Project Description
La Encantada Mall consists of 258,000 square feet of commercial development on 37 acres, with more than 55 upscale shops and restaurants. The mall is located at the northwest corner of Skyline Drive and Campbell Avenue and features astonishing views of the Catalina Mountain and the City of Tucson.
RICK provided development entitlement and civil engineering services for the project, subject to the “La Encantada Settlement Agreement and Development Restrictions,” which placed several conditions and restrictions on development of the property. One such condition required a natural buffer yard along the west boundary of the project. In addition to preservation of an existing wash on the site, the grading design incorporated naturalistic retention basins and open space areas to ensure that the development blended seamlessly with the surrounding desert landscape. An 8-foot-high landscaped berm, functioning as a screening barrier, was incorporated into the grading scheme to minimize visual impacts to nearby neighbors.
Likewise, RICK’s grading design allowed for the lower level of the northern two-story building to be constructed under the north parking area, reducing the exposed height of the building facing the residential area to the north and conforming to the existing site topography.