In this rendering commissioned by the city, Bookman's occupies a renovated Ronstadt Transit Center.

image courtesy of city of tucson

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The Downtown Rio Nuevo district has long searched for draws to bring more than lawyers, bureaucrats and nighttime partygoers to the east end of Congress Street.

Could Bookmans be the answer?

Bookmans Used Books, Music and Software is considering making the move to Downtown, say company officials, Downtown developers and Rio Nuevo officials.

Rio Nuevo Director Greg Shelko said Bookmans has contacted several developers about moving to Downtown from its location at East Grant Road and North Campbell Avenue when its lease there expires at the end of 2008.

"That would be great," said Shelko, who briefed City Manager Mike Hein and Mayor Bob Walkup about the possibility.

Shelko said what makes Bookmans so intriguing is that it's a local company with a big following. That would bring more people Downtown when traffic is needed, in the early evening and at night.

The city commissioned an artist's rendering showing Bookmans in a renovated Ronstadt Transit Center.

Shelko said the city will put out a request for bids early next year for developers to build around and on top of Ronstadt Center, which anchors a major spot at the corner of East Congress Street and Sixth Avenue.

The bus station on the ground floor would be reconfigured to allow for retail development facing Congress, some retail along Sixth and air rights above the transit center, for commercial and possibly condo construction.

But the construction at Ronstadt Center won't be soon enough for Bookmans, Shelko said.

"It's an intriguing idea," he said. "The door is still open, certainly."

Sean Feeney, Bookmans executive vice president, said the company isn't looking exclusively at Downtown.

He said the company has yet to find a suitable location Downtown or anywhere else, but needs to soon because of its short timeline. "November '08 is coming up rapidly," he said.

One potential hangup is the need for a large amount of square footage and parking space, both of which are at a premium Downtown.

Feeney said the company is looking for at least 20,000 square feet, while developers who have spoken with company officials said they want potentially as much as 30,000 square feet and 130 to 160 parking spaces.

By comparison, the new retail project proposed at Downtown's former Martin Luther King Apartments, approved by the City Council on Tuesday, is only about 7,000 square feet.

Bookmans was interested in putting its corporate offices at the new location as well, but Feeney said the company put that idea on hold because it hasn't found a good option.

Developer Jim Campbell said Bookmans approached him about coming in to his residential-commercial development project, Plaza Centro, to be built on the site of the former Greyhound bus station. Campbell said the timeline didn't work, though, and neither did the square footage needs.

"The challenge is their timeline and their need for space — that's a huge amount of space," Campbell said.

Ron Schwabe, president of Peach Properties, which is partnering with Williams and Dame in the MLK redevelopment, said Bookmans has also talked to developer Don Bourn about moving into his property called The Post on East Congress, and with developer Doug Biggers about moving into the vacant block next to the Rialto Theatre.

"It's a tough fit," Schwabe said of the size needed.

Schwabe said Bookmans officials became excited talking about turning around Downtown at night and being a magnet for people. He said they were talking about building a bookstore with its own cafe as a Downtown destination spot.

But he added that he felt their interest in Downtown has since slipped because of the parking and space issues.

Matt Brown, project manager for Williams and Dame Development, which is redeveloping the MLK along with a block on the south side of Congress, said Bookman's hasn't contacted his company.

But he said the move is a good idea. "We want to help make that happen. We want to work with them if that's possible."