Steve sends them and we post them. If any of the candidates have editorials they would like us to post send them over:

In an earlier guest piece I laid out a vision for the redevelopment of downtown Tucson that included the following:

Combining the existing K-12 charter schools in the area with graduate level student housing and classroom space to form a K-PhD linkage between downtown and the UA campus.

The transit opportunities already exist with Sun Tran and Cat Tran operating.

Either by ordinance, or by using the buffers already in place by virtue of the schools, designate all of downtown Tucson as a Drug Free Zone. This will aid public safety officers in their efforts to control drug sales and use in the area.

And finally, support the Pima County Sports Authority’s effort to gain public support for a tax initiative earmarked for youth/amateur sports facilities – and designate a footprint in the downtown area for such a facility. It is on this last element of the vision that I would like to focus in this article.

Things being equal, capital will follow market opportunities. The “things” I have in mind are jurisdictions not creating artificial barriers to entry into a given marketplace, and the creation of a level playing field for all who bring their product to the table. 

At a recent board meeting of the Pima County Sports Authority I was encouraged by the updates from various players in the youth/amateur sport – MLB/Spring Training effort to (re)establish and further develop those opportunities in Tucson. Consider – the effort by this group to entice Asian baseball programs to train and compete in Tucson has the support of Major League Baseball. The Asian teams would be considered for competing in the Cactus League – thus, major league baseball teams returning to Tucson to compete. The Asian teams’ supporters “travel well.” That is, Tucson would be a destination as a part of larger booked group travel that included Disneyland, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, etc. We’d be their hub as their teams would be stationed here. And with the eventual oversaturation of the Maricopa County baseball market, having this newly formed hub of activity may well serve to draw back some of the teams we have recently lost.

Also consider Tucson Invitational Games’ involvement. Founded in 2001, this group has been ‘bringing their game’ to the local economy in terms of softball tournaments that filled nearly 6,000 room nights in local hotels in 2009. This group has a vision to expand to golf and baseball, and to include DII and DIII and NAIA collegiate sports activities as well. With bids already in place for hosting future tournaments, TIG anticipates increasing those 6,000 rooms to in excess of 20,000 by 2011. That translates into spending in our local economy for lodging, food, travel, activities (Desert Museum, San Xavier Mission, Colossal Cave, Old Tucson…) That translates into sales tax revenue – that which funds our local government. And if we had facilities in the downtown footprint, the Tax Increment Financing boost would finally facilitate moving forward with the plans for developing Rio Nuevo projects. You lead with the revenue generating plans – fund the TIF and follow with the cultural and artistic elements that further increase the interest in Tucson as a destination for travelers. It’s all good yin and yang (recall the Asian connection) / exertion, and receiving the fruits of the efforts put forth by the many dedicated workers included in this vision to bring youth/amateur sports, and MLB to our community.

So, to my point of ‘capital following a market opportunity.’ We as a community can do our part to encourage this sort of downtown (read: community wide) development by supporting the efforts of the Pima County Sports Authority to earmark funds for building this facility. And we can help our own cause by resisting more and more zoning overlays that may hamper the development of these facilities in our downtown area. And we can help our own cause by, as a governing body welcoming in private sector development and engaging appropriate business activity with a ‘can do’ attitude, not throwing up challenges and costly requirements that have here to fore chased opportunities to Oro Valley, Marana and other locales. We as a governing body can help our own cause by stopping land/asset/sweetheart lease give-aways to some while other small local businesses struggle to compete in the  market place.

Let me close by publicly giving Councilmember Shirley Scott a “rose” (I was the recipient of a ‘thorn’ last week – so this honorary is near and dear to me at this time) for her involvement in the development of Lincoln Park’s sports facility. This same sort of effort is now needed if we are to bring an even greater vision to our downtown area. As a candidate for City Council, I welcome the opportunity to work with Ms.Scott in the days ahead on my vision. As a candidate for City Council I encourage you to register, request an early ballot and to vote for those candidates who have laid out a clear vision for how we can build together a new Tucson, one that proudly displays our multi-cultural heritage and invites visitors to share our community – and spend their dollars in the process.

Steve Kozachik

Council Candidate / Ward 6