Is Italian restaurant La Stalla relocating from downtown Chandler to Ahwatukee?

Just one day after the Arizona Republic ran its biennial story on the growing number of restaurants in downtown Chandler, some of those restaurants may be preparing to leave.

I’ve been hearing rumors in recent weeks that more than one restaurant may be pulling out, including La Stalla Rustica Cucina, the Italian restaurant that’s been a mainstay of the downtown dining scene for the past 14 years.

When asked about the rumors, La Stalla staffers hem and haw, eventually telling me I need to speak directly to owner Paolo Vetrati. So far, though, Vetrati has not responded to my phone calls.

A move would make some sense: La Stalla literally is being overshadowed by the massive Overstreet, a block-long $25 million development on the southwest corner of Arizona Avenue and Chandler Boulevard.

The 77,000-square-foot complex is anchored by the soon-to-open Flix Brewhouse, a movie theater with an in-house microbrewery. It also will have several other restaurants, retail stores, and offices.

The construction already has cost La Stalla its unofficial parking lot next door to the restaurant and limited traffic in front of the restaurant.

So I wasn’t too surprised this week when I noticed a liquor license application by Vetrati for a new La Stalla restaurant on the southeast corner of 48th Street and Warner in Ahwatukee.

Coincidentally (or maybe not), the large strip mall on that corner includes the recently closed Los Dos Molinos restaurant.