Restaurants, jobs, housing and I-10 expansion: Tucson poised for new development in 2024
Tucson — known for its gems, Southwestern cuisine, and beautiful nature landscapes — will continue to see expansion in 2024 with a range of new businesses and developments.
New restaurants and cafes, as well as housing developments and highway improvements, are coming to the city.
I-10 expansion north of Tucson toward Marana
As part of a $171 million project, a 4-mile stretch of I-10 will be rebuilt by the end of the year, widening the highway to four lanes of traffic in both directions, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The project also includes the reopening of the Orange Grove Road interchange featuring wider entrance and exit ramps.
New restaurants coming to Tucson’s downtown corridor
Tucson will also welcome several new restaurants this year, including a pizza joint, international cuisine and a high-end eatery.
For pizza lovers, Whole Slvce Pizza is slated to bring New York-style pizza-by-the-slice to Tucson. It will be located on the ground floor of the Monier Apartments on Tucson’s west side.
Expanding international cuisine in Tucson, Basqueria is slated to open this year, bringing Spanish tapas to the downtown area.
Ethiopian cuisine will also expand in Tucson this year. The owners of Zemam’s, Too!, a popular Ethiopian restaurant, will reopen their Broadway Boulevard location. They're also set to open a sports bar and cafe, with new outdoor dining, and a vendor bazaar. The new businesses will be located in several abandoned buildings on Broadway Boulevard's Sunshine Mile.
Borderlands Brewing Company, a popular local brewery with two locations in Tucson, will open Sonora Moonshine, a new bar and restaurant with an agave-driven cocktail menu, outdoor patio, and a basement speakeasy.
Tucson will also be home to a new high-end restaurant called 350 Congress, run by Las Vegas celebrity chef Antonio Nunez. The restaurant will be located in the former Funky Monk, a popular college bar.
More mixed-use residential buildings expected to be completed
With Tucson's housing shortage, this year will bring additional housing to the region.
A new housing development on the corner 4th Avenue and 8th Street will add 323 market-rate residential units and include a commercial venue on the ground floor, according to the city of Tucson. The development is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in the summer.
The Bautista apartment complex will add housing to Tucson’s West side with completion expected late this year. The development will be located in the Mercado District, and will include 256 apartments, with studios and one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, and a commercial ground floor.
Two new factories bringing hundreds of jobs
Utah-based company American Battery Factory is slated to open a lithium phosphate battery factory on Tucson's south side. The facility is expected to bring hundreds of jobs to Tucson after completing construction on their 2 million-square-foot facility later this year.
MicroStar Logistics will also open a facility in south Tucson. The company will open a keg and pallet quality service facility in a 270,000-square-foot building at the Rita Ranch Commerce Center to repair and maintain reusable stainless-steel kegs and plastic pallets.
Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republic’s coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tucson set to see new restaurants, jobs, housing and I-10 expansion
