From The Editor
Council Actions Benefit Downtown
n the last two weeks of June, Tucson’s City Council took action on several significant Downtown issues. Here’s a synopsis:
Greyhound Relocation—The Council directed staff to pursue the acquisition of a parcel of land at the southeast corner of 25th Street and the I-10 frontage road for the temporary relocation of the Greyhound Bus Station, currently located at Congress and 4th Avenue, and currently the final obstacle in getting the 4th Avenue underpass construction underway. The City Council also asked staff to dialogue with stakeholders to develop a final recommendation at the August 2 Council meeting on the permanent home of the Greyhound station. The 25th Street site could potentially serve as both the temporary location and the permanent location, because it is large enough to accommodate both temporary facilities and a concurrent construction site. The 6th and Toole location that had been identified as part of the intermodal center plan could serve as the permanent location, but it is not large enough to also accommodate temporary facilities. The timetable would be: the relocation of the Greyhound station in October, with demolition of the existing building in November and December.
This is good news, because the long-planned 4th Avenue underpass project can finally begin by the beginning of next year.
Two-way Conversion of Broadway Blvd.—The Council approved the temporary conversion of Broadway Blvd. from 4th Avenue to Church Avenue (currently one-way eastbound) to two-way traffic, with two lanes of traffic in either direction. A new two-lane connector to westbound Congress would be constructed in Veinte do Agosto Park, west of Church. This is necessitated by construction of the 4th Avenue underpass, and is the first major step in converting Downtown streets to two-way, a project that the Tucson Downtown Alliance has long supported. Some segments of Congress Street will also be converted to two-way traffic, to make the Broadway conversion work effectively.
Warehouse District Master Plan—The Council accepted the recommendations in the master plan that has been developed over the last year by Poster Frost Associates for transitioning the warehouse properties from State control to the City’s control. These recommendations include discarding the existing plan for the last mile of the Barraza-Aviation Parkway, in favor of a to-be-developed design that is confined to the area north of the tracks, so as not to negatively impact the Toole Avenue warehouses; utilizing an artist tenant-centered Warehouse Arts Management Organization (WAMO) to manage the properties; working closely with the tenant artists to improve the safety and physical condition of the buildings; reconfiguring Toole Avenue to create a 25-foot “urban artwalk” on Toole’s north side, from 6th Avenue to Church; and developing the four major vacant parcels currently used for parking in the district, with the primary use being residential. The plan also outlines goals for long-term activities programming and marketing/publicity for the district.
An interim board of directors consisting of area stakeholders will be formed to develop recommendations on district rents, land uses, and the allocation of public funds that are available to the district.
Charter Schools co-existing with other Downtown Uses—The Council approved a set of resolutions to be presented to the League of Arizona Cities and Towns for inclusion in that body’s 2005 state legislative agenda. One of these resolutions is for legislation that allows municipalities to exempt schools in Downtown areas from the existing 300-foot state liquor establishment limit. This is a common sense move that allows schools to exist in our Downtown, without their presence inhibiting the development of an entertainment district.
Downtown Saturday Night—The City’s funding of civic events was controversial this year, as some events that had been funded in prior years were not funded in the upcoming year. However, I am grateful that the Council recognized the value of having regular, frequent, reliable special events in Downtown Tucson, and awarded It’s Happening Downtown, Inc. (TDA’s marketing subsidiary) with some funding to get Downtown Saturday Night started up again. We invite the participation of Downtown merchants, arts organizations, property owners, and interested citizens in helping us plan this familiar yet new event series. Please contact me at dondurband@downtowntucson.org if you wish to participate with us.
Additionally, the Council approved the Thrifty Block redevelopment plan offered by Bourn Projects; that project is covered thoroughly in our feature article “The Post” on page 8. I appreciate the City Council’s thoughtful consideration of these issues. Their actions will keep things moving forward in Downtown.
Donovan Durband
Executive Director,
Tucson Downtown Alliance
