Tucson Approves $757-Mil Redevelopment Plan

TUCSON-With a unanimous vote last night, the Tucson City Council approved $757-million downtown redevelopment project that will add public venues, housing, hotels, offices, restaurants, bars, parks, museums and other amenities to the area.

The City Council approved the Rio Nuevo project, which includes museums, shops, theaters and housing centered on 62 acres of city land at Interstate 10 and West Congress Street. The sprawling project, which follows some waterways, would extend more than 10 miles, from the freeway to the other side of downtown. The project would be built over a 20-year period.

In last night’s vote, the City Council approved the master plan for the redevelopment project, and will now go about choosing specific projects to begin work on and drafting financial guidelines to entice private developers to build projects within the Rio Nuevo area. The city will also order detailed engineering studies and begin working with adjacent neighborhoods on the impact the development might have on them. Selection of projects that will be included in Rio Nuevo could begin within three months.