at its finish, scientists and employees packed up personal items on a Friday at the former location, and opened boxes that Monday in new quarters. Koch said moving contractors did an "excellent job," with great attention to the details of safety and environmental effect.

Sanofi-aventis Research Center

2090 E. Innovation Park Drive, Oro Valley

110,350 square feet

Total project cost, to include land, engineering, architecture and design -- $61 million.

Building construction – approximately $40 million.

Public art investment – approximately $400,000.

kaneui

Oct 26, 2009, 2:56 AM

As elsewhere, the economic downturn will favor infill development in Tucson, as plunging home prices have curtailed most low-end home building on the metro's periphery:

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Constuction on a 160-acre parcel is being developed for new homes near Soldier
Trail and Tanque Verde. With a lot of land available and low home prices, many
land parcels have become worthless, with a few exceptions like the foothills.
(photo: David Sanders)

In downturn, raw land for homes now dead weight
Even developed lots, homes on city edge form 'ring of death'

By Josh Brodesky
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
10.25.2009

These are hard times for land in Tucson. Land values soared in the boom when analysts projected growth across the valley, with the metro area stretching southeast to Benson and north across the Pinal County line. But the growth slowed and sputtered, and values plummeted in the bust. While land certainly has an intrinsic value — after all, no one is making any more of it, as the old saying goes — in today's market undeveloped land is often considered worthless, even carrying a negative value to develop because of the costs of adding infrastructure and maintaining the property. "The market is not there for development at this point. You have a situation where you can buy developed property for less than it costs to develop," said John McIlwain, a senior resident fellow with the Urban Land Institute. "It's a reflection of the extremely depressed property prices we have around the country."

In the most basic sense, the issue is one of supply and demand. There are thousands of lots across the valley ready for homes, but few people are buying. Some are finished lots at the far edges of town where growth was once projected but now won't reach for years; others are part of a massive backlog of undeveloped lots — roughly 23,000 — that have been platted for housing. At some point, demand will pick up and the values of these lots will begin to improve, but a number of analysts don't expect that to happen until 2012. The fallout is what Will White of the Land Advisors Organization says will be a "total reorganization of land ownership" across the valley as projects downsize and change, timelines are extended and some developers walk away from properties. "We thought we knew in 2005 every piece of land and how it was going to be planned and developed, and who was going to be doing that," White said. "It's only taken four years for that to change."

"The ring of death"
In builder parlance, the drive-to-qualify ring is the invisible circle around a city where homes become affordable for the starter buyer. These are the cookie-cutter and tract homes found at the edges of town, and between 2004 and 2006 when the median new home price for Pima County skyrocketed from $175,059 to $255,074, that circle was expanding fast and furious. Land couldn't be bought fast enough, and projects became big — very, very big. "Our permits were at all-time highs and with that came the need for bigger projects," White said. "What we saw before, the home prices were rising so high, so it made sense to keep going out a little bit farther and farther and farther because the homes became more affordable." But as foreclosures have flooded the market, and unemployment has followed, the median price of a new home has plummeted, hitting $185,000 last month, numbers from local housing analyst John L. Strobeck show. All of that downward pressure has pushed the drive-to-qualify ring back toward the city center, reflecting greater affordability. Why drive to Pinal County if you can now afford a home on the northwest side? "The focus is back in the metro area," White said. "And also maybe smaller projects that everyone can get their arms around a little more."

This shift has turned the old drive-to-qualify ring into what developer Jim Campbell calls "the ring of death" where building has ostensibly stopped and plenty of finished lots (and unfinished projects) remain. This ring includes places like Star Valley on the southwest side and Gladden Farms in Marana. Not surprisingly, foreclosure rates are higher in the outskirts, too. In Marana, one of every 74 homes received some kind of foreclosure filing as of September, numbers from the foreclosure tracking service RealtyTrac show. In Vail, the number was one of 54 homes; and in Sahuarita, it was one of 56 homes. But in the city of Tucson, RealtyTrac shows a foreclosure rate in September of one of every 340 homes, with the rate getting worse toward the city's southern edges.

To Campbell, the biggest fallout of this "ring of death" is that it colors the entire market. There are areas like the northeast side and certain infill projects where land supply is quite limited and values have remained relatively strong, he said. But the thousands of vacant lots out there simply overshadow those niches, making it impossible to get financing for a quality piece of land. "It doesn't matter if there are a thousand lots in Star Valley. That doesn't impact northeast Tucson. If you are talking about finished lots or platted lots in the middle of the city, they are definitely worth more than lots in northern Marana," Campbell said of niche markets. But even in those stronger locations, there is just no financing available. "You can't find money for raw land. And you also can't find money to finish the platted lots which are out there," Campbell said. "What they (the banks) are assuming is there are plenty of finished lots even though most of them, if not all of them, are way out there in the ring of death."

The long road back
A few projects and deals are moving forward in Tucson, but these are mostly smaller projects serving niche markets or land deals that came at good prices and were bought with cash or hard money loans — and these projects still come with plenty of risk. Campbell has two small infill projects on the east side, for example. Developer Chris Kemmerly of Miramonte Homes recently purchased 112 lots at Dove Mountain on the far northwest side for $4.76 million. Developer Michael Carlier is moving dirt on Rancho Soldados, a gated community on the far northeast side with lots starting at $259,000. The high-end home market has been soft, but Carlier said he can go forward in this market because he is serving a specific niche. "There has not been a gated community built (in the area) in years," he said. So far, he's had about a half-dozen lot reservations, a fairly strong start.

But he also has a lengthy timeline on the project: four years to build out. And that's how long it may take for things to rebound. Going forward, no one is sure how foreclosures and unemployment will continue to affect the slump. About the only sure thing out there is that no one is making any new land. "The bottom line is, there is a limited amount of land, and there is a limited amount of good land," said developer Don Diamond, no stranger to economic cycles. "It will come back, and it will be worth good money. Everything is fine," he said. "It's my fifth business cycle since 1962. . . . It's going to be coming back slower. Nothing is going to happen in the next two or three years. But slowly, but surely, the good stuff is being absorbed."

From boom to bust
The slowdown in building permits says it all about new-home construction.

Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009*

Permits 6,887 7,493 8,511 9,560 11,762 8,578 5,044 3,108 1,800 - 2000*

* Projected numbers for the year.

SOURCE: The Southern Arizona Housing Market Letter, John L. Strobeck

kaneui

Oct 26, 2009, 3:33 AM

With supercenters half their usual size, Wal-Mart is planning to expand local market share with a number of new stores, including one possibly at El Con Mall:

By going smaller, Wal-Mart avoids city's big-box law
By Josh Brodesky
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
10.25.2009

The Walmarts are coming. Expect to see more and more Walmarts in town as the discount retailer makes a push into the Tucson market with a smaller store that will slide right underneath the city's big-box ordinance. First on the list is a 91,000-square-foot store at the southeast corner of Golf Links and Houghton. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is in negotiations with developer David Williamson about the site and will soon submit a development plan to the city. The store would be about half the size of one of the company's traditional supercenters — those massive mega-stores where you can buy clothes, groceries, tech gadgets, change your tires and get lost all in one place. "The site at Golf Links and Houghton is a location that we are interested in," said Delia Garcia, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman. "It's a grocery store. General merchandise and grocery to provide that value and convenience to our Tucson customers."

Garcia danced around calling the store a "supercenter," saying it technically is because it will have groceries and general merchandise, but it's also much smaller than other such stores. So instead, she described the project as "more of a really localized neighborhood kind of shopping experience." OK. All I can picture is asphalt. You can bet other similar-sized stores are in the works, too. Valencia and Alvernon and El Con Mall are two contenders for smaller Walmarts that would glide underneath the big-box ordinance and its rules for stores 100,000 square feet or larger. Garcia acknowledged the interest in both sites, but couldn't say anything further. "At Alvernon as you mentioned, there is an opportunity there, potentially," she said. "There is a lot of speculation about El Con. We would be interested in serving that community."

On a local level, Wal-Mart needs the locations. Its store at Speedway and Kolb, which preceded the 1999 big-box ordinance, is extremely busy and stressed. There are plenty of Walmart customers who either fight through traffic to get to that location or turn around and head to Benson — yes, Benson — to buy their stuff. "We know that customers from the southeast area are traveling to Benson and Green Valley and some are even going all the way over to Marana," Garcia said. But this expansion push also comes at a time when Wal-Mart is rolling out smaller "neighborhood market" grocery stores. Squeezed out of metro markets with big-box ordinances and looking to reshape its brand, Wal-Mart has turned to the smaller store as a way to gain market share, recent news reports have said.

"Wal-Mart does have a PR problem. Internal studies show 8 to 10 percent of Americans won't shop there for political reasons," said Nelson Lichtenstein, a history professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who has written several books on the giant retailer. "Wal-Mart has been stymied in the last five years. It has not moved (substantially) into coastal California, Boston, New York or Chicago." As a side note, Lichtenstein's recent (and critical) book, "The Retail Revolution: How Wal-Mart created a Brave New World of Business," is a must-read for those interested in Wal-Mart's evolution from a discount shop in northwestern Arkansas to the world's largest retailer.

Lichtenstein said he's often wondered why Wal-Mart hadn't pursued the smaller-store concept simply as a way to get into certain metro markets. "Wal-Mart has never figured out the smaller store," he said. Well, here we are: downsized supercenters. "I know it would certainly generate a lot of potential interest in the area from potential customers, and the city would benefit from potential taxes from the site," City Councilwoman Shirley Scott said of the prospect of this new, smaller Walmart in her ward. The smaller stores are coming. We'll see if much opposition to the politically charged retailer follows.

DID YOU KNOW
Tucson's big-box ordinance dates back to 1999 when Wal-Mart was considering a supercenter at Midtown's El Con Mall. Neighborhood activists fought the plan back, leading to the City Council's passage of the law. The ordinance says supercenters of 100,000 square feet or more must restrict grocery sections to 10 percent of the floor's space. It also requires additional public hearings, lengthens the planning process and gives the council the final say on the proposed stores.

kaneui

Oct 26, 2009, 8:08 PM

A large percentage of new commercial projects built today seek some level of LEED certification, which addresses various aspects of sustainability and conservation:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/Sanofi-aventislandscaping.jpg
One hundred-year-old wood was used within the bench,
which makes up a portion of the public art at Sanofi-aventis in Oro Valley.

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The rarely seen eastern side of Sanofi-aventis reflects the Pusch Ridge
portion of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
(photos: Randy Metcalf)

Energetically, Sanofi-aventis goes for gold
New research center already a 'silver' building, according to green standards

By Dave Perry
The Explorer
October-21-2009

The new Sanofi-aventis Research Center in Oro Valley has enough points to be certified at the "silver" level for Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design by the U.S. Green Building Council. Sanofi-aventis wants to go for the gold. "The company's very committed to sustainability," said John Cocco, senior engineering project manager for Sanofi-aventis. "It goes with our core philosophy;" namely, to be environmentally sensitive, and not negatively "impact the next generation." Cocco points out that, of all buildings in the U.S. that are LEED certified, 2 percent are laboratories. Sanofi-aventis has two of those laboratories. "A laboratory is a very difficult achievement," Cocco said, because of the demands posed by air handling and other challenges in an environment where scientific experimentation is taking place. And, Cocco said, "LEED drives you to energy efficiency." That means a company has to "commit dollars." In the long term, such investment saves money on energy. "Our design will save 21-1/2 percent energy over a similar building, a conventional laboratory building," Cocco said.

The Sanofi-aventis Research Center is designed to recover energy from air before it is exhausted, helping to cool or heat the building. It has highly efficient chillers and boilers, a solar hot water system that preheats hot water, and a building "envelope" with good sunlight capture, moisture seal and reflection values to minimize energy consumption. Urinals are water-less. Faucets are motion-activated. A storage tank collects condensate from air handlers for re-use. There are trench drains at each end of both the chemistry and biology laboratories so that, should the sprinkler system be activated, water would be captured in a concrete vault for testing before it is discharged from the site. The landscape plantings are adapted to the desert.

Because Sanofi-aventis is an international company, 'we were able to draw on our colleagues in France" and elsewhere for ideas on building design and efficiency, Cocco said. As an example, the building is cooled through "chilled beam" technology, with cold water running through ceiling beams and settling into rooms, rather than cold air being blown through ducts. It is "a very energy-efficient way of cooling," Cocco said. With conventional cooling, a building the size of the Sanofi-Aventis center would require movement of 33,000 cubic feet per minute of cooled air. With chilled beams, the need is 13,000 cubic feet per minute. "I was a little gun-shy at first," Cocco said. "I'd never done one. In Europe they use it all the time. This works beautifully. It reduces energy consumption tremendously, and there are fewer drafts than with traditional air conditioning. I will do this in every building I do."

Chilled beams were a new experience as well for Brett Helm, the project executive for DPR Construction Inc., which built the facility. "It's just like an old radiator," except that it's cooling rather than heating, Helm said. "You don't have fans pushing air. With the amount of energy you save, the return on investment is fairly quick." Chilled beams are up high in the building, and cool air falls. "Architect KlingStubbins of Philadelphia is "excellent" with LEED certification, Cocco said. "They did a good job on designing this exterior. All that plays into LEED." The environment was a consideration throughout the construction process. DPR Construction "agreed they would help keep track of waste," Cocco continued. "They found somebody who could recycle cut, used pieces of drywall." Nearly 800 tons of material was recycled from the construction site.

kaneui

Oct 27, 2009, 5:32 AM

A new 7,000 sq.ft. sports bar with both American and Asian food, slated to open downtown at 5th Ave. and Congress St. in the fall of 2010, will require the eviction of several existing tenants according to building owner Scott Stiteler:

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Kwang C. An announces plans for his
new Downtown restaurant, An Congress,
at a press conference Monday.

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An Congress is expected to take up several storefronts
along Congress between Fifth and Arizona Avenues.
(photos: Downtown Tucsonan)

Former Sakura owner An to open Downtown eatery
October 26, 2009
by Teya Vitu
http://www.downtowntucson.org/

The owner of the Great Wall of China restaurant and former owner of a pair of Sakura restaurants will now put his energies Downtown. Kwang C. An announced Monday that he plans to build An Congress at the southwest corner of Congress Street and Fifth Avenue. He hopes to start construction in March and feed the sports crowd in September or October 2010. “Tucson is my hometown,” said An, a 35-year resident. “I like to help Downtown to grow.”

An said his establishment – that he describes as “kind of a sports bar” – will have 6,500-7,000 square feet. It will feature sports television, a bar, American food and Asian food. The restaurant also will have rooftop seating. The restaurant will be designed by Miguel Fuentevilla of FORS Architecture+Interiors. Fuentevilla designed An’s Sakura West restaurant on Oracle Road, 14 Sam Fox restaurants and North restaurant at La Encantada. An Congress will bring 125 new jobs to Downtown, An said.

An said he does not yet know how many storefronts he will occupy west of and including Tooley’s Café, 278 E. Congress St. These include Works, Central Arts Gallery, Preen, Rocket Gallery and Metropolis: The Salon on Congress. The properties are all owned by Scott Stiteler, who also owns the One North Fifth Apartments across Congress and has half ownership in the Rialto Block across Fifth Street. An Congress was originally slated for the Rialto Block, but the restaurant was moved across Fifth Street.

Preen owner Emilie Marchand said nobody has told her An Congress may include her storefront. The Preen boutique has weathered Fourth Avenue Underpass closures nearly the full two years the store has been open. “I don’t like the idea of getting kicked out of my space at all,” Marchand said. “To get kicked out would be disappointing.” Stiteler said the plan had been to notify all the tenants Monday morning of the An Congress announcement, but he said apparently not all were told ahead of time. Stiteler said he would assist in relocating tenants. “I do wish each person was notified,” Stiteler said “I’m going to work with all these people. Even though the leases are month to month, we won’t move anybody out for six months.”

kaneui

Oct 29, 2009, 4:29 AM

Enterprising students are employing more Pedi-cabs to transport pedestrians between UA campus, 4th Avenue and downtown:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/Pedi-cab4thAve.jpg
(photo: David Olsen)

Pedi-Cabs are Pretty Cool
By Jim Lipson
Zocalo Tucson magazine
October 2, 2009

Take a stroll down Fourth Avenue on a weekend night and you'll have a hard time believing we're in any kind of economic slump. The bars are overflowing, many merchants are open late, and there is a constant flow of people walking back and forth through the new underpass, going in and out of a bustling downtown. One relatively new wrinkle to this scene is reflected through the advent of the Pedi-Cab, that funky rickshaw type of contraption attached to the back of a bicycle.

Pedi-cabs have been a fixture in downtown Phoenix for many years and so it's no surprise a couple of enterprising Phoenix based companies are trying to establish a foothold here in Tucson. However, they have been met by a number of fiercely independent owner/operators, many of whom consider the avenue their turf. Wesley is one such character. "I'm top dog around here. I've been doing this for almost two years and I've got the best stereo," he exclaims as his iPod blasts techno-funk from a couple of invisible Bose speakers. A machine shop mechanic who works part-time for the Ordinary Bike Shop, Wesley, like all of the Pedi-cabs, works strictly for tips. "I can still make as much money on a Saturday night as any good bartender. But it's hard work, especially when you're pedaling uphill or going against the wind."

As we go for a ride down University towards Fourth Avenue it's clear the Pedi-cab has a novel appeal, attracting hoots and hollers, especially from those who appear to have been drinking. "Yeah, they think it's cute and everyone wants a free ride. I'll do that later at night for people who are working. They deserve a break." On this Saturday night Wesley has made several runs to and from Arizona Stadium where the UA football team has just dispensed with NAU. "It's completely different on football nights when there is a lot of money to be made." However, there are no guarantees. And there have been times, Wesley said, when he's taken passengers as far as the Doubletree Hotel or to A-Mountain.

Uri is a completely different cabbie with a completely different experience. This same night is his first. He is not an owner/operator but is renting his rig from one of those Phoenix companies. "I saw an ad on Craig's List. It costs me $25 to rent the bike and I've already had about 20 fares." Uri doesn't have a stereo but he has been passing out free energy drinks kept in a cooler underneath the carriage. Like big city cabbies or bartenders he has also experienced the therapeutic role people of his ilk are sometimes thrust into. "I rode by this one girl who was just sobbing. I came back and offered her a ride. Turns out she had just been dumped by her boyfriend. I think I helped her to feel a little better."

Like Uri, Michael is also a full-time student. Studying to be a substance abuse counselor, he is quite comfortable in his role of pseudo street counselor. "Talking to people who are distressed or frustrated, that comes with the territory." He is also unabashed about taking a safety first approach. "I've been asked to do things like race or break traffic laws and I'll just turn down the fare. I take this responsibility seriously." While it's not quite like riding in a horse drawn carriage through New York's Central Park, there is a novelty to this experience that cannot be denied. As long as the entrepreneurial spirit continues to thrive within the university community, we can only expect the Pedi-cab phenomenon to grow.

kaneui

Oct 29, 2009, 10:10 PM

Over the next few months, Luke Cusack will be opening A Steak in the Neighborhood, Gino's Giant Slice pizza, and an upscale nightclub called Sapphire, adding to the growing list of new businesses downtown:

Get a preview of Steak in the Neighborhood tomorrow
October 29, 2009
by Teya Vitu
http://www.downtowntucson.org/

A Steak in the Neighborhood restaurant, 135 E. Congress St., plans to open for one day Oct. 30 in conjunction with celebrations that day next door for the new façade at the Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St. Owner Luke Cusack said Steak will just have hors d’oeuvres and cocktails that day, and then open for real in mid-November. “Anything with filet mignon” and “world cuisine” is how he describes what Steak in the Neighborhood will serve. That could be Thai food, beef stroganoff, Mexican or a cheese steak. “This will be high-quality food you can get out of the door quickly,” Cusack said. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 5 or 6 p.m. to 1 or 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

One the other side of the Screening Room, Cusack has his corporate offices upstairs for Congress Street Clubs LLC, and downstairs he intends to open a Gino’s Giant Slice pizza joint, 125 E. Congress St., in about four months. Next door to Gino’s, Cusack on July 23 opened Zen Rock, 111-121 E. Congress St., which features rock mash-up and contemporary dance. He said Zen Rock is doing “fantastic,” and Mia Schnaible, marketing director at the Screening Room, agrees. “All my kids say that’s the place to go on Thursdays,” Schnaible said about Screening Room staff. Zen Rock is slated for city subsidized façade renovations in the same program that Screening Room is using. The city funds up to half the façade work.

The look of that stretch of Congress between Sixth and Scott avenues is getting redefined almost overnight with Cusack’s three properties sandwiched with the Screening Room. “It’s like a light switch,” Schnaible said of the drastic changes quickly coming to the 100 block of Congress. West of Scott, at 61 E. Congress, Cusack expects to open the Sapphire nightclub in later November. He only manages Sapphire, which he describes as “more of a chill environment, much more upscale than Zen Rock.”

Cusack, chief executive at Congress Street Clubs, is in partnership with brothers Mike and Todd Johnson for the four Downtown projects. Separately, Cusack made his name in Tucson the past 12 years with Pearl (formerly The Keys) nightclub on Wetmore Road. Cusack said Downtown is worth the chance. He believes creating a critical mass with four establishments is important to achieve success. “Business is all about risks,” he said. “The (Downtown) rents are extremely low right now. You’re looking at 25 percent of the rest of town. Those that are going to be successful five years from now are starting now. I’ll either be doing decently or sitting on a street corner.”

BrandonJXN

Oct 30, 2009, 6:19 PM

Now we need more places to live in downtown. Someone needs to make it happen.

kaneui

Oct 30, 2009, 7:16 PM

Now we need more places to live in downtown. Someone needs to make it happen.

The luxury condo proposals are obviously a bust, but the best bet for the near future is affordable housing on the east end of downtown:

1. The Flats at Julian Drew, a low-end condo conversion of 53 units at Broadway and 5th;

2. A 5-story apartment building at Depot Plaza, once the MLK apts. are finished;

3. Plaza Centro just east of the Rialto will have three apartment/condo buildings with 150+ units.

West of I-10 will be Monier Brickyard - 3 stories with 62 condos/lofts above retail (and more units planned at the Convento District across the street). The defunct 44 Broadway condo project will be sold at auction in November, and hopefully will be built out as residential. Of course, the big challenge now is financing, which is very tight and in short supply.

kaneui

Oct 31, 2009, 1:48 AM

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Solar City workers install a panel onto the ground-mounted
system at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
(photo: Actus Lend Lease)

Davis-Monthan AFB to have nation's largest solar-powered community
By Joe Pangburn
Inside Tucson Business
October 30, 2009

What’s being called the nation’s largest solar-powered community is being developed on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Developer Actus Lend Lease, SolarCity, Tucson Electric Power, National Bank of Arizona and US Bancorp Community Development Corporation are combining to install the solar power system in the Soaring Heights Community on the base. The system is expected to produce more than 10 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually—sufficient to provide an estimated 75 percent of the residents’ energy use next year—and could eventually offset 100 percent of Soaring Heights Communities’ electricity use. The installation will include 6 megawatts of solar capacity in a combination of a ground-mounted photovoltaic system and rooftop solar systems that will be installed on about 900 residences.

National Bank of Arizona will own the 45,000-panel ground-mounted system, which will account for more than 3.3 megawatts of solar capacity. The balance of the system will consist of 36,000 panels in the rooftop arrays. The rooftop systems are being financed within an existing SolarCity fund, which was financed by US Bancorp Community Development Corporation earlier this year. The solar systems are being designed and installed by SolarCity and interconnected by TEP. The entire project represents an estimated increase of more than 15 percent over Arizona’s current grid-tied solar capacity. Collectively, the installation should offset more than 570 million pounds of carbon dioxide over its lifetime, which is the equivalent of taking 50,000 cars off the road for a year. “We are very excited about the Soaring Heights Communities project because it allows us to leverage our background and expertise in renewable energy initiatives as they relate to community development,” said Dale Connor, managing director for Actus Lend Lease. “We look forward to working closely with our partners and the Department of Defense to set a standard for sustainable living here in Arizona and throughout the country.”

SolarCity began installing 1,000 photovoltaic modules earlier this month on previously vacant land near the Soaring Heights Communities. Homes in the community have been selected for solar installations based on their specific location and suitability for solar panels. Most of the homes selected for solar system installations are new dwellings built to the energy efficiency standards of TEP’s Guarantee Home Program, though some are existing homes.

SolarCity, which is headquartered in Foster City, Calif., is outfitting the solar power systems with monitors to measure solar electricity production and the performance of the ground-mounted arrays against the rooftop arrays. The monitors are designed to ensure the system performs as predicted and help track how such arrays might interact with development of the smart grid. “Soaring Heights Communities is truly a solar city, and our largest installation to date,” said Lyndon Rive, CEO of SolarCity. “We expect this project to be a springboard for additional clean power development in Arizona, one of the best locations for solar in the world.”

Locofresh55

Oct 31, 2009, 4:39 AM

The solar panels just popped up out of nowhere too. About a month ago, I was driving on Golf Links and I saw a bunch of cement pillars all about 3 feet high and was wondering what they were doing. About a couple of weeks later I saw them installing the first few panels and was instantly pleased. I am very happy they are doing this on the installation and the fact that these are going on 900 rooftops as well is nice to see. The houses aren't bad to look at either, definite upgrade to the old shacks they had before. I wonder what the folks at Civano have to say about Soaring Heights community being the springboard.

kaneui

Oct 31, 2009, 5:25 AM

Some downtown merchants fear that displacing their eclectic, one-of-a-kind shops for new businesses like the huge An sports bar could destroy downtown's unique character and vibe with otherwise bland, generic offerings:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/Congress5thAve.jpg
(photo: David Olsen)

A Cultural Whitewash on Congress Street?
By Jamie Manser
Zocalo Tucson magazine
October 29, 2009

(*Updated* Includes a conversation with Scott Stiteler. This is an opinion piece.)

I spent Wednesday afternoon (October 28) canvassing Congress Street between 5th and Arizona Avenues, talking to some of the merchants who are slated to be displaced come next spring to make way for a 7,000 square foot restaurant and bar. Businesses currently set to be gutted for the project include Tooley's Cafe, 276 Works Gallery, Central Arts Gallery, Preen, Rocket Gallery, Metropolis The Salon, Eric Firestone Gallery and Dinnerware ArtSpace, which was confirmed by building owner Scott Stiteler. Firestone is vacating anyway as he is opening his new downtown space at 403 N. 6th Ave. on Friday, November 6.

I spoke with Mr. Stiteler on Thursday afternoon (October 30) and he confirmed partnering with Great Wall of China restaurant owner Kwang C. An with Mr. An owning the restaurant and Mr. Stiteler helping out with some financial commitments. On Monday, October 26, the news was announced in an afternoon press conference outside of Tooley's Cafe, 278 E. Congress St., and came as a shocking surprise to some businesses on the block. Emery Nicoletti of Metropolis and Emilie Marchand of Preen both told me that they were apprised of the situation by reporter Mark Stein of KOLD News 13. Talk about live, local and late breaking - and an extremely appalling way for these business owners to learn about the forthcoming end of their existence on downtown's main strip. Mr. Stiteler said, "We tried to get in touch with them - the 'we' being our property management company Peach Properties. We didn't expect the tenants to be shocked as it's been a fairly public process over the last 2-1/2 years. That said - I would have preferred to sit down with each of them so they didn't get surprised."

Personally, I find it really unfortunate that eight eclectic storefronts are being replaced by a giant bar and restaurant - which is totally going to change the face and vibe of that strip. I think that there is room for what Mr. An and Mr. Stiteler want to do, but how about doing it in downtown spaces that are currently unoccupied? Mr. Stiteler said Mr. An liked the location and the size of the space, and went on to say that there wasn't enough room at 1 N. 5th Ave. and the Rialto was too big. "I think it's good to have Mr. An downtown - as a successful restaurateur," Mr. Stiteler said. "He cares very much about this town and it's very impressive what he has done for the community over the years and has given a lot back to the community." Mr. Stiteler said that they will still work with the tenants over the next five to six months and make the transition as smooth as possible, and said that the businesses have been on short term leases with the exception of The District and Sharks on purpose. "We have been very open with regard to developing our properties. Janos (Wilder) also looked at the space last spring."

It's just sad that these unique locally-owned shops and galleries weathered the traffic closures of the 4th Avenue Underpass and I-10 for the last two years and clung to the hope that once the construction was completed, their businesses could get a stronger foothold in the market. It's bad enough that they poured in their money and time - racking up hours of priceless sweat equity - to get their spaces operative in a building that is close to a century old. It's bad enough that they hung in there, believing in the dream of downtown revitalization and working their tails off to make it happen and keep their places alive and finally seeing a return on their investments. And now the question is - for what? To give a block of Tucson's Congress Street a sense of place and artistic culture that is set to be wiped out in one fell swoop? Mr. Nicoletti said he recognizes the fact that business is business, but "it could have been done better. We opened up down here because we had faith and we were being told to be patient." "They have been dangling a carrot in front of us and I have chased it for 13 years," Nicoletti stated. "We're being rewarded with walking papers and a kick in the stomach. I feel like I've been sodomized by Bernie Madoff."

Mr. Stiteler said the month-to-month leases can go both ways. "I can get a call from a tenant saying they are vacating in a month and articles aren't going to be written about it." Though many of the merchants have short term leases, this past July, Preen owners Erin Bradley and Emilie Marchand insisted on signing a year lease with Peach Properties after restaurateur Janos Wilder was looking at the block this past April. When Ms. Bradley and Ms. Marchand were negotiating with Peach Properties for the lease, they were told they had nothing to worry about. "We wanted to have security here, after the whole Janos thing - which fell through," Marchand explained. Though Ms. Bradley and Ms. Marchand were told they had nothing to worry about, they followed through regardless and got their year lease, in an attempt try to solidify the aforementioned security of their locale at 272 E. Congress St.

Though that is the reality of Preen's situation, Councilwoman Nina Trasoff came into the shop on Monday and - according to Ms. Marchand - apologized for what was happening and said she had asked that all the tenants be notified before the press conference about their eminent evictions. Ms. Marchand also told me Councilwoman Trasoff said that "when you have a month-to-month lease, this is what happens." Though it is no surprise that Councilwoman Trasoff is ill-informed on the actual business happenings on the block, it is certainly offensive and annoying that she still chooses to speak with authority about what is going on. Mr. Nicoletti and Ms. Marchand also reported to me that Councilwoman Trasoff promised on Monday that there would be assistance provided to the businesses for relocations, but both Mr. Nicoletti and Ms. Marchand - understandably - have many questions about what that help may actually entail.

For Mr. Nicoletti, setting up a new hair salon requires serious and specific electrical and other infrastructure. For Ms. Marchand, Preen was looking at their third year of being on Congress as their first year of making a bit of a profit. "We're just reaching our three year mark," Marchand said, "and that's when a business that has survived will make it. "We survived the construction just to get kicked to the curb and now someone else is going to reap the benefits. Nina (Trasoff) said that she'd help us find a place, but how will that help come about? Looking through the business rental ads with us, or financial support? "I doubt it." Ms. Marchand also questioned if Councilwoman Trasoff was looking for votes for next week's city council election.

The bottom line is the fact that an eclectic piece of Congress Street is headed the way of the Dodo, and that's an extremely sad prospect - not to mention the dashed dreams of loyal downtowners, who are questioning keeping their business alive at all and definitely questioning being established downtown. "I can't say I don't feel bitter or jaded about it, and it makes us not want to be here," said Ms. Marchand. "We opened up downtown because of all the cool places that were down here before and we wanted to bring that back."

Mr. Stiteler said if the tenants are interested in staying downtown, they have other downtown properties. "But, we don't want to share our business with a strip mall mentality," Ms. Marchand said. David Aguirre of Dinnerware ArtSpace had this to say about the situation: "The challenge and question for the community is this: Yes, a person can own a property and do what they want with it, but, is it the right thing to do for the community?" Mr. Aguirre likened the upcoming fashioning of Congress Street into a strip of bars that is devoid of arts and culture, where the almighty dollar is number one, turning downtown Tucson into Pottersville from the classic film It's A Wonderful Life.

kaneui

Oct 31, 2009, 5:34 AM

...I am very happy they are doing this on the installation and the fact that these are going on 900 rooftops as well is nice to see. The houses aren't bad to look at either, definite upgrade to the old shacks they had before. I wonder what the folks at Civano have to say about Soaring Heights community being the springboard.

Yes, Civano has never really received the visibility and recognition it deserves--not just for solar, but for the other sustainable features incorporated into the community. However, a project the size of Soaring Heights can only help Tucson and Arizona become a larger hub for solar energy research and development.

A little background on Civano: http://www.terrain.org/unsprawl/5/

kaneui

Nov 1, 2009, 7:49 AM

A five-year renovation of Tucson Medical Center--the nation's largest single-story hospital spread over 118 acres--will include the preservation of several historic structures from the 1920's, a new 3-story patient "tower," and a new pediatric center:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/TMCrenovationrender.jpg
An artist's drawing shows the site where mothers and their babies will enter to
see pediatricians. TMC will remain mainly one-story high.
(render: Hobbs Black Architects)

TMC set for $120M update of facilities
Tucson's biggest hospital to do major project in phases

By Stephanie Innes
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
11.01.2009

The economy may be weak, but the nonprofit Tucson Medical Center is feeling fiscally strong enough to embark on a $120 million makeover that will begin this month. The five-year renovation and construction project at Tucson's largest hospital is slated to include two new 500-space parking garages; a new 60-foot, three-story tower for patient rooms; and a new way to get into the hospital via a planned bridge off North Craycroft Road. The entire project, if carried out as planned, will be TMC's biggest construction project in 16 years. Its last significant project was an expansion of the TMC emergency room in the early 1990s.

A similar proposal to give TMC a face-lift in 2003 failed. At that time, hospital officials wanted to tear down the existing, sprawling, single-story hospital and construct a single 200-foot tower in its place. Neighbors balked at the idea, and ultimately the plan was scrapped. This time, the neighbors appear to be feeling better about the blueprints. "A tower of that height had many disturbing factors," said Bill Anderson, president of the Old Fort Lowell Neighborhood Association. His neighborhood is directly north of TMC.
"We feel good about what they are doing now," he said. "When it's finished in five years, you'll be able to walk from the corner of Grant (Road) and Craycroft to the Rillito River all along paths."

The new project will put much more green space onto the TMC campus, as well as an extra three miles of walking paths and a new pediatric center, plans from Hobbs + Black Architects show. The expanded pediatric center, plus renovations to the obstetrics section of the hospital, will be the first improvements to get under way. Construction on those projects will begin Nov. 12, said Judy Rich, president and chief executive officer of TMC HealthCare. "If you look at the $120 million, probably half is brand-new and the other half is gutting within our own facility," Rich said. "For many years, we had operating losses and difficulties to the point where we couldn't even go out to the market and borrow money. Right now we are in a stable financial position, even though the economy is so bad."

Rich said the five-year project will be completed in phases and be financed with a blend of fundraising, savings and borrowing. " 'Expansion' is the wrong word; we are not using that. TMC sits on 118 acres, and it is the largest single-story hospital in the United States," Rich said. "The key for everybody is that because we are unique, with our miles of hallways and windows, rather than go with a plan to build a new hospital, we are rebuilding. It will give us the most state-of-the-art hospital." Neighbors say better communication this time around has helped. "Everyone thought the last one was a subversive plan — there was a lack of trust," said Roy A. Garcia, president of the San Carlos Neighborhood Association, which includes an area just west of the hospital. "I commend the hospital for taking a step back and analyzing what went wrong."

When the first plans were put forward, TMC HealthCare was led by Chief Executive Officer Frank Alvarez, who resigned amid an administration shake-up in June 2007. At the time, the organization was $11 million in the red. Rich has been at the helm since Alvarez left, first as its executive vice president and hospital administrator and since April as president and chief executive officer, and has led the hospital through a financial turnaround. She stressed that doing the project in phases will prevent TMC from digging itself into another financial hole. "In this era where people are afraid to build too much because of the economy, we plan to take the construction in bites," she said. "At any point, we can accelerate or slow down the process."

HISTORIC BUILDINGS

As part of the project, TMC officials are working with local architect and historic preservation expert Corky Poster to put four of its buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. They are:

The TMC Water Tower, which is in the center of the campus and can be seen from miles away. It was originally built because the Desert Sanatorium was so far from town that it needed its own water supply. The tower went up in 1926. It's not used for anything now.

● The Erickson Building, just west of the Water Tower. It was built in 1927 as the home of Desert Sanatorium benefactors Anna and Alfred Erickson. It's currently unoccupied.

● The Patio Building, on the northeast corner of Beverly Avenue and Grant Road. Built in 1928, it served as the treatment and research part of the sanatorium. It's now used as meeting rooms and offices.

● The Arizona Building, on the northwest corner of Beverly and Grant. Originally the nurses' residence, it was built in 1927. It currently houses the TMC auxiliary and some administrative offices.

The hospital's four old "court" buildings are not part of that historic-preservation plan, but they're also not slated for demolition, hospital spokeswoman Julia Strange said, adding that the buildings are in terrible condition.

Ken Scoville — a retired teacher and local historian who was one of the hospital's most vocal critics when the last plan was being debated — said it would be nice to save at least one of the court buildings. "The court buildings are probably in need of some more advocacy. But on the whole, they (TMC) are going with a much smaller building for patients, and I'm thrilled they've taken a lower-scale approach than the previous group," said Scoville, who used to live near the hospital. "The group in there now has more of a sense of history and of TMC's importance in the community."

KEY PARTS OF TMC'S PLAN

● Three easily identifiable, "statement" hospital entrances will be created — one on the east side, one at the new pediatric and mother-baby entrance on the south side, and a third new west entrance once the patient-bed tower is built. The hospital has three main entrances now, but they are "unremarkable," as one administrator put it.

● The pediatric and mother-baby expansion will include adding 6,000 square feet to the hospital's existing 38,000-square-foot pediatrics area. The improvements also will include converting all pediatric hospital rooms to private and having around-the-clock children's emergency hours — up from 16 hours per day.

● Also, a bridge from the hospital's east side over the Alamo Wash and onto Craycroft Road, creating a new way for cars to get into the campus.

● Plus, two new parking garages, each slated for 500 cars — one garage on the west campus and the other on the far east side of the campus near Craycroft Road.

● And, a 100- to 150-bed tower for overnight patients. TMC doesn't plan on increasing its 650-bed capacity, but rather it wants to make all of its patient rooms private.

Much of the debate over the last plan focused on tearing down buildings on the TMC campus, some of which date to when the hospital campus was the site of its predecessor, the Desert Sanatorium, which opened in 1927 to treat tuberculosis patients. TMC was founded in 1943. Under the new plan, the only building that will be torn down is the education building, which was built in the 1920s, and part of the hospital's west entrance, hospital officials said.

kaneui

Nov 1, 2009, 9:07 AM

Two new behavioral health care buildings for UPH Kino Hospital:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/UPHHospitalpavilionrender.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/UPHHospitalpavilionrender2.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/UPHHospitalinteriorrender.jpg
(renders: UPH)

Construction begins on UPH project
By Stephanie Innes
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
11.01.2009

People suffering from mental health and substance-abuse problems are getting newer and bigger facilities in Tucson — as well as more services. UPH at Kino, which is on Tucson's south side and operated by physicians at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine, last month began construction on two new buildings for psychiatric services directly south of the existing hospital. The new, $56 million project includes a three-story, 96-bed hospital for psychiatric patients, and a second building — a two-story crisis response center that will triage people and route them to resources in the community. The project is scheduled to be completed in May 2011.

The intent is to ease demand on hospital emergency departments, decrease the number of mentally ill patients in correction facilities and reduce the number of and lengths of stay of psychiatric hospitalizations, officials said. The new facilities are also expected to provide a training ground to educate new physicians. Bonds approved by Pima County voters in 2004 and 2006 are paying for the project. That bond money totaled $66 million. But the project's costs came in at $10 million less than had been originally projected due to a more competitive construction market. The project's partners are meeting about how to best allocate that surplus.

The entire project is a partnership involving UPH, which stands for University Physicians Healthcare, the Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, Pima County and the UA College of Medicine. The existing UPH at Kino is licensed for up to 100 psychiatric beds, uses 76 of them, and they are nearly always full. Patients typically stay about eight days, though some have stayed longer than two months. The new beds will allow hospital officials to expand their capacity for non- behavioral health patients.

Sonora Behavioral Health Hospital on the northwest side will remain the only inpatient hospital for children and adolescents requiring hospital stays for acute psychiatric illness. But since the philosophy in behavioral health is to have patients in the "least restrictive environment," it's anticipated that the new crisis response center at UPH will be a huge resource for families in the community whose children have mental illness, said Vanessa Seaney, chief of clinical systems management at the private, non-profit Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, which will administer the center. About one in 17 Americans suffers from serious mental illness.

"In the existing space, not everyone has access to the outside. This will have outside space and private rooms. Right now there are up to four people in some rooms. It will also give us an opportunity to develop more creative programming," said Dr. Linda Durst, the medical director for behavioral health services at UPH. "We really would like to provide the best care for the mentally ill in the community."

DETAILS ABOUT THE TWO NEW BUILDINGS

● The Behavioral Health Pavilion — a 134,700 square-foot building that will provide inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency medical and behavioral health services. The three-level building will house an emergency department, 96 private inpatient rooms, outpatient services, classroom and teaching facilities and a courtroom for patients admitted through the legal system.

● The Crisis Response Center — a 66,000 square-foot building that will provide triage for people in behavioral health crises and direct them to the most appropriate resources in the community. The center will also have a round-the-clock phone line where people in crisis may call. It is designed for those who otherwise might unnecessarily go to hospital emergency departments or be taken to detention centers. It includes a 15-bed sub-acute inpatient unit and separate areas for youth and adult crisis services.
One of the key aspects of the crisis center will be a "peer-support" program where people who have been through the behavioral health system work as a support system to help those in crisis.

kaneui

Nov 2, 2009, 11:50 PM

Now we need more places to live in downtown. Someone needs to make it happen.

UPDATE: Per the city's website, Phase I of the proposed Convento District will be a 98-unit low income housing project (SEC of Congress St. and Avenida del Convento, at the eventual western terminus of the streetcar line). Developer The Gadsden Co. is currently seeking financing, and could possibly start construction within a year.

http://dot.tucsonaz.gov/projects/project.cfm?cip=C91DC0D8-9E97-5E3A-A7B9DC4248A40A90

kaneui

Nov 3, 2009, 6:19 AM

The former Tucson Downtown Alliance director has a lengthy list of suggestions on how the City Council can improve downtown:

17 Downtown Suggestions for the New City Council (even if it's the same Council)
by Donovan Durband
Meet Me Downtown, http://tucsoncitizen.com/
Nov. 02, 2009

With the polls closing less than 48 hours from now, here are seventeen suggestions—in no particular order—I have for the Tucson City Council, with respect to Downtown Tucson:

1. Do an audit of Rio Nuevo. Don’t wait for the State to do it. Get all the skeletons out of the closet.

2. Stop tolerating the insider favoritism that’s run rampant.

3. Put more funding into the Façade Program. A relatively small investment in fixing up old buildings makes a big difference in downtown’s image and in facilitating vibrant downtown activity. Façade improvements provide a big bang for the buck. Allocate some TIF funding to the Façade Program. The lawyers have said it’s okay, I know they have!

4. Support the existing businesses that have toughed it out through the hard times. A well-known community leader said to me, when the Downtown Tucson Partnership was forming in 2007, that he didn’t want anyone involved in Downtown up until that time, including businesses, to be part of the new regime. That is so wrong-headed on so many levels. Existing businesses should not be displaced to make room for new businesses if at all possible (especially not seven of them at a time!).

5. Get out of the entertainment business. Stop messing with the Rialto Theatre and running the Fox Theatre. The Rialto is doing just fine, and stop pretending that everything is headed in the right direction at the Fox. Renegotiate the Fox’s loan and insist the Fox Theatre Foundation board add some new members dedicated to fundraising, and encourage the board to operate independently. Let the Foundation hire its own director and other staff.

6. Discourage the further demolition of historically significant buildings and older buildings with character. Encourage new construction on empty lots and surface parking.

7. Focus energy and resources on saving the Gem Shows. Suck up to the Gem organizations as much as needed, although the time for sucking up without action has passed. Which leads right into . . .

8. Build a more affordable, more realistically-scaled convention hotel that won’t put the City’s finances at risk.

9. Hit the reset button on a master plan. What can still be done with the remaining 15 years of TIF? What projects do Tucson citizens consider important? What projects from the original master plan are critical and must be given top priority, and which ones should only be done if there is an unexpected windfall? Communicate this plan to the public. Don’t spend additional money on the planning process, just engage the public, use the available information, and show leadership. Tell us why you’ve decided to establish the priorities you have.

10. Support the development of some student housing—especially along Broadway (on empty lots!). This will create demand for downtown businesses. Perhaps the UA will elect to locate some academic programs downtown as well, once the Streetcar is operational. Everyone says they are in favor of more downtown housing, and this is the most ready source of demand for residential space—college students. This would also take pressure off the neighborhoods experiencing mini-dorm development.

11. Keep pushing forward on the Modern Streetcar.

12. Wash the sidewalks. The BID maintenance crews are doing a good job of picking up litter and sweeping, but the sidewalks need to be power-washed too—badly. An entertainment district needs good security and attentive maintenance.

13. Stop blaming the Legislature for problems that we’ve created for ourselves here.

14. Stop acting out of desperation.

15. Get out of the real estate business, but have a fair and open process for disposing of city-owned property. This is where there is great risk of approving insider deals. Don’t give land away. Downtown development requires that the banks see some comps.

16. Take positive action to implement prior commitments. The Warehouse Arts District is one of those commitments.

17. Think and act “Urban”! Be guided by urban principles, not suburban principles.

kaneui

Nov 3, 2009, 7:08 AM

Numerous Tucson metro leaders went to learn how things get done in Albuquerque, a city that shares many similar attributes:

OV leaders join TREO trip to NM
Albuquerque taught lessons about economic development, incentives

By Patrick McNamara
The Explorer
October-28-2009

Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities recently organized a leadership exchange trip to Albuquerque, N.M. Elected and appointed leaders from across Southern Arizona tagged along to learn from New Mexico's largest city. Oro Valley Mayor Paul Loomis and council members Paula Abbott and K.C. Carter also came along for the three-day trip, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. "Albuquerque is probably the most similar city to the Tucson region as any other city around," Loomis said. Like Tucson, Albuquerque sits at the convergence of two interstate highways, has similar demographics and weather. Unlike Tucson, Albuquerque has embraced mass-transit options beyond surface streets. The New Mexico Rail Runner Express began service in the Albuquerque area in 2006. The rail system also connects to Santa Fe and surrounding areas. Loomis said the city also has a different attitude toward economic incentives than Tucson. "When you talk economic development (in Albuquerque), everybody is on board with respect to state incentives," Loomis said.

Incentives have been a troubling issue for municipalities across Arizona, Oro Valley included. The early 2000s saw a raft of contentious economic incentive deals struck between the town and retail developers. The tensions came to head with the $23 million sales tax sharing agreement with developers of the Oro Valley Marketplace. A lawsuit contesting the constitutionality of such deals is winding through the Arizona Supreme Court, which could restrict or ban future arrangements. Similar incentives in New Mexico are met with little protest, Loomis said. "They're very much less of an issue," the mayor said. Councilman Carter agreed that New Mexico has taken a different course than Arizona in the area of incentives and promoting economic development. "They're fast tracking stuff," Carter said. "State and local government works together." Carter commented that Albuquerque's downtown revitalization efforts have been a success, in contrast with stalled efforts to do the same in Tucson. "Their downtown is beautiful," Carter said. "The people wanted it, they wanted downtown built."

Elected officials from other regional governments also attended, among them Tucson City Council members Shirley Scott and Regina Romero, Sahuarita Mayor Lynne Skelton and Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson. Officials with the University of Arizona and numerous private sector representatives attended as well. Marana did not send any representatives. Loomis said he brought back with him examples of how the Tucson region could benefit from Albuquerque's example. "The entire region benefits from development in Oro Valley or Tucson or Marana," Loomis said. The trip cost $1,800 per person. The Pima Association of Governments paid Loomis' costs as the group's representative to TREO. TREO paid half of Abbott's and Carter's expenses.

Tale of Two Cities: Albuquerque and Tucson

Population
Albuquerque 504,949 Tucson 518,956

Percent 65 years old and older
Albuquerque 12 Tucson 11.9

Percent white
Albuquerque 71.6 Tucson 70.2

Percent Hispanic
Albuquerque 39.9 Tucson 35.7

Percent black
Albuquerque 3 Tucson 4.3

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

kaneui

Nov 3, 2009, 7:43 PM

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/MLKApts11-03.jpg
construction progress as of Nov. 3
(webcam: city of Tucson)

'Ambitious’ MLK construction should lead to 2010 opening
November 03, 2009
by Teya Vitu
Downtown Tucsonan

October launched a new Downtown spectator sport: watching the daily changes with the new, $23 million Martin Luther King Jr. Apartments rapidly rising from the ground. In mid-October, there was nothing to see on Toole Avenue behind One North Fifth Apartments and east of the Ronstadt Transit Center. By the start of November, Lloyd Construction had a three-story steel frame in place. “They just gained four days over the (Halloween) weekend,” said Ann Vargas, project supervisor in the city Housing and Community Development Department. “They should be well into the top floors by the end of the month. “We have a very ambitious schedule,” Vargas said. “We need to be done by October 2010 and moving people in by the end of the year (2010).”

The new MLK replaces the neighboring old MLK public housing structure that was converted into the market-rate One North Fifth in the past year. The new 68-unit MLK, like the old MLK, will be for low-income senior citizens and the disabled who meet federal eligibility criteria for public housing. Former residents of the old MLK, who were relocated to other public housing projects, have first dibs for the new MLK. “In the neighborhood of 20 to 25 residents want to move back,” Vargas said.

The new MLK and the $13.5 million, 285-space, three-level underground garage beneath it, and One North Fifth all make up Depot Plaza, the most substantial Downtown project to take root so far in the Rio Nuevo era. The recent emergence of steel framing is the first plainly visible evidence of large-scale Downtown construction this decade, even though Lloyd has been working the site since digging the 30-foot deep garage pit in July 2008. A 160-foot crane has dominated the eastern Downtown view since January, but only now is an above-ground edifice is taking shape. “It feels really exciting,” Vargas said. “It is the beginning of what can be done.”

The MLK is funded by most of a $9.8 million HOPE VI grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, $8 million in federal low-income tax credits; $1.272 million in Pima County bonds; $750,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank affordable housing program; about $2 million in city HOME Investment Partnership funds and other federal funds that pass through the city. “We have a mixed financing program that is completely in place,” she said.

Depot Plaza evolved from a simple notion to just demolish the old MLK and build a new public housing tower. Instead, a public-private partnership emerged to renovate the 1969 MLK as private sector apartments with street-level commercial along Congress Street; build a parking garage and a new MLK; and another private sector tower is slated for Depot Plaza. A public plaza will sit between the towers. “There has been a lot of discussion about low-income people,” Vargas said. “They are not the biggest consumers but they have a significant role to play in the neighborhood. They are at home. They are the eyes on the street.”

kaneui

Nov 4, 2009, 11:00 PM

A recap and construction details on a few of the projects found in the Metro Tucson project list:

Tucson Activity Report - Health, Housing & Highways Keep Crews Busy
Tucson’s current activity is dominated by a $32.1-million psychiatric hospital, a $159-million
residential hall for U of A and a $15.3-million downtown public housing project.

By Alan M. Petrillo
Feature Story - November 2009
Southwest Contractor

The largest projects underway in the Tucson region — even in the midst of a dramatic downturn in construction — center around health, housing and roadwork. In the health arena, Pima County is building a Behavioral Health Pavilion, encompassing a three-story addition attached to the existing UPH Kino Hospital, as well as a separate two-story Crisis Response Center. DPR Construction Inc. of Phoenix is the general contractor for the $32.1-million project, with the Phoenix office of Gilbane Building Co. as project manager.
The three-story Behavioral Health Pavilion features a south-facing perforated aluminum screen that filters natural light while reducing energy loads.

Gretchen Frietsche, DPR’s project manager, says crews must work “around an existing hospital facility and coordinate closely because the first phase involves improvements around the emergency department.” The three-story addition will have psychiatric inpatient facilities, and the existing emergency department will move into new quarters there. The separate Crisis Response Center is designed to be a 23-hour facility for counseling and outpatient psychiatric services.

The project was designed by Los Angeles-based Cannon Design and Tucson-based CDG Architects to minimize environmental impact. “The configuration of the buildings minimizes the land use while optimizing future campus growth,” says Jim Pricco, AIA, project manager with Cannon Design. “The articulation of the building’s massing minimizes heat gain and maximizes views and access to the outdoors.” The Pavilion features a south-facing bronze-colored perforated aluminum screen that will allow in filtered light while reducing energy loads by up to 30%. “The screen complements the other exterior materials which include earth-toned, locally produced concrete block, light-bronze metal panels, flat, perforated metal screens and stucco.” DPR Construction is also constructing a $14.1-million expansion to the Building 2 Laboratory and parking lot for the Oro Valley campus of biotech firm Ventana Medical Systems.

At the University of Arizona, freshman will get the benefit of living in the new Sixth Street Residence Halls upon completion in 2011. General contractor for the $159-million project is CORE Construction Services of AZ Inc. in Phoenix. Construction began in May, according to Debra Johnson, a senior architect for the university. The Tyndall site at Sixth Street and Euclid Avenue will have 719 beds in three modules of four, five and six stories. The Highland Avenue and Sixth Street building will have 369 beds in two, four-floor and one, six-floor modules. The facilities will be in traditional dorm layout with double rooms, hall baths and spaces on each floor for study rooms and gathering areas, Johnson says.

Designed by Colorado-based AR7 Architects, the project’s other amenities include recreation, media and great rooms on the first floor plus laundry facilities in the basement. The Tyndall site will also have exercise rooms on its second floor. Johnson says the two structures will be the school’s first LEED-silver certified residence halls. “They’ll be predominantly brick on the exterior of the buildings facing toward the campus and will have nice daylighting features, operable windows and be shaded with metal awnings on their south sides,” Johnson adds. Passive water harvesting, low-flow shower heads and lavatory faucets and dual-flush toilets are some of the green features of the structures, along with solar water heating to satisfy 60% of the hot water needs at each site.

The city of Tucson will be the owner of the Martin Luther King Apartment Building at Depot Plaza being built next to the Ronstadt Transit Center in downtown Tucson, says Erik Johnson, project manager for Lloyd Construction in Tucson, the project’s general contractor. The city-owned Martin Luther King Apartments will house senior and disabled residents in a structure respectful of the southwest heritage and historical context surrounding the project. The six-story, $15.3-million building will hold 68 public housing units for senior and disabled residents and is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “The MLK Apartments represent an important piece in the redevelopment of downtown Tucson,” says George A. Melara, AIA, principal with Scottsdale-based design firm Nelsen Partners Inc. “The architectural design has a clean, contemporary aesthetic while respectful of the southwest heritage and historical context surrounding the project.”

The new, 285-space Depot Plaza underground parking garage will serve as the building platform, which will include all handicapped-accessible one-bedroom units ranging from 628 to 780 sq ft, each with a private outdoor patio or balcony. Common areas includes a computer lab and library, controlled-access lobby and a “roof-top garden area for the residents, complete with a water harvesting strategy,” Melara says. “We had to demolish an existing structure and parking lot and then dig down 30 ft on the entire site to put in more than 90 caissons of different sizes for the parking garage,” Johnson says. “We hit water and old diesel fuel plumes from the former train station and had to remove them before putting in the concrete for the caissons.” Now that the first-floor deck has been poured, Johnson expects the rest of the project to be comparatively straightforward. “Besides the site challenges, we had to work around the regular downtown activities and an operating bus depot next door,” he says, noting that once he gets 90 loads of steel onsite, he’ll breathe easier. Other materials include synthetic stucco, honed masonry, glass, steel panels and canopies.

Other Tucson-area projects underway include the Interstate 10 widening at Marana, where a new interchange is being constructed at Twin Peaks Road at a cost of $50.4 million by Pulice Construction for the Arizona Dept. of Transportation; construction of a gravity sewer from Pima County’s Roger Road Wastewater Treatment Plant to the Ina Road Water Pollution Control Facility by Sundt Construction’s Heavy Civil Division, valued at $22 million to $27 million; and downtown Tucson infrastructure improvements being made by Archer Western for a contract price of $37 million.

Key Players

Behavioral Health Pavilion and Crisis Response Center
Owner: Pima County
Architect: Cannon Design; cdg architects
General Contractor: DPR Construction, Inc.
Project Manager: Gilbane Building Co.

Sixth Street Residence Halls
Owner: University of Arizona
Architect: AR7 Architects
General Contractor: CORE Construction Services of AZ.

MLK Apartments at Depot Plaza
Owner: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Architect: Nelsen Partners Inc.
General Contractor: Lloyd Construction

kaneui

Nov 6, 2009, 6:11 AM

The second of five of properties participating in the city's downtown facade restoration program is now complete:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/64EBroadway-newfacade-1.jpg
64 E. Broadway facade restoration
(photo: Peach Properties)

The Scott

64 E Broadway Blvd Tucson, AZ 85701 at Scott Ave and Broadway Blvd.

Come join us on Thursday November 12th, 2009 from 4.30p to 6.30p to unveil the new facade that was funded in part by the Downtown Tucson Partnership!

Right at the center of downtown, this building is not new to Tucson, just new to you. The original building was built in 1909 and added on to in 1919. During the height of the gold rush, the building was occupied by a gold-weighing business. Ever since, it has yet to loose its worth. Arizona’s first Thomas David Clinic was build just South of The Scott, so it went from weighing gold to people’s lives. Doctors’ offices and a pharmacy, “The Sick Room” took over the prime location. More recently, it housed a public legal office. Since 1909 The Scott has been helping people and that will not change with Work Spaces at The Scott and Virtual Offices at The Scott. Let us help you with your business. Need a professional office with administrative services, like office staff, phone, and mail services, but don’t need an entire office building for yourself? Want to save money and avoid overhead costs? Then, once again, The Scott can help! Don’t believe us, then come see for yourself. Come see the exposed brick, open spaces, and big windows!

Retail spaces from 1-5,000 S/F

Second level offices 200-5,000 S/F.

http://thescottbroadway.com/

kaneui

Nov 6, 2009, 7:14 AM

WAMO is hoping to buy one of two ADOT downtown warehouses to be auctioned over the next week:

Two arts district warehouses go to auction
November 05, 2009
by Teya Vitu
Downtown Tucsonan

Two state-owned Toole Ave. warehouses go on the auction block Friday, Nov. 6 and Tuesday, Nov. 10. The former Zee’s Warehouse, 1 E. Toole Ave., will be auctioned at 11 a.m. Nov. 6 at the Arizona Department of Transportation district office at 1221 S. Second Avenue. It is the northernmost of a string of warehouses owns along Toole Ave. There are at least three potential bidders for the warehouse, one of whom is artist Chris Larsen. The minimum bid for the warehouse is $165,000.

At the Nov. 10 auction, the Warehouse Arts Management Organization will bid for the warehouse occupied by Solar Culture Gallery, 31 E. Toole Ave. WAMO recently secured a conditional loan from the Tucson Industrial Development Authority to enable the organization to make an offer on the Solar Culture warehouse. “They haven’t given us a (loan) limit. They’re just saying go after it,” WAMO President Marvin Shaver said. “We’re still talking with (Solar Culture founder and warehouse leaseholder) Steven Eye about how high he can go to make it affordable.” The minimum bid for 31 E. Toole Ave. is $95,000. WAMO wants to buy the warehouse and lease it back with an option to buy to Eye, whose Solar Culture offers studio space and performing arts programming.

The Solar Culture and Zee’s warehouses would be the fourth and fifth warehouse ADOT has dispersed. The department a couple months ago did a land-swap with the city of Tucson that transferred the Steinfeld Warehouse and the adjoining warehouses occupied by the Museum of Contemporary Art and Skrappy’s to city ownership.

These are two of the two dozen warehouses owned by the Arizona Department of Transportation, which leases many of them to artists on a month-to-month basis. The Zee’s and Solar Culture warehouses are going up for public auction because they got more than two purchase offers, ADOT spokeswoman Teresa Welborn said. ADOT is also accepting private sector offers for three joined warehouses at 15-17-19 E. Toole and warehouses at 119 E. Toole, 546 N. Stone Ave. and 450 N. Stone Ave., Welborn said.

NOV. 6 UPDATE - Patricia Swabe of Peach Properties, a last-minute entrant, has submitted the winning bid for the warehouse at 1 E. Toole Ave.:

Peach acquires Zee Warehouse; may be new Dinnerware home
November 06, 2009
by Teya Vitu
Downtown Tucsonan

Peach Properties won the auction Friday, Nov. 6, for the state-owned Zee’s Warehouse, 1 E. Toole Ave., with a $252,000 bid. Peach was a last-minute entrant into the Arizona Department of Transportation auction that had four registered bidders, but only three put in bids. Peach co-owner Patricia Schwabe bid aggressively from the opening minimum $165,000 bid. She bid head-to-head with artist and guitar builder Chris Larsen, who dropped out at $200,000 except for one last bid at $226,000. The Tucson Industrial Development Authority did not enter the bidding until $206,000, and IDA’s Marilyn Robinson and Schwabe went head-to-head until Robinson dropped out at $250,000.

The IDA has also authorized a provisional loan to the Warehouse Arts Management Organization for the Tuesday, Nov. 10, ADOT auction for the warehouse at 31 E. Toole Ave. occupied by Solar Culture Gallery. Larsen was the anticipated front runner, and nobody knew Peach Properties would take part in the auction until Friday morning.

Peach Properties and Ron and Patricia Schwabe are no strangers to Downtown. Peach manages the One North Fifth Apartments and the 200 E. Congress commercial block across the street from where the An Congress restaurant is planned. Peach also owns the Firestone Building at 439 N. Sixth Ave. at Sixth Street, the Market Inn at 403 N. Sixth Ave. at Seventh Street, and The Scott, 64 E. Broadway, which is just finishing up city-subsidized façade improvements. Warehouse Arts Management Organization President Marvin Shaver was siding with Larsen, who wanted to bring a guitar-making operation and guitar school to the Zee Warehouse.

Shaver and Schwabe talked immediately after the auction and Schwabe assured him Peach wants to use the Zee for arts uses. “We’ve been talking to Dinnerware Artspace already,” Patricia Schwabe said in an interview. “Peach Properties is trying to form a partnership with Dinnerware.” Dinnerware Artspace, 264 E. Congress, also leases space to The Rocket Gallery, 270 E. Congress, Central Arts Gallery, 274 E. Congress and 276 E. Congress. All are slated for eviction in the next six months as the An Congress restaurant moves ahead. Schwabe said all may potentially have space at Zee. “It happens that everything is happening at the same time,” Schwabe said about the Zee auction and An Congress. Dinnerware owner David Aguirre could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Zee will require extensive renovation on nearly all aspects of the warehouse, located at the north end of the string of ADOT-owned warehouses along Toole Ave. Schwabe wants to have tenants in place by summer 2010. Schwabe was relentless in pushing the bidding, first against Larsen and then IDA’s Robinson. She added nearly $100,000 to the $165,000 minimum bid. “In plain real estate terms, it just makes sense,” she said. “It’s a good buy at that price.

kaneui

Nov 9, 2009, 2:56 AM

As the UA snaps up properties in adjacent neighborhoods for future development, residents are complaining that their vacant buildings and empty lots have become eyesores:

As UA grows, neighbors left with an empty feeling
Life goes on as buildings are torn down around them

By Becky Pallack
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
11.08.2009

Neighborhoods north and south of the University of Arizona soon will look drastically different. The UA is buying up land for parking garages, academic buildings, dorms and recreation fields it will build someday. But between now and then, the university is tearing down many of the properties it acquires in residential neighborhoods and either leaving empty land or creating parking lots. Some homes or buildings are left vacant; others can be used as offices. UA officials say the demolition is meant to prevent squatters from moving in, but neighbors say it shows great disregard for the hard work Rincon Heights residents are putting into revitalization south of the stadium.

"Instead of 'Bear Down' Arizona we get tear-down Arizona," said Mark Homan, a Rincon Heights representative. The neighborhood association has been working hard to improve the neighborhood's looks. Members built a "pocket park" on an empty lot that can't be developed because High School Wash runs through it. They won grants to landscape two streets with plants and trees. They became experts in rainwater collection to irrigate the projects. Residents care for the plants. "It's a real hardworking neighborhood," Homan said. "People really pitch in to make things better." The UA retrofitted seven of its properties in the neighborhood for rainwater harvesting, too. But "often they let their properties deteriorate and sometimes they leave them as dust bowls," said Chris Wilke, a Rincon Heights resident. Other neighbors said the UA was insensitive when it painted over a mural created by school kids on a building it bought. "All we're asking them to be is good neighbors like we are," Wilke said.

When the UA buys a house, deciding what to do with it can be tough, said Jaime Gutierrez, associate vice president for community relations. "We're torn between leaving a house and boarding it up or tearing it down," Gutierrez said. Leaving the structures vacant is unsafe. Squatters move in within days, administrators said. But it also doesn't make sense to renovate a home that will eventually be torn down to make way for new development, Gutierrez said. When it's convenient, lots are paved for use as temporary parking, but sometimes they're razed and left as bare, dusty land. Some lots have been vacant for months, neighbors say. Mo Davis, a UA student who rents a house near the stadium, is nearly surrounded by dirt lots and typically vacant, temporary parking lots. Four houses around him were demolished in the past six months and another is slated for demolition. He deals with blowing dust and drivers who idle in the alley or speed through it on their way to the temporary parking lots beginning at 6 a.m. A parking garage is planned near his rental home as early as next year.

Homan said the UA is violating a memorandum of agreement between the UA and the neighborhood, signed in 1996, regarding property purchases and demolitions. The UA agreed not to buy a house until it has funding to develop the site. It also agreed to buy the remainder of a block once it owns 60 percent. And, it agreed not to demolish houses in Sixth, Seventh or Eighth streets that aren't connected to other college property. But Mercy Valencia, the UA's real estate administrator, said she follows the agreement closely and no violations are allowed. Still, sometimes the rules can seem conflicting. For example, the UA might buy and demolish houses while buying up a block.

A sea of parking
North of campus, the greater part of some blocks has been assembled as surface parking. The neighborhood's good relationship with the UA led to a grassy bowl that serves as drainage and recreation space at East Mabel Street and North Vine Avenue during the Highland garage project about three years ago. But right across the street is a dirt lot that's been that way for more than a year. And more lots were turned into parking. Grace Rich describes her neighborhood as "burnt out." Few homeowners are left. "The homeowner flight is degrading our neighborhood," said Rich, neighborhood association president. Some tear-down projects are more positive than others. The UA bought four lots in Jefferson Park that were forfeited to the state after a massage parlor prostitution investigation. Those buildings will be torn down and the UA will use the land to improve its landscaped buffer between the campus and the neighborhood.

kaneui

Nov 9, 2009, 6:56 AM

UA-adjacent neighborhoods, which are now only 20% owner-occupied, are also fighting developers who are building mini-dorms to meet the high demand for student housing, claiming they lower property values and increase crime rates:

Fed up with talk, neighbors mobilize against mini-dorms
By Becky Pallack
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
11.08.2009

Fed-up residents are coming up with new strategies to regulate student-oriented developments they say are straining neighborhoods with crime and blight. They want new restrictions on builders and landlords as well as increased police presence, but homeowners are a minority in the neighborhoods around the University of Arizona. The economic pressure for development is a result of unmet demand for student housing. A solution is in the works. The UA plans to someday build more suite-style dorms by partnering with private developers, but construction costs and lack of land make it a slow process.

Supply-and-demand problem
Demand for student housing exceeds the supply by 2,500 to 5,000 beds, according to a UA study. Plus, student population growth has outpaced planning projections and is expected to keep growing. "Mini-dorms have filled the gap, many times to the disadvantage of neighbors," said Jaime Gutierrez, associate vice president for community relations. The UA's goal is to house all freshmen, because research shows they're more successful than peers who live off campus, Gutierrez said. The UA has added 2,300 undergraduate beds on campus in the past five years, but it hasn't been able to catch up with demand. This year some students are housed in temporary quarters in residence halls and about 450 people who wanted to live on campus were turned away. Two new dorms under construction on East Sixth Street will provide almost 1,100 new beds for freshmen next year.

The problem is where to find land to build more dorms. There are few sites large enough and with adequate utilities. In neighborhoods where private development is filling the need for student housing, longtime residents resent the lack of city and university regulation. Some who would like to leave find they can't sell because others don't want to live near the student houses. In one block of the Feldman's neighborhood where each side of the street holds mini-dorms, 47 incidents have been reported to police this year. The neighborhood is blighted, said Karolyn Kendrick, a neighborhood activist. The city has tried to respond by bringing stakeholders together in committees. The mayor and council adopted a Neighborhood Preservation Zone Overlay District in June 2008 to create neighborhood-specific design manuals. A manual for Feldman's is expected to go to the City Council this month and a manual for Jefferson Park is in development. But none of the stakeholders are happy with the draft Feldman's manual.

Developers who were on the draft committee quit in March, saying their ideas about incentives for smaller developments weren't included in the draft guidelines. Suggested incentives included smaller setbacks, tax cuts or waving a parking space requirement. Bill Ford, an architect and committee member, said he sees the developers' points but wishes they didn't walk away. "If they have to follow all the rules of the manual, it's going to curtail their ability to maximize their profits," he said. Residents don't really like the draft either, saying it's too weak. "It's going to hopefully be a better guideline for new construction in the neighborhood, but it does not address demolition of historic structures," said Phyllis Webster, a committee member and UA staff member. Developer Michael Goodman said either the city doesn't see that Proposition 207 applies or it's placating the neighborhood activists by making a plan that the city's attorneys will kill. Prop. 207 is the 2006 law that requires government to compensate landowners for new rules that reduce the potential value of their properties. He said he will sue if the city implements the Feldman's design manual because it violates Prop. 207. Some of his buildings are pictured in the draft manual as designs to "avoid."

New strategies
Neighbors, fed up with meetings, are trying new strategies. "We've all sat on committees for months and years. We've all talked and talked. Now we're past that. We want to see results," said Kendrick. She sat on the Feldman's design manual committee before founding the action group Livable Neighborhoods Coalition in September. The group wants increased enforcement of city nuisance ordinances. It also wants landlords to pay for police response in some cases, and wants to add a new mini-dorm category to the city's land use code.

However, owners who occupy their homes are in the minority. They make up 20 percent of the residents in the university area, with 70 percent being renters, according to a UA study. The remaining 10 percent are vacant investment properties. Residents of Blenman-Elm have a different strategy. They try to help the city enforce existing ordinances by aggressively calling in code violations and weed problems. When a developer started buying up homes, "people started putting up signs saying 'No mini-dorms,'" said Alan Myklebust, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years and represents Blenman-Elm in a town-and-gown committee at the UA.

Development in the past couple of years has been a mixed bag in Blenman-Elm, a historic district. Many homes were fixed up by young families or by students whose parents bought a house close to campus, Myklebust said. And some mini-dorms were built in the "fortress" style, he said, with high walls all around the property line in sharp contrast to houses with front yards and porches facing the street. With population growth, it's certain that development will come. "But it's not inevitable that the neighborhood will lose its character," Myklebust said. Neighbors are planting trees and making streets more bicycle friendly, he said.

The public-private solution
The UA wants the development of student housing to be more responsible, more thought out, and to really address the need, said Peter Dourlein, director of planning, design and construction. The UA plans a request for proposals to work with private developers to build housing. Partnerships would allow the UA a say in development and student conduct, Gutierrez said, and some neighbors would rather deal with the UA. Public-private partnerships are listed as a priority in the UA's campus plan. Sites would be downtown or along Broadway.

Other ideas include replacing one- and two-story dorms with taller buildings, adding housing north of campus along Park Avenue, or adding housing to a block planned as a parking garage on Sixth Street, according to the campus plan. Some neighbors said they would support partnerships. "A lot of us want to see growth, but we want it to be an expression that enhances the overall flavor of the University of Arizona," said Ford, the architect. "If we keep building poorly planned mini-dorm developments," that can't happen.

GROWING TALLER
With the UA reaching the bounds of its planning area, it will focus on growing up and in. Here are 10 key factors guiding development:

1. "There was a surge in growth" since 2003, said Peter Dourlein, director of planning, design and construction. The UA built about 1.2 million square feet, mostly for science, he said.

2. The UA uses 10.2 million square feet, not including the hospital and parking garages. And it needs another 1.1 million square feet, mostly for labs and offices, Dourlein said.

3. Most of the construction now is paid from donated funds and other non-tax sources.

4. There are more than 5,000 more people on campus today than five years ago. And higher student enrollment is projected.

5. Lack of space and more people "means, in many cases, growing taller," Dourlein said. Buildings will scale up, with shorter ones on the outskirts and taller ones in the center of campus. For example the new basketball building drops into the ground to keep its profile level with the neighborhood.

6. At least 20 feet of landscaped green space will be a transition space between the UA and the neighborhoods.

7. The boundaries for expansion were set about 20 years ago, and the UA is staying inside the lines, Dourlein said. Expanding outside the boundary is a possibility, but it would happen in a planned way, likely downtown. "We would not be expanding helter skelter into neighborhoods," Dourlein said.

8. The future streetcar route along East Second Street will create a new mall on campus, maybe supporting housing and retail.

9. "The university is very interested in being a good neighbor," Dourlein said. Master plans help homeowners and private developers know what to expect. Some give the UA input on new buildings.

10. The last campus plan covered 2003-2010. The Arizona Board of Regents will see an update at its December meeting.

azliam

Nov 11, 2009, 12:48 AM

Tucson ranks 7th in US for efficient homes

Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | 11.10.2009

The Tucson and Phoenix metropolitan areas rank in the top 10 for communities with the most homes certified under the federal Energy Star energy-efficiency standards, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency planned to announce today.
The EPA rankings coincide with the agency's announcement that 1 million energy-efficient Energy Star-qualified homes have been built in the United States since the program began in 1995.
Energy Star-qualified new homes are independently verified to meet guidelines for energy efficiency set by the EPA, including standards for walls, floors, windows, insulation, air ducting, heating, cooling, water heating, lighting and appliances.

Energy Star homes
Top 10 metro areas for homes meeting the federal Energy Star standard
Area* Number of homes
1. Houston 144,420
2. Dallas-Fort Worth 102,872
3. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. 79,929
4. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale 73,021
5. Los Angeles 53,673
6. New York 25,168
7. Tucson 18,970
8. San Antonio 18,847
9. Sacramento, Calif. 18,208
10. San Diego 17,515

kaneui

Nov 11, 2009, 9:25 AM

A second ADOT warehouse has been auctioned off, and WAMO now wants to purchase it from the developer/buyer:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/SolarCulture-31ETooleAve.jpg
31 E. Toole Ave. warehouse
(photo: Downtown Tucsonan)

Fenton buys Solar Culture warehouse
November 10, 2009
by Teya Vitu
Downtown Tucsonan

Downtown property owner Steven Fenton acquired the state-owned Solar Culture Warehouse, 31 E. Toole Ave., for $101,000 in a Tuesday auction that lasted less than one minute. The prior evening Fenton and the Warehouse Arts Management Organization, the other bidder, had come to an informal agreement. Fenton stated his “hope” to ultimately sell the warehouse to WAMO if he can acquire the neighboring state-owned warehouse at 15-17-19 E. Toole, occupied by Astro Fab, WAMO President Marvin Shaver said.

WAMO had the financial backing from the Tucson Industrial Development Authority, but quickly backed off from the bidding, which started at $95,000, because of the agreement. “I don’t have an agreement we feel completely comfortable with,” Shaver said. “He said he is willing to sell Solar Culture to us for his buying price once he acquires the property to the west.” Fenton was not at the auction and Toole Avenue Partners representatives that bid on his behalf declined to comment. Fenton bought the former Reilly Funeral Home, 102 E. Pennington St., in a July 2007 estate sale for $470,000, but has done nothing with the structure in three years. Also, in 2007, he opened the Academy Lofts, 460 S. Sixth Avenue, where he created 36 residential lofts at the former convent of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Joseph’s Academy.

Steven Eye, founder of Solar Culture and the warehouse’s occupant since 1987, wonders about his future at the warehouse he’s occupied since 1987. “All we have is (Fenton’s) word for some hope,” Eye said. “Without a deal in writing, we have nothing except hope. I’m not going anywhere until I talk with Steve Fenton and we have a deal. We’re going to hopefully make a deal with him.” Solar Culture, along with gallery space, has offered cultural events for decades, though in recent years building code violations have occasionally briefly closed the warehouse down. “It’s been an amazing place for the community to grow and feel inspired,” Eye said.

Fenton, owner of Fenton Investment Co., released a press statement through WAMO:

“I have partnered with Ron Schwabe of Peach Properties, with assistance from WAMO, to develop the Toole Avenue warehouses. As with all of my projects, my intention is to be sensitive and respectful of the historic nature of these great old buildings with emphasis on the arts and arts related uses. It is my hope to be able to ultimately sell 31 E. Toole Ave. to WAMO with the intent that Solar Culture will be able to stay in this location at a rate they can afford. To accomplish this goal, we will need the support of the City of Tucson and the Tucson Industrial Development Authority.”

Peach Properties on Nov. 6 acquired the Zee Warehouse, 1 E. Toole Ave., in a similar auction conducted by the Arizona Department of Transportation. Peach co-owner Patricia Schwabe also attended but did not bid in the Solar Culture auction. “We all need to get together and finally realize the vision of the warehouse arts district,” Schwabe said.

kaneui

Nov 11, 2009, 9:36 AM

In this audio interview, local architect Corky Poster asserts that the problems with downtown and Rio Nuevo began with the city's attempt at redevelopment in the 1960's and 70's, and encourages Tucsonans to support downtown now, rather than wait for some future "finished product:"

http://radio.azpm.org/azspotlight/podcasts/2009/11/6/azspotlight-dowtown-redevelopment/

kaneui

Nov 12, 2009, 6:50 PM

kaneui

Nov 13, 2009, 2:06 AM

Tucson ranks 7th in US for efficient homes

The Tucson and Phoenix metropolitan areas rank in the top 10 for communities with the most homes certified under the federal Energy Star energy-efficiency standards, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency planned to announce today.
The EPA rankings coincide with the agency's announcement that 1 million energy-efficient Energy Star-qualified homes have been built in the United States since the program began in 1995.
Energy Star-qualified new homes are independently verified to meet guidelines for energy efficiency set by the EPA, including standards for walls, floors, windows, insulation, air ducting, heating, cooling, water heating, lighting and appliances.

Energy Star homes
Top 10 metro areas for homes meeting the federal Energy Star standard
Area* Number of homes
1. Houston 144,420
2. Dallas-Fort Worth 102,872
3. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. 79,929
4. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale 73,021
5. Los Angeles 53,673
6. New York 25,168
7. Tucson 18,970
8. San Antonio 18,847
9. Sacramento, Calif. 18,208
10. San Diego 17,515

Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | 11.10.2009

Interesting to note that Phoenix has had fewer energy-efficient homes built than Las Vegas since 1995, but with twice the population. (And I would guess that both metro areas have grown at about the same rate since that time.)

Locofresh55

Nov 13, 2009, 5:11 AM

More progress on the Rialto Block façade restoration, scheduled for completion by year-end:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/Rialtoblockrenov.jpg
Large wood-framed doors will be a stand-out
element of the new design.
(photo: Downtown Tucsonan)

Rialto Block façade taking a 1920s turn
November 12, 2009
by Teya Vitu
Downtown Tucsonan

The stripped down Rialto Block should have a new 1919-1921-style façade in place by the end of the year, co-owner Don Martin said. The first set of double doors was installed at the corner of Congress Street and Fifth Avenue. The same style doors will go at three spots along Congress, on both sides of the Rialto Theatre, with one set on Fifth Avenue, Martin said.

Martin and co-owner Scott Stiteler received a $125,000 grant from the city Façade Improvement Program that they are matching with $125,000. Between the doors, there will be large windows with prismatic glass cubes above and wainscoting below. “It’s the same architectural design (of the original façade), except the doors are taller,” Martin said, adding the look will be similar to the Hotel Congress across the street. The upstairs façade with wooden planter boxes was completed in summer.

While construction crews work the Rialto block, Martin has a standing meeting each Thursday afternoon to master plan the property with architects, developers, restaurateurs and bar owners. He ultimately envisions “some food venture” downstairs, a large bar upstairs, and a live music venue in the former Skrappy’s/Continental Trailways building at Broadway and Fifth Avenue. Martin said he hopes to have master planning done by the end of the year. Tenants could emerge from the planning or be sought out early in 2010.

I drove by there today and I must say it is looking pretty good. The fact that the 4th avenue underpass and shops opening up at one north fifth makes it feel welcoming in downtown. I also drove by the mercado district and they are starting construction on two more units. The mercado itself looks good. I am pleased with the progress and the MLK building looks fairly massive for having 3 floors of frame. If 44 broadway can get started and the Sheraton can get off the ground, downtown will begin it's blossoming.

BTW......The third IN N OUT is nearly complete. They just put the signs on the building recently and I noticed they were paving the drive thru or at least prepping for it. Tucson supposedly will have 5 IN N OUTS by the end of 2010 as they are planning two more locations. Buddy of mine in Green Valley mentioned that he heard about a possible restaurant there too....anybody have info on that.

kaneui

Nov 13, 2009, 9:59 AM

BTW......The third IN N OUT is nearly complete. They just put the signs on the building recently and I noticed they were paving the drive thru or at least prepping for it. Tucson supposedly will have 5 IN N OUTS by the end of 2010 as they are planning two more locations. Buddy of mine in Green Valley mentioned that he heard about a possible restaurant there too....anybody have info on that.

From Inside Tucson Business about a month ago, here are In-N-Out's plans for Tucson:

Two retail chains see now as the time to make dirt fly in Tucson
By Joe Pangburn
Inside Tucson Business
October 02, 2009

From outside the market looking in, a couple of retail chains that hold cult-like status among their customers see this as a good time to make the dirt fly on their Tucson expansions. California-based In-N-Out Burger is about two months away from opening its third location in the region, with real estate deals signed for two more. And Oklahoma-based QuikTrip convenience store operator has two locations under construction with plans for 15 locations throughout the region by the time they’re finished.

Officials at QuikTrip, which started moving into the Phoenix market six years ago, saw Tucson as their next logical step for expansion. The two locations currently under construction are at 5151 E. Speedway, between Rosemont Boulevard and Craycroft Road, and 2345 E. Irvington Road, east of South Tucson Boulevard. In keeping with the company’s typical concept of larger than normal convenience stores, each of the two locations are being built with 5,000 square-feet of store space and 16 gas pumps. “We’ve been fortunate and have had a lot of growth,” said Mike Thornbrugh, manager of public and government affairs at QuikTrip, which is oftened abbreviated as QT. “Tucson is a target for us. And we hope to get a lot of the locations going relatively quickly. We’re growing everywhere too we have existing markets as well.”

Thornbrugh said he expects to have the Irvington Road location open by mid January and the Speedway location should follow in February. “When you enter a new market there are a lot of people who don’t know you,” Thornbrugh said. “You need to open them all over and close in timing so people can see you all over in a short period of time. We hope to get several more under construction before these open.” Despite the recessionary economy, Thornbrugh said QuikTrip officials believe this is the right time to enter the Tucson market. “QT always makes our decision for the long term,” he said. “We think by entering the Tucson market now, will give us the opportunity to be successful.” With its stores centered in the Midwest fanning out from its headquarters city, Tulsa, QuikTrip now has more than 525 locations stretching east to Georgia, north to Iowa and west to Arizona.

Just around the corner from QuikTrip’s Irvington Road location, In-N-Out Burger is building its newest location on the northeast corner of Ajo Way and Kino Parkway. With direct access off Interstate 10, it is prototypical of the kind of location the chain likes. When it opens in December, the location will be In-N-Out’s farthest east freeway location. The chain, which is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., has 233 locations in California, Arizona, Nevada and the southwest corner of Utah. In-N-Out entered the Tucson market in August 2007 with a location at 3711 E. Broadway in El Con Shopping Center. Three months later it opened at 8180 N. Cortaro Road off I-10 in Marana. The company has signed real estate deals to open two more locations; one at 8 N. Kolb Road on the northeast corner of East Broadway and the other in Oro Valley Marketplace on the southwest corner of Oracle and Tangerine roads in Oro Valley.

Besides their popularity with customers, both QuikTrip and In-N-Out Burger have earned reputations that separate them as good places to work. QuikTrip last year ranked No. 27 on Fortune magazine’s top 100 Best Companies to Work For and has been on the least twice previously. The company starts part-time clerks at $8.25 per hour but they are eligible for a bonus program after six months. Night-time assistants start at $10.67 per hour. In-N-Out Burger starts all employees at $10 per hour in an industry that is known for paying the minimum wage.

kaneui

Nov 13, 2009, 8:15 PM

For all you holiday shoppers, Tucson Mall has finished a $70M, 120k s.f. makeover with a new grand entrance:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/TucsonMallentrance.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/TucsonMallrenov.jpg
(photos: Dean Knuth, Roger Yohem)

Tucson Mall opens new entrance
By Roger Yohem
Inside Tucson Business
November 13, 2009

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Tucson Mall, 4500 N. Oracle Road, has completed a $70 million, year-long construction project creating a new grand entrance. Located on the mall’s south side near Macy’s facing Wetmore Road, the entry feature was part of a 120,000-square-foot redevelopment project by mall owner General Growth Properties. Jim Heilmann, senior general manager of Tucson Mall, said the completion of this portion of the project will enable the mall’s new merchants “to begin work in preparation for their 2010 openings.” The construction also enabled some current tenants to relocate or expand.

The mall changes were designed by ELS Architecture and Urban Design, in Berkeley, Calif. It’s the same firm that redeveloped and expanded General Growth’s Park Place Mall. Ledcor, headquartered in San Diego, was the general contractor.

kaneui

Nov 13, 2009, 8:29 PM

With two downtown ADOT warehouses sold last week and four more soon to follow, artists may find that their below-market rents could be coming to an end:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/TooleAvewarehouses.jpg
ADOT’s next auction could be Dec. 11 for this parcel at 15-19 E. Toole Ave.
(photo: Nick Smith)

ADOT relieved to be selling off downtown properties along north edge
By Roger Yohem
Inside Tucson Business
November 13, 2009

After unwittingly finding itself in the property management business for the past 20 years, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is selling off six buildings along the northern edge of downtown Tucson. ADOT had been holding on to the buildings, among 15 parcels it owns downtown, in anticipation of construction of the final leg of the Barraza-Aviation Parkway connecting from Broadway east of downtown to Interstate 10. “We didn’t get to build the road because the community said they didn’t want an eight-laner through downtown,” said Teresa Welborn, director of public involvement for ADOT. “We said OK and the city took responsibility for designing that last mile.”

The City of Tucson has been working on the final design since the 1980s, she said. Construction of the project is now included in the 20-year regional transportation plan approved by voters in May 2006. With the parkway routing now planned to be north of the Union Pacific railroad tracks, the city gave the green light to ADOT to sell the six properties. Four of the properties are on East Toole Avenue in the Historic Warehouse Arts District where the Warehouse Arts Management Organization (WAMO) manages several artist-occupied buildings.

Two of the properties have already been sold at auction. On Nov. 6, Peach Properties purchased 1 E. Toole Ave. for $252,000, which was above the appraised value of $165,000. And on Nov. 10, businessman Steven Fenton paid $101,000 for 31 E. Toole Ave, which had been appraised at $95,000. ADOT’s tenants were notified of the planned sales in August. The notice was not well received, Welborn acknowledged, adding that it was understandable “since the tenants got in way below market-rate rents.” “Their reaction was to tell us that’s a problem,” she said. “We can’t afford to buy the buildings and we want to stay.”

One other property appears headed to auction soon, 15-19 E. Toole Ave. A Nov. 6 offer puts it in play for a possible Dec. 11 sale. It is appraised at $265,000. ADOT’s other available properties are at 119 E. Toole Ave., appraised at $360,000; 450 N. Main Ave., appraised at $161,000; and 546 N. Stone Ave., appraised at $195,000. “We’re thrilled that we finally are able to sell these properties,” Welborn said. “The situation with the city was very untypical. If in 1986, someone had told us we’d be managing these properties for the next 20 years, we wouldn’t have believed them. We don’t want to be in the business of property management, we build roads.”

kaneui

Nov 13, 2009, 8:44 PM

Similar to a previous story in Flagstaff, Tucson subcontractors say they are being shut out of the bidding for local construction jobs by firms based in Phoenix:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/TCCconstruction.jpg
If filed, the ACT lawsuit may halt construction at the TCC.
(photo: Joe Pangburn)

Construction alliance planning to sue over Rio Nuevo process
By Roger Yohem
Inside Tucson Business
November 13, 2009

The Alliance of Construction Trades was threatening to file a lawsuit against the City of Tucson and Rio Nuevo over plans for construction of a downtown convention hotel and related projects. In fact the alliance says it would have filed the lawsuit by now had it not been for City Manager Mike Letcher asking to hold off for a week. At a Nov. 11 news conference called to announce the lawsuit, James Kuliesh, executive director of the Alliance of Construction Trades (ACT), said his organization agreed to work with city officials until Wednesday (Nov. 18) to iron out a list of questions, primarily dealing with the city’s pre-qualification of contractors and procurement process. But if those concerns aren’t resolved by noon Wednesday, he said ACT will file a lawsuit by the end of the day. He said the lawsuit will seek an injunction to stop construction that is already underway on the southeast entrance of the Tucson Convention Center (TCC).

ACT argues there are several flaws in the city’s administration of major construction projects, specifically in a development agreement the city has with developer Garfield Traub and its construction companies, Turner and Sundt. ACT’s attorney Neal Eckel said there already is concern the developers are not following city procedures. As an example, he said the developers did not use an open bidding process or notice local subcontractors on Phase 1 of the convention center entrance and instead used an existing database. “Our local subcontractors were denied the opportunity to participate in that bidding process,” Eckel said. “Also, the contract that Turner/Sundt plans to use does not comply with the Arizona prompt pay statutes.”

Kuliesh said the city’s “lack of transparency” hurts Tucson-based companies’ efforts to win future work tied to the Rio Nuevo development. Over time, he projects Rio Nuevo-related projects could generate $500,000 in construction wages. “I’ve asked twice for a list of who bid on the job at the east entrance of the TCC. I haven’t seen it yet,” he said. “Who were the companies that got the business? I’d like to see the list.” Kuliesh added that Letcher, who he said has been helpful to ACT, told him he had not seen such a list either. With about 19,000 local construction workers currently unemployed, ACT is sensitive to how its lawsuit will affect laborers working around the convention center. “We’re not looking necessarily to stop construction,” Eckel said. “We want to make sure they (Garfield Traub) comply with what they said they are going to do. There is going to be an open bidding process, transparency on bids submitted by local contractors. One of the things we’ve asked for is that it all be done in a public arena, where our subcontractors can show up and see if they got the bid, and if not, who was it awarded to and what was the process.”

Kuliesh said many companies have operations in Tucson but headquarters and ownership is in Phoenix. From ACT’s perspective, he said that does not qualify them as “Tucson-based” contractors. That is a fundamental difference of opinion driving ACT’s dispute with the developers. Arizona law does not authoritatively define what comprises a locally based business, said Attorney Eric Hawkins, who works with Eckel in the Durrazzo & Eckel law firm.

Locofresh55

Nov 13, 2009, 9:44 PM

From Inside Tucson Business about a month ago, here are In-N-Out's plans for Tucson:

Two retail chains see now as the time to make dirt fly in Tucson
By Joe Pangburn
Inside Tucson Business
October 02, 2009

From outside the market looking in, a couple of retail chains that hold cult-like status among their customers see this as a good time to make the dirt fly on their Tucson expansions. California-based In-N-Out Burger is about two months away from opening its third location in the region, with real estate deals signed for two more. And Oklahoma-based QuikTrip convenience store operator has two locations under construction with plans for 15 locations throughout the region by the time they’re finished.

Officials at QuikTrip, which started moving into the Phoenix market six years ago, saw Tucson as their next logical step for expansion. The two locations currently under construction are at 5151 E. Speedway, between Rosemont Boulevard and Craycroft Road, and 2345 E. Irvington Road, east of South Tucson Boulevard. In keeping with the company’s typical concept of larger than normal convenience stores, each of the two locations are being built with 5,000 square-feet of store space and 16 gas pumps. “We’ve been fortunate and have had a lot of growth,” said Mike Thornbrugh, manager of public and government affairs at QuikTrip, which is oftened abbreviated as QT. “Tucson is a target for us. And we hope to get a lot of the locations going relatively quickly. We’re growing everywhere too we have existing markets as well.”

Thornbrugh said he expects to have the Irvington Road location open by mid January and the Speedway location should follow in February. “When you enter a new market there are a lot of people who don’t know you,” Thornbrugh said. “You need to open them all over and close in timing so people can see you all over in a short period of time. We hope to get several more under construction before these open.” Despite the recessionary economy, Thornbrugh said QuikTrip officials believe this is the right time to enter the Tucson market. “QT always makes our decision for the long term,” he said. “We think by entering the Tucson market now, will give us the opportunity to be successful.” With its stores centered in the Midwest fanning out from its headquarters city, Tulsa, QuikTrip now has more than 525 locations stretching east to Georgia, north to Iowa and west to Arizona.

Just around the corner from QuikTrip’s Irvington Road location, In-N-Out Burger is building its newest location on the northeast corner of Ajo Way and Kino Parkway. With direct access off Interstate 10, it is prototypical of the kind of location the chain likes. When it opens in December, the location will be In-N-Out’s farthest east freeway location. The chain, which is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., has 233 locations in California, Arizona, Nevada and the southwest corner of Utah. In-N-Out entered the Tucson market in August 2007 with a location at 3711 E. Broadway in El Con Shopping Center. Three months later it opened at 8180 N. Cortaro Road off I-10 in Marana. The company has signed real estate deals to open two more locations; one at 8 N. Kolb Road on the northeast corner of East Broadway and the other in Oro Valley Marketplace on the southwest corner of Oracle and Tangerine roads in Oro Valley.

Besides their popularity with customers, both QuikTrip and In-N-Out Burger have earned reputations that separate them as good places to work. QuikTrip last year ranked No. 27 on Fortune magazine’s top 100 Best Companies to Work For and has been on the least twice previously. The company starts part-time clerks at $8.25 per hour but they are eligible for a bonus program after six months. Night-time assistants start at $10.67 per hour. In-N-Out Burger starts all employees at $10 per hour in an industry that is known for paying the minimum wage.

Thanks Kaneui....I meant to say Oro Valley not Green Valley. Quik Trip on Irvington is making good progress too. I've noticed several Valeros opening up on the East Side. One on Valencia and Swan/Benson Hwy. Another one by Civano on Houghton where the Rincon Hospital will be built. I was hearing about another Super Target possibly being built on Kolb road near I-10 close to that road to go to the U of A tech park. I haven't been to the one on oracle but the outside looks nice. Is that store under the Big box ordinance limit?

kaneui

Nov 14, 2009, 1:46 AM

I was hearing about another Super Target possibly being built on Kolb road near I-10 close to that road to go to the U of A tech park. I haven't been to the one on oracle but the outside looks nice. Is that store under the Big box ordinance limit?

Only if it's within Tucson city limits.

poconoboy61

Nov 14, 2009, 11:37 AM

Thanks Kaneui....I meant to say Oro Valley not Green Valley. Quik Trip on Irvington is making good progress too. I've noticed several Valeros opening up on the East Side. One on Valencia and Swan/Benson Hwy. Another one by Civano on Houghton where the Rincon Hospital will be built. I was hearing about another Super Target possibly being built on Kolb road near I-10 close to that road to go to the U of A tech park. I haven't been to the one on oracle but the outside looks nice. Is that store under the Big box ordinance limit?

No, the store on Oracle is not under the big-box ordinance limit. The big-box ordinance only applies to new construction, not to remodeled big-boxes. Because Target operated a store at that location well before the big-box ordinance was enacted, it is exempt for the big-box ordinance. The only locations within Tucson where Super Targets can be constructed are where current regular Targets are located. I am hoping that they turn the Target at the Williams Centre on Broadway into a Super Target. It seems like an ideal location for one.

I don't know if Kolb/I-10 is within Tucson city limits. If it is, Target will not be allowed to constructed a supercenter.

poconoboy61

Nov 14, 2009, 11:38 AM

[QUOTE=Locofresh55;4557462]Thanks Kaneui....I meant to say Oro Valley not Green Valley. Quik Trip on Irvington is making good progress too. I've noticed several Valeros opening up on the East Side. One on Valencia and Swan/Benson Hwy. Another one by Civano on Houghton where the Rincon Hospital will be built. I was hearing about another Super Target possibly being built on Kolb road near I-10 close to that road to go to the U of A tech park. I haven't been to the one on oracle but the outside looks nice. Is that store under the Big box ordinance limit?

No, the store on Oracle is not under the big-box ordinance limit. The big-box ordinance only applies to new construction, not to remodeled big-boxes. Because Target operated a store at that location well before the big-box ordinance was enacted, it is exempt for the big-box ordinance. The only locations within Tucson where Super Targets can be constructed are where current regular Targets are located. I am hoping that they turn the Target at the Williams Centre on Broadway into a Super Target. It seems like an ideal location for one.

I don't know if Kolb/I-10 is within Tucson city limits. If it is, Target will not be allowed to constructed a supercenter.

Locofresh55

Nov 14, 2009, 4:18 PM

Thanks for the clarification poconoboy, I have heard different things about the big box ordinance but didn't really know the limitations. The area on Kolb is weird because there is a stretch on kolb between Valencia and I-10 that supposedly does not fall into city limits but then you head south of I-10 heading towards the RV resort and the new housing at Sycamore Park and you're right back into city limits. Wilmot is the same. Drive on Valencia heading towards Wilmot and you're out of city limits but then you drive south on Wilmot and you see a "welcome to Tucson" city limit sign. Who knows anymore? I can tell you that the distribution center looks nice and is friggin huge. They have dirt lots in front available for hotels and retail, it would be nice to see some stuff built there.

kaneui

Nov 14, 2009, 10:40 PM

After a long legal battle, a large number of these eyesores are finally coming down. (After all, weren't billboards one of main reasons Speedway was dubbed by Life magazine in 1970 as the ugliest street in America?)

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/Billboards-I-10.jpg
Billboards along Interstate 10 near Ruthrauff Road were among those included in
the litigation. An accord expected Nov. 16 could mean an end to 110 of the signs.
(photo: Arizona Daily Star)

Long billboard battle near end; 110 will go
By Rob O'Dell
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
11.11.2009

Tucson and Clear Channel Outdoor Inc. have agreed to a deal to take down 110 billboards around the city, ending more than 20 years of litigation. The only thing left is for Superior Court Judge Carmine Cornelio to approve the settlement at a hearing Nov. 16. City Attorney Mike Rankin said both sides would be shocked if the judge didn't approve the settlement. Two Clear Channel Outdoor representatives did not return calls for comment. The agreement ends nearly 25 years of wrangling between the city and Clear Channel over billboards, which the city says violate its sign code. More than 20 of Clear Channel's billboards would be modified to meet city code as well. To make way for the final settlement, the two sides recently agreed about billboard lighting regulations and the required relocation of two billboards, one on Benson Highway and one on North Oracle Road. Clear Channel agreed to remove the billboard on Oracle so it does not have to relocate the billboard on Benson Highway, Rankin said.

The final agreement includes:

• Removal of 110 specific Clear Channel billboards, including 14 already removed during the last few months of negotiations.
• A provision that 93 removals occur within five years of the settlement.
• Modification of an additional 22 billboards to remedy violations.
• Prohibiting any billboards not currently lighted from ever having lights.
• Requires the removal of all bottom-mounted billboard lights within one year. Those lights can be replaced with top- mounted billboard lights that meet city code.

Although the most current legal battle started in 2000, it is just the most recent in a series of suits. The two sides have been fighting over the city's sign code since 1985. The 1985 city ordinance regulates the size, location and height of various signs. After a number of legal fights, billboard-industry lobbyists got the Legislature to pass a law in 2000 that said cities can act against billboards only if they file a complaint within two years of learning the signs violate local ordinances. The city filed suit one day before that law took effect, eventually charging 173 Clear Channel billboards were illegal. The case wound through the courts until April 2008, when the state Court of Appeals sided with Tucson and rejected arguments by Clear Channel that the city had waited too long to begin legal proceedings over what it says are billboards illegally erected or altered. "We hope it's done on Nov. 16 and there's no more litigation," Rankin said.

kaneui

Nov 16, 2009, 7:03 PM

With dwindling Rio Nuevo funds now diverted to the convention center and hotel construction, the only remaining portion of the Downtown Infrastructure Project to be completed will be two sides of the Julian-Drew block along Broadway and 5th Ave.:

5th/Broadway corner makeover to echo Scott Ave.
November 16, 2009
by Teya Vitu
Downtown Tucsonan

The corner of Broadway and Fifth Avenue is getting similar streetscape improvements that transformed Scott Avenue earlier this year. Work started Oct. 24 to tear up the outer lane on Broadway between Arizona and Fifth avenues, and on Fifth Avenue between Broadway and 12th Avenue. By the end of the year, wider sidewalks of adobe-colored concrete with benches, native plants, pedestrian-friendly street lighting and bike racks should be in place, said Michael R. Graham, spokesman for the city Transportation Department. The $350,000 streetscape project will also add one parking space on Broadway and alter parking on Fifth Avenue to back-in angle parking akin to the offshoot streets along Fourth Avenue, Graham said. That will increase the number of parking spaces from 8 to 15 on Fifth Avenue.

This new streetscape wraps around two sides of the 1917 Julian-Drew Building, 178-188 E. Broadway, owned by Ross Rulney. He also owns a carriage house and the Tiburon Apartments behind Julian-Drew. “We’re getting ready to redevelop the carriage house into residential use,” Rulney said. He wants to convert the carriage house into 12 rental lofts in the first quarter of 2010. At the same time, Rulney wants to add two downstairs rental lofts in Julian-Drew, and improve the common areas at Tiburon. But the carriage house project relies on utility relocation on Arizona Avenue that is still uncertain, said Rio Nuevo project director Jessie Sanders. The Rio Nuevo-funded streetscape work is a public-private collaboration with Rulney’s project. “It takes an old historic corner up to today’s expectations of a revitalized corner,” Rulney said. “This should be an example of what every corner should be like.”

The Fifth/Broadway streetscape is part of the Downtown Infrastructure Project that has changed drastically since launched two years ago. The original $37 million Rio Nuevo-funded DIP primarily would have relocated utilities and made streetscape improvement along the streetcar route on Broadway, Congress Street and Granada Ave. The DIP also included streetscape improvement for Scott Avenue and Arizona Avenue, ultimately the only DIP projects undertaken for about $5 million. The DIP was drastically scaled back as all Rio Nuevo money was reallocated to the Tucson Convention Center hotel project, Sanders said. Rulney asked and received an amendment to swap out Arizona Avenue streetscape work in favor of Fifth and Broadway for the final DIP project. Streetscape work for the streetcar alignment on Congress, Broadway and Granada was shelved, but utility relocation under the streets will be funded by the Federal Transportation Administration, said Shellie Ginn, the city’s streetcar project manager.

BrandonJXN

Nov 20, 2009, 7:35 PM

Tucson is going to be pretty busy tomorrow with the Tour de Tucson AND College Gameday in town.

kaneui

Dec 3, 2009, 7:18 AM

State takes control of Rio Nuevo away from city
Inside Tucson Business
November 27, 2009

State leaders finally followed through on their threat to take financial control of Rio Nuevo away from the City of Tucson and put it under a nine-member board. The governor will appoint five of the members, the speaker of the state House and president of the state Senate will each appoint two members. Members should have experience in commercial real estate, construction, architecture, real estate law, economic development or finance. At least three of the governor’s appointees and one each of the speaker’s and the Senate president’s appointees must live in the city of Tucson.

The board, which will sit with the current city-appointed board until the current members’ terms expire in 2011, will be responsible for overseeing the design and construction of a downtown hotel and convention center, and other downtown Tucson redevelopment contracts that have been issued.

kaneui

Dec 3, 2009, 7:38 AM

Broadway units going up for the low-income elderly
Catholic Community Services, Tucson Housing Foundation sponsor project

By Ian Friedman
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
12.02.2009

Some elderly Tucsonans struggling to make ends meet this holiday season could be living in affordable new homes by this time next year. The Casitas on East Broadway, 2121 E. Broadway, a 56-unit apartment and duplex facility that will cater to low-income elderly residents, is under construction and scheduled to open next November, but representatives said the project is ahead of schedule. The 1.6-acre complex will be open to residents 62 and older who earn at or below 50 percent of the area's median level income. Potential residents will be asked to fill out an application and those selected will be required to pay 30 percent of their monthly income for rent and utilities.

The project will consist of two-story apartment buildings and single-story duplexes organized around four courtyards. All second-story residences will be accessible via elevator. The complex, co-sponsored by Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona Inc. and Tucson Housing Foundation Inc., received funding through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of the Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program. According to a news release, the project will receive LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which rates construction projects based on their level of environmental sustainability. The architect is Lizard Rock Designs LLC; the builder is Tofel Construction. Anyone interested in applying to live in the development can call Housing Director Jesus Mora at 624-0551 for more information.

PHX31

Dec 3, 2009, 4:11 PM

Tucson is going to be pretty busy tomorrow with the Tour de Tucson AND College Gameday in town.

Did you watch College Gameday? Which mascot's head did Lee Corso choose at the end? My friends and I were listening to it on Sirius in the car ride out to the Rose Bowl to see ASU play UCLA. Right as it was Corso's turn to make his pick, Sirius cut out to something else. So we didn't get to hear it.

atbg8654

Dec 3, 2009, 6:46 PM

Did you watch College Gameday? Which mascot's head did Lee Corso choose at the end? My friends and I were listening to it on Sirius in the car ride out to the Rose Bowl to see ASU play UCLA. Right as it was Corso's turn to make his pick, Sirius cut out to something else. So we didn't get to hear it.

UO

atbg8654

Dec 3, 2009, 6:50 PM

Can someone tell me what is under construction on the north side of Speedway near Dodge (across from the old Pontiac dealership)?

Anqrew

Dec 4, 2009, 5:18 AM

I think i know what you're talking about, i drive speedway nearly everyday on my way to school, i just cant remember which project is which, i know there's 2 different construction projects happening on the north side of speedway, one is a QT gas station, and one is just an office building or something.

kaneui

Dec 4, 2009, 5:46 AM

As the Downtown Tucson Partnership stands to gain from the pending sale of the Coronado Hotel, outgoing councilman Steve Leal isn't convinced the DTP--which is partially funded by taxpayer dollars--is working in the city's best interests:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/kaneui/CoronadoHotel.jpg
The Coronado Hotel is up for grabs
(photo: Nick Smith)

Coronado Conundrum
One of the few downtown-area affordable-housing properties is up for sale

by Dave Devine
Tucson Weekly
December 2, 2009

For almost two decades, the historic Coronado Hotel at Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street has provided 42 units of affordable housing to low-income people. But in October, the property was put on the market by its co-owner, the Downtown Development Corporation (DDC), with bids being accepted through Dec. 10. The DDC is paying the Downtown Tucson Partnership $2,500 monthly in management fees, meaning that Glenn Lyons, CEO of the partnership, is handling the sale for the corporation. Lyons has some regrets about the way the controversial Coronado proposal has played out. "It would have been good to have had more discussions about what the future options would be," Lyons says of downtown affordable housing in general. "If we had talked about that instead of the Coronado, we might have actually made up some ground."

Conversely, outgoing City Councilman Steve Leal thinks there's another big-picture item that deserves some attention: The fact that private organizations like the Downtown Tucson Partnership receive large sums of taxpayer money. Referring to these groups, Leal remarked at last week's City Council meeting: "When you have complete anonymity, that's when you have problems. ... A lot of these folks are happy being invisible." In order to ensure these organizations comply with City Council standards, Leal asked his colleagues to consider amending their master operating agreements with the city. "Or are we just going to mouth principles and pieties?" he asked.

The Downtown Tucson Partnership has a multifaceted board of directors that supervises Lyons. The organization writes that it "represents the interests of businesses and the greater downtown community in the downtown revitalization process." This year, the partnership has a budget of more than $1.5 million—and more than 55 percent of those funds are supplied by the city of Tucson through a variety of mechanisms. Traditionally, the city has provided the partnership with annual operating support. This year, that includes $280,000 to help fund the group's efforts to keep the downtown area clean and safe, and another $32,720 for entertainment events such as the upcoming Parade of Lights and First Night celebrations.

On top of those sums, the City Council earlier this year awarded the group a $525,000 contract to supply services to ParkWise, the city's parking program. (See "Not So Wise," May 14.) From this amount, Lyons will be paid $375 weekly for three hours of work. "It saves the city about $100,000," says Lyons, who refused to be photographed for this story, about these contractual services that once were handled by city staff or consultants, "and makes (the partnership) about $80,000 which we can plow back into our programs." The partnership also gets free office space immediately adjacent to the ParkWise staff in the city's Pennington Street garage. Concurrently with the adoption of the ParkWise contract, City Manager Mike Letcher proposed Lyons as the leader of his new downtown-planning team. One of the listed tasks of this group is to "coordinate affordable housing downtown."

In response to Letcher's suggestion, the council, by a 6-1 vote, in September allocated the Partnership up to $73,000 for consulting fees, which would cover such items as negotiating agreements between the city and private developers. Assuming Lyons is paid $125 per hour under this contract, that means he's working on the city's tab up to 12 hours per week. Leal, who is retiring after 20 years on the City Council, opposed this proposal. "I thought it was a bad idea," he says. "They have a conflict of interest in shaping opinions (about downtown). It's clear some council members and city administrators are interested in grabbing as many resources over time (as possible) and lateraling them to the partnership." Leal adds about the partnership: "They've shown real indifference to the city's visions and values ... but they think they're untouchable and unaccountable, since they keep getting more resources."

Concerning the conflict-of-interest charge, Lyons says he doesn't expect problems, but says he must pay attention to possible conflicts and talk to involved parties. However, Lyons says allegations that the partnership sees moving poor people out of the downtown area as vital for revitalization are "patently ridiculous." City Councilwoman Regina Romero has expressed displeasure with the partnership's handling of the Coronado situation. At last week's council meeting, she remarked: "I wish we hadn't ended up in this position at this moment." However, Councilwoman Karin Uhlich declared at the same meeting: "Glenn Lyons is an important resource for us." In an earlier interview, she said the partnership provides "a strong voice to make sure downtown attracts private investment."

While Pima County officials have indicated that the county will bid on the Coronado in an attempt to keep it as affordable housing, Lyons says the whole debate troubles him. Even as he repeatedly declares that he wants to see much more affordable housing downtown, Lyons says of the Coronado: "It's an 80-year old building that offers spartan accommodations and requires $1 to $2 million to bring up to acceptable standards." However, architect Corky Poster believes the building could be upgraded for much less. After a walk-through of the Coronado, he told Pima County representatives, "With a budget of about $700,000, the building could be vastly improved as an efficient living accommodation for its current residents."

Whoever wins the bidding—the minimum price is $670,000—Lyons says the Downtown Development Corporation will receive one-third of the proceeds from the sale. Those funds, when combined with other money the DDC is in the process of obtaining, will provide the corporation with $600,000 or more. That capital, Lyons says, could be enough for the DDC to get involved in developing a project downtown, something it did successfully until the early 1990s—but not since.

As for the future of the Coronado, Lyons writes: "The DDC has a fiduciary responsibility on behalf of its limited partner to obtain the highest price that the market will bear for the property." When asked what will happen if two similar bids are submitted—one to maintain affordable housing, and the other proposing a different use—Lyons hesitates for a moment before answering. "Truthfully, I don't know," he replies. "We'll have to address that when the time comes."