About Mercado District
Kira Dixon-Weinstein, Adam Weinstein and Jerry Dixon of the Gadsden Company, and Justin Dixon of Rio Development, are a local, family-owned real estate investment and urban development company with a core focus on community. Inspired by their love of Tucson’s history, architecture, culture and community, and based on an vision by Justin Dixon (who created the pedestrian-oriented neighborhood plan), they had a shared concept: to establish Tucson’s first and only Public Market District, and to incubate local and regional businesses within a walkable, transit-oriented, residential neighborhood.
Considered the birthplace of Tucson, indigenous people first began cultivating this area along the Santa Cruz River. It thrived for thousands of years. Modern, mismanaged agricultural development depleted the river and it eventually became a wastewater channel and landfill. Seeing through the development obstacles, and after an extensive waste clean-up, the Gadsden team, in partnership with the Menlo Park Neighborhood Association, worked to restore the land, preserve, and honor the cultural heritage and history, and provide neighboring residents, and all of Tucson, a revitalized locale.
Due to these efforts, The Mercado District provides a welcoming, inclusive, and harmonious sense of place for residents and visitors alike.
Area History