The City of Tucson is ramping up the PR machine to create the illusion things are not quite as bad as they seem during the current city election. To that end, news reports about “continuing the trend of a reinvigorated downtown Tucson” are leaving out a few relevant facts.
A local Tucson newspaper announced last week that BizAnytime, a software company that provides bundled cloud-based services, was fueling a technology renaissance in the region. The company’s new address will be 124 W. Cushing St., and according to the news report, “…will move in this Friday.” It is currently at La Paloma Corporate Center, 3561 E. Sunrise Drive.
“What is extraordinary about this unprecedented turnaround is how it has completely transformed the urban environment downtown,“ said Michael Keith, CEO of the Downtown Tucson Partnership, in a news release. “The vision that so many of us have had for so long, of an authentic downtown for everyone, with a wide variety of housing projects, markets, and beautiful outdoor spaces suddenly seems attainable in a way that was unimaginable even a few years ago.”
“This is the downtown we’ve been waiting for, and it feels like the party’s just getting started,” Keith said.
Since 2008, the downtown area has seen 34 new restaurants, and few other types of new businesses. In reality, according to the Tucson Lease Report in the Real Estate Daily News, BizAnytime leased a mere 1,876 sq. ft. after finding the space on Craig’s List. The space should accommodate no more than 20 employees according to an ergonomic expert.
The government sector continues to grow, but not as fast as the number of restaurants in the small downtown area. While Tucsonans residing in the sixth poorest metropolitan area in the country are grateful for jobs, relocating small businesses from the foothills to the downtown does not bring comfort or opportunity unless they want to wait on tables downtown.