Jobs Jobs Jobs… Along the Light Rail Corridor: August 2016 Jobs Report

by Bryan Watkins, LRA Real Estate We have some very good news for Millenials. Actually, it is very good for everyone who is seeking employment. The Light Rail Connect Jobs site reports that 139 jobs are posted right now along the light rail corridor. Jobs on Light Rail, Indeed! Here is a cool way to CONNECT with Jobs on light rail. Check it out and tell us when you land that great paying...

Reinvent PHX eyes development on light-rail system

courtesy of Betty Reid, The Republic | azcentral.com May 10, 2014 STORY HIGHLIGHTS Project would take decades, cost billions People would live close to where they work, able to meet most daily needs without a car Phoenix light-rail system would be spine of project By 2040, Phoenix projects that areas along the city’s light-rail line will have fewer autos, more trees to shade a pedestrian/bike lifestyle and business and residential developments that support that lifestyle. Reinvent PHX is a proposed long-term plan that seeks to transform five of six districts in Phoenix that straddle light rail. The 20-mile rail route snakes through the neighborhoods of Gateway, Eastlake-Garfield, Midtown, Uptown and Solano. “Transforming the light-rail (corridor) as a walkable area will take time,” said Curt Upton, the Phoenix Planning Development Department’s long-range planning project manager. “For now, (it) is designed for cars.” City officials say they expect to seek the City Council’s approval of the plan by December. The city’s urban villages are scheduled to view the plan in the fall. MORE: Phoenix advances light-rail plans despite money hurdles Multiagency partnership Reinvent PHX is a partnership among Phoenix, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Arizona State University, St. Luke’s Health Initiatives and others. The group proposes to develop walkable communities connected to light rail, according to the partnership’s website. Upton said Phoenix is providing a road map and the private sector would drive the concept. The project would create “a new, transit-oriented model for urban planning and development along the city’s light-rail system,” according to the website (phoenix.gov/pdd/reinventphx.html), which has draft plans for two neighborhoods. The Gateway District, for...

Mesa merchants have long-term outlook on light rail

courtesy of Jamie Killin, Cronkite News Service May 8, 2014 STORY HIGHLIGHTS Jeweler Matt Muralt believes the light-rail extension will be a big boost to downtown Mesa Light-rail construction is entering a more intensive phase this month Merchants have received assistance and advice on how to get through the turmoil In the not-too-distant future, Metro light-rail trains will travel along Main Street in front of Muralt’s Custom Jewelers, and owner Matt Muralt expects other changes to follow. “I see microbreweries coming down here,” he said. “I see very urban, funky shops — like toy stores, comic-book stores.” When the 3.1-mile expansion of light rail into downtown Mesa is completed late in 2015 or early 2016, Muralt expects it to complement universities that have established presences downtown. “I think it’s going to be more urban, more youthful,” he said. “Hopefully the college students find a reason to stay in downtown Mesa, and that will have to do with the merchants trying to cater to their needs so they don’t drive into Tempe or Phoenix or Scottsdale.” The $200 million project will have Valley Metro adding four stops beyond the Sycamore Station at Dobson Road: at Alma School Road, Country Club Drive, Center Street and Mesa Drive. The work downtown so far has removed a median from Main Street and prepped the area for track, poles for power, and stations. Construction to add those is just beginning. David Short, executive director of the Downtown Mesa Association, said construction will present a challenge for businesses. But in the end, he said, light rail will make downtown Mesa more livable and attract more...

Downtown Mesa copes with light-rail construction

courtesy of Weldon B. Johnson, The Republic | azcentral.com September 10, 2014 Downtown Mesa merchants are suffering through short-term pain for what could be long-term gain. Main Street in downtown Mesa is torn up as the Valley Metro light-rail line expands to the east. As a result, it’s a little harder to get around, but businesses are making the best of the situation. “It hasn’t hurt our business that much,” said Julian Moraga of Gotham City Comics & Coffee. “Our regular customers have been coming and we’re still getting some new ones.” One of the big keys, Moraga said, is that there is still plenty of available parking behind most of the shops. “They have done a good job of promoting that,” Moraga said. “As long as people know there is parking, they will still come.” There are plenty of signs in the downtown area directing potential shoppers and diners to parking. Signs directing drivers to parking in downtown Mesa during Metro light rail expansion construction along Main Street.(Photo: Weldon B. Johnson/The Republic) Valley Metro has its own efforts to draw shoppers into the area affected by light-rail construction. Shop On, Win On is a Valley Metro promotion in which visitors to downtown Mesa can enter to win prizes, including dinners, gift certificates and a shopping spree. There are two prize drawings remaining, on Monday, Sept. 15, and Tuesday, Sept. 30. To enter, shoppers can post pictures from local businesses on Metro’s Facebook or Twitter pages. They also can enter through raffle boxes at Downtown Rendezvous (20 E. Main St.) and Republica Empanada (204 E. First Ave.). Information:facebook.com/valleymetro. New...

Venture is floated by downtown Phoenix groups

Holding company would allow sharing of resources by Emily Gersema – Oct. 27, 2011 Courtesy of The Arizona Republic [Editor’ Note: Light Rail Advisors supports being efficient and consolidating organizations which have similar purposes. LightRailConnect.com is pro business near light rail] Two downtown Phoenix business groups with similar missions are considering a new partnership to share resources.    Martin Shultz, chairman of the Phoenix Community Alliance, wants the alliance and the tax-funded Downtown Phoenix Partnership under the umbrella of a holding company. This would enable them to share some functions, such as marketing the downtown area or staff. Shultz envisions that some city officials and business leaders would sit on the board of the holding company, which he said would be a non-profit group, similar to a holding company he visited in Denver. “If you set up a holding company, you’ll have people who will be in charge, and then you’ll have the functional organizations (the partnership and alliance) below that,” Shultz said. “We believe strongly that events production — festivals and special events — could be the focus.” Downtown Phoenix Partnership President and CEO David Roderique said the partnership has a small subcommittee studying PCA’s idea. “We’re probably four or six months away from knowing if we want to do something or not,” Roderique said. Phoenix Community Alliance officials have mentioned the idea informally in the past, but the alliance made a formal presentation this month at the partnership’s quarterly meeting. The two groups share a goal — develop downtown Phoenix into a bustling business and entertainment area — and they have many of the same members, such as officials...

Tom’s Tavern in (downtown) Phoenix back in business

by Emily Gersema – Oct. 28, 2011 03:25 PM Courtesy of The Arizona Republic [Editor’s Note: Thanks to the Bidwell family for keeping a tradition going. Light Rail Advisors developed LightRailConnect.com and the LightRailConnect Magazine to also support fine dining and entertainment in the Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa light rail corridor] After a few months of renovations, Tom’s Tavern is back in business. Tom’s Tavern & 1929 Grill in downtown Phoenix reopened this month, unveiling a new look and a new menu under its new ownership — the Bidwill family, which also owns the Arizona Cardinals.   The Bidwills bought the restaurant at Central Avenue and Washington Street this year from the Ratner family. The tavern has been around in various incarnations for more than 80 years and became a landmark restaurant for Phoenix politicos and regulars. “The expectation was that regulars who had been loyal to Tom’s for years would be back after the renovations and that we’d also pick up quite a few new customers,” said Michael Bidwill. “Since reopening a couple weeks ago, that has certainly proven to be the case.” The Bidwills’ remodel has upgraded Tom’s Tavern decor from diner to chic. The checkerboard floor is gone, replaced by a more elegantly bordered European tile with beige, red and dark-green details. The walls are painted in hues of beige or brown, and they’re covered with black and white photos of politicos, the bar’s former owners, photos of the tavern’s earliest years in the late 1920s, and pictures of some of Phoenix’s historic heavy hitters from now and years ago. Aged wood and leather booths border the eatery. Leather...