TUCSON, ARIZONA (June 11, 2026)— Tucson and Southern Arizona are at an important moment, and the region’s commercial real estate community is being encouraged to help shape the next chapter of Tucson Region’s Growth.
That was the central message at the June 9 CCIM Institute Southern Arizona Chapter luncheon, where real estate professionals, developers, business leaders, and public officials gathered for a candid but forward-looking discussion on economic growth, public policy, infrastructure, regional competitiveness, and the need for a more unified business voice.
This luncheon emphasized the significance of the Tucson Region’s Growth and the collaborative efforts needed to foster it.
The program, moderated by Jason Wong, CCIM, featured Karen Schutte of Trend Report, Real Estate Daily News, and the Growth Council, as well as Fletcher McCusker, founder of UAVenture Capital and chairman of Rio Nuevo. The conversation quickly expanded to include representatives from the Chamber of Southern Arizona, Southern Arizona Leadership Council, the City of Tucson, developers, and industry leaders in the room.
Schutte opened the discussion by explaining the origin of the Growth Council, which grew out of Trend Report’s Best-in-Class Awards. The awards recognize brokers with the highest annual sales volume in their respective categories, as measured by RED Comps data. Maintained by Real Estate Daily News, RED Comps now includes more than 12,000 commercial sales records in Pima County, giving the publication a long-term view of deal flow, investment patterns, and market activity.
“The commercial real estate community has a unique view of what is really happening in our region,” Schutte said. “You see where capital is flowing. You see when tenants are moving. You see when they’re expanding, where projects are stalling, where investors are hesitating, and where opportunities are being lost.”
The first Growth Council discussion focused on barriers to growth, but the broader purpose is to help the region identify solutions. One participant summarized the issue as “the three Ps: pavement, public safety, and politics,” which became the theme of the first special report. Schutte said the council’s goal is not to create another political group or public complaint session, but to bring private-sector market intelligence into regional decision-making constructively.
“The way a region talks about itself publicly affects confidence, momentum and whether people believe investment can succeed here,” she said.
That theme carried through much of the luncheon. Speakers acknowledged that Southern Arizona has challenges to address, but they also emphasized that the region has substantial assets: a strong quality of life, an experienced real estate and development community, major institutions, available talent, a strategic location, and communities that are still positioned to compete for investment.
McCusker echoed the call for unified leadership and stronger business engagement, saying Tucson’s challenges cannot be solved by blaming elected officials alone. He pointed to the recent proposal to eliminate Rio Nuevo and the public response that helped stop it as evidence that organized civic action can change outcomes.
According to McCusker, thousands of Tucsonans contacted state legislators in defense of Rio Nuevo, helping reverse what he described as a serious threat to the district’s future. He said that the same level of engagement is needed on broader economic development issues.
“We don’t have a resource problem,” McCusker said. “We have a vision problem.”
The discussion touched on Project Blue, public safety, infrastructure, the region’s reputation among site selectors and investors, and the need for better alignment among local jurisdictions. Rather than treating those issues as reasons to retreat, speakers framed them as opportunities for the business community to communicate more clearly, participate more consistently, and help public officials understand the market consequences of policy decisions.
Several speakers said business leaders must become more visible in public meetings and policy debates. Rob Tomlinson, who served on the City Planning Commission beginning in 1996, said neighborhood advocates routinely show up in numbers while business advocates are often absent.
“There’s a place at the table for us as well as with the neighborhood advocates,” he said. “For the last few years, we’ve stepped away from it.”
Attorney Rory Juneman reinforced the point, noting that low voter turnout can have an outsized influence on Tucson City Council races. He said business leaders who live in the city need to vote in those elections and show up when projects and policy decisions are being considered.
Isaac Figueroa, CCIM, SIOR, expanded on that point, saying the business community faces a different challenge than neighborhood and activist groups because business owners, brokers, developers, and employers are often working during the very meetings where policy decisions are being shaped. He said the issue is not only whether business people show up individually, but whether the business community becomes more organized and strategic.
Figueroa noted that Tucson already has several business organizations and said the merger of Sun Corridor Inc. and the Chamber may be a positive step. But he questioned whether more consolidation, coordination, and pooled resources may be needed to create a stronger, more effective voice for growth.
“The theme I keep hearing is that we’ve got to start showing up,” Figueroa said. “But as a business community, that is one thing — we could organize.”
He also pointed to the importance of political engagement, noting that city races can be decided by a relatively small number of voters. For those who do not live within the City of Tucson and cannot vote in those elections, he said the question becomes how they can still participate effectively through organization, advocacy, and support for pro-business policies and candidates.
Others noted that participation does not always require large numbers. Even a handful of informed business voices can help broaden the discussion and give elected officials the confidence to support projects that bring investment, housing, jobs, and tax base to the region.
Michael Guymon of the Chamber of Southern Arizona said the merger of the Tucson Metro Chamber and Sun Corridor was designed to bring economic development and business advocacy under one roof. He said the Chamber’s Regional Economic Growth Initiative has been gathering input from government, CEOs, industry sectors, small businesses, and labor groups to identify policy priorities. He also noted the Chamber is using the Growth Council Special Report as part of that work.
Those conversations, he said, continue to point to familiar priorities: roads, public safety, education, workforce development, and the need for more coordinated advocacy. Guymon said business organizations have already worked together on recent policy issues, but said more voices are needed at the table.
The discussion also turned to regionalism and infrastructure planning. John Moffatt, representing the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, said the RTA was designed to take a regional approach because much of the area’s growth is occurring outside the City of Tucson. He said infrastructure remains critical to growth, including roads, utilities, and corridors that connect Marana, Oro Valley, and other growth areas to the broader region.
The City of Tucson also offered its perspective, with Koren Manning discussing planning and development issues, including process improvements, code amendments, and a proposed Office of Community and Economic Impact. Her comments pointed to ongoing efforts within the city to improve systems, clarify expectations, and engage more directly with the development community.
Developers in the room welcomed dialogue and expressed continued confidence in Tucson while also raising concerns about cost. Omar Mireles of HSL Properties said the company remains optimistic about the region and pointed to its $100 million Hyatt Regency project downtown as an example of major private investment. However, he said that new fees, building code requirements, and infrastructure costs are making market-rate apartment development increasingly difficult to pencil.
“Right now, apartments — market-rate apartments — as far as we’re concerned, just don’t make sense numbers-wise to build in the City of Tucson,” Mireles said.
The luncheon closed with a constructive call to action: Southern Arizona’s business community must organize, participate, communicate, and support policies that allow the region to compete. Tucson’s quality of life remains a powerful asset, but speakers agreed that preserving and strengthening it depends on a growing tax base, safe streets, working infrastructure, housing production, job creation, and confidence in the future.
For the commercial real estate community, the message was direct and optimistic: the market is already sending signals, the region has real strengths, and the next step is making sure those signals are heard in a way that helps Southern Arizona move forward together.
