Bear Down Wildcats

Pima County is on the verge of buying 167 acres of land near the Kino Sports Complex, with the intention of expanding it to create a large-scale regional soccer facility.

The county is looking to purchase the property from the developer, Stardust-Reif, for $8.75 million, which would include a down payment of $1.75 million and five subsequent payments, according to a memo from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.

The land is bordered by East Benson Highway, South Kino Parkway, East Irvington Road and Interstate 10.

Although there are no concrete plans yet, county officials say 19 soccer fields, along with stadium seating for 5,000 to 7,000 fans, can be developed on the property.

That would bring the total number of soccer fields at the Kino Sports Complex to 28 when the complex’s existing fields are included.

County officials say the number of fields would be more than what’s offered at similar complexes in the Phoenix area.

Officials are working with the developer to draft a purchase agreement and will seek the county Board of Supervisors’ approval at the June 17 meeting.

The board also will have to authorize an appropriation for the down payment in the next fiscal year’s proposed budget, which begins next month, because the money will have to come from the general fund, Huckelberry said.

That means the county will have to pull money together from different portions of the proposed $1.18 billion budget, which is scheduled to be adopted at the meeting.

The subsequent payments for the property could come from money allocated in the November 2015 bond election.

The county already has a land-acquisition component for park facilities in the proposed bond package, Huckelberry said.

However, if voters rejected the measure, taxpayers still would pay for the land because the county would use money from its general fund.

Officials say it’s worth the risk, as the facility could become the premier soccer complex in Tucson and possibly the state.

“This acquisition is likely the most important strategic sports acquisition made by the county in decades,” Huckelberry said in the memo.

In a separate interview, Huckelberry referred to the potential purchase of the land as a “game-changer.”

“There is a lot of value in this,” he said.

Huckelberry noted the land’s proximity to the Kino Sports Complex, saying employees at the complex could also be used at the expanded site.

“The infrastructure for maintaining a new sports complex already exists,” he said. “It’s not like you’re starting over.”

The current property owner has already paid for full engineering plans and analyses, which could be used by the county, he said.

Soccer has become a popular topic at some of the board meetings within the last few months, as the supervisors and county officials have discussed the addition of more soccer fields at Rillito Park Horse Racetrack on the north side.

Coaches and other supporters have spoken at those meetings, saying there is a huge demand for more fields, which would allow the region to host more tournaments and boost the economy.

County officials have looked at potential sites throughout the years, including the one they’re poised to buy.

The county previously approached Stardust in 2012, but the company wanted to keep the property, which was slated for residential development.

Supervisor Ramón Valadez asked county officials to inquire about the land again after a board meeting a few months ago where the supervisors discussed Rillito Park Horse Racetrack.

“I literally had the idea while listening to the discussion,” Valadez said. “We’re really close, closer today than we’ve ever been.”

Valadez first noticed the property, which is in his district, a few years ago, when he lived in the area.

He viewed it as an ideal location because of how close it is to the Tucson International Airport, Interstate 10 and other major streets.

“Think of the possibilities of what that means to our community, what we can do for kids, young people, adult leagues,” he said. “Tournaments that didn’t even look at Tucson will not only look at Tucson, but say, ‘Why would we go anywhere else in Arizona?’ ”

NYCat wrote:Always thought Tucson should try to be Austin, Portland instead of trying to be a Phoenix, LA etc. This hotel...

Jefe wrote:So when it doesnt generate $17.9 million in revenue, what course of action do we have? Why wont they guarantee it since they use our money for it?

Here we go with another "stadium"

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-an ... c4ad9.html

Pima County is on the verge of buying 167 acres of land near the Kino Sports Complex, with the intention of expanding it to create a large-scale regional soccer facility.

The county is looking to purchase the property from the developer, Stardust-Reif, for $8.75 million, which would include a down payment of $1.75 million and five subsequent payments, according to a memo from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.

The land is bordered by East Benson Highway, South Kino Parkway, East Irvington Road and Interstate 10.

Although there are no concrete plans yet, county officials say 19 soccer fields, along with stadium seating for 5,000 to 7,000 fans, can be developed on the property.

That would bring the total number of soccer fields at the Kino Sports Complex to 28 when the complex’s existing fields are included.

County officials say the number of fields would be more than what’s offered at similar complexes in the Phoenix area.

Officials are working with the developer to draft a purchase agreement and will seek the county Board of Supervisors’ approval at the June 17 meeting.

The board also will have to authorize an appropriation for the down payment in the next fiscal year’s proposed budget, which begins next month, because the money will have to come from the general fund, Huckelberry said.

That means the county will have to pull money together from different portions of the proposed $1.18 billion budget, which is scheduled to be adopted at the meeting.

The subsequent payments for the property could come from money allocated in the November 2015 bond election.

The county already has a land-acquisition component for park facilities in the proposed bond package, Huckelberry said.

However, if voters rejected the measure, taxpayers still would pay for the land because the county would use money from its general fund.

Officials say it’s worth the risk, as the facility could become the premier soccer complex in Tucson and possibly the state.

“This acquisition is likely the most important strategic sports acquisition made by the county in decades,” Huckelberry said in the memo.

In a separate interview, Huckelberry referred to the potential purchase of the land as a “game-changer.”

“There is a lot of value in this,” he said.

Huckelberry noted the land’s proximity to the Kino Sports Complex, saying employees at the complex could also be used at the expanded site.

“The infrastructure for maintaining a new sports complex already exists,” he said. “It’s not like you’re starting over.”

The current property owner has already paid for full engineering plans and analyses, which could be used by the county, he said.

Soccer has become a popular topic at some of the board meetings within the last few months, as the supervisors and county officials have discussed the addition of more soccer fields at Rillito Park Horse Racetrack on the north side.

Coaches and other supporters have spoken at those meetings, saying there is a huge demand for more fields, which would allow the region to host more tournaments and boost the economy.

County officials have looked at potential sites throughout the years, including the one they’re poised to buy.

The county previously approached Stardust in 2012, but the company wanted to keep the property, which was slated for residential development.

Supervisor Ramón Valadez asked county officials to inquire about the land again after a board meeting a few months ago where the supervisors discussed Rillito Park Horse Racetrack.

“I literally had the idea while listening to the discussion,” Valadez said. “We’re really close, closer today than we’ve ever been.”

Valadez first noticed the property, which is in his district, a few years ago, when he lived in the area.

He viewed it as an ideal location because of how close it is to the Tucson International Airport, Interstate 10 and other major streets.

“Think of the possibilities of what that means to our community, what we can do for kids, young people, adult leagues,” he said. “Tournaments that didn’t even look at Tucson will not only look at Tucson, but say, ‘Why would we go anywhere else in Arizona?’ ”

ASUHATER! wrote: ...and the entire downtown project is slowly making us into a portland or an austin.

ASUHATER! wrote:so i assume you have some proof from the future that shows the hotel won't have that revenue?

ElGatoBlanco wrote:In regards to buying more land at Kino, why don't they just bulldoze Kino-Memorial Stadium, make that a soccer venue, and build a baseball stadium at a location people would actually go to like Downtown.

ElGatoBlanco wrote:

ASUHATER! wrote: ...and the entire downtown project is slowly making us into a portland or an austin.

Lol come on...nowhere near close.

In regards to buying more land at Kino, why don't they just bulldoze Kino-Memorial Stadium, make that a soccer venue, and build a baseball stadium at a location people would actually go to like Downtown.

Salty wrote:

ElGatoBlanco wrote:

ASUHATER! wrote: ...and the entire downtown project is slowly making us into a portland or an austin.

Lol come on...nowhere near close.

In regards to buying more land at Kino, why don't they just bulldoze Kino-Memorial Stadium, make that a soccer venue, and build a baseball stadium at a location people would actually go to like Downtown.

Have you been here? The atmosphere is entirely different than just five years ago. It's a dramatic change.

NYCat wrote:Always thought Tucson should try to be Austin, Portland instead of trying to be a Phoenix, LA etc. This hotel...

ElGatoBlanco wrote:

ASUHATER! wrote: ...and the entire downtown project is slowly making us into a portland or an austin.

Lol come on...nowhere near close.

In regards to buying more land at Kino, why don't they just bulldoze Kino-Memorial Stadium, make that a soccer venue, and build a baseball stadium at a location people would actually go to like Downtown.

Jefe wrote: This is pretty cool: http://www.downtowntucson.org/2014/06/o ... promotion/

$5 Downtown Card for deals at 100+ businesses

Merkin wrote:

Jefe wrote: This is pretty cool: http://www.downtowntucson.org/2014/06/o ... promotion/

$5 Downtown Card for deals at 100+ businesses

The Modern Streetcar’s debut grows ever closer, and the entire community is more unified than ever in embracing this whirlwind time of positive change

Oh really?

Merkin wrote:The Modern Streetcar’s debut grows ever closer, and the entire community is more unified than ever in embracing this whirlwind time of positive change

Oh really?

ASUHATER! wrote:

Merkin wrote:

Jefe wrote: This is pretty cool: http://www.downtowntucson.org/2014/06/o ... promotion/

$5 Downtown Card for deals at 100+ businesses

The Modern Streetcar’s debut grows ever closer, and the entire community is more unified than ever in embracing this whirlwind time of positive change

Oh really?

well anyone that ever leaves the house and is between the age of 15-45 yes. it's not just young people downtown...was down there yesterday and i saw college age kids, teenagers, families with young kids, older 50s/60s couples, pretty much a cross section of everyone in tucson. not just for college kids!

Jefe wrote:Identify theft issue? ^

This is pretty cool: http://www.downtowntucson.org/2014/06/o ... promotion/

$5 Downtown Card for deals at 100+ businesses

ASUHATER! wrote:thought i read that a good 1/3 of the population lived within easy walking distance of the streetcar somewhere.

and i have no idea if it's the case now, but when i was in a regional development class years ago (like 6) we had the guy in charge of the whole rio nuevo/streetcar project come and talk to us. back then, the idea was for it to be done by 2011 or so (haha). but the long term idea for it was to have 2 more branches of it eventually built. one that continues up from the umc area where it stops up campbell all the way to river and campbell. the other line would go out east on broadway. i made up a little map!

ASUHATER! wrote:thought i read that a good 1/3 of the population lived within easy walking distance of the streetcar somewhere.

ASUHATER! wrote:and i have no idea if it's the case now, but when i was in a regional development class years ago (like 6) we had the guy in charge of the whole rio nuevo/streetcar project come and talk to us. back then, the idea was for it to be done by 2011 or so (haha). but the long term idea for it was to have 2 more branches of it eventually built. one that continues up from the umc area where it stops up campbell all the way to river and campbell. the other line would go out east on broadway. i made up a little map!

Jefe wrote:

ASUHATER! wrote:thought i read that a good 1/3 of the population lived within easy walking distance of the streetcar somewhere.

Whats walking distance? 8 miles?

ASUHATER! wrote:and i have no idea if it's the case now, but when i was in a regional development class years ago (like 6) we had the guy in charge of the whole rio nuevo/streetcar project come and talk to us. back then, the idea was for it to be done by 2011 or so (haha). but the long term idea for it was to have 2 more branches of it eventually built. one that continues up from the umc area where it stops up campbell all the way to river and campbell. the other line would go out east on broadway. i made up a little map!

There's goes 5+ billion dollars that we dont have

Rio Nuevo, always good for a laugh

Merkin wrote: They still have an area in town called Polo Village? The was married student housing way back when. Old military surplus Quonset huts. Think they were torn down in the early 80s.

scumdevils86 wrote:So weird...I was just looking with my gf for her new place to move last weekend and I think I was east of Alvernon around Glenn and I saw a couple of quonset huts that people were still living in.

Merkin wrote:They still have an area in town called Polo Village? The was married student housing way back when. Old military surplus Quonset huts. Think they were torn down in the early 80s.

Rio Nuevo approves deal to boost tax receipts

For years Rio Nuevo has been shortchanged on revenues because not every business that is supposed to be paying into the district has been.

But that could change soon, as the district’s board unanimously authorized signing an agreement with the Arizona Department of Revenue giving the district access to tax forms showing which businesses’ sales tax collections are being credited to the downtown redevelopment effort.

About 1,100 businesses within the district are supposed to fill in a code on their tax forms so Rio Nuevo can receive its share of those tax dollars. But district employees can’t access the forms to see how many of them are actually entering the code.

The result has been fluctuating sales tax revenue that Rio Nuevo officials can’t explain.

For the next fiscal year, the district projects its monthly sales tax collection will be about $825,000 a month, down from a three-year average of $857,000 a month.

“It’s counterintuitive because you drive down Broadway and all of that retail is taxpaying businesses,” said Rio Nuevo Chairman Fletcher McCusker. “So instinctively we all believe the (revenues) should be up.”

Filling in the box doesn’t increase the amount of tax collected, but it means the money goes to the state instead of remaining in Tucson.

Reasons for noncompliance ranged from merchants not knowing the code exists to others refusing to fill it in as a form of boycott against the district, McCusker said.

Although the agreement won’t result in perfect compliance right away, it will allow Rio Neuvo to identify who’s not submitting the paperwork and work with them, he said.

McCusker said the agreement should be signed within the next few weeks.

The board also approved $25,000 for a group looking to renovate the fountains that link La Placita Village and the Tucson Convention Center.

The money, however, is contingent upon the group finding a match from the city, county or private parties.

Plans call for about $55,000 in improvements to the fountain area, said Karla Van Drunen Ittooy of TCC Today, an upgrade she hopes will foster a larger $28 million upgrade to the TCC complex.

They promised buildings — hotels, an aquarium and museums.

Nine years later, Downtown Tucson has two refurbished movie theaters, a re-creation of the Presidio wall and a wider freeway underpass.

A comprehensive Star analysis of the $63 million in taxpayer dollars paid to outside vendors since voters approved Rio Nuevo in 1999 shows that much of the money has been spent to plan projects that stalled.

It also went to pay for things that while not prohibited, are not what excited voters about Rio Nuevo. That includes paying to sponsor events with loose ties to Downtown development and on public relations to promote Rio Nuevo to an increasingly impatient population.

Among spending the Star investigation identified:

● $4.6 million for the planned Downtown University of Arizona science center, most paid to the university despite a lack of receipts or supporting documents. The city agreed to pay half the UA's bills partly so the university would drop its notion of building a massive Rainbow Bridge over Interstate 10 and the Santa Cruz River.

● $625,000 to Annapolis, Md.-based Hunter Interests Inc. for a Rio Nuevo master plan that was then discarded.

● Nearly $1.2 million on public relations to promote Rio Nuevo.

● $15,000 for a title sponsorship for El Tour Downtown Fiesta.

● Nearly $9,000 for barricades and security for two annual All Souls Processions.

● Nearly $6,000 for two plaques to honor U.S. congressmen, one of which has yet to be installed because the development where it was to be posted remains an empty lot.

● $5,000 to sponsor an Homage to Father Kino art exhibit Downtown.

The Star shared its analysis with 15 people involved in Downtown redevelopment in various ways, as well as government accounting experts.

Some were surprised that several of the Rio Nuevo's biggest-ticket items are invisible to residents eager to see progress Downtown. Among them:

● $7.45 million to the Arizona Department of Transportation to rebuild the Clark Street underpass at I-10, and another $1.55 million for traffic mitigation there.

● $3.6 million for environmental services to remediate a landfill south of Congress Street on the west side of I-10.

● $3 million for studies and planning.

● $2.5 million for consulting.

"The thing has so clearly floundered, unfortunately," said architect Bob Vint, a historic preservationist involved in a number of Downtown projects. "It's sobering to see how easily they went through the money. They certainly spent freely in an unfocused way."

But that view isn't shared by Rio Nuevo boosters like Jeff DiGregorio, Rio Nuevo District board member and owner of Downtown's Royal Elizabeth Bed and Breakfast Inn. He said he sees Downtown progressing well, and "absolutely" meeting goals to be right where it should be.

"When I look at progress, I see exactly what I want to see," DiGregorio said. "Half of it has been built or is in some reasonable state of predevelopment."

How much was spent

Because of difficulty tracking expenses through the city's accounting system, the Star analysis includes $63.4 million in payments to outside vendors but not more than $10 million in payments between city departments.

Through June 30, the city has spent $16.4 million for new construction, the paper's analysis shows. That doesn't include $4.4 million to design five Rio Nuevo structures like a parking garage and the Presidio wall that are under way or completed. Another $2 million has been spent designing future projects and $8.5 million for improvements such as widening streets.

The rest of the $89 million spent on Rio Nuevo through June 30 went for personnel, debt service, equipment and other expenses.

The Rio Nuevo fund is now $10.2 million in the red because the district took in only $78.7 million in revenue through June 30. And Rio Nuevo owes the city's general fund another $6.8 million that needs to be repaid this year to help bridge the city's budget deficit.

That means Rio Nuevo has $17 million more in commitments than it has taken in. Jaret Barr, assistant to the city manager, said that money will be repaid through bond sales this year, adding there are backup plans in case it can't sell the bonds. That includes a short-term bank loan or raising money in the commercial paper market.

(way more in the link above)

ASUHATER! wrote:still not sure why they aren't opening the street car in august or september. on july 25th a good 1/3 of the people that live by the streetcar aren't even in town.

ASUHATER! wrote:still not sure why they aren't opening the street car in august or september. on july 25th a good 1/3 of the people that live by the streetcar aren't even in town.

KCF wrote:Is Jefe on suicide watch this week?