Tucson, Arizona Río Nuevo Master Plan
The Vision and The Plan - continued...

• International opportunities and challenges associated with the Rio Nuevo Master Plan were identified, evaluated, and addressed through various recommendations including the establishment of an International Mercado. The impact of globalization is highly significant to Tucson with its established relationships and relative close proximity to Mexico and access to Central America. The large volume of trade and persons that pass through nearby border crossings, the potential demand for goods and services produced in Tucson, and the resulting development are all opportunities. The potential represented by such public policy directives as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the CANAMEX Corridor initiative is another source benefit to Rio Nuevo. Interaction between these policies, and programs in Tucson such as the Tucson-Mexico project may result in project funding, as well as new business and commercial opportunities. For example, CANAMEX has expressed interest in participating in the development of the Tucson Regional Visitor Center.

• The Tucson Regional Visitor Center can become an attraction in its own right if the development approach incorporates some of the valuable elements described in case studies done by the team on such facilities as the Grand Canyon National Park, the Canyon View Information Plaza, Heritage Education Campus, and the Smithsonian Museum Visitor Center in Washington, DC. These and other centers show how the environment, culture, education, and information can be blended into the visitor experience. A complex that links Tucson visitors to important historical museums, cultural parks, restaurants and shops, will also provide regional marketing opportunities.

• The proposed Rio Nuevo Master Plan building program outlined herein is subject to several important caveats:

— All projects that seek or require funding related to TIF allocations will be subject to a process that evaluates their economic and financial feasibility, and subject to capitalization and development hurdles of varying magnitude.

— As with the economic and financial screening process, another process that includes cementing of neighborhood support, as well as public and political support, will also be applied to the projects outlined herein.

— It is important to recognize the synergy between recommended projects, and to appreciate the leveraging and phasing aspects of the plan. Also, it is important to see the big picture with regard to revitalizing downtown, reconnecting the City, and creating a future for Tucson that also reflects its past. The true vision for Rio Nuevo grew out of our work process, and this building program represents key development components of that multi­faceted future.

• Recommendations that will play a role in creating the Rio Nuevo Experience also include: .

• Use of historic names for streets and paths
• Design guidelines that recreate the scale of buildings 50–100 years ago
• Appropriate materials such as brick and stucco for most new structures
• Building height and orientation to provide shade
• Sufficient parking structures to accommodate all parking requirements in the Rio Nuevo District
• Interlinked plazas and plazuelas using existing and new public spaces
• Portales, awnings, and trees to shade sidewalk areas
• Plazas for exhibit space and outdoor dining
• Trees around and, in some cases, within plaza areas
• Traditional fountains in plazas
• Shade and cooling towers in plazas
• Tree-lined roads and pedestrian ways throughout the District
• Native deciduous trees such as Cottonwood, Arizona Ash, and Arizona Walnut along the Santa Cruz River and the alamedas
• Use of water harvesting techniques and reclaimed water for irrigation

• The projects proposed in the Rio Nuevo Master Plan, and their general suggested locations, are based on a combination of factors including physical and economic determinants, historic and cultural themes, neighborhood and other public input, and the team’s effort to produce a functional Plan that effectively leverages the Rio Nuevo TIF opportunity, and at the same time fairly accommodates the goals and objectives of the people of Tucson, and the various work efforts that have preceded the Rio Nuevo Master Plan Project now underway. The Rio Nuevo Master Plan development program which survived the rigorous review and analysis process includes the following elements:

Master Plan Components – Proposed Projects

Cultural
Sonoran Sea Aquarium
Fox Theatre Restoration
Tucson Regional Visitors Center
Rialto Theatre Restoration
Tucson Origins Cultural Park
Sentinel Peak Nature Park
Rancho Chuk-Shon
Presidio Heritage Park
TMA Gallery/Restaurants
Tucson Science Center
Outdoor Performance Area
Tucson Children’s Museum
Arizona State Museum
Arizona Historical Society
Native American Museum
ASD Museum Expansion
El Centro Cultural Museum Lecture Hall
Exhibit Hall

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