Life Along the Streetcar with Tom Heath from The Heath Team Nova Home Loans

Tucson has a housing shortage and there are hundreds of rental units coming on the market in the urban core. This Sunday, Tom Heath talks with the Susan Kauffman, Director of Strategic Relationships for MEB Mgmt, property managers of the newest such place – RendezVous Urban Flats!

Today is March 21st, my name is Tom Heath and you’re listening to “Life Along the Streetcar”.

Each and every Sunday our focus is on Social, Cultural and Economic impacts in Tucson’s Urban Core and we shed light on hidden gems everyone should know about. From A Mountain to the U of A and all stops in between. You get the inside track- right here on 99.1 FM, streaming on DowntownRadio.org– we’re also available on your iPhone or Android using our very own Downtown Radio app.

Reach us by email [email protected] — interact with us on Facebook @Life Along the Streetcar and follow us on Twitter @StreetcarLife

Our intro and outro music is by Ryanhood. We start today with some somber news.

Addressing Our Housing Shortage

Tucson has a housing shortage and there are hundreds of rental units coming on the market in the urban core. This Sunday, Tom Heath talks with the management of the newest such place- Rendezvous Urban Flats

Transcript

Tom Heath
Good morning. It’s a beautiful Sunday in the Old Pueblo. You’re listening to KTDT Tucson. Thank you for spending part of your brunch hour with us on your downtown Tucson Community sponsored rock and roll radio station. This week, we’re going to speak with Susan Kaufman, the Director of Strategic Relations for MEB Management Services. We’re going to discuss a housing project in the heart of downtown. It’s called the Rendezvous Urban Flats.

Tom Heath
Today is March 21st, my name is Tom Heath and you’re listening to Life Along the Streetcar. Each and every Sunday, our focus is on social cultural and economic impacts and Tucson’s Urban core. We shed light on hidden gems everyone should know about. From A mountain to UArizona and all stops in between, you get the inside track right here on 99.1 FM streaming on DowntownRadio.org also available on your iPhone Android Android by using our Downtown Radio Tucson app.

Tom Heath
On the show if you want to get us work contact at Life along the streetcar.org. Our website has our past episodes and the podcast plays on Spotify, iTunes and we just got launched on I Heart Radio. And you can also ask your smart speaker to play a Life Along the Streetcar Podcast.

Tom Heath
We’re going to start Today’s Show with some somber news; the passing of a pioneer of the revitalized downtown. At age 84, Mayor Bob Walkup, former Mayor Bob Walkup recently passed. He was instrumental in Paving the way for their downtown revitalization. Much of the work was done after he left office, but there is no denying that while he was there the the things that he had done really laid the foundation.

Tom Heath
He worked with the Fox Theater to help stabilize that get the the roof fixed, big impact with his advocacy for the Tiger grant. That was the transportation infrastructure grant that we got that really led to the creation of the of the streetcar, which we know has been transformative for downtown.

Tom Heath
He met his wife at the Children’s Museum and he was often out and about in the downtown area. If you look at social media posts he was Really well-liked for by many of us in the downtown area had a chance to speak with him about two and a half years ago, and he was extremely proud of all of the work that had been done and very humble about his part in it, but we know it was it was a very important piece of it.

Tom Heath
Well, Mayor Bob Walkup will it be missed. His legacy will live on. And a part of that Legacy is the Rendezvous Urban Flats. The Rendezvous Urban Flats opened in the middle of the pandemic in the Heart of downtown. They’re located right next to the tallest building in Downtown there on the opposite side of the pad there across the street from the Fox Theater, and these are very luxurious apartments that are going to attract a different type of Resident into the downtown area.

Tom Heath
We’ve seen a housing shortage in Tucson. We talked about this last week and we had different topics about Housing that have come up and this is the start of something new in downtown because the Rendezvous Urban Flats are one of the first of this new generation of apartments that we see going in. There are several under construction and we’ll have hundreds of units available for rent in the next couple of years. So it’s interesting to check in with the folks at the Rendezvous Urban Flats to see how that is coming together and how they are doing in the midst of this pandemic.

Tom Heath
We sat down with Susan Kaufman, she is With MEB Management, that’s the The Firm that manages the property but it is important to know that they’ve got local developers and they’ve got a high-end feel but there’s also a lot of emphasis on the local. We talk with Susan by phone just a couple of weeks ago and got the Inside Story with Rendezvous Urban Flats.

Susan Kauffman
Oh, hi Tom. This is Susan Kaufman. Thank you for having me on the show today. I am the Director of Strategic Relationships with his which is definitely a mouthful for MEB Management Services. And MEB is a it’s actually one of the largest property management companies in The State of Arizona and by the way, MEB is a is a homegrown company that is in business and has been in business for over 22 years, almost 23 years.

Susan Kauffman
We settled into the Tucson Market one of our owners actually started in a corporate office downtown Tucson. And it’s at it’s incredible to see what the downtown Tucson Market has to offer and you know, the the owners of Rendezvous knew our owners and it was a great fit because our values are very similar. There’s a lot of Integrity. We love local and Rendezvous is just spectacular with a vision of the the ownership its ultimate style living in the heart of downtown Tucson.

Susan Kauffman
Tucson has really grown up in the last several years with all the development that is spread out and then all of a sudden people took note of the downtown Tucson area. With the Fox Theater giving it that Urban Feel with all the restaurants and Commercial activity the Second Saturday, right Tom. Yep, and just it’s become quite the center attraction for Tucson and more to come. I know that that downtown Market is going to flourish in the future for sure.

Susan Kauffman
A little bit about Rendezvous Urban Flats. It’s funny because when you go to Google Urban Flats, you’ll see the website for Rendezvous pop up. And Rendezvous features six stories of 12 luxury floor plans, that would definitely mirror what you would find in San Francisco. For example, it features all the modern style appliances, quartz countertop, water Edge, elegant finishes on in the kitchen the they have full-size washers and dryers and oversized balconies which featured the downtown market and the city views too, and it’s just you know, the thing about the downtown Tucson Market, you know, you don’t have to drive very far to get it get to it from the Suburban areas. So what kind of questions do you have for me Tom?

Tom Heath
Well for those that aren’t too familiar with the project. I think you know, the location is very interesting. It’s on the the pad with the tallest building in Downtown One South Church. It’s right across from the Fox Theater and is you know a brand new facility in downtown. We’re seeing more housing come into play and it’s you know, it was many recent about the housing shortages that were facing so, you know, you’ve got six stories 12, 12 units each. So you’ve got you know 70, what is that 72 places for people to live and the urban core but you know, I know MEB is a fairly large company and I didn’t realize some of your Tucson roots. So that’s that’s cool to hear. Can you tell me a little bit about I know the owners of Rendezvous Urban Flats don’t like to be in the spotlight, but can you tell me a little bit about just generally their their thoughts about Tucson why they why they wanted to be in downtown.

Speaker 2
Well, absolutely, you know, they’ve been in real estate for, I would say 25 – 30 plus years and they’ve always been a citizen of Arizona and have the Tucson roots. They have many different developments. They’ve tapped into garden-style, the single family build to rent style homes, but they saw the need for the Urban Development. They saw how this could really help Tucson Thrive. So they look to sign seriously they have been involved in this market their whole lives. Really they love the vibe the two sounds Tom Tucson brings listen, there’s so much arts and theater and music and they absolutely love local. And so when there was an opportunity to build this beautiful development, they went to work on what would work downtown and when you walk into the office It’s seriously like walking into a five-star Resort.

Speaker 2
The the team itself was put together because of their customer experience and they’re welcoming nature. It’s it’s something that when you walk in you feel wow, very comfortable. But you you see the Elegance of the building just with you know, they’re detailed too. Colors and you know, it has a clubhouse and you know, if they want if the the residents want to come in and utilize the there’s a conference firm they can so even our businesses that are a part of Tucson could come in and utilize our conference center. There’s underground parking. So it’s Helps with the heat however, everything is in walking distance to so when you live that Rendezvous you have access to shopping. You don’t even have to have a car as a matter of fact Tom a lot of our residents that are there right now, they don’t own a car but we do have underground parking for those that do, you know so they can travel all around the city or go anywhere they want to in The Tucson Metro area.

Tom Heath
And we’re seeing, you are seeing you no more development happening in that area. And I know you’re opening date was was in the completion date was in 2020, right? So you basically opened right into a pandemic?

Speaker 2
Yes, absolutely. And you know, there was so much going on in Tucson and we had a great start the pandemic. I think in all down downtown markets really stalled the growth of the city and I’m not just talking about Rendezvous. I’m talking about, If you think about it, this pandemic has affected our universities and bringing in the international element plus just the growth of that downtown the exposure that our second Saturday’s have brought to the downtown and people wanting to be there. So yes, it did stall the the lease up but we’re 31% lease now and we have some amazing specials that we’ve we have to offer our public and listen, you know, if you’re anyone that is moving from a big, New York. San Francisco and La you’re going to want to live in downtown Tucson because number one it’s more affordable and number two. It’s not as populated. So there’s room to breathe. There’s room to grow in the downtown market. So yes to answer your question. I get carried away because that building people have to come down and take a look at it. It’s just a breath of elegance.

Tom Heath
I did have a chance to tour it and it is really it is something unique for Tucson. I think it’s a different a different approach.

Tom Heath
Well,definitely is he different approach and we’ll be back with Susan Kaufman to find out more about what makes them so special, but first I want to remind you that you were listening to Life along the streetcar on Downtown Radio 99.1 FM and available for streaming on Downtown Radio dot-org.

Tom Heath
We’re going to finish up our interview here with a Susan Kaufman of Meb Management Services talking about the Rendezvous Urban Flats, the the newest and very luxurious apartments in downtown Tucson right across from the Fox Theater.

Tom Heath
And I like to highlight that the owners do have local roots and you mentioned the vibe of downtown earlier and one of the cool stories for me when this project was happening for those that are familiar with the area. This was the empty pad and there was it was always designed to have another building. So there is actually elevator shafts from the parking garage up and it had been vacant for so long and Ben’s Bells came along and did their Be Kind logos and they had a lot of really cool murals on those elevator walls. And when you know the ownership decided to build and those elevators weren’t going to be needed. They made sure to preserve those Ben’s Bells projects and even keep one on property and move the other ones to other locations because of you know, I think what you said earlier, it’s the vibe of downtown. And so this might look different it might feel different and it’s going to attract a different type of person into the area. Have you seen like I know you can’t talk specifically about your clientele, but Are you seeing people that are coming in from other cities? Are they moving from places in Tucson are what are your what are your experiences on that?

Susan Kauffman
Well, we do have some well first I want to back up Tom. You’re just amazing the knowledge that you have on the Tucson market and the downtown in particular is incredible. Thank you for bringing that up because you’re spot on and you know, the clientele that we have they really we are focus on sustainability and environment. Yes. We have some that have located but I will tell you there’s people that have located even internationally and they have chosen to live downtown because they’re used to a culture right and what the Tucson culture the downtown Tucson culture is Which drew that to this community is the local, you know, even though it is a Downtown City and it’s going to get more populated and that shouldn’t scare anybody because gosh if you think about it take a look at Chicago, for example, the the downtown Chicago Market with all the great food and the fun. Well, we have that right downtown in Tucson and at the Rendezvous you can walk anywhere, but it’s the local people that make it special.

Susan Kauffman
It’s the local restaurants and we need to get people back downtown to enjoy that so that we can continue the growth and that culture and that Vibe, you know, we need to. Focus on you know, getting through this pandemic and everybody be safe about it, but come back downtown until the Arts and feel the restaurants and help them, you know survive because that’s what’s making Tucson and downtown Tucson great.

Tom Heath
We had a guest without a couple of guests on recently. They’ve been able to talk about the future of development and you know, it really is bright in downtown the some of the larger projects were going right along during the course of the pandemic and you’ll see more construction happening on some of these bigger plans and it get into later 2021 2022. The future is very bright, but they all have the same comment what you just had it is we’ve got to get our local businesses from here to there and we’ve got to figure out ways to support our restaurant support our local merchants and give them the opportunity to To make it through the last this last bit of the pandemic get to the good side because 2022 Beyond it’s going to be very bright future for downtown.

Susan Kauffman
You know people talk about Tucson being a tertiary market, right? It’s a market in itself. And I think these large corporations that are settling in to the Tucson Market get that but the the what makes it different is like our owners of this building Rendezvous. They have the heart of Tucson and they have They believe is the best interest to the Tucson citizens and having that downtown Market to attract the this employment that’s fantastic is what’s going to keep us going and you know, Tom you’re spot on when you say, you know, let’s get back out there. Let’s support these restaurants, especially in downtown. We need the development down.

Susan Kauffman
There we Why Rendezvous to be that shining star and you got to come in I invite everyone listening to this radio show to come down and make an appointment with Tasia. She’s our incredible leasing specialist. We don’t mind at all. If you’re a resident of Tucson just come in and see the building so you can talk the talk. To all the people that are suffering and I mean, I don’t say that very lightly because we don’t want anymore so much suffering that are suffering suffering with the snow in the cold weather that’s out there to come and see what’s happening in the sunshine and that they can have everything in their downtown and bring it right to the downtown Tucson.

Tom Heath
Susan, how do people get a hold of you? What’s your website? What’s your phone number?

Susan Kauffman
Well, You know our websites like I said easy to find but it’s it’s actually and I’ll get you the actual its Rendezvous Urban Flats. You can just Google that and I’m going to tell you it pops right up and everything that you need to know all of our floor plans all of the pricing and right now believe me and you definitely To check the website for our specials are right on our website including you know, everything that you want to know about Rendezvous from the time it was being built because we have a timeline on there. There’s lots of videos and then you can actually take a look at the property and all the pictures so you can see The ones the Studio’s the two bedrooms, whatever you’re looking for in your new home is right on our website, including our application. Everything can be done virtually and online. We we have lease terms from three months to 12 months. So, you know even In if you’re here temporarily on a temporary assignment, you can live in one of the nicest buildings in the city.

Tom Heath
We will make sure to link to the website from our Facebook page get people over there and I did take a tour and highly recommend. It’s just a nice view of Tucson you get you look out one window and you get downtown you look out the other and you get Tumamoc Hill and A mountain and it’s a it’s a fun place to be. Well Susan, thank you so much. We’ve been we’ve been talking with Susan Kaufman the director of Strategic Relationships for MEB management and really focusing on the project in downtown Tucson. The Rendezvous Urban Flats been open not quite a year yet and the future is bright, but recommend you go down there and check it out, but Susan, thanks so much for your time.

Susan Kauffman
Thank you very much and hello to everyone out there and thanks for listening..

Tom Heath
That was Susan Kaufman of Meb Management Services. And we were talking about the Rendezvous Urban Flats one of those new housing developments coming to downtown and there’s going to be several more which will highlight over the next year or so. Lots of units coming to downtown and we’re going to see who’s filling those units and what that means for the transition of our community.

Tom Heath
Well, my name is Tom Heath and you are listening to Life along the streetcar on Downtown Radio 99.1 FM and AM. Double for streaming on Downtown Radio dot org speaking about unique and Downtown Radio. You can head over to the downtown radio dot org website there and take a look at all of the unique programming that we have throughout the week. Fantastic volunteer DJ’s volunteer DJ’s some of them doing two three and even five shows a week couple hours at a time putting together a collective mixes of Music These are passionate individuals and if you are Not listening to all of them. You are missing out.

Tom Heath
I’m constantly learning stuff about music because of the volunteer DJ’s that we have here on our station. Well, it’s been a great show listening to some of the development happening with the Rendezvous Urban Flats. We were sad to hear of the passing of Mayor walk up but but excited and proud to share his important contributions to the Legacy. Of down town very instrumental in making that happen and hey, if you’re out there and you’re thinking we should be covering certain topics and you’re not hearing them. Then shoot us a line over contact at Life along the streetcar dot-org tell us the things that that are hidden gems that everyone should know about if you have social media accounts tag us link to us.

Tom Heath
However, that works and we’re going to do the same for you. We like to cross promote and get lots of dialogues and conversations happening. Well mayor walk up was a guitarist. That was one of his Hobbies. So we’re going to leave you with music today by a couple of the great guitar players fear from Tucson. This is a band duo called Ryan Hood. We’ve got a new single from them from this year. This is called happy returns, and we’re going to play that for you as we head out. Well, my name is Tom Heath. You are listening to Life along the streetcar. I hope you’ve enjoyed Today’s Show. Hope you have a great week. Eek and please tune in next Sunday for another episode.

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