SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Sierra Vista is moving forward with phase two of its West End revitalization project, a decades-long effort to bring more foot traffic and business development to the area.
The current phase focuses on North Garden Avenue, where construction began this year as part of a $4.5 million investment funded by the city's HERF funds, which primarily come from gas tax revenue.
"Our goal is to see businesses thriving on the West End, and if we can accomplish that goal, anything that we invest in these projects will definitely be worth it," Irene Zuniga said.
Zuniga serves as Capital Improvement Payouts and Development Manager for the City of Sierra Vista.
The project involves shrinking the four-lane road to two lanes, allowing space for sidewalks and multi-use paths to be installed. This approach makes the funding more manageable for the city.
"Finding funding in excess of couple million dollars is extremely difficult, so we thought it would be a little bit more attainable and more realistic if we were able to keep it down to a couple million dollars and attempt to do it phase by phase as we could afford it," Zuniga said.
Local business owners are viewing the construction as a positive sign for the area's future. Brad Snyder, an associate broker and realtor with Sierra Vista Realty located on North Garden Avenue, sees the project as an indicator of progress and growth.
"Currently, we got to live through the development part of it, which is taking some time, but it's going to be a beautiful improvement for our city's west end," Snyder said.
The West End revitalization represents a shift in the city's growth patterns, according to Snyder.
"Over the decades, it kind of was growing more east and more south, and seeing kind of some new excitement and new growth, and the city getting behind projects like this is going to certainly help continue to spur that growth and make Sierra Vista a place to come hang out," Snyder said.
The construction is already generating interest in property development and renovation in the area.
"We see a lot of opportunities with some of the buildings on the west end getting redeveloped, getting remodeled, some of the older properties that are now. I think people are getting excited to renovate and move here, because they're seeing this is a great place to do business on the West End," Snyder said.
Garden Avenue remains open to northbound traffic and all businesses continue operating during construction. The project is expected to be completed in the spring.
The West End revitalization began with phase one construction on Fry Boulevard in 2021.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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