A new sushi restaurant is preparing to open Downtown in anticipation of the area's redevelopment.
On a Roll will move into the long-empty McLellan building, at 63 E. Congress St.
The restaurant will target both weekday Downtown employees and the weekend nightlife crowd, said co-owner Dominic Moreno. He added that he expects to open in about six months, pending approvals from the city.
Because many restaurants Downtown do not keep weekend or late-evening hours, Moreno said he sees a market in providing a "loungy" hangout for concert- or event-goers from Downtown theaters or the Tucson Convention Center.
"We really want to start catering to those people in the evening," he said.
The restaurant is the first business to rent space in the McLellan building after it was purchased by Tucson builder John Wesley Miller in 2005.
Miller, an acclaimed "green" builder, is turning the building into a largely solar-powered, energy-efficient structure. Miller said finding tenants has been a slower-than-typical process because "we're kind of picky."
The rest of the building's approximately 25,000 square feet of available space will likely be marketed to retailers or office tenants. Part of the building may be used for a penthouse apartment, he said.
"We want someone who is going to be stable and understands the risks they're taking," Miller said, adding that he is offering leases no shorter than five years. "We're not anxious just to fill the space for a month or two."
Having a stable tenant in the building would be a positive sign for Downtown, said Downtown Alliance Executive Director Donovan Durband.
Formerly a five-and-dime store in the 1950s, the McLellan building is across the street from a planned condominium project called The Post, one of a number of developments intended to coincide with the Downtown revitalization project, Rio Nuevo.
"It's a landmark building on Congress. If we get something in there, that will definitely signal change," Durband said.
Moreno isn't the only restaurant owner placing a bet on future development plans and increasing weekend foot traffic Downtown.
Fast-casual Mexican restaurant Chileverde opened about two weeks ago at 20 N. Stone Ave. Co-owner Juan Francisco Padres said he is also going to try to keep later Saturday hours, starting this week, in an attempt to lure theater-goers.
Padres said he anticipates business will pick up thanks to Downtown revitalization efforts.
"I truly believe in the Downtown project, in Rio Nuevo," he said. "I think it's getting ready to happen. You've got to come in early."
Did you know...
• The McLellan building, 63 E. Congress St., was a five-and-dime store in the 1950s. It featured a 53-seat diner.
• In the past several years, the building has been used as rental space for events such as gem shows. It has also had short stints as nightclubs La Pachanga and Evolution.
