11 Major Projects That Will Change Tucson Forever!

Tucson is getting a new sports and entertainment district, an entirely different version of the old Foothills Mall, and a 600 million dollar freeway reconstruction. And one of the biggest developments I'll talk about on this list today is still moving forward even after the city voted against getting involved. So if you own a home near one of these projects, does that make your neighborhood more More desirable or bring some changes that you weren't quite expecting on cadence. I'm Caden Lialli, and I help people move to Tucson and figure out what areas actually fit the life that they want here. And a big part of that is knowing what's coming to a neighborhood, not just what's there today. So let's look at eight major projects happening across the metro, where they're being built, and what they could mean for your next move. We'll start on the south side where a project near Kino Sports Complex is giving people a reason to look. twice at this part of town. If you've driven past the construction near the Kino Sports Complex, you might have wondered how big this thing is going to be. It's called the Mosaic Corridor, and the plan covers about 90 acres on the south side of the I-10 Highway. The vision includes sports facilities, entertainment, restaurants, and hotels. The first attractions are already substantial. The Iceplex is planned to have three NHL-sized ice rinks with hockey, public skating, and other activities. The field house is designed for basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer, and pickleball. Its courts will actually be different playing surfaces, so they can be arranged for all different spaces. The developer currently lists spring 2027 as a complete. So when you hear people talking about the whole district, remember that the first facilities and the eventual finished development. are two different stages. What I find interesting is that this gives people another reason to come to Tucson throughout the year. A tournament can bring players, parents, and coaches who just need somewhere to stay and eat in between games. And for people who already live here, it creates more places to play and spend time. And you don't need to be planning your weekends around youth sports for this to matter either. Maybe you just want to take the family skating, join a league, or have more indoor options during the summer. My take on this is that it could be It's become a much more familiar destination for people who rarely spend time around this area today. How much activity it brings will depend on the events and businesses that actually open. And while this part of Tucson is getting a new destination, the northwest side is turning an old one into something completely different. If you remember the old Foothills Mall, Uptown is probably one of the most interesting projects on the list because you can compare what was there with what is going We're going to be taking its place. It's at Ina Road and La Cholla, and Born Companies is redeveloping the former mall site into a district with housing, a hotel, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. The overall redevelopment is about 2.5 million square feet. The first residential piece welcomed its first residence in June of 2026. The Tempo Hotel by Hilton is expected in early 2027 and announced businesses include some new high end restaurants and some wine tasting rooms as well. What I like about this is it adds another option for going out on the northwest side. If you're living nearby or looking at homes in that part of the metro, you will eventually have more reasons to spend an evening here without having to head downtown for any entertainment. If you're considering one of the apartments, the appeal is being able to live within the development as it takes shape because they really are trying to make a miniature walkable city. But I'd still look carefully at which businesses are open when making a decision because a restaurant shown in a rendering might be a future addition and living beside an active construction site can feel different from living beside the actual finished district. For me, this is a project to watch because it changes how an existing piece of Tucson gets viewed. People who had stopped going to the mall might find a reason to come back. And there's another new destination you may have noticed from the freeway. Especially if you've seen the Copper Dome near Grant Road. That building is Casino del Sol Vahitaham, and that is the Pascua Yaqui tribe's newest gaming property near the I-10 and Grant Road. It's scheduled to open in November 2026. And even though Tucson already has casinos in the surrounding areas, this will actually be the first casino within Tucson city limits. This is also a separate location from the existing Casino del Sol on Valencia Road. Plans include nearly a thousand slot machines, table games, restaurants, a sportsbook, and a stage. So even if you've only noticed the outside while you're driving past, there's quite a bit being built inside. For someone who enjoys that kind of entertainment, The location could be convenient, and it also brings a ton of new jobs in hospitality, food, service, security, and other property operations. From a real estate perspective, though, I'd look at the exact location of the home that you're considering. Being a short drive from a destination like this and being right beside it can be very different experiences. So if you're looking at homes nearby, Make sure to drive the access roads and check the lighting and double check how close you actually are to this new entertainment. Some people like the convenience, Others will put more weight on having a quieter setting, and if you already own a home in Tucson, you might be wondering what all of these changes could mean for your house. So, scan the QR code on screen to get access to Homebot. It's a tool that sends you monthly updates with an estimate of your home value, nearby sales, and information about your local housing market. Even if you're years away from selling, it's an easy way to keep an eye on what's happening around you. Now another project is bringing a very different kind of activity to a busy Tucson intersection, and this is one centered around the university. The University of Arizona just broke ground in July of 2026 on a new resident hall called the Catalina. at Speedway and Campbell. The current plan is a nine-story building with space for more than 1,300 students, along with a dining hall and student support spaces. It's scheduled to open in fall of 2028, and if you saw a much earlier plan for a really tall building, those have changed. The project was reduced from 19 stories to 9, while the planned number of beds actually So reporting has put the overall development at about $250 million. So that's a significant addition to the campus area. And it matters to homeowners as well, because if you own a rental near the university, this is another housing option to keep in mind when you're looking at your competition. Students choosing where to live compare campus housing with private apartments and rental houses all the time. That doesn't tell us exactly what rents will do or mean that all of these houses are suddenly going to come up for sale, but it does give us something concrete to watch as opening gets closer. If you're buying a home nearby for yourself, I'd pay attention to the everyday experience around it, spend some time in the neighborhood while classes are in session and check parking. There's a lot to enjoy about being this close to campus, but the important part is choosing a location where activity actually fits how you want to live. But if you're looking for a brand new home, There's a much larger neighborhood development taking shape towards Vail. Rocking K Ranch is a master plan community at the base of the Rincon Mountains, southeast of Tucson in the Vail area. The broader development covers roughly 5000 acres, so this is a much bigger story than one builder operating a small subdivision. There are already homes here and new neighborhoods continue to open. In August of 2026, Mattamy announced that they will be opening two more neighborhoods in Rocking K, and those will join its existing Oasis neighborhood within the master plan. What makes this important is that it shows how much the southeast side is continuing to grow. When you visit, you can look at the homes and love the mountain setting, but you also need to understand where that particular neighborhood is. For example, if you choose a lot that's overlooking open land, you want to find out what's planned for that land. If a future amenity is the big reason you're buying, then check its status and when it will actually be built. And before you visit the model homes, reach out to me. The onsite sales team represents the builder, and they do not have to keep your best interests in mind. Some builders also require your agent to accompany you on your first visit, and I'm happy to help you compare neighborhoods, understand construction timelines, and plan independent inspections. I can also help you evaluate the incentives being offered, and I can share what we've been able to negotiate for past clients in these same neighborhoods. So you have a better idea of what to ask for. If you're considering buying new, scan the QR code on the screen for my new construction guide. It breaks down neighborhoods worth exploring and what you should know before signing a builder's contract. I would also recommend you spend as much time evaluating the location as you do the completely upgraded model home. And once you've picked a neighborhood, one of the biggest factors about enjoying it is how you can get around. And that brings us back to the I-10. This is one of the projects you'll most likely experience before it's finished. And that's ADOT's I-10 Kino to Country Club project. It's going to widen and reconstruct the freeway through the corridor east of Park Avenue and toward Alvernon Way. The work includes three general purpose lanes in each direction, rebuilding the Kino Parkway interchange, adding an interchange at Country Club Road, Removing the Palo Verde interchange and adding a westbound entrance ramp at Alvernon. There's also an under-crossing plan to connect the north and south portions of the Kino Sports Complex, which ties back to the activity we discussed at the Mosaic Quarter. ADOT puts the project at $600 million and currently lists completion for summer of 2028. What I would pay attention to here is how the changes affect access to different parts of town. Adding an interchange at Country Club and removing the one at Palo Verde, Means this is more than just adding another lane. The way people get to nearby neighborhoods, businesses, and sports facilities will change as well. It also helps explain why the construction around Kino is worth watching as a whole. You have a new destination at the Mosaic Quarter going up alongside improvements to the roads around it. And the investment in transportation continues a little farther south where Tucson International Airport has a major construction program of its own. Tucson International Airport is making a major change that you probably won't even notice from the terminal, and that's replacing a smaller runway with a full-size runway that can handle commercial aircraft. It's part of an airfield improvement program estimated at more than $400 million, and the benefit is having another runway available when the airport needs it. If one runway needs maintenance or repairs, having another alternative that can accommodate these commercial It gives the airport more flexibility to keep operating. The replacement runway is currently targeted for completion in 2027. After that, the airport plans to work on its existing main runway, so this is happening in stages. What makes this worth including on my list is Tucson's airport serves more than just vacation travelers. Commercial flights, military aircraft, and general aviation All use this airfield. So this investment supports the infrastructure they share and updates the layout to meet newer safety standards. So alongside the new neighborhoods and the entertainment destinations we've covered, Tucson is also rebuilding some of its most important infrastructure that actually keeps people coming into town. But the last project has attracted a very different kind of attention. You may remember hearing that Tucson voted against Project Blue. But what you might not know is that the development kept moving forward. Project Blue is the data center development that became one of the most debated proposals in the area. In August 2025, Tucson City Council voted unanimously to. and negotiations over bringing the project into the city but that decision did not prevent the developer from pursuing it on unincorporated land in Pima County so if the last thing you remember is the vote the project did not end there and before we talk about it if you want to make sure that your next neighborhood does not back up to a data center and it actually fits your needs, scan the QR code on the screen or click the link in the description and take my Tucson neighborhood quiz. It's quick, it only takes a couple of minutes, and it'll recommend the best neighborhoods to you that fit what you are looking for. And if you'd like my help comparing the different results, reach out to me directly. My team and I would love to help you make your move to Tucson. Beale Infrastructure's current information describes its Pima campus as approximately $3.6 billion in a private investment, with phase one of completion targeted for 2028. The company says the campus will use air cooling with a closed-loop system to reduce water demand. It also projects. Approximately 180 permanent full-time positions by 2029. In addition to construction employment, those are the developers' published plans and projections. This is a different kind of development from a shopping district or a new neighborhood. It raises questions about electricity, water, noise, land use. And what the surrounding area will look like as it develops. Now hearing about a project this big can make it sound like all of Tucson is about to change. But if you're looking at homes up in Oro Valley, this probably isn't going to be a part of your everyday life. If you're looking closer to the site, then you'll want to understand what's being planned around you. And that's where I can help you look beyond the listing photo. That open land behind a house might give you a beautiful view today, But it's worth finding out what could go up there before you fall in love with the backyard. Project Blue is one I'll continue to watch because the investment is only part of the story. For people living nearby, How it looks, sounds, and operates will matter a lot more. When you put these projects together, you can see several different parts of Tucson changing all at once. There are new places to spend time, more housing choices, and major work on the roads and airports that people use. What that means for your next move depends on where you're looking and what you want your life here to feel like. You might want to be close to a new destination, or you might prefer a neighborhood farther out from the activity. If you'd like my comparing those options, reach out to me directly. My team and I would love to help you make the right move into the right community around Tucson. I have multiple resources for you, like my new construction community guide that covers everything you need to know about buying a new home. And if you're narrowing down the retirement community specifically, reach out for my Tucson retirement guide. You can also watch my video that compares all of the best communities in Tucson, like Quail Quail Creek, Sun City Oro Valley, Saddle Brook Ranch, and more. It walks through the differences and what will matter once you're actually living. All of my information is on the screen and I will see you in the next video.