The City of Tucson Department of Transportation & Mobility, in partnership with Planning and Development Services and the Office of Economic Initiatives, is working on how to transition the COVID-19 Temporary Expansion of Restaurant Seating into public spaces from an emergency response into a streamlined ongoing Shared Spaces:Â Parklets + Streateries program.
In mid-2020 the DTP teamed up with Pima County to create the Downtown Outdoor Café Grant, which was one of two Downtown Grant Programs administered by the DTP. The Downtown Outdoor Café Grant program provided a reimbursement for eligible project costs up to a maximum of $5,000. In total, $107,493 was granted to 23 downtown businesses to help build, enhance or expand their outdoor cafe areas. More of these outdoor streateries and cafés will be built and expanded, thanks to funding from Rio Nuevo.
DTP serves as a liaison between downtown businesses looking to create streateries and the Department of Transportation and Mobility's process. DTP provides design and application assistance to meet all City of Tucson requirements. These collaborative partnerships between businesses, DTP, city, county and Rio Nuevo have drastically changed the look and feel of the streetscape, resulting in a total of 31 outdoor cafés in Downtown Tucson.
- Public Information Session |Â Wednesday, May 26, 6-7 PM | Join online | Join by phone: +1 213-293-2303,,717571097#
- Pop-Up Parklet Outreach Event |Â May 28 & 29, from 7 AM - 12pm | Presta Coffee (501 E 9th St)
