TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Downtown business leaders, community members, and volunteers in the Historic Fourth Avenue Coalition are searching for long-term solutions to address areas of improvement along Fourth Avenue.
The Coalition created an improvement plan, or what they call “a roadmap,” which is a long-term vision of what Fourth Avenue could become. This project is all about making the area safer, more accessible and more sustainable, with ideas shaped by the community.
Lisette DeMars, a volunteer on the development committee for the Coalition, says they started this plan several years ago, around the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to development in the area.
“We had an opportunity to get ahead of the development and really encourage the developers to embrace smart growth principles, and those were just things like working with the community to design the spaces and working with the community around construction planning,” DeMars said.
The Coalition conducted community and business surveys to learn what the high-priority areas are for people, because the plan is a collaborative effort.
“We decided it would be a good plan to reach out to our neighbors, not just business owners, but the surrounding neighborhoods and find out what it was that people needed," said DeMars. "What would be helpful, what were their concerns.”
One high priority for many is creating more cooling corridors, DeMars says.
“This is one of the most walked areas of the city," DeMars stated. "So, one of the areas of the plant, actually all three areas, sustainability, safety, and access, talk about how hot our summers get and how important it is that we create more cooling corridors.”
DeMars explained what having more cooling corridors could look like on Fourth Avenue.
“That might mean adding shade like trees, but it also might mean adding more public drinking fountains, more areas for people to sit and cool down," she described.
Demars says the cost for each project will vary.
“Some of these projects are very approachable and low cost, like painting. Some of them will be higher cost," said DeMars. "There might need to be some sidewalk improvements that get done or infrastructure in terms of solar or water harvesting that go in.”
The first project is yet to be decided, but DeMars says business owners have the opportunity to get involved now.
“All of those would be done in partnership with a business that wants to participate in one of these plans or a sponsor who wants to maybe sponsor the tree planting in the area," she said.
You can contact the Coalition about future planning sessions, where you can share your feedback on the plan here.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
