by bryan | Jul 10, 2010 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information
Thanks to the Arizona Republic, this is a cool map of the current light rail tracks AND proposed extensions. (They have nice budgets to pay someone to make this map for everyone to enjoy) Check it out!...
by bryan | Jun 18, 2010 | News & Information
And the Winners are…. ASU Professor and Student So you think going to college only costs you money? No way to get paid for some ideas or time? Think again, because it has happened at ASU. Good news for everyone. A former student and a professor at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication have recently won a $90,000 Knight News Challenge grant to develop a mobile application that enables citizens to propose and collaborate on ways to better their communities. And now for what it is. The application is named CitySeed. It was originally thought up by Retha Hill, director of the New Media Innovation Lab at Arizona State University, and Cody Shotwell, who is a former lab student who graduated in December. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation of Miami announced the winners last week. What it is for those of us who can try to understand…CitySeed uses a combination of geolocation and social networking to gather suggestions from people on improvements to the community they live in. More later. Don’t be surprised that more and more Social Media apps and discussions will be forthcoming. Have you heard that Gen Y does not use email like their parents? Hmmm…big changes are afoot. **|** Bryan Watkins tries to understand the Social Media movement the best he can. If he has questions, he asks any 10 year old on the block who can explain it. Bryan sells real estate in Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and Tempe Arizona. Want to find more info on your next home or property? Call or text Bryan at 480.734.7878 or email bryan@LRAphx.com today. You...
by bryan | Jun 18, 2010 | light rail corridor, News & Information, Real Estate Development
Well, don’t laugh. It may become an actual reality. Tempe AZ is discussing plans to build a modern street car system on several downtown routes. The idea would be to link the city center with areas that are in the south, maybe as far as Chandler. Now that would be news… The question will be discussed this summer, and will include actually where to run the tracks on which street. First it was Mill, but Ash is also up for discussion. Mill may be a little tight. Streetcar construction would likely be a less disruptive proposition than the light rail work. The streetcar is lighter, so crews don’t have to dig as deep into the street or move as many utilities. The utility relocation is the most agonizing part of construction. So now for the numbers (and we are in a recession). The project could cost about $150 to $175 million, but not all local money. About $75 million could come from you guessed it: Washington. Stay tuned for more updates. **|** Bryan Watkins sells real estate in Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert and Chandler. You can have FREE ACCESS to my official MLS by going to http://LRARealEstate.com. Or, you can also call or text Bryan at 480.734.7878, or email bryan@LRAphx.com today. Courtesy of Agrin Groff, EVT ______________ ____________________...
by bryan | May 22, 2010 | News & Information, Valley Metro
Have you seen them yet? I mean, the light rail train cars wrapped with advertising? If not, soon you will. For starters, the first train wrap was sold to Grand Canyon University, then an event at the Phoenix International Raceway and a condo complex near the Osborn Station in Phoenix. Passengers will also begin to see ads for the U.S. Census as well as WrestleMania. Already in place are display ads for the Census, IHOP restaurant and a townhouse complex near the end station at Montebello Ave. Metro reports the new ads could generate an estimated $350,000 revenue per year, an amount that is certainly worth considering. Metro’s portion of the revenue share is about 60% of the total take. -courtesy of Sean Holstege, AZ Central March 23,...
by bryan | May 22, 2010 | light rail corridor, News & Information, Valley Metro
The Metro Board pushed back planned light rail extensions and will require a new regional tax to be built, according to actions taken this week. These include extensions to towards the Paradise Valley Mall, Glendale, and toward Peoria Avenue in Phoenix. All these extensions will now be funded by the 2004 voter-passed Prop 400 plus state and federal funds. Money from Prop 400 runs out in 2025 and the region does not have the money to fund these and other project that were originally planned. -courtesy of AZ Central, April 22,...
by bryan | May 22, 2010 | light rail corridor, News & Information, Valley Metro
The Metro reported record ridership for the month of April 2010 of over 1.2 million passengers. This surpasses all other reported numbers since the train started operating 17 months ago. The previous month of March 2010 reported a then-record of 1.16 million riders. The Diamondbacks home opener on Monday April 5 now stands as Metro’s daily record-holder, with 55,679 officially measured boardings. Metro also had its first back-to-back 50,000-passenger days, when D’Backs games coincided with an Eagles concert and a Phoenix Suns playoff...
