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By Nicole R. Grubbs
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
August 13, 2003

A Minnesota developer plans to build a series of "villages" - featuring shops, fitness centers, offices and housing - on 368 acres southeast of Tucson .

The development, Mountain View Villages, would be in Vail, just outside Tucson 's city limits off Interstate 10. Its developers bought the land over several years, but they do not yet have investors or tenants lined up.

The "super regional" center would have nine areas to include activities and shops focusing on fitness, culture, education and health, among other things. It would include mall-type stores along with car dealerships, furniture stores, fitness centers, fine dining and perhaps a water park, said the project's developer, Robert Hoffman, owner of Hoffman Development Inc.

Hoffman is a partner in a law firm that represented developers of the Mall of America, the nation's largest mall in Bloomington , Minn.

Developers hope to attract shoppers from Tucson 's South and Southeast sides, Benson and Sierra Vista . That may be overly optimistic, considering that the far Southeast Side area is just now getting its second full-scale shopping center, said Brian Harpel, a commercial broker who put together The Shoppes at Rita Ranch deal at the northwest corner of South Houghton and East Rita Roads.

That shopping center, anchored by Fry's Food and Drug, is to open in 2004. The area's first center, with a Safeway, opened less than five years ago.

"I hope these guys are young, because I think the horizon on this thing happening is fairly long-term," Harpel said.

Still, developers are confident their project can succeed. They are lining up co-developers and speaking with prospective tenants, said Brian Howard, a project partner.

The company has spent the last three years purchasing the Southeast Side property, a little at a time, for about $3 million, said Kevin Hoffman, vice president of Hoffman Development Inc.

Construction of the first phase is to begin in about two years and be completed in 2007. The entire project would take about 10 years to build, developers say.

Hoffman Development Inc. launched a similar center in Eagan , Minn. , several years ago, Howard said. The Cliff Lake Center is on 400 acres with 275,000 square feet occupied.

The developers would not say how much it will cost to build Mountain View Villages. But a "lifestyle center" like the one developers describe could cost about $100 per square foot, said Mitch Stallard, vice president of Westcor Partners. Westcor is building La Encantada, a high-end lifestyle center at at East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue .

"Super regional centers" typically include at least three department stores and a minimum of 800,000 square feet, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. Assuming a $100-per-square-foot cost, such a center would cost about $80 million.

Jim Miller, a Tucson resident and member of the development team, said he has discussed the project with the city of Tucson, Pima County, Vail Unified School District, neighbors and developers - though he wouldn't identify anyone he'd contacted.

Ward 4 City Councilwoman Shirley Scott, who represents Southeast Tucson , said she was unaware of the plans. District 4 County Supervisor Ray Carroll said Robert Hoffman contacted him a few years ago about the project, but, "I haven't seen that they are charging forward with the plans."

Developers need to present a formal plan to county supervisors and seek approval, Carroll said. Robert Hoffman will discuss some of his plans at a Southeast Planning and Coordinating Committee meeting Friday, he said.

Southeast Side resident Scott Berdan, who lives just north of the proposed development, was surprised to hear about it.

"We just got a Quik-Mart. That's the big store out here," he said.

But, Berdan said, "We might get our roads paved that way."

Robyn Bingham, who also lives on the Southeast Side, said she would shop there because it's "a new type of mall."

"It sounds like it's different," she said.

The nearby Rita Ranch development has 11,000 residents, and Corona de Tucson and Rancho del Lago are exploding, with thousands of homes planned in each community.

Robert Hoffman said that growth was key in choosing the Southeast Side. He said he will begin discussions with surrounding communities and hopes to find support for the multifaceted project.

"People are interested in more than shopping," he said. "Just being a mall isn't as attractive anymore."

* Contact reporter Nicole R. Grubbs at 434-4078 or ngrubbs@azstarnet.com.

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