I attended a conference at the Manning House on October 13, 2006 that was hosted by the Realtor Land Institute. Several speakers discussed the Rio Nuevo plan for which is an extensive revitalization plan for the City of Tucson. The Rio Nuevo Project includes the UA Science Center, Civic and Cultural Plazas, Tucson Origins Heritage Park, a proposed new Arena, and various residential and commercials developments. Visit the Rio Nuevo website and the Rio Nuevo Overview.

The guest speakers were Greg Shelko, Director of Rio Nuevo, Albert Elias, Director of Urban Planning and Design and Rich Singer, Director of Tucson Convention Center.

Greg Shelko started the discussion with an update on the Rio Nuevo and pointed out the Rio Nuevo goals:

• To be the catalyst for Tucson’s downtown revitalization
• Protect and enhance the cultural and historical resources
• Construct attractions and infrastructure
• Leverage private investments

An update was provided on the proposed University of Arizona’s Rainbow Bridge. This bridge which would have spanned the I-10 by connecting City of Tucson’s downtown to the new Cultural Plaza would have also housed the UA Science Center. It was decided by U of A that funding would not be allocated for this project but be invested into a new University of Arizona Science Center to be located in the Cultural Plaza. For your convenience, here is the October 8, 2006 Rio Nuevo update article in the AZ Daily Star.

Albert Elias discussed the Cultural Plaza which is considered to be the portal to the birth place of Tucson. Key Partners with the Cultural Plaza are the University of Arizona Science Center, Historical Society and Arizona State Museum. The following links describe the Proposed UA Science Center and an article written by Oscar Abeyta, Tucson Citizen, on March 15, 2006 on the proposed AZ State Museum and AZ Historical Society Museum.

Mr. Elias mentioned that the final concept design will be completed by November 2006 for the Tucson Origin Heritage Park and expects construction to commence in 2007.

Richard Singer, Director of Tucson Convention Center, gave an enlightening overview on the Rio Nuevo’s Civic Plaza. A major component to the Civic Plaza is a proposed new arena which would a have a capacity of 12,500 seats and provide much needed meeting facilities. Currently only 7% of the existing Tucson Convention Center is available for meetings. Mr. Singer stated “To be a viable Convention Destination Center, Tucson will need at least 30% of the convention center space dedicated for meeting rooms and have it conveniently located to the hub of the conventions”.

The public will have an opportunity to discuss the proposed new arena on Thursday, October 27th at 6:30 pm. The meeting will take place at the Tucson Convention Center, Turquoise Room. See Public Notice Dated October 14, 2006, Press Release for Proposed New Arena and the Proposed New Arena Brochure. If the plan is approved this year, a new Downtown arena could open its doors to local concertgoers and sports fans in 2008.

As Tucson hits the one million mark in 2007, careful planning and preservation are so important in order to retain the charm and small town community atmosphere we enjoy.

What do I do on the day following our third annual Client Appreciation Event? Relax and reflect! It all started around April 2006 when The Treece Team decided to have their client appreciation event at The Gaslight Theatre in Tucson, AZ. Originally, the October show was going to be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde but due to actor availability the show was changed to the Phantom of the Opera.

Needless to say, no one was disappointed to see how the The Gaslight Theatre was going to pull off this melodrama. The event started with the cooperation of Little Anthony’s Diner who created a one-of-kind dessert for The Treece Team’s client event. Green Cawood, Manager of Little Anthony’s, and who worked for the JW Marriott Starr Pass designed this scrumptious dessert and named it Treece’s Treat!

Guests started to arrive around 6 pm where we greeted them near the front entrance. It was quite the sight since we had about 100 people arriving about the same time and had to find their gifts from the back of our vehicle. Our clients took it in stride! 

The show started at 7 pm with a sold out crowd. The roars of continuous laughter and applause indicated another outstanding performance by the talented actors and musicians! If you have not experienced the unique melodrama shows at The Gaslight Theatre, take a chance you won’t be disappointed.

We want to thank Bonnie, Lisa, Nancy and Green of the Gaslight Theatre and Little Anthony’s who made our Client Appreciation Event a huge success.

Pam Treece of Long Realty Company presents:

The Tucson Real Estate Podcast

October 2006:

This month’s edition covers Tucson real estate market activity and then we’ll address the keys to effective home inspections and what both buyers and sellers need to know.

Features special guest Terri Murphy of US Learning.

I will be attending an informative conference this Friday, October 13th which will be addressing the upcoming Downtown Tucson Revitalization - Rio Nuevo Plan.  I can’t wait to hear about this exciting project and I will pass along what is in store for Tucson. 

Podcasts coming Soon.