TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — People used to think of Southeast Tucson and Southeast Pima County as remote without very many places to live or places to shop. Well there’s a housing boom right now and retail’s starting to catch up.
A McDonalds that just opened is adding some sizzle to Houghton Road just north of Drexel. It’s the latest contribution to a base of retail to serve the demand that comes with a blazing boom of construction on the southeast side.
The southeast has a good supply of vacant land.
The Southern Arizona Home Builders Association estimates about 25 percent of all new building permits are on the southeast side. That could rise to 30 percent in the next few years.
But more places to live means more need for places to shop.
Donna Turner says she would like some more options.
“We came here from Ohio, where we had a lot of things around us, you know, a lot of shopping, lot of restaurants, and yeah, coming here was kind of an adjustment, but you kind of get used to it.”
A new Sprouts grocery store is sprouting on Old Vail Road, just down the street from a plot of land earmarked for the region’s fourth Costco store.
Smaller outlets are filling in the growing shopping zone nearby that serves the Southeast side.
Doctor Denise Bowls is CEO of the Vail Chamber of Commerce. She says retailers often wait until data shows them there’s a strong customer base. Once that happens they bring stores—and jobs.
“Local jobs for people that live here. It cuts down on the commute driving into town, and it attracts people to live here, because say you live in Phoenix and your company is coming here. This is a great town to live in, and to have an opportunity to work at one of the retailers.”
And she says when retailers see other businesses build in a place like the southeast side they decide it’s a place they should build too.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
