Commercial Developments, Consumer Resources, Tucson News
The Rise of Tucson “Power Centers” – Good or Bad?
May 15, 2008 by Tucson Realtor - Michael Krotchie · 2 Comments
In today’s Arizona Daily Star, there is an article about the final gasp of the De Anza Drive-In to make way for another big-box “Power Center”. A short excerpt:
A developer is finalizing a deal to buy the De Anza Drive-In, at 1401 S. Alvernon Way, and has already started marketing it as a retail complex.Evergreen Development Co. is calling the project De Anza Crossings, a 20-acre retail “power center,” in marketing materials distributed by Picor Commercial Real Estate Services.Gregg Alpert, Evergreen managing principal, declined to say when he expects the sale to be final, saying only that it would be “later this year.” As far as Alpert knows, De Anza Land and Leisure doesn’t have plans to keep running the theater after the sale, but “we would be open to it,” he said.
The past several years in Tucson has seen a tremendous amount of growth and if you stop and think about it, these commercial “power centers” are fast becoming a mainstay of every burgeoning city. Here’s a list (I typed “short list” at first but then realized my mistake) of “power centers” in the Tucson area.
List of Tucson Power Centers
- Rooney Ranch – Located on the SW corner of 1st Avenue and Oracle (technically Oro Valley), Rooney Ranch, developed by Barclay, sits on 65 acres and consists of a Home Depot, Fry’s, Target, Ross, Sport Authority, PetSmart, Office Max, and Starbucks.
- Tucson Spectrum, a 1 million square-foot power center at the SW corner of I-19 and Irvington Road. Also developed by Barclay, this power center boasts giants such as Best Buy, J.C. Penney, Sports Authority, Pier 1 Imports, Old Navy, and a Harkins Theatre occupying 620,000 square feet.
- Oro Valley Marketplace – Located at Tangerine/Oracle Road and developed by Vestar, Oro Valley Marketplace is 800,000 square feet and features merchants such as a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Best Buy, Century Theatres, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Cost Plus World Market, and a few restaurants to boot.
Upcoming List of Tucson Power Centers
- Marana Spectrum – In my previous post I wrote about this development, to be located at the southeast corner of Camino de Manana and Linda Vista Boulevard (east of I-10 between Cortaro and Avra Valley) and will cover nearly 170 acres. Estimated to have roughly 100 stores, Marana Spectrum will carry 3 “anchor stores” of at least 100,000 sqft, making the total square footage approximately equal to that of the Tucson Mall.
- Tangerine Crossings – a 1 million-plus square foot project at the NE corner of I-10 and Tangerine Road in Marana being planned by Westcor, developer of La Encantada in the Catalina Foothills. The new Tangerine road (realigned and 4 lanes) is officially set to open June 25, 2008.
- De Anza Crossings – 20 acre spread located where the current De Anza Drive-In resides. Projected to be finalized late 2008.
- Passages of Tucson – This may stand in category by itself. When (and if) completed, Passages of Tucson will be 4.3 million square feet of retail, commercial, and residential space. Featuring a series of villages, the developer plans on building eight themed areas, grouping similar stores, restaurants, offices and activity centers into one area. The villages would follow a Southwestern motif, incorporating “new urbanism” design principles, with pedestrian-friendly streets and open courtyards. With final buildout not scheduled until 2020 (wow!) it remains to be seen if this behemoth will ever take shape.
I think that growth overall is good for Tucson. The De Anza development will be first power center that actually is built in town, everything on the list above basically sticks to the lifeline of the freeway for traffic flow, and with the limited transportation system in Tucson, there are only a few ways to expand.
What do you readers think? Good or bad?
UPDATE 6/14/2008:
Just read an article in today’s Arizona Daily Star and the De Anza Drive-In is safe for now! The developer as decided not to go ahead with purchase plans!
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I've lived in the Old Pueblo for more than a decade and have an intimate knowledge of Tucson as well as the surrounding areas. I go hiking and traveling whenever I have a break from real estate (which isn't often enough!) and enjoy taking in an Arizona sunset while relaxing in my backyard. 
I believe the “rise of Tucson power centers” is complete hogwash. I believe Evergreen Development Co. has a moral and social responsibility to the people of Tucson to keep the movie theatre open. A drive in movie theatre not only represents a great American past time, it also reresents an essence of Tucson that makes our city unique. While Evergreen is only worried about how to make the most money on the property, families are suffering. DeAnza provided a fun place for families to spend quality time together. Once again, big business abolishing this safe place only at the expense of our families. This has got to end!
Hi Jackie, I agree with you regarding DeAnza. It’s unfortunate that we may be losing such a piece of Tucson history and, for those of you who haven’t been following the story, there is a support site up at http://saveourdeanza.blogspot.com/ that can keep you up to date on the latest happenings.