A long-planned reinvention of Tucson’s Foothills Mall has taken its first visible steps this month with the debut of The Astrie residential community as part of the larger Uptown redevelopment, and the project’s developers have now announced the initial roster of retail and restaurant tenants that will follow. The 2.5 million-square-foot mixed-use redevelopment is positioning itself as a walkable, experience-driven village and will roll out its first retail and hospitality components in the spring of 2027, officials said.
Developer Bourn Companies, the owner behind the project, described the tenant selection as deliberate and oriented toward long-term contribution to the community. Don Bourn, CEO of Bourn Companies, said the companies chosen for Uptown are being selected with an eye toward permanence and community connection. "Every tenant at Uptown is being selected with long-term intention and a shared commitment to creating something meaningful and lasting for the Tucson community," he said. "We are excited to introduce new experiences to the Tucson market while contributing to the sense of connection we are creating throughout the project."
Among the first names to sign leases at the redevelopment are Barnes & Noble, the national bookseller; Los Milics Vineyards, which currently operates a downtown tasting room; and two dining concepts from Omaha-based Flagship Restaurant Group, Clio and Memoir. In addition to those retailers and restaurants, a Hilton Tempo-branded hotel is scheduled as part of the spring 2027 opening wave. The developer has said these initial agreements represent the beginning of a broader mix of residences, retail, dining, hospitality-driven concepts, entertainment, office, wellness and public gathering areas that will be woven into the site.
Los Milics Vineyards, which describes its downtown operation as a showcase for the wine country of Southern Arizona, will open a tasting room at Uptown. Winemaker Pavle Milics framed the expansion as an expression of the region and its people: "Los Milics has always been a love letter to this place — its landscapes, people, agriculture, and sense of welcome," he said. "Tucson is an extraordinary food city, and we are excited to welcome both longtime supporters and new guests into our Uptown tasting room."
The two restaurant concepts joining Uptown are products of Flagship Restaurant Group, which has signed long-term leases for both spaces. Clio is described as a modern Mediterranean restaurant presenting mezze, spreads, salads and entrées, paired with a tailored cocktail program and a sommelier-selected European wine list. Memoir, by contrast, is being positioned as an American grill that will offer reimagined classic dishes and sushi in what Flagship characterizes as an elevated setting that emphasizes a "refined guest experience."
Barnes & Noble’s planned presence at Uptown will add a national bookstore to the site’s early lineup, though the developer has not disclosed specifics about the size or configuration of that lease in public statements. The inclusion of a major bookseller alongside local culinary operators and a national hotel brand illustrates the blended approach Bourn Companies is advancing: a mixture of national and regional operators intended to animate the project’s commercial corridors while serving residents and visitors.
Uptown itself is the product of a comprehensive redevelopment strategy applied to the former Foothills Mall site. The project covers 2.5 million square feet and is being marketed as a walkable mixed-use village that integrates living, working, dining and entertainment within a connected environment. The developer has emphasized that the design will prioritize public gathering spaces and wellness offerings alongside the commercial and residential components, seeking to transform a one-time enclosed shopping center into a multiuse destination centered on community interaction and experiences.
The opening timeline, as outlined by the developer, separates the early residential debut from the roll-out of retail and hospitality elements. While The Astrie residential community has begun to open this month, the first named retail and dining operators and the Hilton Tempo hotel are scheduled to be operating in the spring of 2027. Those initial leases are the first formal tenant commitments the project has publicly disclosed, and they set the tone for the broader leasing campaign the developer has said will continue as construction and build-out proceed.
As Uptown moves forward, Bourn Companies will continue to market and place a wider range of uses into the project footprint, aiming to knit together residences, hospitality, retail and public space into a cohesive whole. For now, the developer’s announcement of Barnes & Noble, Los Milics Vineyards, Clio, Memoir and a Hilton Tempo hotel provides the first concrete indications of the kinds of experiences the site will offer when the next major phase opens in spring 2027.
These first lease announcements mark an early milestone in the multi-year transition of the Foothills Mall site into a new mixed-use district. The developer has framed the effort as both a reinvention of the physical property and a long-term commitment to introducing new consumer and community experiences to Tucson, with an opening cadence that begins with residential occupancy now and continues into the spring of 2027 as more retailers, restaurants and hospitality spaces come online.