Responding to concerns from neighboring businesses, UniSource Energy Corp. has agreed to add retail space to its planned downtown headquarters.
The power provider, which is the parent of Tucson Electric Power Co., recently unveiled plans for the building that included 8,700 square feet of retail space - but none of that was located along South Sixth Avenue.
That worried Tim Fuller, who owns the building across the street on Sixth Avenue. He had concerns about his property facing the "dead side of a building" that wouldn't generate much foot traffic. He also was worried about several unsightly electrical boxes designed to sit along Sixth Avenue as part of the new building's power system.
To alleviate that anxiety, the building's designers met with Fuller on Wednesday and told him of new plans to add more than 2,000 square feet of retail space, with some facing Sixth Avenue, said UniSource spokesman Joe Salkowski. They also said they would move the electrical boxes to a place where they would be shielded from the street, Salkowski said.
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"Is it perfect? No," Fuller said of the design changes. But he quickly added that he was grateful UniSource addressed his main concern: the lack of retail space along Sixth Avenue.
"They came and met with us, they listened to what we said … and they did what they said they'd do," Fuller said.
Fuller owns the property at 135 S. Sixth Ave. that housed Barrio Food & Drink, which quietly closed its doors about a month ago. He's remained tight-lipped about who might be moving into the property, but he did say it would remain a restaurant.
Janos Wilder - the restaurateur who owns the Janos Restaurant and JBar at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa in the Foothills - confirmed his attendance at a meeting where the UniSource building's designers discussed its Sixth Avenue facade.
But Wilder, who has expressed interest in opening a restaurant downtown, would not say whether he had any plans to move into the space once occupied by Barrio.
One of Fuller's tenants, Terry Etherton, who owns the Etherton Gallery, said the appearance of the UniSource building along Sixth Avenue would be very important to anyone running a restaurant.
Etherton said he supports construction of the new building, in part because it will replace the long-deteriorating Santa Rita Hotel. But the initial design was "woefully weak as far as retail," he said.
"We want something that's going to create some foot traffic and bring people downtown," Etherton said.
But after the meeting Wednesday, Etherton said he was encouraged by UniSource's decision to focus more of the retail along Sixth Avenue, which is important because UniSource is developing a key piece of property in the heart of downtown.
"They have a great opportunity right now to make a statement and do something that's real sensitive to our neighborhood," Etherton said.
The neighborhood association in nearby Armory Park hasn't yet taken a formal position on the building's design, as some residents support it and others say it clashes with the historical area.
Contact reporter Dale Quinn at 573-4197 or dquinn@azstarnet.com