By Jim Nintzel | Tucson Weekly
As downtown Tucson’s revitalization continues apace, one key public parcel is being eyed for a major makeover.
The Ronstadt Transit Center sits on some valuable real estate along Congress Street. City officials have long talked about redevelopment possibilities: Moving the bus station out of the heart of downtown; readjusting it in the current location so that stores and restaurants could be built along Congress Street and Sixth Avenue; or even putting a high-rise apartment complex above the plaza.
But those ideas have been all talk because downtown redevelopment had, until recent years, moved at a glacial pace.
Now the Tucson City Council wants to hear what developers might have in mind for Ronstadt Transit Center. At a meeting last month, the council voted 5-2 to reach out to developers early next year, after Sun Tran completes a new study on how to best improve the region’s bus system and the Federal Transit Administration releases new rules about redevelopment opportunities.
