by bryan | Jun 4, 2011 | light rail corridor, News & Information, Valley Metro
by Emily Gersema – Jun. 4, 2011 The Arizona Republic The countdown has begun for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game and FanFest events that begin July 8, and Metro light rail is celebrating early. The Valley transportation agency on Friday unveiled the new MLB All-Star advertising wraps that visitors and residents will see on the cars of the light-rail trains during the month leading up to the game and fan events. The All-Star Game is July 12 at Chase Field in Phoenix. The wraps include images of eight past All-Stars, including Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton, who is on the ballot for this season’s All-Star voting and was named All-Star FanFest spokesman earlier this year. The wraps also feature these players with All-Star credentials: New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton and Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. Hillary Foose, a spokeswoman for Metro light rail, said that in all, six light-rail cars will display the wraps. All six will be in service by the end of next week. No public money was used for these promotions, she...
by bryan | May 29, 2011 | Light Rail Business, light rail corridor, News & Information, Real Estate Development
by Emily Gersema – May. 22, 2011 The Arizona Republic It’s been about a year since the first tenant opened in downtown development CityScape, and if all goes as planned, RED Development expects its 1.8 million-square-foot office and retail project to be completely leased by this fall. Gold’s Gym was the first business to move into the development that is bounded by First Street and First Avenue and by Washington and Jefferson streets. It was followed by a series of monthly openings by stores such as CVS/pharmacy, entertainment venues such as Lucky Strike Lanes, and new offices for five Phoenix law firms. About a half-dozen other retailers, restaurants and bars are expected to open by September. To name some: Oakville Grocery, Breakfast Club, Chipotle, Strand, Silk Sushi and Tilted Kilt. UnitedHealthcare also will move in this summer, consolidating about 600 workers from other Phoenix offices into about 107,000 square feet of space at CityScape’s office tower. A sixth law firm, Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber & Schreck, will move about 15 workers into CityScape sometime in late July. Marty Shultz is the law firm’s senior policy director in the Phoenix office and chairman of the Phoenix Community Alliance, a non-profit organization made up of business and non-profit officials who have largely supported CityScape. Shultz is credited with persuading the firm to become a tenant. “It’s very strategically located,” he said. “You’ve got City Hall downtown, you’ve got the courts, and you’ve got the state Capitol down the street. It’s also near the (Metro) light rail and next to major streets.” City officials estimate that 83,000 people work in downtown offices. RED Development’s development manager Jeff...
by bryan | May 29, 2011 | light rail corridor, Valley Metro
Emergency scenario plays out on bridge Dianna M. Náñez – May. 24, 2011 The Arizona Republic Amber Anaya considers her light-rail ride to work routine but on Sunday she learned her trip could easily turn dangerous without the proper emergency response. Anaya was one of about 40 Valley residents who volunteered for a Metro light rail emergency drill that left her stranded atop a Tempe Town Lake bridge in a smoke-filled train. The drills are done biannually to meet Federal Transit Authority requirements, but this is the first time Metro re-enacted the emergency outside of the agency’s maintenance yard. The drill gave Metro operators and public safety workers the chance to refine interagency communication as they worked to evacuate passengers from the two-car train and off the bridge. But there were lessons for passengers, too, Anaya said. “It makes you more aware of what’s going on around you,” she said. “I would tell people to . . . follow the instructions given by the operator . . . notice where the emergency-door openers are.” As Anaya’s train stopped on the tracks, smoke fogged the air. Anaya said she instinctively reached for the emergency exit. She pulled the plastic cover off the emergency handle waiting for the door to open. But nothing happened. “I was surprised at how quickly it filled up (with smoke). I couldn’t see and you’re worried about how am I going to get the door open,” she said. “Then, another man pulled the doors open. He just pried it open.” The drill allowed Metro and public safety workers to practice planned aspects of the emergency. But...
by bryan | May 8, 2011 | light rail expansion, News & Information, Real Estate Development
by Jim Walsh – Jan. 20, 2011 The Arizona Republic A planned investment fund may help create a taste of urban living similar to that of Boston or New York without leaving the Arizona sunshine. The $30 million Sustainable Communities Development Fund would create incentives to build affordable housing along the Metro light-rail line in Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix. Projects funded by the incentives would feature transportation-oriented development, a high-density concept that generally features retail and commercial development on the lower floors with residential units on the upper floors. “We want to work with our non-profit partners to create a pipeline of projects,” said Teresa Brice, a Mesa native and former mayoral candidate who is among the fund’s chief sponsors as executive director of the Local Initiatives Support Corp. “We call this inventing a Plan B for the Valley of Sun,” she said, offering residents an alternative to the urban sprawl that has contributed to poor air quality and long commutes on jammed freeways. The fund would help Mesa capitalize on the extension of Metro’s light-rail line and potentially aid in redevelopment efforts near the city’s only station at Sycamore and Main Street. With the exception of Mekong Plaza, an Asian-themed shopping center that is barely visible to light-rail riders, redevelopment has lagged near the Mesa station, which still has several boarded-up buildings nearby. Mesa has only 1 mile of light rail, but a 3.1-mile extension is scheduled to open along Main Street through downtown in 2016. It would end near the Mormon Temple east of Mesa Drive. Other new stops are planned at Alma School Road, Center Street and Country Club...
by bryan | May 8, 2011 | Entertainment, News & Information
This is a novel idea: How to mix light rail with music? The answer is: The Train Tracks, live music on light rail. The Train Tracks (.org) has been organized to showcase local Phoenix Metro musicians who offer the very best that the Valley of the Sun has to offer. Each week a local band is picked to show a video on the website. Then, the winner each quarter will play to a live audience at the Phoenix Art Museum. A winner from the quarterly events will be selected to play at the McDowell Music Festival. http://www.thetraintracks.org/ http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/music/The_Train_Tracks_900270684342 Very cool. Check it out...
