Downtown Tucsonan - January 2008 - (Page 7)

The First Baptist Church education building a t 6 t h Av e a n d 5 t h S t w i l l b e c o m e 4 0 re s i d e n t i a l l o f t a p a r t m e n t s i n 2 0 0 9. T h e F ox Tu c s o n T h e a t r e F o u n d a t i o n i s h o l d i n g a “o n c e - i n - a - l i f e t i m e” t r a v e l / fundraiser to Cuba. J o h n We s l e y M i l l e r C o m p a n i e s r e c e i v e s a “ L i v a b l e C o m m u n i t i e s Aw a r d ” f o r Armory Park del Sol. survivors, it is paramount that we teach the next generation about the atrocities of the Holocaust and Letters does that in a personal way.” The Jewish Heritage Center is located at 564 S. Stone Ave. Cal 670-9073 for more information or visit www. jewishheritagecenter.net. PRESIDENT PASSES ON PASEO On the drawing board since 2005, the $98 million Paseo de las Iglesias Environmental Restoration project along the Santa Cruz River looked doubtful before Congress voted recently to override the President’s veto of $23 billion worth of water resource projects. “The override allows for the possibility of future federal funding for this and other 2007 Water Resources Development Act projects,” said Jennifer Becker, hydrologist for the Pima County Regional Flood Control District. “While authorization of the WRDA bill does not guarantee federal funds will be made available for the Paseo project (existing local funds already include $14 million in dedicated bonds), it is the next essential step in the process,” she said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study evaluated ecosystem restoration, river park trail development, and flood and erosion control improvements along a seven mile reach of the Santa Cruz River from Congress Street to the San Xavier District boundary. The recommended plan includes more than a thousand acres of mixed mesquite habitat on river terraces and floodplain to be bordered by desert shrubs and palo verde woodland. The Pima County Regional Flood Control District has begun preliminary design work on the 29th Street to Ajo Way sector and anticipates discussion of concept design results will get underway with city managers in the near future. SHEAR CUTS Ambassadors Barber Shop opened last month at 216 E. Congress St. At reasonable prices, Nick de la Torres, Karim Nnamdi, and Kevin Hernandez offer the works; shear cuts, shaves, fades, beard design and kids cuts. For the busy Downtown worker, these barbers can mobilize and provide cuts at the office. Ambassadors Barber Shop is open Tuesday through Friday, 9am to 6pm, and Saturday, 8am to 4pm. They can be reached by calling 623-7228. NEW ARTSPACE Artist/author/educator Jan Zbiciak Brummett extends an introductory welcome to introduce Griffonage Studios, 270 E. Congress St., to the public, January 5 from 7-9pm. “Griffonage Studios has been a cyber entity and a loft arts operation in the San Francisco Bay area before opening in Tucson with exhibit space and a variety of arts workshops, classes and lectures,” she says. COMPETITION AND COLLABORATION A strategy that was used recently to determine participation with the convention hotel project seems to be in play again with the disposition of 14 acres on the west side of the Santa Cruz. In November, a city-appointed selection committee recommended that elements of three proposals be made part of the further development of the TCC/convention hotel/arena project. Now, with two finalists vying to develop the 14 acres located just north of the future Cultural Plaza, both developers are being encouraged to collaborate on a final proposal that the two would jointly develop. Williams and Dame Development, out of Portland, Oregon, and The Gadsden Company of Tucson have submitted proposals to develop a mixed-use, residential and commercial neighborhood and district. Principals of both firms have confirmed that they’ve been asked to consider a joint effort, in advance of a selection committee possibly selecting just one of them when it meets in mid-January. Look for the possibility that the two firms may collaborate on land development and infrastructure, and then each taking responsibility for build-out of different portions of the site. Regardless of the final strategy, it is expected that the site will be developed with at least a few hundred units of residential, including some significant affordable housing, commercial space, and a strong connection to the modern streetcar, which will run along the western boundary of the site on Avenida del Convento. DOWNTOWN TUCSON TO DOWNTOWN CUBA Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation is offering a “once-in-alifetime” travel venue fundraiser limited to just two dozen participants. The $5,000 humanitarian trip to Havana (March 7-15) will bring in medical supplies and take home memories of private meetings with and performances by actors, dancers, musicians, authors, filmmakers, teachers and cigar makers. Ten percent of the trip cost is a tax deductible donation to the Theatre Foundation. “Cuba is one of the unique countries in the world and this trip will be a unique experience,” says Foundation Executive Director Herb Stratford. For further information, info@foxtucsontheatre.org or 624-1515. DOWNTOWN WORKER After closing his popular Monkey Box restaurant last summer, artist/architect Bill Mackey is back working Downtown, landing a job with Rob Paulus Architect. Prior to this new gig, Bill kept busy by creating artwork for his company, Worker, Inc., and helped co-found The Design Co-op, a group of Tucson architects and designers interested in improving the quality of life through design. Bill’s artwork is currently on display at the Joel D Valdez Main Library. Coinciding with the display, Bill will present his past, current, and future art and architecture work on January 3 at 12pm, in the first floor meeting room. SLOW COOKING THE LINKS The Downtown Links Project meets again this month, ever mindful of the rejoinder that “slow and steady wins the race”. The last update in November 2007 indicated, “we are making headway on design development for roadway alignment” at the intersection of 6th Street and 9th Avenue. And the Land Use component of the Downtown Links project anticipates a final draft report this week to deal with items such as character, connectivity (transportation and parking), land use, infrastructure, safety, environment, and stewardship. january.08. downtown tucsonan 7 http://www.jewishheritagecenter.net http://www.jewishheritagecenter.net

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Downtown Tucsonan - January 2008

Downtown Tucsonan - January 2008 Contents From the Editor Downtown Lowdown Vital Signs Downtown Restaurants & Cafes Downtown Live Arts Galleries Performance Film Events Museums Historic Downtown Billboard Classifieds

Downtown Tucsonan - January 2008

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