TUCSON, Ariz. — Part of the ongoing Broadway Widening Project will soon be moving along, literally.
The historic bungalows in the Rincon Heights neighborhood will be moved out of the way within the next couple of weeks, according to Jannie Cox, a Rio Nuevo Board Member.
The City of Tucson has given the seven bungalows to Rio Nuevo to repurpose them. Cox says they will be moved one at a time, at least 25 feet from where the new curb line along Broadway will be when the road is widened.
She says the community wanted to preserve the architecture of the buildings, rather than have them knocked down.
"Imagine if you're driving down Broadway, would you like to see an empty lot, or would you rather see thriving activity?" Cox said.
The bungalows in the historic Rincon Heights neighborhood will be moved out of the way soon. It’s part of the Broadway Widening Project. @kgun9 pic.twitter.com/NXnbKesK4R
— Natalie Tarangioli (@ntarangioli) October 21, 2019
The move won't be quick, though. Cox says each bungalow will take three or four weeks to move, while the new foundations are built. After that, they will be renovated.
Cox says Rio Nuevo is looking for creative partners to handle the renovations and turn the bungalows into boutique retail shops and cafes.
There's no real time frame for the move to start and end, but Cox estimates it'll be around two years before the future businesses in the bungalows are up and running.
Rio Nuevo also plans to put a webcam on the buildings so people can watch them being picked up and moved.
