More office and retail space, along with a neighborhood plaza and fountain could be coming to Joesler Village, at the base of Tucson’s Catalina Foothills.
The village, on the northwest corner of River Road and Campbell Avenue, is home to anchor restaurants such as P.F. Chang’s, Sullivan’s Steakhouse and Zinburger.
Choice Greens restaurant is moving into the former Starbucks location in the center this fall.
Town West Realty, which owns the village and the vacant land to the north, wants to connect both parcels and create a safer entry for motorists north of the current Campbell Avenue entry that is close to the intersection with River Road.
Closing that entry, next to Anthony’s Cigar Emporium, will allow for a neighborhood amenity to include shaded seating and a fountain, said Jim Horvath, CEO of Town West.
This architectural rendering shows a proposed pedestrian plaza and water fountain at the original Joesler Village, closer to Campbell Avenue and River Road.
“We think it will be a really nice asset for people who live there to take a walk,” he said.
He hopes to connect the two properties by removing the existing wall and add more retail and office space.
“We’re looking at offices and a coffee shop or small bakery,” Horvath said. “It should work well with the neighborhood and the new hotel.”
The hotel, The Eddy, is under construction on the north side of River Road immediately north of St. Philip’s church.
St. Philip's In The Hills Episcopal Church can be seen in the foreground, near the lot for The Eddy boutique hotel to the north on Campbell Avenue near River Road.
Both sites were the subject of a proposed annexation by the city of Tucson in 2019 when developers wanted it rezoned for a four-story hotel and detached restaurant and residential units.
The existing zoning is restricted to two stories.
Some residents pushed back, and the City Council denied the annexation.
There is still some concern about traffic and congestion at the already busy intersection, said Bill Nathe, a board member of the Foothills Ridge Neighborhood Association. But the uproar that came with the original proposal has died down.
Review of the project by the Pima County Board of Supervisors is expected this fall.
The Lohse family that lives immediately north of the proposed expansion of Joesler Village bought the lot between their home and the expansion site from Town West to create a buffer.
The Lohse family, whose home can be seen in the background to the left, purchased a lot between their home and the Joesler Village expansion site to create a buffer.
“We said if they would sell us the north lot, we would not be opposed to an office building on the south lot which abuts their Joesler Village,” Linda Lohse said. “They sold us the north lot, so we wrote a letter of support to the county for a zoning change for the south lot.”
The 1.4-acre site still needs to be rezoned by the county from residential to commercial use, said Keri Silvyn, an attorney with Lazarus & Silvyn that represents Town West.
“The only developable portion is right up against Campbell,” she said. “Nobody is going to want to put a house right on Campbell, just north of Joesler.”
The additional building would be between 6,000 and 9,000 square feet and carry over the architecture of the Joesler Village, named after renowned Tucson architect Josias Joesler.