More than 25 artists have been told to move out of the Citizens Warehouse building because construction crews will need the parking lot for equipment and underground access for a new road project called Downtown Links.
Getting the boot was not something the group anticipated based on previous discussions with Tucson officials, according to Alec Laughlin, one of the artists at the site at 44 W. Sixth Ave., just west of North Stone Avenue.
“We’ve known about the Downtown Links project for a long time, it’s been in the works for many years,” Laughlin said. “Originally, the city told the tenants of Citizens Warehouse that when the construction does finally happen that we would be able to stay and not be evicted.”
On May 20, the Tucson Real Estate Division sent a letter to the Warehouse Arts Management Organization, or WAMO, which leases the building, stating they were acquiring the space for construction. The artists have until the end of August to get out.
The building is owned by the Arizona Department of Transportation. It is leased to the City of Tucson, which subleased it to WAMO.
“We got a letter that stated the master lease would not be renewed in June, but they would allow us to stay through the end of August and construction would last at minimum 30 months, at which point there would be no guarantee that we can go back into the building,” Laughlin said.
Laughlin has already moved to a new site instead of waiting until the Aug. 31 deadline to vacate the building.
“When you speak to someone now they say, ‘Oh, sorry, I wasn’t here at that time’ is basically the answer. It’s just verbal promises, but then in the 11th hour booting everybody out during a global pandemic,” Laughlin said.
The artists need to move because their presence would create safety issues, said Robin Raine, deputy director of the Tucson Department of Transportation.
“The first couple of days maybe there won’t be a lot of work that will bother them, but the contractor needs the parking lot to use for staging,” Raine said. “There’s work all around the building. There’s going to be underground work, and it won’t be good or safe for people to be in the building.”
Downtown Links includes a new four-lane road taking drivers from the Barraza-Aviation Parkway near Rattlesnake Bridge to Interstate 10 to let drivers bypass the often-congested downtown area. There will also be new multi-use paths, upgraded railroad crossings and improved drainage, which will prevent flooding in the downtown underpasses during monsoon season.
“I think it’s going to be a really good project when it’s done because it does have the grade separation at the railroad. And it’s always safer for cars to go over or under trains than it is for them to be at the same level,” Raine said.
In the Citizens Warehouse area, crews have planned a mix of multi-use paths and roadway improvements.
It’s all part of the long-range Regional Transportation Authority plan, which county voters approved in 2006 through a half-cent transportation sales tax. More than $76 million is being provided through the RTA for the project.
Still, things aren’t any easier dealing with a move after the group banked on previous assurances from the city, according to Laughlin.
“The gentleman that was in charge over there at the time even said they would be willing to help us with funds if we needed to make an entrance on the south side of the building because the north side is where the construction is,” he said. “They would provide parking for us and a lot to the east.”
It seems all they will get, at least for now, is the extra month to find a new home.
“When they said, ‘Well, with COVID-19 and everything, can we have some more time?’ We looked into when the project would start physically and gave them those few more months,” Raine said. “So we’ve been giving them notices regularly to let them know what’s going on with the building.”
Down the Road
Look out for weekslong Tucson road work: Construction crews will work on the following streets starting Monday night:
- Cushing Street between Avenida del Convento and the I-10 Frontage Road
- Linda Avenue between Congress and Cushing streets
- Granada Avenue/Cushing Street between Congress Street and the I-10 Frontage Road
- Congress Street between Fourth and Granada avenues
- Broadway between Granada and Fourth avenues
- Fourth Avenue and Broadway intersection
Crews work Monday through Friday from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., with occasional weekend work. The projects will last until July 23.
