Construction underway on $425M Mosaic Quarter complex in Tucson, Ariz. First phase includes iceplex, fieldhouse, solar power. $27M contract with Granite Construction on schedule for August 2026 completion. Future phases to include sportsplex, stadium, hotels, restaurants and more.
Granite Construction photo
A Cat 374 excavator moves dirt on the future site of Tucson’s Mosaic Quarter.
A full cadre of construction vehicles — excavators, dozers, scrapers, loaders, and more — is tangible evidence that development of the $425 million Mosaic Quarter sporting and entertainment complex is well under way on Tucson, Ariz.'s southside.
California-based subcontractor Granite Construction has a $27 million contract for the first phase of the privately funded project. When complete, it will feature a 175,000-sq.-ft. iceplex with three rinks and an arena seating 3,000; a 131,000-sq.-ft. fieldhouse; a central utility plant; and solar power for the complex.
General contractor Hensel Phelps is heading up the construction.
Work began in November 2024 with a daily crew of 25 craft and underground workers; during paving operations, there are 12 additional crew members, said Zach Thompson, Granite area manager. Much of the current work is focused on the underground sewer system, he added. The phase is scheduled to be finished in August 2026.
"The project is in great shape and running on schedule," Thompson said. "The challenge is making sure of the safety of the underground crews" while constructing a 30-ft.-deep sewer, setting 96-in. polymer concrete manholes, laying pipes and placing the shoring.
Specifically, the project is coming together with 32,000 tons of aggregate base and 20,000 tons of asphalt for roads and parking lots, along with 14,000 tons of sand for utility beds, shading and backfill. The materials come from Granite's nearby Swan Plant.
Crews will install 8-ft. stormwater pretreatment units; C900, HDPE, RCP, and SDR35 piping; Nyloplast drain basins; shoring devices; and 10-ft. by 40-ft. steel reinforced HDPE cisterns, Thompson said.
All of this is being installed and completed with an extensive lineup of construction equipment, featuring a mulcher, three water trucks, two regular-size excavators and a mini, two loaders, three scrapers, a telehandler, three graders, two dozers, a tractor, backhoe and compactor.
Pima County granted a 40-year lease for the 90-acre site last year to Knott Development, in conjunction with Mosaic Quarter Development.
Officials project the complex, adjacent to Kino Sports Complex off north Interstate 10, will generate as much as $917.7 million in tax revenue and up to $8.3 billion of new local expenditures.
Future phases will see the addition of a sportsplex multisport facility, a stadium, entertainment pavilion, event plaza, splashpads, three hotels, as many as 10 restaurants and a parking structure.
Additionally, Knott Development will build a headquarters on the property for its leaders and those of Mosaic Quarters Development and the MQ Foundation. It also will include 5,000 sq. ft. of donated space to the Pima Community College's Culinary Arts program, which will use it to open a restaurant managed and operated by students.
Planners envision the entire project as a one-stop-shopping of sorts for local youth and adult sporting leagues, regional and national tournaments, free family-oriented entertainment, community events, and programs focusing on healthy lifestyles.
With the neighboring Kino Sports Complex, home to a dozen athletic fields and 20 lighted pickleball courts, they see the area developing into a destination spot for vacationing families and sporting enthusiasts.
Here is the complete lineup of construction equipment Granite workers are using for the Phase I buildout:
Water trucks
• Peterbilt 335 and 567
• Freightliner 4K
• Cat 631E water pull
Excavators
• Cat 330BL
• Cat 374
• Takeuchi mini-excavator
Loaders
• Cat 950M
• Cat 950GC
Scrapers
• Cat 623E X2
• Cat 623G
• Cat 631 X2
Miscellaneous
• Cat 12K telehandler
• Cat 14H grader
• Cat 140-13 grader
• Cat 150-15 grader
• Cat D10R dozer
• Cat D8T dozer
• John Deere 8340 ag tractor with TATU GASPM EHD
• Cat 420 backhoe
• Cat 360c compactor
• Hamm 84-in. padfoot roller
• Klein tank
• Barko 930B mulcher
Lorie Jewell
Lorie Jewell is a freelance writer and photographer living in a multi-generational household in the foothills of Mount Rainier, Wash., where she spends her days helping with grandkids and dogs, shooting league pool, reading, working word and jigsaw puzzles, binging '90s sitcoms, knitting and crocheting, baking or hanging out at the archery club. She can also be found a couple days a week in local cemeteries, documenting headstones and grave locations for genealogists. A Florida transplant and Army combat veteran, she holds a bachelor’s degree in English and an MFA in creative nonfiction writing.
Read more from Lorie Jewell here.
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