Downtown Mesa plan nears council approval

by Gary Nelson – Oct. 21, 2011 01:50 AM Courtesy of  the Arizona Republic [Editor’s Note: Light Rail Advisors, owners of LightRailConnect.com, supports the continued development of light rail further east to Gilbert Drive in Mesa] Downtown Mesa is going to change. Always has, always will. The question, city planner Jeff McVay told the City Council on Thursday, is whether those coming changes will create a viable, livable city center or something less attractive. That’s why he has overseen a citizens committee developing a comprehensive plan for the light-rail corridor from Country Club Drive to Gilbert Road After 21 meetings over the past two years, that committee’s work is done and the plan is now headed toward council approval, probably early this coming winter. As if to dispel any nostalgia for the downtown of old, McVay showed the council several pictures showing that there have been several such downtowns – the horse-and-buggy downtown, the downtown that existed when Main Street was actually U.S. 60, and the eclectic downtown of today. The next one will be the downtown of light rail, possibly evolving into a dense urban core of mid-rise buildings with a variety of business and residential uses. The most intense uses are expected to be in the square-mile downtown area and next to future light-rail stops where Main Street intersects with Stapley Drive and Gilbert Road. It’s not just light rail that will transform the area, McVay said. Baby Boomers are showing an increased proclivity for living in transit-rich urban areas with numerous amenities, so downtowns are likely to draw new residents in coming decades. The plan outlines five basic...

Mesa light rail extension to build Park N Ride

  Progress on the Mesa light rail extension is underway. Part of the plans call for a 516-space park-and-ride to be constructed as part of the Central Mesa extension. This new park-and-ride lot will be located at the northeast corner of Mesa Drive and Main Street. Look for the changes to take place over the next year or so. Metro is developing plans for the 3.1 mile extension in a design-build concept. The contractor and architect will be selected sometime in the Spring of 2012.  Stay tuned. Light Rail Advisors has developed a web and print presence to support the concept of Live, Work, Play in the light rail corridor. We are actively pulling business, cultural and governmental interests together to promote business and growth in the corridor. Our goal is to make it easy to live, work and play near the tracks. For more information, contact Bryan Watkins at 480.734.7878, or Don Mortensen at 602.451.3684....

Phoenix light-rail extension may be getting back on track

Phoenix light-rail extension may be getting back on track Courtesy of Sean Holstege – Aug. 16, 2011 The Arizona Republic [Editors Note: The Phoenix 3.2 mile extension compliments Mesa’s 3.1 mile extension. LightRailConnect is a big proponent of the expansion helping business grow in the light rail corridor.] When the recession started biting hard into the region’s transportation plans, the light-rail extension due to open first went toward the back of the list. Workers were weeks away from digging into northwest Phoenix streets in July 2009 when a sharp drop in Phoenix transit-tax revenue forced officials to push the starting date back indefinitely and suspend contracts. Two years later, and three since Metro light rail debuted, transit and city leaders are confident they can find a way to restart the extension around the end of the year. The project would add 3.2 miles of track and three stations north of Montebello Station on 19th Avenue. “The mayor is challenging us to get this done by December,” said Metro CEO Steve Banta, referring to Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. “It’s the most shovel-ready project we have.” Building the line won’t require new taxes, Phoenix officials say. Because of improving revenues from a city transit sales tax, Phoenix can issue bonds to cover most of the cost, they say. Resurrecting the project will require votes from Metro’s board and a regional transportation group, as well as a fresh agreement with contractors. If all goes well, Metro says, passengers could ride the line in 2015 – three years late. The extension will require Metro to run more trains on the line to maintain its existing...

METRO Opens New Park-and-Ride Lot at 7th Avenue and Camelback

Metro Press Release PHOENIX, AZ — Shaded parking has been added to the 20-mile METRO light rail line with the opening of a new park-and-ride lot at 7th Avenue and Camelback Road in central Phoenix. “The new park-and-ride provides greater access to transit and to life along the line,” said METRO CEO Steve Banta.  “And it couldn’t have come at a better time with ridership on the rise.” The new lot adds 123 spaces, 62 percent of which are shaded by overhead canopies, to a system that now contains more than 3,600 free-to-use parking spaces for transit riders.  The lot was built with neighborhood involvement and provides a well-lit and secure parking environment.  It will help to serve the more than 45,000 weekday riders and large weekend crowds. This project was financed using $3.9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds provided to METRO by City of Phoenix for use in building this lot and adding shade canopies to existing Phoenix park-and-rides.  More than 50 percent of the lots at Central/Camelback and 19th Avenue/Camelback are now shaded. “We are pleased to see that the ARRA program is doing what it intended to do, which was to put people to work on jobs that aided in economic recovery,” commented Federal Transit Administrator for Region 9, Leslie Rogers.  “And transit projects play a key role in helping the economy...

Browse Jobs near Phoenix light rail

Bryan Watkins July 24, 2011 Light Rail Advisors Did you know that you can now browse hundreds of online jobs near Phoenix light rail? Well, if that is news to you, don’t wait any longer! Why go and search through numerous job site when it is all now in one place. This new feature is smart and always up to date. Jobs in the medical field, business, hotel management, restaurant and many other are going unfilled every day. For more information, click on the link: Jobs near Phoenix light rail Happy Hunting!        ...

Light rail may force some businesses out

by Gary Nelson – Jun. 24, 2011 The Arizona Republic In a city bloated by rootless newcomers, a city where just a few decades of existence can qualify a neighborhood as “historic,” the Wongs are an anomaly. The family has been doing business at Main Street and Mesa Drive since before Arizona was a state. Supplies from Frank Wong’s tiny grocery store traveled by buckboard to crews building Roosevelt Dam. The legendary movie cowboy Tom Mix is said to have busted broncs in a corral behind the store. But now it seems certain the day is coming when a Wong will no longer turn the key at 410 E. Main St. That probably was going to happen anyway, said former Mayor Willie Wong and his brother, Wilky, who inherited the family property in 1972. They operate Wilky’s Performance Center by themselves, with the exception of one employee. Their children are established in other careers, unlikely to take over the auto-parts store and machine shop. And frankly the Wongs are not getting any younger. The end of the line, however, may come somewhat sooner than the Wongs had anticipated because of another end of the line. That would be the eastern terminus of the light-rail extension that will muscle its way through downtown Mesa over the next five years. Construction is to begin in 2013. A public project that big will inevitably step on a few toes – or land parcels. The approximately $200 million line will require about 40 land acquisitions – some big, some small – to accommodate traffic right-of-way, tracks, stations and other infrastructure. Most would be for only small slivers...