TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Downtown Tucson’s landscape is poised for change, but not without controversy.
Last week, the Rio Nuevo board approved more than $2 million in funding for Punch Line, a comedy club operated by Live Nation, at the current home of Borderlands Brewing Company and Playformance, sparking mixed reactions from the community.
The two locally owned businesses, located at Seventh Avenue and Toole Avenue, face relocation as a result of the new deal between Peach Properties, Rio Nuevo, and Live Nation.
“I would hate to see them go, I actually really enjoyed that,” said Gladis Figueroa, a regular Borderlands customer who comes for the beer and stays for the social atmosphere. “It was a great way to get to learn and meet new people and get to learn a little bit of bachata classes, which are amazing and fun to try out.”
Figueroa also expressed skepticism about the viability of a new comedy club downtown.
“I don’t know that I would be interested in just comedy because I do enjoy the live interaction, dancing and meeting new people,” she said.
Rio Nuevo officials, however, touted the economic benefits.
Vice Chair Edmund Marquez said, “We’ve forecasted over $10 million a year. They’re looking at over $11-12 million a year, which is a great economic boost.”
He added that bringing in top-tier acts like Dave Chappelle would help keep University of Arizona students in Tucson.
“This is just one of those fun venues here,” he explained.
Marquez also noted $2.2 million of the $8.5 million project cost will come from the downtown redevelopment district’s funds.
The announcement drew swift backlash, including threats that forced Rio Nuevo offices to close Friday.
Community member Maria Elena Pakulis, whose father performs on Borderlands’ patio on Sundays, launched a petition against the move that, as of press time, had gathered more than 2,500 signatures.
“The folks at Borderlands, especially the folks who come out on Sunday, are my family,” Pakulis said. “They call it the Sunday sessions, a lot of people say it’s going to church for them.”
“My very first thought was, ‘We don’t have to take this lying down,’” Pakulis added. “I could see how upset the community was.”
For its part, Borderlands criticized the process in a statement on its social media platforms April 23.
“This decision was made without a chance for us to collaborate or even be a part of the process,” the post read.
However, Patricia Schwabe, an agent for Peach Properties, disputed Borderlands' timeline, asserting the parties had met as early as March about the possibility of a new tenant moving into the space.
“We did have a meeting in person with the CEO of Borderlands and we had a meeting in person, also with Playformance,” Schwabe said.
In an email to parents of children who attend classes there, Playformance walked back an earlier social media post made on its accounts that seemingly supports Schwabe's timeline of events.
"We were not completely blindsided by the possibility of being displaced but were told about the possibility in mid-March," the email read.
Schwabe criticized Borderlands' social media statement, calling it an incomplete side of the story — one that galvanized a negative view of the situation.
“The words that they used about being caught off guard or not being informed — well that created anger that I think was unnecessary,” she said.
Pakulis said she agrees with Rio Nuevo's goal of fostering a thriving downtown. But, she said she doesn't want it coming at the expense of local businesses.
“We’re not Scottsdale, we’re not Phoenix, and it’s our culture that makes us that way,” she said.
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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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