Aerial image of The Landing at Irvington Road and I-19 shows existing businesses and those planned and under construction.

 Courtesy of Bourn Companies

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Businesses popping up on Tucson’s south side have been eagerly received by a long-underserved, multigenerational and growing population.

The Bridges, at Park Avenue and Interstate 10, quickly grew its offerings once Costco and Walmart anchored there.

As did Tucson Spectrum, on Irvington Road and Interstate 19, with anchors such as Home Depot and Harkins Theatres.

Immediately north of Spectrum, the mixed-use center The Landing continues to add more.

Main Event, a bowling, arcade and entertainment venue for families, will open next year at the The Landing, a mixed-use center on Irvington Road and Interstate 19.

Five years after local developer Bourn Cos. cut the first ribbon at the 65-acre site, there are now 28 businesses open or under construction.

The mix includes food, retail, medical tenants and a gym.

A Sprouts grocery store opened this weekend and construction is underway on a bowling, arcade and entertainment venue for families, a hotel and an apartment complex, among other things.

“It is highly successful because it is providing many different amenities that people in the trade area were asking for,” said Alan Tanner, partner with Bourn Cos. “It’s been very encouraging to see a number of the business that have opened have their strongest performing units in the Tucson area at The Landing.

“The south and southwest portion of the Tucson market, we believe, are underserved and the success of the businesses who have opened are likely a testament to that.”

‘Spot on’ vision

The 10-year-old hotel brand, My Place, will open its first Tucson location at The Landing late next year.

Currently under construction on the west end of the center, the hotel will have 86 rooms with some food and beverage offerings, a business office and a barbecue pavilion for guests, said Tyler Kent, principal and managing director of developer Opwest Partners.

“The big amenity is the retail center with fitness, entertainment and restaurants,” he said. “And the natural amenity of the Santa Cruz River walking path.”

The location, and what has populated the center, is what appealed to Opwest.

“What Bourn has done there and the vision they had for that real estate was spot on,” Kent said. “There’s tremendous amount of demand in that southwest pocket of Tucson.”

He anticipates a mix of guests that include both business and leisure travelers, especially shoppers from Mexico.

“We do think there will be a good amount of international guests coming up,” Kent said.

My Place is expected to open for guests in late 2023 or early 2024.

More than 200 apartments will be built at Tucson Landing, a new complex at The Landing, a multi-use center at Irvington Road and Interstate 19. Developers are Phoenix-based HCW LLC and Investment Resources Corp.

Coming soon

A residential component is next up for The Landing.

Phoenix developers HCW LLC and Investment Resources Corp. are building a 210-unit apartment complex on the northwest corner of The Landing.

Called Tucson Landing, it will have units from 480-square-foot studios up to 1,146-square-foot, three-bedroom models, said Santo M. Catanese Jr., president of Investment Resource Corp.

The complex will include a clubhouse and gym, a resort-style pool, an exterior lounge and electric vehicle charging stations.

On the entertainment side, a 50,000-square-foot building next to Sprouts will be home to Main Event, a food-and-games chain.

The Texas chain was bought by Dave & Buster’s this summer in an $835 million deal.

Construction is underway for the new My Place Hotel going up the west side of The Landing.

Dave & Buster’s currently has a location at The Bridges but it is considered more of an attraction for young adults.

Main Event, with less emphasis on bars, caters to smaller children and family events. It has 50 locations in 17 states.

Bowling, laser tag, arcade games and Family Kitchen restaurant.

It is expected to open next year.

Near Main Event, a La-Z-Boy store, Eyemart Express, Cupbob — Korean food in a cup — and Crumbl Cookies are under construction.

Dutch Bros Coffee has also leased a pad along the I-19 stretch of the center.

Five years after local developer Bourn Cos. cut the first ribbon at The Landing, there are now 28 businesses open or under construction.

Spending potential

The south and southwest areas of Tucson were long overlooked by retailers because there was a misconception about residents’ spending potential.

“In looking at the demographic data of Tucson’s southwest quadrant, the per household incomes rival neighborhoods in the center core of town—that often is a surprise to retailers,” said Nancy McClure, first vice president with CBRE. “Many households are multi-generational giving the restaurants and retailers a spectrum of customers from young children, teens, working adults to seniors — each of those have different needs in merchandising and services.”

She said that is why places like the Spectrum and The Landing have integrated medical uses, such as dental and health clinics and urgent care centers.

“The sales tell the story,” McClure said. “Some of the highest reported sales of many of the retailers and restaurants in our market — and in Arizona — are at this interchange.”

Bourn Cos. is busy negotiating with potential tenants for Phase 3 of the development.

About 100,000 square feet on the northeast part of the site, along I-19, has been graded for more retail.

“When The Landing is completed,” Tanner said, “it is estimated to have required an investment in the neighborhood of $80 million dollars to develop the mixed-use project.”

According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported on Oct. 26. U.S. mortgage interest rates jumped to 7.16 percent.

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Contact reporter Gabriela Rico at grico@tucson.com