TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As the Food City in a distressed South Tucson shopping plaza prepares to close its doors in October, the city is moving forward with a plan to bolster safety and attract development — by opening a 24-hour police storefront in the same plaza.
The closure of Food City, located in the Mission View Plaza at South Sixth Avenue and East 31st Street, will leave the surrounding neighborhood without a full-service grocery store. Longtime customer Tenaj “Teddy” Cheshier said the loss will hit nearby residents hard.
“I know a lot of people live in this neighborhood… They can walk here, so that would probably be a lot of harm to them,” Cheshier said.
Although he said he’s never felt unsafe at the location, Cheshier acknowledged that some might appreciate the added security. “A lot of older women come in here by themselves… I see a lot of them a lot, so I could understand they might feel a little safer, ya.”
That sense of safety is exactly what South Tucson Police are aiming to bolster.
“Anywhere where we can have a police presence helps anybody,” said Commander Raul Navarro of the South Tucson Police Department. “The whole purpose of being visible is to help deter crime, and we just wanna make sure the citizens feel safe.”
According to Navarro, the storefront will not be continuously staffed but will remain accessible around the clock. “This is the first time we’ll be able to open a storefront and have accessibility to the businesses in the southern area of our city,” he said.
City officials emphasized that the cost to set up the space will be minimal, thanks to donated office furniture and equipment.
“Installing some security cameras, I don’t imagine it being more than a couple thousand dollars,” said Mayor Roxanna Valenzuela.
While public safety is the immediate priority, city leaders hope the project will spur broader economic revitalization.
“We really want to encourage the economic growth within our city,” Navarro said. “And we can really show them that the citizens of South Tucson deserve a place — that they deserve to be treated well.”
The storefront is expected to open by the end of July.
According to data from the Arizona Department of Economic Security, South Tucson faces higher-than-average poverty rates and a lack of full-scale grocery stores, making both public safety and development key concerns for residents.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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