by bryan | Oct 26, 2011 | Entertainment, Light Rail Business, light rail corridor, light rail expansion, Mesa City
by Southeast Valley editorial board – Oct. 26, 2011 Our View Courtesy of the Arizona Republic [Editor’s Note: Light Rail Advisors fully supports the 3.1 mile light rail extension into downtown and to Mesa Drive. The company started LightRailConnect.com and the LightRainConnect Magazine to support business and economic growth in the light rail corridor] Mesa has a rare light-rail mulligan. And, thankfully, it knows it. The city dithered on advance planning for its initial, half-mile leg. It didn’t do enough to encourage and integrate development at its initial station. By the time it finally offered some much-needed direction for the area, the economy was in freefall. Not surprisingly, where Phoenix and Tempe have reaped billions of dollars in investment along light rail, Mesa has yet to see any appreciable economic benefit. But that’s not likely to be the case this time, now that the city is preparing for its next 3 miles of track. Mesa began studying options for redevelopment as soon as it approved the route through downtown to Mesa Drive and, eventually, Gilbert Road. Two years later, the city has created its Central Main Street Plan, a detailed yet flexible set of guidelines to help manage the change it knows is coming. Mesa also is nearly finished with a form-based zoning code for the area, which would focus less on segregating uses and more on ensuring buildings are well-designed. Those documents should be in place long before light rail opens in 2016, offering the clarity and predictability investors need to make serious infill and redevelopment proposals. And that’s important, even if the market for condominiums and high-rise buildings remains weak, because...
by bryan | Oct 26, 2011 | Entertainment, Event Calendar, Light Rail Business, light rail corridor, LightRailConnect.com Magazine, News & Information
Halloween on Mill Avenue Mill Avenue District Mill Avenue and University DriveTempe, AZ, 85281 PHONE: 480-921-2300 October 28, 2011 – October 31, 2011 Monday, Friday, Saturday [Editors Note: Light Rail Advisors supports nightlife and events in the light rail corridor. We have developed LightRailConnect.com and the LightRailConnect Magazine to push Live, Work, Play near the tracks.] Mill Avenue plays host to an unintentional costume parade each Halloween. Early in the day, families march their adorable ghosts and goblins up and down Mill. When the sun sets, young adults bounce from bar to bar in their showiest outfits. There will be plenty of life, or the undead, roaming throughout the weekend, so be sure to get there early to get into the bar of your choice. Pop into Canteen Modern Tequila for a great dance floor and tasty cocktails, Mill Cue Club to mingle with Arizona State University students, or Rula Bula for a more eclectic and laidback vibe....
by bryan | Oct 26, 2011 | Entertainment, Light Rail Business, light rail corridor, News & Information
by Megan Finnerty and Kellie Hwang – Oct. 19, 2011 Courtesy of The Arizona Republic [Editors Note: Light Rail Advisors developed LightRailConnect.com and the LightRailConnect Magazine that make it easy to Live, Work, and Play near the light rail tracks.] Although downtown Phoenix’s dining and drinking destinations are on the rise, quality late-night options can seem limited. Here’s a sampling of five of the best. Hanny’s This stylish lunch, dinner and late-night restaurant is known for super-thin-crust pizzas and idiosyncratic offerings, including Pork Milanese, a prosciutto and hearts of palm sandwich and an arugula salad. Crowds come for the cocktails and to see and be seen. Details: 40 N. First St., Phoenix. 602-252-2285, hannys.net. District American Kitchen and Wine Bar The bar and restaurant at the Sheraton Downtown Phoenix is a comfortable and unexpectedly trendy place to grab happy hour with the post-work crowd, to see live DJs on weekends or to slip in for a late drink after a show at the Herberger Theater Center. Details: 320 N. Third St., Phoenix. 602-817-5400, districtrestaurant.com. Copper Blues At CityScape, this bar and lounge serves the Stand Up Live comedy club with a classed-up comfort food menu designed by notable Valley chef Aaron May. The second-story patio offers stunning views of downtown. Details: 50 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix. 480-719-5005, copperblueslive.com. Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery This rowdy chain restaurant and bar is known for skimpy-kilt-wearing servers and hearty portions of Shepherd’s Pie, potato skins and Gaelic chicken. That said, it’s mostly about the sexy servers. Details: 2 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. 602-293-3888, tiltedkilt.com. Coach & Willie’s This upscale sports bar and restaurant has an inviting patio and an interior filled with cushy seating, almost-countless televisions and several...
by bryan | Oct 26, 2011 | Entertainment, Light Rail Business, News & Information
by Kellie Hwang – Oct. 20, 2011 courtesy of The Arizona Republic [Editor’s note: Light Rail Advisors agrees that downtown Phoenix needs assistance to grow and thrive. Those are some of the reasons for creation and development of LightRailConnect.com and the LightRailConnect Magazine.] Although about 6 million people come to downtown Phoenix each year to watch sporting events, concerts and theater productions, the streets usually feel empty after 9 p.m. For years, the masses have not been sticking around after the buzzer sounds, the encore ends or the curtain falls. Out-of-towners are often asking Kathy Cline, co-owner of Steve’s Greenhouse Grill, if “this” is downtown Phoenix, she said. “People go to events, buy their food and drinks there, then get in the car and go home. There’s just not that downtown vibe yet.” But with the recent efforts of downtown business owners, entrepreneurs and developers, that is slowly changing. Through better promotion of late-night venues and a new smartphone application that tells users what’s open and what’s hip, downtown leaders are encouraging visitors to linger longer. “Five years ago . . . I would literally watch the wave of people leaving the ballpark, head straight to the parking garages, get into their cars and leave,” said Derrick Hall, president and CEO of the Diamondbacks. “Now, the walking patterns are changing. People are going to Stand Up Live or bowling after, and that’s the way downtown should be.” Within a comfortable walking distance of downtown’s biggest venues, about 15 late-night restaurants and bars cater to postevent crowds, staying open past 10, according to the Downtown Phoenix Partnership. The change has come in increments. Some...
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...
