TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — There was a groundbreaking Wednesday for a big new project predicted to add a multi-million dollar boost to Tucson’s southside—-and the whole region.
If you’re a sports fan, or just a fan of making money you’ll be interested in the construction getting underway off I-10 near the Kino Sports Complex. It’s laying the groundwork for a large, regional sports and entertainment complex that will bring sportspeople and money from all over this area.
Ice Hockey and the desert may seem an odd mix but that’s just part of what’s planned for Mosaic Quarter. It’s planned to bring Ice Hockey, a wide range of indoor court sports, and entertainment venues to a site near I-10 and Campbell.
Sydney Strack is a little girl who has already been playing hockey for two years.
KGUN reporter Craig Smith asked her : “What did you say to yourself when you heard there would be a big new place to skate?”
Sydney: “I really wanted to try it. When I heard it, I was like, really cool. I thought it was really fascinating.”
Wednesday was the official groundbreaking even though ground prep has been underway for a couple of weeks. The first building should be ready in about two and a half years.
Some of the people itching to try that new ice will be U of A’s new women’s hockey team.
UA hockey player Lucy Verderber says, “It’s really a great opportunity, honestly, for women’s sports because obviously hockey isn’t a big thing in Arizona at the moment so I think it’s a good chance for us to show younger kids that womens’ hockey is possible out here and bring it back.”
Frank Knott, Mosaic Quarter’s lead developer sees opportunities to run up the economic score.
“The projection over the first 40 years for just phase one. We'll still have two more phases to do. It'll have a 12 and a half billion dollar economic impact on the county, and that includes spending at restaurants, hotels, retailers, storefronts.“
Knott says Mosaic Quarter should create 92 thousand jobs as other businesses open or expand to tap into all the people the site should attract.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
