200 apartments, entertainment coming to Tucson’s southwest side

The Bridges, at Park Avenue and Interstate 10, quickly grew its offering once Costco and Walmart anchored there.

As did Tucson Spectrum, on Irvington Road and Interstate 19, with anchors such as Home Depot and Harkins Theatres.

Immediately north of Spectrum, the mixed-use center The Landing, continues to add more.

Five years after local developer Bourn Cos. cut the first ribbon at the 65-acre site, there are now 28 businesses open or under construction.

The mix includes food, retail, medical tenants and a gym.

A Sprouts grocery store opened this weekend and construction is underway on a bowling, arcade and entertainment venue for families, a hotel and an apartment complex, among other things.

“It is highly successful because it is providing many different amenities that people in the trade area were asking for,” said Alan Tanner, partner with Bourn Cos. “It’s been very encouraging to see a number of the business that have opened have their strongest performing units in the Tucson area at The Landing.

“The south and southwest portion of the Tucson market, we believe, are underserved and the success of the businesses who have opened are likely a testament to that.”

The 10-year-old hotel brand, My Place, will open its first Tucson location at The Landing late next year.

Currently under construction on the west end of the center, the hotel will have 86 rooms with some food and beverage offerings, a business office and a barbecue pavilion for guests, said Tyler Kent, principal and managing director of developer Opwest Partners.

“The big amenity is the retail center with fitness, entertainment and restaurants,” he said. “And the natural amenity of the Santa Cruz River walking path.”

The location, and what has populated the center, is what appealed to Opwest.

“What Bourn has done there and the vision they had for that real estate was spot on,” Kent said. “There’s tremendous amount of demand in that southwest pocket of Tucson.”

He anticipates a mix of guests that include both business and leisure travelers, especially shoppers from Mexico.

“We do think there will be a good amount of international guests coming up,” Kent said.

My Place is expected to open for guests in late 2023 or early 2024.

A residential component is next up for The Landing.

Phoenix developers HCW LLC and Investment Resources Corp. are building a 210-unit apartment complex on the northwest corner of The Landing.

Called Tucson Landing, it will have units from 480-square-foot studios up to 1,146-square-foot, three-bedroom models, said Santo M. Catanese Jr., president of Investment Resource Corp.

The complex will include a clubhouse and gym, a resort-style pool, an exterior lounge and electric vehicle charging stations.

On the entertainment side, a 50,000-square-foot building next to Sprouts will be home to Main Event, a food-and-games chain.

The Texas chain was bought by Dave & Buster’s this summer in an $835 million deal.

Dave & Buster’s currently has a location at The Bridges but it is considered more of an attraction for young adults.

Main Event, with less emphasis on bars, caters to smaller children and family events. It has 50 locations in 17 states.

Activities include bowling, laser tag, gravity ropes, mini golf and mini escape rooms.

It is expected to open next year.

Near Main Event, a La-Z-Boy store, Eyemart Express, Cupbob — Korean food in a cup — and Crumbl Cookies are under construction.

Dutch Bros Coffee has also leased a pad along the I-19 stretch of the center.

The south and southwest areas of Tucson were long overlooked by retailers because there was a misconception about residents’ spending potential.

“In looking at the demographic data of Tucson’s southwest quadrant, the per household incomes rival neighborhoods in the center core of town—that often is a surprise to retailers,” said Nancy McClure, first vice president with CBRE. “Many households are multi-generational  giving the restaurants and retailers a spectrum of customers from young children, teens, working adults  to seniors — each of those have different needs in merchandising and services.”

She said that is why places like the Spectrum and The Landing have integrated medical uses, such as dental and health clinics and urgent care centers.

“The sales tell the story,” McClure said. “Some of the highest reported sales of many of the retailers and restaurants in our market — and in Arizona — are at this interchange.”

Bourn Cos. is busy negotiating with potential tenants for Phase 3 of the development.

About 100,000 square feet on the northeast part of the site, along I-19, has been graded for more retail.

“When The Landing is completed,” Tanner said, “it is estimated to have required an investment in the neighborhood of $80 million dollars to develop the mixed-use project.”