by bryan | Feb 26, 2011 | light rail expansion
Jim Walsh Arizona Republic West Mesa’s assortment of boarded-up fast-food restaurants, an abandoned supermarket, run-down motels and unattractive trailer parks didn’t exactly impress a woman from Ohio riding the Metro light rail for the first time during the holidays. “She really liked Tempe, going over the bridge. She wanted to get back to Mill Avenue” for lunch, said Jim McPherson, a Phoenix historic preservationist, when asked about his mother Bea’s reaction to Mesa’s gateway along the light-rail line. “They really should start looking at what people see on both sides,” he said. “It’s a no-man’s land. You need a little more there for synergy.” … Don Mortensen, a co-owner of Light Rail Advisors, a real-estate brokerage, said he has seen a few businesses immediately adjacent to the Sycamore Station prosper, but the economic downtown and the lack of financing delayed plans for a large apartment complex. Although apartment complexes aimed at Arizona State University students are thriving along light rail in Tempe, “Mesa has been on the end of the development side,” he said. Just across the Mesa border in Tempe, crews are busy building Apache Trails,a 75-unit federally subsidized apartment complex for deaf seniors that is expected to open this summer, said Larry Schmalz,a Tempe planner. Despite the recession, light rail has been a major stimulant to construction and business development in Tempe, he said. “It’s an evolution. It takes a while for it all to come together. It’s one project at a time,” Schmalz said. But Mortensen and Teresa Brice,a former Mesa mayoral candidate and now executive director of the Local Initiatives Support Corp. in Phoenix, agreed...
by bryan | Feb 26, 2011 | light rail expansion
Jim Walsh Arizona Republic Mesa Light-rail construction schedule • 2011 – Design work continues. • 2012 – Construction delays begin as crews move utilities in preparation of construction. • 2013-16 – Heavy construction under way as crews install tracks, build stations and parking facilities between Sycamore and Mesa Drive. A site for a park-and-ride has not been...
by bryan | Feb 26, 2011 | light rail expansion
by Sean Holstege – Feb. 15, 2011 The Arizona Republic Supporters of Mesa’s planned downtown light-rail extension got a major boost Monday when President Barack Obama included money for it in his budget proposal. Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff will announce today that the government will include $38 million for the 3-mile, four-station extension in the budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. A budget summary posted online by the U.S. Department of Transportation lists the Mesa project. “This is a great day, great news,” Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said. “Once you get in the door, it’s rare that they pull the plug.” Read...
by bryan | Feb 26, 2011 | light rail expansion, News & Information
by Emily Gersema – Feb. 26, 2011 The Arizona Republic Metro light rail is inviting the public to a meeting Wednesday so residents can learn and comment on details of the agency’s plan for light rail’s west extension through west Phoenix. The proposal under consideration by Metro’s advisory board involves laying track on Jefferson Street from Central Avenue, past the Capitol and state buildings to Interstate 17, then north to Interstate 10, where it would then run west to 79th Avenue. The proposed line would connect at Central Avenue and Jefferson Street to the existing 19-mile light-rail line that runs from 19th and Montebello avenues in Phoenix through Tempe and into west Mesa. Read...
by bryan | Feb 26, 2011 | Light Rail Business, Restaurant
John Kelly LightRailConnect Intern The Best Mex in Tempe Moreno’s Mexican Grill in Tempe is located on the Southeast corner of Rural Rd. and University Dr. right across from the light rail station located on the west side of Rural Rd. It has a fantastic selection of relatively inexpensive but purely authentic Mexican cuisine. While admittedly, there is not much room for expansion or innovation with Mexican food, Moreno’s Grill does a great job of using only the freshest ingredients to create dishes, tacos and burritos that will make you believe you are in the heart of Central America. Moreno’s has 3 locations, the original location being on Home Rd. and Broadway Rd. in Mesa, with another arriving in Chandler a few years later and their newest location in Tempe. As soon as you walk in the door, you are exposed to a sensory overload of nostalgic sights, sounds and smells. You are greeted enthusiastically by one of the employees with the familiar “hola amigos” as your ears pick up the uniquely Latin American music coming from the jukebox in the corner; the constant grilling of carne asada, chicken, and seafood overload your olfactory system and whisk you away to that last vacation you took to the Mexican Riviera. The bar and drink selection is equally as impressive and will leave you singing Latin love songs and shaking maracas just like a Mariachi band (disclaimer: the previously described actions may or may not have been induced by a margarita and tequila-filled stupor; but either way, patrons are sure to enjoy themselves). As a personal favorite, the chicken fajita burrito,...
by bryan | Feb 15, 2011 | ASU, light rail apartments and rentals
by Lynlee Smith Campus Suites is the perfect student accommodation located just off the Lightrail at Apache and Mc Clintock station. With two bedroom suites currently starting at $745, three bedroom suites starting at $675 and four bedrooms starting at $635. This complex offers some of the best facilities along the Lightrail. Each room consists of private bathrooms for each individual, hard wooden floors, granite counter tops, washers and dryers and flat screen TV’s to top it off. The amenities don’t stop there. Campus suites has great shared facilities such as a 4,000 square foot gym which has top of the range cardio equipment with built in television sets to enjoy your favorite TV show while you work out, two outdoor swimming pools, an entertainment area consisting of Pool tables, Nintendo Wii, X box and for the ladies who don’t have time to tan outdoors, tanning beds. With these kinds of facilities why wouldn’t you want to live here? Local resident Zac Helms said “Campus Suites is a great place to live. The student atmosphere is great and there is always something going on, the staff are really helpful and are on call 24/7 to assist with any problems”. Campus Suites is the perfect place to make your home, for students wanting off campus living. Their main client base consists of ASU, Rio Salado and other local community college students in the local Phoenix area. Being right beside the Lightrail has helped their establishment become more recognized due to the increased foot traffic in the area. ASU offers free light rail passes for a year for ASU students to...
by bryan | Feb 15, 2011 | Light Rail Business, Restaurant
Dave’s Electric Brewpub in Tempe is the newest addition to the infamous brand that has caressed the hearts and palates of Arizonans for the past 23 years. Its claim to fame is the fact that it is the oldest microbrewery in Arizona. 23 years may not seem like a long time when compared to the likes of Anheiser-Busch or Samuel Adams, however, microbreweries were just legalized in the past quarter-century. “Electric” Dave was the founder and started honing his craft in the historic town of Bisbee, AZ. The historic town was the site of the first microbrewery with the rugged and Western feel of the region influencing such libations as: OK Ale (a creative take on the OK Corral), Industrial Pale Ale, and Old Frog Grog. “Electric” Dave, possibly as an ode to himself, also created a lager; aptly named Dave’s Electric Lager. These four brews have been the backbone of Dave’s brewing operation since its inception, however, new beers are being experimented with as we speak. The pricing is as follows: $4 pints, $11 pitchers, $21 tower (a wonder to behold), and a $4 beer sampler (recommended for first-timers). Happy hour is from 4-7pm and 10:30-midnight weekdays plus all day Sunday. The gastronomic wonders produced in Dave’s kitchen are equally as authentic and feature everything from the Copper Mine BBQ Chicken Pizza to classic hamburgers to the Gotta Love St Elmo’s Mac ‘n Cheese all priced for under $10. The culinary creations often feature a touch of Southwestern swagger and compliment the beer on tap perfectly. The Tempe location is nestled snuggly around the infamous Mill Ave., Tempe...
by bryan | Feb 3, 2011 | Jobs, light rail corridor
We have an opening for one college student intern to assist with new business development and creative writing. There is commission income possible on some projects. College experience is a requirement. Some projects we are developing are: light rail corridor focus business development projects creative writing business/restaurant reviews Position is available to work from home or school. Please send resumes to...
by bryan | Feb 3, 2011 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion
by Dianna M. Nanez – Feb. 2, 2011 The Arizona Republic The Tempe City Council directed its staff to move forward with an application for federal funding to help build a streetcar system that would travel along Mill Avenue between Rio Salado Parkway and Southern Avenue. Tempe hopes to use a federal grant to pay half of the estimated $160 million cost to build the 2.6-mile length of streetcar track Hillary Foose of Metro light rail has said the remaining funding would come from Proposition 400, which was passed by Maricopa County voters in 2004 and extended a voter-approved half-cent-per-dollar sales tax by two decades. The streetcar is similar to light rail in that it runs on a rail line, but streetcars are smaller in length and width than light-rail vehicles. The stops along a streetcar line are similar to bus stops and more frequent than light-rail stops. Streetcars run as a single car, where light rail usually links two or more cars. To apply for a federal grant, Tempe must outline options to pay for operating a streetcar. If the project is approved for Federal Transit Authority funding, construction would begin in 2013 and end in 2016. The cost of operating the streetcar in 2017 is estimated at $3.1 million. That cost would be offset by fare revenue estimated at $618,000. In the past year, many public-transportation users have opposed cuts to bus services and the addition of the streetcar, saying Tempe would get more value out of investing in improving its bus system. Although Tempe has struggled in the tough economy to sustain funding for its transit operations, council...
by bryan | Feb 2, 2011 | light rail corridor, News & Information, Seattle Sound Transit
By John Kelly As many cities are beginning to see the economic and social benefits of a Light Rail system, Seattle has recently joined the train transit club. The light rail system began by servicing Downtown Seattle to the rural city of Tukwila in July of 2009. It extended its service to Sea-Tac (the area’s regional international airport) later that year. In 2008, construction began on a new section servicing the University of Washington but there is no exact completion date. Sound Transit, Seattle’s public transportation authority estimates that by 2030, the completed light rail system will take around 115,000 riders off the roads. This will have an incredible impact on the area’s notoriously congested streets and freeways. Plans for the future include a light rail line through Bellevue, a city neighboring Seattle, as well as an extra 100,000 operational hours. These expansions will further connect citizens of the area to places where they can live, work and play in a fast and economical fashion. Sound Transit’s website, www.soundtransit.org, features a Trip Planner where riders can enter their start and ending locations as well as their required times of departure and arrival and the Planner will calculate a trip through the transit system catered to their...
