Oro Valley's largest shopping center is set to open in just a few months.
Construction on the 115-acre site at the corner of North Oracle and East Tangerine roads began in 2007, after voters the previous year approved a $23.2 million economic development agreement between the town and Vestar Development Co.
"It's obviously a very good thing for the town of Oro Valley," said David Malin, project manager for Vestar of Phoenix.
By fall, the shopping center will provide movie, dining and shopping venues, as well as attract customers from outside Oro Valley, Malin said.
"Sales-tax dollars will be kept in the town," he said.
So far, about 25 businesses are scheduled to move in, Malin said, adding that stores will start opening in mid-September. The economic agreement stipulating that Vestar and the town will share tax revenue in the next decade still stirs negative feelings on the part of some residents, as does the Wal-Mart Supercenter that will anchor the shopping center.
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John Marinaro, who has seen the shopping center gradually take shape from his nearby house, said Oro Valley Marketplace will be no different than any other strip mall in the region.
"It's unfortunate. It could've been something really nice," he said, alluding to the disappointment he and other residents felt when they learned Wal-Mart, not a high-end store, would anchor the shopping center. Marinaro conceded the center would be "good for some people," but said he has no intentions of shopping there.
Alex Heinze and his wife, Tekla, also live near the shopping center.
"It would've been better left as a golf course or something more natural," Heinze said.
Vestar's Malin said that unlike other shopping centers, Oro Valley Marketplace will incorporate various environmentally friendly features. They include a riparian habitat, replanted trees, a network of trails and 8 acres of open space in the center of the roughly 800,000-square-foot site.
The developer also is installing a water-harvesting system aimed at conserving about 80 million gallons of water in 20 years.
"We're going to collect rainwater from the roofs of the buildings to irrigate our landscaping," Malin explained.
He characterized opponents of the shopping center as a minority, saying that Oro Valley Marketplace will attract shoppers from inside and outside town.
"The voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of our project when they went to the polls," Malin said.
Vestar officials have estimated that the shopping center will generate about $65 million in tax revenue over the next two decades, which will help fund various town services.
Vestar will get 45 percent of retail sales tax revenue collected, up to a maximum of 10 years or $23.2 million.
The shopping center also will include a police substation and transit stops for Sun Tran and Coyote Run.
Oro Valley Police Chief Daniel Sharp said the substation will double as a briefing room and an emergency- operations center.
The location, which won't be highly visible, includes a "sally port" or secured entrance for prisoners to be processed, he said. The substation will not be staffed, as officers will go in and out during their shifts, Sharp said.
"Eventually, our bicycle squad will be deployed there," he said. "This is a nice central location for us."
Learn more online
Oro Valley Marketplace, which is under construction, will open in September.
The shopping center will celebrate its grand opening in mid-October.
For construction updates, go online to www.orovalley marketplace.com.
