The Arizona Daily Star – July 26, 2017
Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star

Call it reverse NIMBY-ism.

When residents of the South Park, Western Hills and Pueblo Gardens neighborhoods were first approached in 2005 to talk about a planned retail and entertainment development in their backyards, their response was overwhelmingly positive.

Even as time went on and what eventually became the Tucson Marketplace at The Bridges faced project-killing hurdles, neighbors stood strong in their support, thanks to consistent communication from the developers, who from the earliest stages asked for neighbor input and have kept them involved in the process. Continue reading “Century Theatres – Star Opinion: Neighborhood support is key in development” →

By Gabriela Rico Arizona Daily Star Jul 22, 2017

For more than so years, Willie Blake lamented that he had to leave his own neighborhood to buy his groceries. The head of the Western Hills Neighborhood Association, on South Park Avenue, near Interstate 10, also worried about the area’s youngsters and the lack of activities for them.

When Blake, the business representative for Teamsters Union Local 104, retired in 2000, he joined the Kina Weed & Seed Project, an effort to rid the neighborhood of crime and identify economic opportunities. Continue reading “Local Neighbors help develop vacant eyesore into Tuscan Marketplace” →