Drive the northwest corner of North Oracle Road and East Tangerine Road in Oro Valley this week and you will see something the corner has not shown in nearly twenty years: active vertical construction on a shopping center. Per the Town of Oro Valley's own announcement, KOLD News 13, KGUN 9, Real Estate Daily News, and Tucson Local Media's Explorer News, the property long known as the Oro Valley Marketplace is being rebuilt by its owner, Tucson-based Town West, into a mixed-use district the developer is rebranding the 'Oro Valley Village Center.' The first phase broke ground in October 2025, and as of May 26, 2026, crews are at work on a public neighborhood park, a pedestrian tunnel under Water Harvest Way, and rebuilt intersections — the groundwork for a four-story Hampton Inn & Suites and the 320-unit Encantada apartment community. Here is a fully sourced walk-through for Oro Valley residents, Marana and northwest-side neighbors, and relocation buyers trying to understand what is changing on the town's busiest retail corner. 114 — Acres at the northwest corner of Oracle and Tangerine roads. 560 — Apartments approved across the full Village Center build-out. 320 — Units in the Encantada community now under construction. 105 — Rooms in the four-story Hampton Inn & Suites From 'Marketplace' to 'Village Center': How the Property Changed Hands Per Arizona Daily Star (tucson.com) reporting and CoStar, the Oro Valley Marketplace was built by Phoenix-based Vestar Development Co. on the roughly 114-to-115-acre parcel at Oracle and Tangerine, with construction starting in 2007 after Oro Valley voters in 2006 approved a $23.2 million economic-development agreement between the town and Vestar; the Walmart-anchored center opened in 2008. Per Real Estate Daily News and CoStar, Town West Realty — partnering with Tucson apartment owner-operator HSL Properties — acquired the center from Vestar in September 2019 for a reported $45.15 million. Per BizTucson's 'New Life for the Marketplace' feature and the developer's own Oro Valley Village Center project materials, Town West has since pursued 'a whole new rebranding of the center,' from a conventional power-retail strip into what the company describes as a walkable 'Urban Village' that blends retail with apartments, hotels, and public open space. Per BizTucson and Tucson Local Media, the town has approved as much as 560 apartments, two hotels, and up to 200,000 square feet of additional retail across the full plan. Phase 1, Underway Now: A Public Park, a Pedestrian Tunnel, and Rebuilt Intersections Per the Town of Oro Valley's 'Exciting development happening at the Oro Valley Marketplace' announcement, KOLD News 13's October 7, 2025 report, and Real Estate Daily News' Phase 1 coverage, Town West — with HSL Properties and Borderlands Construction — began the first phase of improvements in October 2025. The phase centers on a public neighborhood park situated between the Walmart and the Tuk Tuk Thai restaurant, plus new pedestrian connections and rebuilt intersections that knit the once car-dominated site together for walking. Per BizTucson's reporting on the concept, the center park is designed with shade, green space, and water-harvesting features, a splash pad for children, and a sand-beach area with shade structures. The construction sequence, per the town and Real Estate Daily News, ran water-line relocation in October 2025, pedestrian-tunnel construction beneath Water Harvest Way in November and December 2025 to connect the residential areas planned on either side of the roadway, and intersection upgrades along Water Harvest Way beginning in January 2026 — the work most visible to drivers cutting through the center this spring. Driver's note for the coming weeks (May 26, 2026): the intersection and roadway work along Water Harvest Way — the internal road that runs between Oracle Road and the In-N-Out and theater side of the center — began in January 2026 and is the active construction you are most likely to encounter. If you are making a quick Walmart, theater, or In-N-Out run, allow a few extra minutes and watch for lane shifts and flaggers near the Oracle Road entrances. The pedestrian tunnel under Water Harvest Way was built over November–December 2025 to let future residents cross between the two apartment areas without crossing traffic at grade. The Big Pieces: Encantada Apartments and the Hampton Inn & Suites Encantada at Oro Valley Marketplace — 320 apartments, south of Tangerine (Class A apartments, Under construction, Completion mid-to-late 2027): Per Real Estate Daily News and Arizona Public Media (AZPM), Encantada at Oro Valley Marketplace is a 320-unit Class A apartment community on long-cleared ground south of Tangerine Road, across from Northwest Medical Center Oro Valley. Per AZPM's January 2026 reporting, the buildings are under construction from 2026 with completion expected by mid-to-late 2027. HSL Properties — Town West's redevelopment partner and a longtime Tucson apartment operator — develops the Encantada-branded communities. Hampton Inn & Suites — 105 rooms near the Oracle Road frontage (Four stories, 105 rooms, HSL-built and managed): Per BizTucson and the Construction Reporter, the redevelopment includes a four-story, 105-room Hampton Inn & Suites built and managed by HSL Properties, sited near the northwest corner of Oracle Road and Water Harvest Way, west of the former Red Lobster. Per BizTucson, Town West targeted a groundbreaking in early 2025 and an opening 'in time for the holidays in 2025'; confirm current opening status directly with the hotel before booking. The center park and splash pad — between Walmart and Tuk Tuk Thai (Public open space, Splash pad, Water harvesting): Per the Town of Oro Valley and BizTucson, the Phase 1 public park is the social anchor of the new plan: shade, green space, water-harvesting basins, a children's splash pad, and a sand-beach area with shade structures, positioned to give the surrounding apartments and shops a walkable gathering place rather than a parking field. What's Already Open: Anchors and New Retail Tenants Per Town West's property listing and Tucson Local Media's 'New tenants, work coming to Oro Valley Village Center' report, the center continues to operate around the construction. The longtime anchors include Walmart, the Century Theatres multiplex, ULTA Beauty, and DSW, with an In-N-Out Burger off Water Harvest Way. On the new-tenant side, Tucson Local Media reported The Picklr — a Utah-based indoor pickleball franchise — opening in the spring of 2025 in the former Best Buy box at 11855 North Oracle Road, a Dollar Tree opening on the center's big-box east side, and activity anticipated on a Surf-Thru Express Car Wash at the center's southern end along Oracle, paired with improved drive-through queuing for the adjacent In-N-Out. The throughline is that the property is being filled in and densified rather than torn down — retail keeps running while the residential and hospitality pieces are added around it. Why One Shopping Center Matters to the Oro Valley Real Estate Conversation Per Arizona Public Media's January 15, 2026 report, 'Tax debate in Oro Valley signals the end of a high-growth era,' Oro Valley is approaching build-out: the town's construction-tax revenues fell roughly 30% between June 2024 and June 2025 to their lowest level since 2016, and the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity projects the town's population to flatten around 2040. Per World Population Review and the U.S. Census Bureau, Oro Valley — incorporated in 1974 — has roughly 49,700 residents in 2026, up about 5% from the 47,226 counted in the 2020 census. In a town with limited remaining greenfield land, the most consequential new housing and commercial supply increasingly comes not from new subdivisions on the edges but from redeveloping and densifying parcels that are already built — and the Village Center is the largest example of that shift on the books. For buyers, the project signals where new rental inventory, walkable amenities, and hotel capacity are being concentrated; for sellers and owners near Oracle and Tangerine, it is a long-term amenity-and-traffic story unfolding over several years rather than a single opening day. Quick reference (May 26, 2026): Oro Valley Village Center (the redeveloping Oro Valley Marketplace) — northwest corner of North Oracle Road and East Tangerine Road, Oro Valley, AZ 85737. Owner: Town West, with partner HSL Properties; Phase 1 contractor Borderlands Construction. Phase 1 (broke ground October 2025): public park with splash pad, Water Harvest Way pedestrian tunnel, and rebuilt intersections. Encantada apartments: 320 units, under construction toward mid-to-late 2027. Hampton Inn & Suites: four-story, 105 rooms, HSL-built and managed. Full approvals: up to 560 apartments, two hotels, and 200,000 square feet of new retail. Town West acquired the 114-acre center from Vestar in September 2019 for a reported $45.15 million. What to Watch Through the Coming Weeks Three threads are worth tracking through the rest of spring and into summer 2026. First, the Water Harvest Way intersection and roadway work that began in January 2026: per the Town of Oro Valley, this is the phase most likely to affect day-to-day trips through the center, so watch the town's project updates and on-site signage for lane changes near the Oracle Road entrances. Second, the vertical progress on the Encantada apartments south of Tangerine: per AZPM, the buildings are targeting a mid-to-late-2027 completion, so 2026 is the year the structures take shape across from the hospital. Third, the town's own economic-development reporting: per the Town of Oro Valley's monthly Economic Development Update — which logged 22 new business licenses in January 2026 alone — the Community and Economic Development department posts new tenants, project milestones, and openings, and is the most reliable place to confirm when the Hampton Inn and the next round of retail come online. For a town that has spent fifty years growing outward, the Village Center is the clearest test yet of whether Oro Valley's next chapter is built by growing up and in. Sources Town of Oro Valley — 'Exciting development happening at the Oro Valley Marketplace' news announcement (orovalleyaz.gov/Government/News/Exciting-development-happening-at-the-Oro-Valley-Marketplace) for the Phase 1 scope, the public park between Walmart and Tuk Tuk Thai, the Water Harvest Way pedestrian tunnel, and the construction sequence (water-line relocation October 2025, tunnel November–December 2025, intersection upgrades beginning January 2026); the Community and Economic Development and Planning Division current-projects pages (orovalleyaz.gov) for the HSL Encantada Luxury Apartments and Hampton Inn & Suites project listings and the February 2026 Economic Development Update noting 22 new business licenses in January 2026. KOLD News 13 — 'Oro Valley Marketplace breaks ground on new construction,' October 7, 2025 (kold.com/2025/10/07/oro-valley-marketplace-breaks-ground-new-construction/). KGUN 9 — 'Construction begins on Oro Valley Marketplace redevelopment' (kgun9.com). Real Estate Daily News — 'Phase 1 Construction Underway at Oro Valley Marketplace Redevelopment' for the Phase 1 detail and the 320-unit Encantada count, and 'Oro Valley Marketplace Sells to Town West Realty for $45.15 Million' (realestatedaily-news.com) for the September 2019 acquisition from Vestar. CoStar — 'Phoenix Investor Sells Oro Valley Marketplace for $45 Million' (costar.com) for the sale price and 114-acre figure. BizTucson — 'New Life for the Marketplace' (biztucson.com/new-life-for-the-marketplace/) for the rebrand to Oro Valley Village Center, the up-to-560-apartment / two-hotel / 200,000-square-foot-retail approvals, the four-story 105-room Hampton Inn & Suites built and managed by HSL Properties, and the center-park splash-pad and sand-beach concept. The Village at Oro Valley Marketplace developer site (orovalleyvillagecenter.com) and Town West Design Development (townwestrealty.com) for the project vision, concept site plan, and ownership. Tucson Local Media / Explorer News — 'New tenants, work coming to Oro Valley Village Center' (tucsonlocalmedia.com) for The Picklr at the former Best Buy (11855 North Oracle Road), the Dollar Tree opening, the Surf-Thru Express Car Wash, and the existing Walmart, Century Theatres, ULTA, and DSW anchors. Construction Reporter — 'New Hampton Suites and Inn Set to Be Built in Growing Oro Valley Entertainment District' (constructionreporter.com). Arizona Public Media (AZPM) — 'Tax debate in Oro Valley signals the end of a high-growth era,' January 15, 2026 (news.azpm.org) for the 30% construction-tax-revenue decline between June 2024 and June 2025, the buildout context, the Encantada mid-to-late-2027 completion, and the projected 2040 population plateau. World Population Review — Oro Valley 2026 population estimate of about 49,669 (worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/arizona/oro-valley). U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts — Oro Valley town, Arizona, 2020 census population of 47,226 and incorporation in 1974 (census.gov/quickfacts/orovalleytownarizona). Arizona Daily Star (tucson.com) — original Oro Valley Marketplace development history, the 2006 voter-approved $23.2 million economic-development agreement with Vestar, and the 2008 opening. All data current as of May 26, 2026; readers should confirm hotel opening dates, tenant openings, and construction-traffic conditions directly with the Town of Oro Valley and the businesses before planning a trip. This post is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase real estate.