Downtown Tucson merchants boiling over 'construction mayhem'

Hugo Lopez works on tracks near the Hotel Congress. Shopkeepers have been begging for a break on parking rates, to no avail.

Downtown Tucson merchants boiling over 'construction mayhem'

Some meters are out of commission, and some parking spaces have been removed.

Downtown Tucson merchants boiling over 'construction mayhem'

This week marks one full year of streetcar construction in downtown Tucson - and merchants there are fuming.

City told streetcar operating cost will be 4 times earlier estimate

City taxpayers could wind up paying a $4.4 million annual operating subsidy for the streetcar - more than quadruple what city officials were told two years ago.

Pima, city spar over siting of streetcar stop

Tucson and Pima County officials are at an impasse over disputed plans to build a streetcar stop over a major county sewer interceptor.

'Walk to West Side' event to open downtown bridge over Santa Cruz

It will be at least a year before a bridge built to carry the modern streetcar across the Santa Cruz River actually feels the rumble of steel wheels.

Mixed-use high-rise planned downtown

An artist's rendering of the proposed One East Broadway, combining retail, offices and apartments.

Mixed-use high-rise planned downtown

A planned nearly $18 million high-rise residential and commercial project - billed as the first of its kind in downtown - is also on track to become the first beneficiary of a new city tax incentive aimed at spurring development.

6th Ave. lease picture picks up

The Sixth Avenue underpass divides the newly revitalized retail area near East Sixth Street and North Sixth Avenue from downtown. The new modern streetcar will run just a couple of blocks away, along Fourth Avenue. This is a view of the underpass looking north from the downtown side.

6th Ave. lease picture picks up

An area on the edge of Tucson's warehouse district is quietly becoming a commercial hub for creative entrepreneurs.

Streetcar crew digs up added expense

After discovering a severely corroded sewer pipe in the project's first week, the county's Wastewater Reclamation Department asked the Board of Supervisors for an additional $500,000 to patch up defective cylinders they expect to encounter.

Faded 'queen of Congress' wins $90,000 grant for makeover

The Chicago Store in downtown Tucson has been awarded $90,000 by the Downtown Tucson Partnership to help renovate the building's facade. The building, constructed in 1903, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The project is expected to cost $200,000.

Faded 'queen of Congress' wins $90,000 grant for makeover

The Chicago Store downtown is one of two of the most recent recipients of the Downtown Tucson Partnership's facade funding. Design details - and the other recipient - will be revealed today.

Faded 'queen of Congress' wins $90,000 grant for makeover

The "queen of Congress" is to get a face-lift as she nears her 110th birthday.

Josh Brodesky: 'Mars and Beyond' still stuck on the launchpad

Despite efforts, Science Downtown never had much gravitational pull.

Job 1 in streetcar zone: survival

Construction fencing runs down East Congress Street as work on the streetcar continues in downtown Tucson. Many businesses have suffered a dramatic decline in business.

Job 1 in streetcar zone: survival

The owner of Hydra Leather and More, a fashion clothing store, is trying to increase business by posting signs in her window offering discounts to construction workers in the area.

Job 1 in streetcar zone: survival

Looking west down East Congress Street, the construction on the streetcar tracks downtown stretches from Toole Avenue to Stone Avenue. Many businesses are in "survival mode."

Job 1 in streetcar zone: survival

The day that Zulema Toledo opened ZT Boutique in its new spot on North Fourth Avenue, a chain-link fence went up in front of it.

Court hears arguments over rejected petitions on UA-area high-rises

The devil is in the details. And those details are threatening to deny the Repeal the MainGate Overlay District petition drive a chance to make its case to voters, the attorney for the UA-area neighborhood group argued in court Friday.