Worries about Tucson's downtown revitalization project

The revitalization project for downtown Tucson, also called Rio Nuevo, has been in the works for about 8 years now, but the city has yet to see any real progress. In fact, it's now almost a joke amongst most Tucsonans who are wondering if the project will ever get off the ground. I recently visited St. Louis MO with my husband and we stayed in the downtown area where they're also undergoing a revitalization effort. After checking out the progress and talking with the locals, I began to wonder about Tucson's revitalization project and if we'll ever see any progress.

Downtown St Louis was presented to me as a place to stay away from once it's dark. The crime rate is high according to news reports and statistics, and even my neighbors who've lived there. The area's only source of traffic comes from those that work downtown, and they leave when they finish their work day. Needless to say I was a little worried about walking around downtown. Once we arrived we took a few short treks on foot just to see what it was like, and we were amazed to find that the entire St Louis downtown area is undergoing redevelopment. There's major construction everywhere, from retail and restaurants to lofts, lofts, lofts galore. I was extremely impressed at what I saw in the lofts being developed, but I could tell that most of the completed units were vacant. The landscape in the downtown area was beautiful considering it was cold and rainy; obviously someone is working hard to maintain the look of the area. With all the construction going on, we still saw very few people on the streets; not a lot traffic other then workers coming and going from jobs. We learned the most about the revitalization project from a bartender we chatted with one evening. She said the the city has big plans for downtown St Louis, and the goal is to "urbanize" the area and increase traffic by adding more restaurants, shopping and housing. It was exciting to hear about all the great plans in the works, but considering the project has been underway for 10 years so far and they expect another 15-20 before completion, I began to worry about Tucson's own downtown revitalization project.

The goal of Tucson's Rio Nuevo is to preserve and enhance the city's historical and cultural downtown area while adding restaurants, shopping, housing and other attractions. What was once an exciting concept is now leaving many Tucsonans with a sour taste in their mouths. The latest Rio Nuevo update came in October when the Arizona Daily Star reported that the Tucson community is losing faith in many of the proposed projects because there's been no progress. One developer is now under pressure to begin the promised projects but blames the slow housing and credit markets for the delays. Speaking with locals I found that many Tucsonans feel some of the projects are impractical; why build lofts and condos when people move to Tucson to get away from the city? Others feel that it's just not feasible when you look at the $700 million price tag. Considering the Rio Nuevo concept was approved by voters in 1999 and we haven't seen much yet, I'm wondering if we'll see any progress in my lifetime (I'm a Gen X'er so that's sarcasm on my part). Personally I'm still excited by the project. It would mean great things for Tucson as a whole once it's complete. While any development that's made to downtown Tucson will be well received, our city's patience is wearing thin.

There are a few great sites discussing the St Louis revitalization and Rebirth of St Louis