What to expect from the new Sunshine Mile w/ Andy Littleton
This post was written by Shamara Smith, student at the University of Arizona College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture and current Living Streets Alliance Open Streets Intern.
If you don’t already know, Sunshine Mile is a commercial strip on East Broadway Blvd that is currently in the process of redevelopment. You may have passed by it on your commute.
It is known for being a historic area in Tucson that is full of culture and plenty to do such as shopping, eating, and exploring. With its recent redevelopment, new aspects have been added to the area to enhance one’s experience while maintaining its historic charm.
To get more insight on what to expect from the redeveloped Sunshine Mile and the process, we interviewed the President of the Sunshine Mile Business Association, Andy Littleton. Here is a summary of what we discussed.
What changes were made to the area?
There were a lot of positive changes made to the area, some of which exceeded our expectations. A lot more historical buildings were saved than originally planned. The area is a lot more cyclist and pedestrian-friendly because of the infrastructure (i.e bike lanes). Included in the plans to widen Broadway were: bike lanes with a two-foot buffer zone, new medians, sidewalks, signalized pedestrian crossings, bus pullouts and an improved drainage system.
2. What were some of the impacts?
Throughout the duration of the project there was a lack of investment into the properties. However once the project is in our rearview, we expect to see investments and new development to flourish. Some of the development opportunities could make higher housing density plausible which is a need in the city, and could allow for more affordable housing. We also hope to see more tax dollars in the area because of the increased walkability.
3. What to expect when visiting the area?
One of the biggest things to expect is that there are a lot of cool things coming to this area! The vacant lots you see now are owned by Rio Nuevo and are in the process of getting developers invested in projects that will fit the city’s and the ‘Project for Public Spaces’ vision. As of now, if you travel to the area you should find it easier to drive down, as well as to see businesses to support throughout this process, which I highly encourage.
This month, volunteers came together for a couple of community bike rides down to the Sunshine Mile & to paint a brand new mural facing Broadway west of Tucson Blvd. Artist Porter McDonald led the pop-up painting party in tandem with Living Streets Alliance, the Sunshine Mile Business Association and local businesses like Hairmosa Salon, Cero, Bisbee Breakfast Club and Local First AZ. Cyclovia Remix returned to it’s Lost Barrio-Himmel Park route in February, highlighting its unique features –like the bungalows featured in the mural carried by native javelinas.
4. What changes are you most proud of?
Direct quote —
“I told this story a couple of times and this is one of my encouragements to people to go to meetings when you have a chance to give input in public. There's a particular intersection where [...] motorists would actually get so stuck at this intersection they would get out to hit the button for the pedestrian crosswalk and it was just a constant trouble zone. I went to one of the meetings and I saw the whole layout of the construction and I saw that there was no change going to happen at that spot. I also know that a lot of people use that area and I talked to them about what I'd seen there and my suggestion was that they actually put in a traffic light even though it's slow traffic down a little bit because it'd be safer and it would be far better for the neighborhood if that traffic didn't get backed up all the time. There's a traffic light there now! It was cool to see my little piece of input and maybe some other people said the same but it was cool to see it actually get brought into the vision and implemented.”
Overall, Andy and the Sunshine Mile Businesses association are proud and grateful to all of the citizens who came out to voice their values and concerns during the redevelopment process.
See you on the Sunshine Mile!
