by bryan | Jul 24, 2011 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information, Uncategorized
by Jim Walsh – Jun. 25, 2011 06:51 AM The Arizona Republic Mormon Church leaders are taking an active role in planning for the day when the Metro light-rail extension reaches the historic Arizona Temple in 2016. A church architect with extensive experience is serving on a committee planning the light-rail extension. A prominent Gilbert bishop and developer has been buying and fixing up small houses near the temple. And that developer, C. Dennis Barney, has donated $40,000 to help Mesa complete an overhaul of its zoning code that will make urban redevelopment easier. His donation comes with no strings attached, and Barney has no proposals before city boards or commissions, city officials say. Barney, a candidate for Maricopa County supervisor, said that he and his late father, T. Dennis Barney, bought the properties to improve the appearance of the area around the temple, which was built in 1927. For many years, it was the only temple in Arizona. Barney said he and his family are not motivated by profit, although he is anticipating there will be redevelopment someday. “We’re not in a rush to do something. It’s been more of a legacy project,” Barney said. “I think we have accomplished what we set out to do already, to a certain extent.” Barney said his donation to Mesa is a good investment because the zoning-code overhaul and light rail will set the tone in the city for decades to come. He looks at himself as a partner of Mesa and the Mormon Church. “If you view the area today compared to, say, 10 years ago, there’s been a lot of progress....
by bryan | Jul 24, 2011 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information, Uncategorized
John Genovese – Jul. 15, 2011 The Arizona Republic Valley Metro has received the required environmental clearance to allow for its 3.1-mile light rail extension into central Mesa. The “Finding of No Significant Impact” was issued by the Federal Transit Administration after Valley Metro officials were required to submit an environmental impact report to the agency. “This is another significant step toward implementing the voter-approved extension of light rail,” Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said on Thursday. “(The extension) is so important to not only Mesa, but to the entire metro region.” According to a press release, transit officials have spent more than a year reviewing potential property, historic preservation sites, and environmental factors to plan for the rail extension. “This is good news that took a lot of hard work by METRO working closely with the City of Mesa,” said METRO CEO Steve Banta. “It allows us to initiate other key areas of work including utility relocation and real estate acquisition discussions.” The planned extension will be built through downtown Mesa on Main Street, ending at Mesa Drive. The section will include four new stations and a park-and-ride lot. Destinations such as the Mesa Arts Center and Nile Theater will be alongside the new addition. Officials said rail planners are still working to finalize the project design, and the extension is expected to be operational by...
by bryan | Jul 24, 2011 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information, Uncategorized
by Emily Gersema – Jul. 16, 2011 The Arizona Republic Metro light rail held two open houses recently in a neighborhood west of the state Capitol to address residents’ questions about its recommended 11-mile west extension, but turnout was small. The proposal under consideration by Metro’s advisory board involves laying track on Jefferson Street beginning at Central Avenue, then past the Capitol and state buildings to the Black Canyon Freeway. It would proceed north to Interstate 10 and then run west to 79th Avenue. While at one of the open houses on Wednesday, Terry Gruver of Metro light rail said officials have had to use a different tactic to connect with residents in the St. Matthew Neighborhood: walking door to door. To draw residents to the open houses at Neighborhood Ministries, 19th Avenue and Van Buren Street, Metro officials left door hangers at the homes along Jefferson Street from 19th Avenue to the Black Canyon Freeway, Gruver said. The hangers were written in English and Spanish. St. Matthew Neighborhood is the largest residential area that would be affected by the proposal. The rest of the route would parallel freeways. But Metro is facing some difficulties communicating with the St. Matthew neighbors that it did not encounter when proposing the current line, which runs from Phoenix to Tempe and Mesa. The high-poverty St. Matthew Neighborhood, sandwiched by Fillmore and Jackson streets, the Black Canyon Freeway and 19th Avenue, is comprised primarily of renters and some homeowners. Most residents are Latino blue-collar workers, and many of them speak no English. Many do not have computers at home, which for Metro means e-mail updates are ineffective. One neighbor,...
by bryan | Jul 24, 2011 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information, Uncategorized
by Emily Gersema – Jul. 21, 2011 Arizona Business Gazette One of the stations on the Metro light rail gives travelers a cool refuge from the desert heat. The station at Third and Washington streets near the Phoenix Convention Center is cooled by a solar-powered water-cooling system that Mayor Phil Gordon says is a prototype for systems he hopes will be installed at other light-rail and bus stations. The cooling fans above the seats on platforms were turned on just in time for the rush of passengers during Major League Baseball’s All-Star week. “This was at no cost to the taxpayers,” Gordon said. The $300,000 project was paid with a mixture of funding from the company leading the project, NRG Thermal, and the contractors who worked on the project, said David Gaier, a spokesman for the company in Princeton, N.J. Gordon said he was interested in adding the solar-run cooling systems when he saw similar systems in Dubai. Jim Lodge of NRG said the chilled water from an NRG chilled-water plant near downtown Phoenix is pumped through coils in the upper section of the station. Solar panels on top of the station collect energy to power a set of fans, which blow the cooled air onto passengers waiting for the train. Passengers can turn the cooler on by pushing a button. NRG officials said they will cover the cost of maintaining the system at the station. Gordon said other similar cooling systems could be added to the Arizona State University Downtown Phoenix buildings. The NRG Energy Center is a chilled-water plant that has, since 2001, provided chilled water for cooling systems at 34 downtown buildings,...
by bryan | Jul 24, 2011 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information, Uncategorized
by Sean Holstege – Jul. 17, 2011 The Arizona Republic When the Valley’s economy was unraveling in 2008, transit service was an early casualty. Three years of cuts ensued. Dozens of bus lines were eliminated, rerouted or truncated. Wait times grew, and fares shot up on buses and light rail. Some of those transit cuts, and the resulting hardship for many riders, might have been averted if the Valley’s transit network were run by a single unified agency, an Arizona Republic analysis indicates. Unified transit systems are common among fast-growing Western cities. As it is, in Maricopa County, 11 local transit agencies provide bus and rail service, creating redundant costs in administrative personnel and contracted services such as bus operations and security. At $70 million a year, administrative costs make up nearly a quarter of the system’s total operating costs, making the Valley the third most top-heavy region in the country, according to data from federal and local agencies. Some local leaders believe those costs can be cut and are talking favorably of an eventual merger of transit agencies. “In a perfect world, I’d set up a base regional transit system, managed by a single regional agency, based not on city lines but on travel needs,” Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said. He and about a dozen other transit officials say a single agency could not only save the taxpayer-subsidized system money but also eliminate service gaps, such as poorly timed connections between cities, that inconvenience current riders and keep away prospective ones. Efforts to integrate the system over the years have been stalled by city leaders who fear losing local control and not...
by bryan | Jul 24, 2011 | light rail expansion
by Sadie Jo Smokey – Jul. 18, 2011 Arizona Republic Phoenix is amending the city’s general plan for land-use planning near light-rail stations and is asking residents for input. A public meeting to discuss the station at Central Avenue and Camelback Road is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Days Inn, 502 W. Camelback Road. The general plan is a blueprint that outlines land-use and policy guidelines on how the city should grow and redevelop for decades into the future. State law requires cities, towns and counties to update the plan every 10 years. But legislation the state passed last year extended the deadline to 2015 to give budget-constricted local governments short on planning staff more time to update their general plans. Because light rail did not exist during the creation of the existing general plan, Phoenix staff is hosting station-specific meetings to get an idea of what residents, business owners and others envision. Attendees will discuss a general range of appropriate building heights for future real-estate redevelopment. By having stakeholders identify what they want to preserve, promote and will accept in advance, the general plan can better guide future real-estate development. The meetings are not about property ownership, existing zoning or uses, city officials have said. Properties along the light-rail route are in a transit-overlay district, which means less space is dedicated for parking due to the proximity to the train. The Alhambra Village Planning Committee has discussed possible recommendations for how its light-rail-station areas should look and feel. The committee is slated to make a recommendation at its monthly meeting, 6 p.m. July 26 at the Washington Adult Center, 2240 W. Citrus...
by bryan | Jun 16, 2011 | light rail corridor, Valley Metro
courtesy of Phoenix Business Journal – by Adam Kress Date: Thursday, June 16, 2011 As 100-plus-degree temperatures set in, a solar-powered cooling system is coming to a busy Metro light rail stop in downtown Phoenix. NRG Thermal LLC, a subsidiary of Phoenix-based NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE:NRG), will build a system allowing travelers to push a button at the 3rd Street/Washington light rail stop for a hit of cool air. It comes from NRG’s downtown district cooling system, which uses chilled water underground to help cool buildings. Fans at the light rail stop will use solar power to blow the cold air onto riders. The system is scheduled to launch by July 5, before the Major League Baseball All-Star Game events begin. The game is set for July 12, but nearly a week of events leading up to it will bring thousands of tourists to downtown Phoenix. “I was able to experience a similar system during a business trip to Dubai and brought the idea back to Phoenix,” said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. “NRG took the ball and ran with it, investing its money and expertise to make this happen. This solar-powered system will make riding the light rail in Phoenix even cooler.” The system will operate from May through September each year. NRG is covering all costs of the project and maintenance. Access to light rail service and station amenities, including fare vending machines, will not be affected by the construction. The project also will include an educational exhibit showcasing the technology and how it works. NRG owns and operates NRG Energy Center Phoenix, which provides cooling for 34...
by bryan | Jun 8, 2011 | light rail corridor, News & Information, Real Estate Development
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 courtesy of the East Valley Tribune HUD awarded Mesa money to also buy homes in the new Mesa light rail extension corridor. $4 million worth. Mesa has been awarded $4 million to continue its program of buying foreclosed or abandoned homes so they can be renovated and resold to stem declining property values. The funds from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will be used largely within a half-mile of the planned Metro light-rail extension, from Mesa Drive to Gilbert Road and from University Drive to Broadway Road. Mesa has already received more than $9.6 million from HUD that it has used to buy and refurbish about 40 homes in the 85204 ZIP code. The city offers homes in the Neighborhood Stabilization Program to buyers with limited incomes who must make part of a down payment, secure a 30-year, fixed-rate loan, complete home buying counseling and live in the home at least 15 years. Those who qualify will receive assistance with the down payment and closing costs. For more information about the program, call (480)...
by bryan | Jun 5, 2011 | Jobs, light rail corridor, News & Information, Uncategorized
Where, oh where are the jobs, today? Looking for a good job? Want to have an easy way to get to work, avoiding the hassles of traffic and parking? Today you have well over 200 choices! Jobs along light rail are available right now, today. Browse the list of opportunities on the growing list of careers. So, maybe it is not exactly what you have working at for the last decade. But now the economy is changing, and although it may be a little scary, it also can be exciting and challenging to walk into a solid, stable position. Jobs along light rail We have set up a unique search tool for you to locate job, keep an eye on a particular geographic area, or follow an industry. So what are you waiting for! Contact us to voice your opinion. We are here to provide opportunities to work. ...
by bryan | Jun 4, 2011 | Light Rail Business, light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information
by Jim Walsh – Jun. 3, 2011 The Arizona Republic A new $20 million investment fund to jump-start transit-oriented development along the Metro light-rail line couldn’t come at a better time for Mesa as it prepares for an extension to Mesa Drive. Although the new Sustainable Communities Development Fund probably won’t be tapped until sometime this fall, four developers already have approached the Local Initiatives Support Corp. with potential projects, said Teresa Brice, executive director of LISC’s Phoenix office. “The timing is perfect for us,” Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said about the fund. “It’s what I call a statement investment. When they invest, others will follow.” Smith also said the city is completing the Central Main Street Plan, which will chart redevelopment along the light-rail extension scheduled to open in 2016. The plan calls for higher-density development to capitalize on light rail. Mike James, Mesa’s transit services director, said the fund could be used to help build affordable housing along the First Avenue corridor near downtown Mesa, or to replace trailer parks in poor condition along Main Street with better housing. “It provides opportunities for a whole range of people to live and work with transportation,” he said. “They don’t need to have a car.” Although light rail has generated plenty of ridership in Mesa, the economic impact has been muted. The line opened during the recession and extends only about a mile into the city. In contrast, Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman said the light-rail line has lured $2.5 billion in investment and helped the city redevelop Apache Boulevard, a longtime trouble spot. LISC and the Raza Development Fund, with...
