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Barbara Scott-Ferguson, left, of Dallas, dines with her 13-year-old daughter Alex Wiley-Ferguson at Panda Express in Arizona Pavilions. Restaurants are becoming more numerous in the rapidly growing communities of Oro Valley and Marana.
A.E. Araiza / Arizona Daily Star
On the northwest horizon
Here's a glimpse at some of the larger centers coming to both Oro Valley and Marana.
Oro Valley
Steam Pump Village
Location: North Oracle Road, north of North First Avenue.
Size: About 300,000 square feet, when it's complete.
Tenants open for business: Baggin's Gourmet Sandwiches, Carpet One Floor & Home, Sour Apple Fabrics, silk plant and flower store Silk Expressions, Studio C by California Design Center and Chili's Grill & Bar.
Construction update: The first two of four phases are more or less complete, said Gregg Alpert, chief operating officer of Evergreen Devco Inc. Construction is under way on Wingate Inn, a hotel, and it should be open in the first quarter of 2008, he said. The third phase of construction will start in six to 12 months, he said. For it, Evergreen is targeting more home-furnishing stores, a bank and a day care. Overall, one-third of the development is done, Alpert said.
Additional confirmed tenants: Sunset Interiors & Design Studio, Steinway Piano Gallery and an outdoor amphitheater.
The theme: Mixed-use center — retail, hotel and restaurants.
Mercado del Rio Center
Location: Pusch View Lane, just west of North Oracle Road.
Size: Between 150,000 and 175,000 square feet, but it won't all be retail, said Kit Donley, managing member of Mercado del Rio. The retail center will probably be half retail, with the rest office space and a hotel, he said.
Tenants open for business: Mercado del Rio Car Wash and Brake Masters.
Construction update: Construction on Imagen Salon & Day Spa will finish within 60 to 90 days, Donley said. Building will begin on a hotel, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, within 60 to 90 days, he said. Construction on three mixed-use projects will start within the next five months, Donley said. The projects will be a mixture of office space and retail and include a high-security, high-technology storage facility.
Another confirmed tenant: Chops Steakhouse.
In negotiations: More retailers and some lenders/banks, Donley said. He said he's also talking to three full-service restaurants, only one of which will be in Mercado del Rio.
Oro Valley Marketplace
Location: Southwest corner of Tangerine and Oracle roads.
Size: More than 800,000 square feet.
Construction update: Workers are grading the site.
Expected opening date: September 2008. according to David Malin, project manager for Vestar Development Co.
Confirmed tenants: Wal-Mart Supercenter, Cost Plus World Market, Cinemark Theatres, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, Best Buy, the shoe store DSW, Famous Footwear, Petco, Chase bank, Linens 'n Things, Dick's Sporting Goods, Keg Steakhouse & Bar, Olive Garden Italian Restaurant and clothing store Tilly's, among others.
In negotiations: There are no new tenant announcements, but there will be more restaurants and more stores, Malin said.
Marana
Cortaro Village
Location: Northeast corner of West Cortaro Farms Road and I-10.
Size: 140,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and office space.
Construction update: Workers recently broke ground, said Ken Slachta, director of marketing for Romano Real Estate Corp.
Expected opening date: A year from now, Slachta said.
Confirmed tenants: None.
In negotiations: Multiple national stores and restaurants, Slachta said.
The Shoppes at Tangerine Crossing
Location: Northeast corner of West Tangerine and North Thornydale roads.
Size: About 200,000 square feet.
Construction update: The center is being built in phases, said Ron Ault, president of developer The Ault Cos.
The first phase: Construction is already under way on a Fry's Marketplace and about 25,000 square feet of shops, said Brian Harpel, designated broker at The Harpel Co. Inc. After that, construction will be a building-by-building process, Ault said.
Expected opening date: The tentative grand opening for Fry's and the other initial shops is early December, Ault said. The entire project is about 18 months from completion, he said.
Confirmed tenants: Fry's Marketplace, Wells Fargo Bank, McDonald's, Fletcher's Tire and Auto Service, Subway Restaurant, a dry cleaner, a nail salon and an insurance agent, Ault said.
In negotiations: A large retail tenant, a beauty salon, a pool supply company, an ice cream parlor, sit-down restaurants, a real estate office and smaller individual tenants.
Marana Marketplace
Location: Southeast corner of West River and West Orange Grove roads.
Size: About 300,000 square feet, but since the plans aren't finalized yet, it could change, said Andy Seleznov, director of leasing for Larsen Baker, a commercial real estate firm.
Construction update: Workers are grading the site, Seleznov said.
Expected opening date: The site will be built in two phases. The first phase will open in August 2008 and the second phase will probably open in the last quarter of 2008, Seleznov said.
Confirmed tenant: Bank of the West.
In negotiations: A grocery store and some large national tenants. Once Larsen-Baker knows what the center's large anchor tenants will be, the company will be able to go to smaller tenants for negotiations, Seleznov said.
Dove Mountain Centre
Location: Northeast corner of West Tangerine Road and North Dove Mountain Boulevard.
Size: 91,000 square feet now, but it will be about 120,000 square feet when it's done, said Bill Hallinan, vice president of developer Cottonwood Properties Inc.
Tenants open for business: Bashas', Dove Mountain Cleaners, Wells Fargo Bank, Chase bank, Cost Cutters, Long Realty Co., London Salon & Spa and Fitness Together, among others.
Construction update: A Catalina Mart will open in the next couple of months, Hallinan said. A medical center operated by an affiliate of Northwest Medical Center, a massage center called Elements and Espresso Drini will all open in about 60 days, he said. Fire, which will sell Italian food, will open at the end of September or early October, said Denis Johnston, general manager and corporate chef. Construction on a Walgreens probably won't start for another year.
In negotiations: Some other restaurants, Hallinan said.
Marana Spectrum
Location: Southeast corner of I-10 and West Linda Vista Boulevard/ Camino de Manana.
Size: Around 1.3 million square feet on 170 acres.
Plan update: The developer, Barclay Group, is still in negotiations with the town of Marana on a development agreement. The retail center's opening is contingent upon the completion of the planned I-10/ Twin Peaks Road interchange. Construction on the interchange is expected to begin in early 2008. The Town Council approved a site plan for the center on Tuesday.
Arizona Pavilions
Location: North Cortaro Road, along Arizona Pavilions Drive, just west of I-10.
Size: More than 672,000 square feet.
Expected completion date: Late 2008, said Ken Slachta, director of marketing for leasing agent Romano Real Estate Corp.
Tenants open for business: Wal-Mart Supercenter, Kohl's Department Store, Sleep America, Batteries Plus, Chili's Grill & Bar and Panda Express, among others.
Construction update: A movie theater should be open in Arizona Pavilions before the end of the year, Slachta said. Tower Theatres will have two digital theaters and 12 screens, said Kent Edwards, managing partner of Tower Theatres.
More confirmed tenants: FedEx Kinko's and a nail salon.

Business

Retail developers racing with boom in OV, Marana

Ambitious plans reflect evolution of two communities
By Danielle Sottosanti
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.13.2007
Large retail centers, some hundreds of thousands of square feet in size, are sprouting up in both Oro Valley and Marana — proof, some say, that the towns are evolving.
"The community is becoming more mature and less of a bedroom community," said David Welsh, Oro Valley's economic development administrator.
The town of nearly 45,000 people will see lots of new development in the coming months and years.
"There's just over 2 million square feet of retail in the pipeline for Oro Valley over the next three years," Welsh said.
Nearly half of that is the 800,000-plus-square-foot retail center Oro Valley Marketplace, which Vestar Development Co. is building on the southwest corner of Tangerine and Oracle roads.
That center has spawned controversy because while some residents say they expected an upscale anchor for the center, the anchor will instead be a Wal-Mart Supercenter.
In Marana, millions of square feet in retail are being built or are in the planning stages.
"Currently we have 6 to 8 million square feet possible for retail development that is entitled or in the entitlement process," said Marana spokesman Rodney Campbell.
That's 6 million to 8 million square feet of land that's either slated for — or in the process of being slated for — development.
The new centers mean shoppers have more variety, and they also mean more sales-tax revenue for the town government to provide services and infrastructure, said Ed Stolmaker, president of the Marana Chamber of Commerce.
"I'm totally for it," said Marana resident Mary Ann Treiber. As president of the Dove Mountain Civic Group, a volunteer residents' group, she helps other Dove Mountain residents stay informed about what new shops are coming into Dove Mountain Centre. That is a growing retail center at West Tangerine Road and North Dove Mountain Boulevard.
The center adds to the community because it brings places to shop closer to home, is not too big and also creates more jobs for teenagers, Treiber said.
With more places coming in, Northwest Side residents have lots of shopping options, including some fairly recent arrivals such as the Bashas' grocery store in Dove Mountain Centre.
In Oro Valley, Oracle Crossings is home to Kohl's Department Store, Carrabba's Italian Grill and Sprouts Farmers Market, among other stores and restaurants.
And in Marana, the nearly 700,000-square-foot Arizona Pavilions keeps growing, with Tower Theatres and the hugely popular California chain In-N-Out Burger scheduled to open later this year.
"Everyone is looking forward to the In-N-Out Burger and the movie theater," Stolmaker said. "I think it's exciting for our community that businesses see value in Marana as a place to build."
New restaurants are the No. 1 thing Barb Wisniewski said she and other Sunflower residents are eager to see. Sunflower is a Marana community for active adults 55 and older. Wisniewski has been following the growth of nearby Arizona Pavilions, looking forward to seeing what comes in next.
● A version of this story appeared in Thursday's Northwest, a Star weekly publication. Reporter Danielle Sottosanti: 618-1922; dsottosanti@azstarnet.com.
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