Arizona Daily Star
One of the most colorful sections of downtown Tucson began to come down this week.
HSL Properties, which owns the vacant La Placita complex began demolition of the brightly colored property. The buildings were erected more than 40 years ago and replaced old businesses that were part of the old downtown barrio that was razed and replaced by the Tucson Convention Center.
The developer will build apartments and ground-floor retail businesses, including a restaurant and a coffee shop.
Omar Mireles, president of HSL Properties, which owns the property, told the Tucson City Council last month that he expects a studio apartment will cost about $900 a month.
While HSL owns both La Placita and the shuttered Hotel Arizona next door, Mireles does not expect the new development at La Placita to generate economic activity for the empty hotel. He said the two properties have different investors behind them, with different goals guiding their development.
Placita Village, which opened in 1973, had more than 200,000 square feet of office and restaurant space and a 500-space parking garage, which remains open.
Several buildings eligible for listing in the State and National Registers of Historic Places by the State Historic Preservation Office will not be torn down.
They include the Samaniego House and the old El Charro restaurant, which all date back to the late 19th century and are surviving remnants of Barrio Viejo.
