Gelato lovers, rejoice — locally owned Frost, A Gelato Shoppe opened last week at Tanque Verde Place, on East Tanque Verde Road just east of North Sabino Canyon Road.
It was the first retail business to open at the new 130,000-square-foot office, medical and retail development, which broke ground in 2005 and now houses more than 30 businesses on 58 lots.
Businesses already open in the complex include real estate, accounting, insurance, medical and dental offices.
Another 15 businesses, including two commercial retailers — FedEx Kinko's and the local pizzeria Zona 78 — are also expected to open in the center, which is still under construction, said Jordan Simon, a partner with Venture West, the project's developer.
Tanque Verde Place includes 14,000 square feet of retail space available for lease, in addition to several custom office spaces for sale, Simon said. He said 85 percent of the medical and office buildings have been sold, and at least four more buildings are under construction.
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Tanque Verde Place includes a combination of ranch, contemporary and mission-style architecture.
One of the first people to buy space at Tanque Verde Place was Mike Dunlap, a Farmers Insurance agent, who bought there in 2006. He said he wanted to own a private office after renting in three locations in the past 20 years.
"Rent money goes up in smoke. When you buy, you're going to get it back, plus some," he said. "By buying this place, we'll be able to stay as long as we want."
Jeff Kaiserman, who owns Frost with Steve Ochoa, said they chose to open their new location at 7301 E. Tanque Verde Road after receiving two to five requests each day to open a store closer to the East Side.
Frost's first location, at Casas Adobes Plaza, 7131 N. Oracle Road, opened in May 2005. Kaiserman said many Frost customers were regularly driving 30 to 40 minutes to that location.
Simon said he expects Frost to draw large crowds since Tanque Verde Place is across the street from Morris K. Udall Park, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road.
Syvana Amsden, 17, frequently attends her friends' soccer games at the park and said she anticipates making several trips to the gelato shop.
Rick Fink, co-owner of Zona 78 at 78 W. River Road, said he's excited about opening a second restaurant at Tanque Verde Place, located in a high-traffic area, in February. The original location is far enough away that he expects to draw new customers.
"It's probably a good 10 miles from here," he said of the new location, "so we do think we'll get some new customer base over there."
Tucson native Tammy Maki, who works as a dental hygienist near Tanque Verde Place, said she's looking forward to visiting the new eateries there, although she has mixed feelings about the development.
"I don't particularly like all the building here," she said. "I wish they'd leave some more natural desert."
foothills
"Rent money goes up in smoke. When you buy, you're going to get it back, plus some. By buying this place, we'll be able to stay as long as we want."
Mike Dunlap
Farmers Insurance agent
