Arena construction could start next year
by Eric Sagara on Apr. 05, 2007, under LocalVote pending on $190M in funding; Norville plan rejected
City's plan for arena
Ground could be broken on a downtown arena next year after the City Council voted yesterday to approve a city-proposed plan for a $130 million tortoise-shell shaped structure.
The council abandoned its usual dilly-dallying pose for decisive action less than a week after the city’s plans were floated for the arena.
The council also approved an expansion of the Tucson Convention Center.
At the same time, they appeared to dismiss out of hand a project proposed by Tucson businessman Allan Norville that included an arena.
TCC Director Richard Singer said construction on the arena could begin as early as August 2008.
“This is going to move fast,” Mayor Bob Walkup said. “No more six months of studying something and thinking about something.”
Norville’s sales pitch last week forced the city to unveil its own plans to revitalize the area near Congress Street and east of Interstate 10.
Norville wanted the city to help him develop the area in a plan that included a 100,000-square-foot exhibition hall for his gem show on property that he owns near the TCC. Instead the council opted for the city plan.
Until late last week, council members did not publicly discuss the city’s arena plan other than to say they were waiting to see it.
Singer said he released the city plan early so council members could compare it with Norville’s proposal.
He did not expect the council to approve the plan so quickly. The plan has been years in the making.
“When I was growing up, I watched the Mickey Mouse Club religiously,” Singer said. “Everyday had a theme and Wednesday was the ‘Anything can happen’ day.”
Walkup said the decision capped months of work and Norville’s proposal was the catalyst that brought both plans to the council.
“I think it was an appropriate thing to do,” Walkup said of the decision to bring the issue before the council. “I’ve been anxious to review this thing for months and here it is. The council just rapidly came together. Frankly, I’m thrilled to death that it all came together.”
The city plans to build the arena west of the TCC and along I-10. A parking garage and other developments are planned north of the arena near Congress, Singer said.
The TCC Exhibit Hall will be renovated and the existing TCC arena converted into a second hall. Meeting rooms will be added to the complex where the TCC’s east parking lot sits, Singer said.
Norville was not the only developer at Wednesday’s meeting with a vision for the TCC and downtown. The owners of the Hotel Arizona, 181 W. Broadway, also presented their plans to expand and renovate their property before the council vote. No action was taken on their plan.
Norville’s plan
Norville and City Hall have been at odds over the years on how to develop the area using both his and city land. He made a similar proposal in 2004 that went nowhere.
Norville made a brief presentation to the council, and members thanked him for bringing the idea to their attention.
His idea centered on a large gem show that he operates in Tucson every February as part of the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase.
He said the buildings could be moved around, but Norville’s site plan had the hotel and arena connecting to the large exhibition hall that would permanently house his Gem & Jewelry Exchange show.
Unlike the city proposal, Norville’s plan had more shopping and dining opportunities, but also called for the realignment of streets in the area.
He also had the arena closer to the TCC than what is called for in the city plan, but its location put it directly across the street from Barrio Viejo homes and businesses, which some council members said they wanted to avoid.
Norville’s 4.15 acres will be surrounded by new development under the city’s plan.
It is a sign of years of failed negotiations between Norville and the city, which has approached him multiple times with offers to buy or trade for the land.
“We to date have never been able to strike a deal with him regardless of how generous our offers are,” Singer said.
The project can survive without Norville’s cooperation, Singer said.
“It would be an improvement (to have Norville’s land), but not a huge improvement. It isn’t necessary for the success of the project.”
Norville declined comment on the council decision, saying he would have to review its motion before making a statement.
Walkup said Norville is not excluded from plans in the area and that the city can begin working with him and Humberto S. Lopez, the owner of Hotel Arizona, to see how they can develop their properties to fit in with the city’s plans.
Councilwoman Nina Trasoff said it’s a relief to see the city make progress on the important projects. She disapproved of Norville’s proposal in part because he sought to circumvent the city’s process of selecting a developer for TCC projects and also to supplant a city plan that had not yet been made public.
A new arena?
While the plan itself was not public, Tucson residents had a chance to sound off on the proposal three years ago when the city was searching for a consultant to design the general look and feel of a new TCC. The concept of a new arena was initially met with skepticism from some Tucson residents. That skepticism never quite went away.
While there was no public comment Wednesday night, in the past some residents have wondered who would use the arena and if the money wasn’t better spent on a science center.
Singer said the new arena could draw an arena football team and a minor league hockey team. He points to Prescott’s new arena and its successful hockey franchise as an example.
Singer acknowledged that attempts to bring minor league hockey to Tucson failed in the past, but pointed out that the population has increased.
A new hockey team would also be opening a brand new arena and Singer thinks that many people would flock to the games just to see what the new building was like. According to city documents, city planners estimate the TCC arena could host 128 events a year, draw 687,000 spectators and have an annual economic impact of $75 million.
More than a third of those events would be hockey or football games under the city projections, but Singer said the new arena would help attract big-name entertainment to Tucson.
Prince and Cirque du Soleil both recently declined performances here because the existing arena’s ceiling was too low, Singer said. The new arena will boast a ceiling more than twice as high at 110 feet.
It will seat more and provide more amenities to spectators, including premium seats and a clubhouse, according the plan.
What’s next
Though the council signed off on the plan, it will need to vote again on the issue to formally allocate the estimated $130 million for the arena and $60 million for the first phase of TCC renovation. A second phase, also priced at $60 million, that includes a ballroom expansion will be discussed later by the council.
Trasoff and other council members said it was time to act on the new arena because other pieces of the downtown redevelopment known as Rio Nuevo are beginning to fall into place. Tucson Origins Heritage Park west of I-10 and south of Congress, which includes a replica of the San Agustín mission, gardens and a cultural center and will be part of a large complex of museums and attractions, will open next year.
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