By Evan Pellgrino
A plan has been presented to the city of South Tucson with strategies to put money in the pockets of South Tucsonans, change the perception of the city and bring in business from the greater area.
A team of graduate students at the University of Arizona’s School of Landscape Architecture and Planning spent the fall semester evaluating the city and getting input from business owners, community leaders and residents to develop a new economic development plan.
“There’s a lot of pride, culture and history in South Tucson. We see these as the city’s core values and we worked to honor these values while going forward,” said James McGinnis, a UA graduate student who helped develop the plan.
A main aspect of the plan addresses how the city can work to change public perception and become more welcoming to visitors.
One idea is to reintroduce heritage events, such as the Norteño Music Festival and street fair, which the team feels would entice visitors to eat and shop in the city.
Public events such as the Norteño festival would help expose people to South Tucson restaurants and get people comfortable with exploring what the city has to offer, said Alison Meadow, a UA student who helped develop the plan.
“We need to get people here and let them see for themselves that South Tucson isn’t such a bad place,” she said. “We want to see South Tucson become a destination.”
To host events such as the Norteño festival the plan encourages business owners in South Tucson to become partners and work together to host events and set a welcoming atmosphere and environment. Through partnerships, the team feels South Tucson businesses can develop marketing strategies, such as Web sites, to attract outside visitors to the area.
“The city could do a better job of telling its story,” McGinnis said.
With South Tucson resting near the intersection of two interstates, the city has great potential to attract visitors, especially with downtown development planned for the city of Tucson, McGinnis said.
“Inevitably, South Tucson’s proximity to downtown Tucson will increase property value and bring in business,” he said.
Other aspects of the plan, developed in part from the city’s last economic development strategies in 2005, are aimed at building individual wealth and retention for South Tucsonans through community gardens, where neighbors could work together to grow their own food, and more educational training programs, leading to better jobs and higher income. The plan also encourages weatherproofing houses by caulking and weather-stripping, insulating, painting roofs and planting tress around homes, which would increase property value and reduce the cost of cooling, saving residents money on their bills.
“If people spend less money on grocery and utilities it means they have more money in their pockets and more money to spend in the community,” McGinnis said.
The plan also suggests crime deterrent programs such as reengaging a citywide South Tucson neighborhood watch program.
To help the city initiate aspects of the development plan, the team included a list of resources, such as grants providers and organizations that can provide the city with some of the resources needed to put elements of the plan into action.
“We tried to come up with little things that can help the whole,” Meadow said. “It’s a snowball effect. Small-scale programs can grow and take off.”
The economic development plan is now in the hands of South Tucson City Manager Enrique Serna, who will soon present it to the city council and mayor.
Serna said he appreciates the new ideas and perspectives on how the community can make improvements.
“This underlines the kind of issues that affect the quality of life, keeping in mind that every community, including South Tucson, is unique,” Serna said.
The team of students said they hope South Tucson will benefit from the plan.
“The location is strong,” McGinnis said. “We’re encouraging residents and business owners and the city to get out and make things happen.”
