In November, The Oro Valley Town Council approved plans for the Oro Valley Marketplace in the hope of revitalizing the large shopping center.
Business owners and managers working in the plaza hope this project not only attract new customers but also potentially bring in new businesses to fill empty storefronts within it.
"I think it’s absolutely great," said Hector Martinez, the co-owner of The Hoppy Vine.
The Oro Valley Council unanimously approved plans to bring recreational amenities to the Oro Valley Marketplace back in November.
Oro Valley Mayor Joe Winfield said, "Nobody wants to move this forward more than I do."
Martinez said, "It’ll bring people in. People living here can walk to the different restaurants, including Hoppy Vine."
Improvements to the shopping center will be funded by the owners, Town West Companies, and include two new apartment communities - one located to the south of Tangerine across from Oro Valley Hospital and the other along Oracle.
Additionally, a new hotel will be the first to be built in the marketplace.
It’s all with the hope that it will bring more people to the area and revitalize a shopping center filled with vacant retail space.
"There’s no room for local business in those giant [retail spaces]," said Dale Tom, a manager at The Charred Pie, a locally owned pizza joint that opened in 2019.
He believes the new amenities could not only increase business during their slower times of the year but also attract larger retail chains like Best Buy back to the area.
"Things like that are definitely going to bring people to the shopping center, and that definitely trickles down to other businesses around here," he said.
During the previous council meeting, the attorney representing Town West Companies mentioned it could be a while before ground is officially broken, as Town West must first build and open the tax-generating hotel before moving on to the proposed apartments.
A manager of a national retailer at the shopping center told KGUN 9 that with the $80,000 monthly rent they pay, they hope that once it’s all said and done, the addition of new apartments, hotels, and other amenities will revitalize the shopping center.
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Kenny Darr is a reporter for KGUN 9. He joined the team in January 2023. Before arriving in Arizona he was an Anchor and Reporter at KADN in Lafayette, LA. Share your story ideas with Kenny by emailing kenny.darr@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
