Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Tucson Bus Riders Union Wants Ronstadt Transit Center Planning "To Be Truly Public"

Posted By on Tue, Apr 2, 2013 at 9:45 AM

The Tucson Bus Riders Union and the Primavera Foundation want community input on the future of the downtown Ronstadt Transit Center on Tuesday, April 2, at 5:30 p.m. at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. There will be music, food, information and discussion on the future of the transit center.

From the Tucson Bus Riders Union press release:

As downtown development proceeds, what will become of the Ronstadt Center?

Currently the city’s trajectory points to turning over the design and execution of development on the “Ronstadt Transit Center master planning area” (including the current transit center and two city properties immediately to the north, currently used as parking lots, extending from Congress St. to the railroad tracks) to a private company, to be designated after public process that was set in motion on February 5 by Tucson’s Mayor and Council (motion passed at study session attached). As summarized in CM Uhlich’s Ward 3 newsletter, “a draft Request for Qualifications will come back to the Mayor and Council within 60—90 days for final review and approval before being released to solicit responses from potential investors/partners.”

Tucson Bus Riders Union is taking the lead by hosting a community discussion about the future of Ronstadt. The group wants to make sure the Ronstadt Center truly serves Tucson’s bus riders and that our developing downtown is a welcoming and well-functioning place for everyone.

According to Bus Riders Union member Suzanne Schafer, “We want this process to be truly public and to consider the whole picture: What was the Ronstadt Center created for? How is it used now? Who does it belong to; who should it belong to? What are the problems and potentials? What do bus riders and others who use our downtown really want for this space?

“Our goal is to bring attention to these questions and facilitate the inclusion of voices that might not otherwise be heard. We plan to bring a wide variety of people together, and we intend to make a real contribution to the public process that the City of Tucson has committed to.”

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