A Tucson developer is close to clearing the last hurdle to construct a $100 million office tower downtown. Across Interstate 10, another local developer is moving forward with plans to build a $72 million mixed-use apartment project in the Mercado District along the Santa Cruz River.

The hum of construction equipment serves as background noise most afternoons as people visit Mercado San Agustin or the MSA Annex. The sound of a construction project in the works is nothing new for people who have lived just west of Interstate 10 near Congress Street or who frequent the area for shopping and dining. Since 2008, the Gadsden Company has been developing the Mercado District on what was once barren land on the growing west end of downtown Tucson. 

A $35 million mixed-use development is gaining traction on the west side. With help from Rio Nuevo, construction could begin as early as October. The Monier Project, launched by Gadsden Company, is a development in the Mercado district, west of I-10 near Congress Street. The project includes 13,000 square feet in retail space, a parking garage and 122 market-rate apartments.

It is National Small Business week and downtown Tucson is getting a new retail space for local, small businesses.  Starting this weekend, the MSA Annex opens. It is an expansion of the Mercado San Agustin  The space is like nothing in Tucson. Each shop is made out of shipping containers. It is creating a new market district for residents. 

Thirteen is proving to be a lucky number for everyone connected with Mercado San Agustín—with 13 vendors in the initial site and another 13 in the Annex, a new (and unique-for-Tucson) shopping center that will hold an official grand opening the weekend of May 4.

The Gadsden Company held a groundbreaking on Tucson’s west side on Friday, April 7, to announce the that construction of the MSA Annex is underway. The MSA Annex west of I-10 at West Congress Street is the expansion of the Mercado San Agustin Public Market which was built in 2008.

A big project to develop Tucson’s west side is getting closer to construction. The Rio Nuevo Board is helping finance the expansion of Mercardo San Agustin. The multi-million dollar project is set to add hundreds of jobs and more than a dozen businesses to the city’s west side.

The city of Tucson has removed itself from the business of developing an extension of the downtown area west of Interstate 10 after eight years. For $1.2 million, Rio Nuevo is buying out the city’s stake in a 2008 development agreement with The Gadsden Co. to do projects on land south of Congress Street and west of Interstate 10 and the Santa Cruz River.

When Chef Ryan Clark opened Agustin Kitchen (formerly Agustin Brasserie) in December 2013, he had been brought on board by Fresh Start Group (FSG) owners Adam Weinstein and Jerry Dixon to create a bright new concept that would captivate and engage Southern Arizona.

A combination of private sector investment, better land use planning, and the potential of the modern streetcar has created “horrendous interest” in economic development in Tucson’s urban core.