By Pima County
The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to approve the first phase of leases for Mosaic Quarter, a sports and entertainment complex that will generate billions of dollars and support tens of thousands of jobs over the 40-year term of the master lease.
Mosaic Quarter is part of Kino Sports Complex South. The 90-acre facility will be adjacent to the Kino Sports Complex on the north side of Interstate 10. Mosaic Quarter Phase 1 will focus on the 175KSF MQ Iceplex, the 131KSF MQ Field House, and a central utility plant and solar power for the complex.
Once completed, Mosaic Quarter Phase 1 is projected to generate $8.3B of new local spending in addition to $917.7M in tax revenue for the State of Arizona, City of Tucson and the Regional Transportation Authority.
Project Amenities Highlights – Phase I:
- MQ Iceplex 3-rink sports complex;
- MQ Multiuse Field House multisport facility;
- Up to four restaurants;
- Central Utility Plant and solar farm.
Future Phases
- MQ Sportsplex multisport facility;
- MQ Stadium;
- Entertainment Pavilion;
- Event Plaza;
- Splashpads;
- Three hotels and up to 10 restaurants;
- Parking structure.
Deputy County Administrator Carmine DeBonis Jr., who crafted the agreement with Knott Development, said the Mosaic Quarter public-private partnership protects the County from financial harm if the region were to suffer from economic calamities in the future.
The County will receive 55% of the project’s cash flow. The County’s portion, estimated at $6M a year, will be held in a reserve fund. That fund will grow to more than $199M over the term of the lease to safeguard the County’s financial stability, DeBonis said.
Tuesday’s vote was years in the making. The County acquired the 160-acre property in 2014. The County opened Kino Sports Complex South, which features soccer fields and pickleball courts, in 2020 and sought proposals for building out the remainder of the site that same year. Knott Development was selected for the master development partnership agreement in 2021. (Source)
