by Jim Walsh – Jun. 25, 2011 06:51 AM
The Arizona Republic
Mormon Church leaders are taking an active role in planning for the day when the Metro light-rail extension reaches the historic Arizona Temple in 2016.
A church architect with extensive experience is serving on a committee planning the light-rail extension. A prominent Gilbert bishop and developer has been buying and fixing up small houses near the temple.
And that developer, C. Dennis Barney, has donated $40,000 to help Mesa complete an overhaul of its zoning code that will make urban redevelopment easier.
His donation comes with no strings attached, and Barney has no proposals before city boards or commissions, city officials say.
Barney, a candidate for Maricopa County supervisor, said that he and his late father, T. Dennis Barney, bought the properties to improve the appearance of the area around the temple, which was built in 1927.
For many years, it was the only temple in Arizona.
Barney said he and his family are not motivated by profit, although he is anticipating there will be redevelopment someday.
“We’re not in a rush to do something. It’s been more of a legacy project,” Barney said. “I think we have accomplished what we set out to do already, to a certain extent.”
Barney said his donation to Mesa is a good investment because the zoning-code overhaul and light rail will set the tone in the city for decades to come. He looks at himself as a partner of Mesa and the Mormon Church.
“If you view the area today compared to, say, 10 years ago, there’s been a lot of progress. Progress like that takes time,” Barney said. “It’s going to redefine Mesa in the next 25 to 50 years.”
Mesa Planning Director John Wesley said the city had run out of money to pay a consultant to draft the code revisions. He said Barney signed a document spelling out that he would receive no preferential treatment in return for the donation.
Wesley said the Mormon Church was one of many property owners invited to participate on the committee, and the suggestions of Bill Williams, who helped design the Church’s City Creek project in Salt Lake City, have been invaluable.
The Mormon Church, an enthusiastic light-rail supporter in Salt Lake City, has been interested in the Metro light-rail extension since at least 2004, when a member of the Presiding Bishopric asked former Gov. Janet Napolitano when light rail would reach the temple, among the oldest in the Mormon Church.
The church’s interest in light rail and its extensive investments in City Creek make Mesa officials hopeful that there will be some similar investments in redevelopment here.
“Any way you look at it, whether you are LDS or not LDS, the Mormon temple is of major significance to Mesa” as a tourist destination, as a cultural symbol and as the backbone of Mesa’s religious heritage, said Mesa Mayor Scott Smith.
“We hope someday that they will make a major investment. We have seen around the world where the church has invested in other temples,” he said. “There’s going to be boobirds coming out if the church does invest around the temple. The fact of the matter is that any time you have private investment, you welcome it.”
Although Smith, like several other top Mesa officials, is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he said it wouldn’t have mattered to him if another denomination invested in downtown.
Dean Davies, the Mormon Church’s managing director for temple-development projects, did not commit to any specific redevelopment projects. But he confirmed in a statement that the Mormon Church has entertained redevelopment proposals in the past in Mesa and is open to pursuing new opportunities.
“For a time, the church worked with other community groups on plans related to redevelopment in this area, including the development of vacant land into mixed-use development. We hope that as the economy improves and additional redevelopment occurs, the church can continue its role as a partner in these efforts,” the statement said.
The statement said the church supports light rail not only to improve transportation options for people attending services but also to improve the area’s quality of life.
“Ultimately, our hope is that the people who live, work and worship in downtown Mesa can do so in a clean, safe area they are proud of and feel connected to,” Davies said.
Mike James, Mesa’s transit-services director, said Williams has been helping Mesa achieve that goal. For instance, he suggested more trees and other pedestrian-friendly improvements to link the temple with downtown.
“He gave us a whole higher level of expertise,” James said. “He’s given us a lot of insight in design and construction.”
Williams’ style tends to be low-key. He suggested at a recent meeting that matching the color of a major sculpture to that of nearby canopies and awnings at the Country Club Drive station would help it blend in better.
“He doesn’t try to run the show. He throws out advice. It’s up to them to decide what to do with it,” said Elaine McIver, who has filled in for her husband, Walt, on the planning committee.
Williams said he had received no direction to design or build anything in Mesa. He said he has experience in planning light-rail projects in Salt Lake City, Portland and Seattle.
Williams views Pioneer Park – across Main Street from the temple – and other temple areas as vital pieces that can help light rail serve as a launching point for redevelopment. He said he would like to see more-diverse housing near Pioneer Park.
“It takes time. If you look at Vancouver (British Columbia), it took a long time for the stations to develop as major dense areas,” he said.
Barney has been quietly cleaning up the area on his own, in concert with the Temple Historic District. He even provides a landscaper to keep up the yards of his properties.
White picket fences along First Avenue west of the temple tend to identify Barney-owned properties. Tenants are screened carefully and “if there are any shenanigans, they are invited to leave,” said Walt McIver, chairman of the historic district.
McIver said he joined the steering committee to make sure plans for the Mesa Drive light-rail station didn’t detract from the temple. He said he didn’t want flashy art conflicting with the temple’s classic 1927 architecture, which is on display especially when large crowds are drawn by the annual Christmas lights and Easter Pageant.
One small concession was extending the tracks a little farther east to prevent parked trains from blocking the view of the temple.
“It’s sacred, and it’s something you want to keep special,” Elaine McIver said.