Foothills Mall Approved for Redevelopment Plan

Property owners want to make mall property mixed-use facility with retail, residential hospitality

PIMA COUNTY – The Pima County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a rezoning request for the Foothills mall property, located at Ina Road and La Cholla Boulevard.

The approval changes zoning of the 51-acre property from CB-1 (local business) and CB-2 (general business) to a Specific Plan designation. The change allows the property owner to redevelop the property into an “urban mixed-use environment” to include residential, retail, restaurants and entertainment uses. The plan also allows for building heights up to 10 stories and 120 feet for a proposed hotel.

The rezoning request previously passed the County Planning and Zoning Commission 9-0, with one commissioner absent.

“The Foothills Mall redevelopment plan provides an upscale, mixed-use improvement that addresses the current workforce focus on easily accessible sites to live, work, and play,” said John Moffatt, Pima County Economic Development Director.  “Adding office and hospitality options provides excellent business and employment opportunities in this part of the community that we have not seen before. There is something in this project for everyone.”

The Foothills Mall plan meets much of what Pima Prospers, the County’s comprehensive plan, promotes, including infill, revitalization and mixed-use development. Redevelopment and reinvestment like the Foothills Mall plan is a powerful tool that can help to offset urban sprawl.

Foothills Mall has gone through numerous ownership changes since it was first developed in 1981. The current owners purchased the property in 2016.

The redevelopment proposal includes demolition of a portion of the existing building to create connecting roadways throughout the property. The plan also would redevelop some of the existing ancillary buildings or build additional structures for business and multi-family residential units.

The Foothills Mall Specific Plan the property owner developed includes four site plan concepts.

The property owner will pay a proportional share to construct a connection the Chuck Huckelberry Loop from west of the Foothills Mall along a wash to Mona Lisa Drive, where it would go north to Northwest Community Park then west to corner of Shannon and Magee where it will connect with the Loop on the Canyon del Oro.

In addition, new development on the site will incorporate passive rainwater harvesting to minimize water usage in irrigation.