Local Artist Brightens Mesa’s Downtown

Artist Jake Early and his father install the
temporary art. Photo: Ryan Winkle

Local artist Jake Early has spruced-up 3,000 square feet of outdoor space in Mesa’s Downtown with custom designed and hand-printed art. Placed in both surprising and conspicuous locations, these fine-art images, inspired by street art and wheat-pasted posters, reflect Mesa’s heritage in a variety of ways. Sponsored by the DMA and NEDCO, this temporary public art project is made possible through the Valley-wide InFlux project, now in it’s 5th year. Various art is installed throughout the Valley. You can find a variety of these temporary installations in Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Scottsdale, Phoenix and other valley cities!

Jake made ten individual designs, which can be found around 15 businesses downtown -- can you find them all? Which is your favorite?

For more information:

In Flux - www.influxaz.org

Downtown Mesa Association - Press Release

Downtown Mesa - If you knew it, you’d do it!

In Mesa, Community Groups Discover Power of Voice

Guest post by Gordon Walek. 

Everyone pays lip service to the notion that community involvement is a critical element in determining how urban areas evolve and change – that residents, and the businesses and institutions representing them, have a say in what gets built when, where and why.

Attendees at a Mesa Workshop. Photo: Gordon Walek

In older cities with histories of neighborhood activism and activists, such as Jane Jacobs in New York and Saul Alinsky and Gale Cincotta in Chicago, local governments have institutionalized systems for engaging local people in planning everything from new houses, businesses, and parks to highways and rail systems.

But what about newer cities, where such planning traditions don’t exist? There’s no blueprint that local governments can apply to ensure thorough and robust community engagement in shaping how they grow. But in Mesa, Ariz., they’re working to create one.

With 440,000 residents, Mesa, just east of Phoenix, is Arizona’s third largest city and receives about $3.5 million annually from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through Community Development Block Grants, HOME funds and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program – mostly for the development of affordable housing and other community-related assets. The money, of course, comes with a few hitches, including that the city prepare five-year plans laying out how the money will be spent. Those plans require public comment.

Planning without community voice

“Historically, that planning has been done without active community voice,” said Tammy Albright, director of Mesa’s Department of Housing & Community Development, which is responsible for creating those five-year consolidated plans. “Everyone, including the city, wanted that to change. But it’s very difficult to get people to engage. We’ve put it (notices of meetings for public comment) in the newspaper and on our website and maybe one person shows up. They don’t know what a consolidated plan is.”

Photo: Gordon Walek

That’s not a knock on the citizenry. Even in older, more established cities there’s rarely a public stampede to discuss arcane urban planning matters. But in Mesa, there’s no history, and no structure, for such comment.

That wasn’t lost on HUD, a couple of national community development intermediaries (Enterprise and LISC), and a handful of Mesa-based organizations engaged in local economic, housing and transportation development. During the last year, they set about working with the City to improve the process.

For the last few years, Enterprise had been kicking the tires in Mesa, identifying local community development organizations such as the Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO) and A New Leaf that were involved in new business, affordable housing and social services development, while at the same time assessing the city’s efforts to come up with a new plan to spend the HUD dollars. This was at the same time Valley Metro was extending the light rail system from Phoenix to Mesa and the Phoenix LISC office was promoting community development “along the line.”

Good time for planning

“This seemed to be an ideal time to start working with the community development organizations,” said Enterprise’s Ed Rosenthal. “NEDCO had already begun to assist the community in preparing for light rail and A New Leaf had just finished an affordable housing development (the 80-unit La Mesita Apartments) on Main Street near the light rail.”

Presenter Joel Bookman Photo: Gordon Walek

Rosenthal figured that if groups such as NEDCO and A New Leaf got additional technical assistance and training not only would they strengthen their development skills but they could also, with their community roots, be a catalyst for shaping the city’s five-year consolidated plan. In short, a win-win.

So he enlisted Teresa Brice, executive director of the Phoenix LISC office, which had done work in Mesa a few years before employing the LISC MetroEdge the consulting team of Helen Dunlap, Joel Bookman and Amanda Carney – specialists in community engagement and business development – to work with the neighborhood groups and the city.

“Mesa is kind of a conservative place,” said Rosenthal, who until he retired earlier this year directed Enterprise’s rural program from Santa Fe. “You don’t have a lot of active community development corporations, as in New York and Chicago. And solid groups like NEDCO and A New Leaf didn’t coordinate their efforts or understand the power they have. Part of training was to get them to understand the role they could play…in moving the city in a certain direction.”

Enter Helen Dunlap and company, who over the past year presented a series of workshops – open to community development organizations, arts groups, transit advocates, developers, city employees and anyone else – ranging from the basics of community organizing, to how to conduct a meeting, to the value of telling your story. All within the context of helping the city write its five-year consolidated plan.

New breed of Mesa community developers

NEDCO’s David Crummey, an urban planner and public transit advocate, was in the vanguard of whipping up local enthusiasm for the workshops and influencing the consolidated plan. His youth – he’s 33 – and his can-do attitude are consistent with the tone and demographics of many Mesa-based community organizations. Crummey was aware of the consolidated plan – and the opportunity it represented for NEDCO and other groups to influence it. He was troubled to learn that the original meetings to elicit public comment were scheduled on the same day, within an hour of each other.

Workshop Attendee Photo:Gordon Walek

“There’s no way anyone would get to those meetings,” he said. “We needed to make clear what we wanted and how we could leverage those dollars. How do we move forward with a vision for our community rather than just letting things happen?”

Meanwhile, Ryan Winkle, a Mesa native who studied urban planning and cut his community development teeth running an urban garden a couple years ago, acted as a connecting thread among Mesa’s community based organizations, hosting meetings, encouraging attendance at the NEDCO-sponsored  workshops, helping them see themselves as having a collective power when they acted together.

“People are now asking how they can get more involved,” said Winkle, 35. “They’re coming together. They’re talking about what they learned in the workshops. That’s pretty amazing.”

After hearing from Crummey, Winkle and others, the city scheduled three additional public meetings at times when working people could attend, to shape the consolidated plan.

It takes a village

“We have to put a big thank you out to Enterprise, LISC and NEDCO,” said Tammy Albright. “We wouldn’t have had the level of community engagement without their efforts. This is the most community engagement we’ve had on a consolidated plan.”

Photo: Gordon Walek

Crummey credits the workshops with not only boosting the skills of local community groups, but with allowing them to get to know each other.

“At the first one – What is Comprehensive Community Development – aimed at nonprofits and government employees, you could see a few light bulbs going on,” he said. “How do we come together, instead of just distributing the money? But the conversations at those meetings, and the people who met each other, were the most important part.”

Shay Meinzer, director of real estate and asset manager at A New Leaf, who’s spent the last 16 years working in the nonprofit and for profit housing and community development sectors in Pennsylvania and Ohio, noticed upon arriving in Mesa last May that the neighborhood dynamics – even the definition of neighborhoods – differed considerably with the what she was accustomed to.

“I don’t see neighborhoods fighting for themselves,” she said. “As developers, we can identify opportunities, but if you don’t have the backing of residents, you won’t go anywhere. It’s a very slow process. But whenever you can get people together, you can really start a discussion. Then you have to keep it going.”

As for the consolidated plan? A draft is on the city’s website.

“There’s not as much impact in the plan as I would have liked,” said Rosenthal. “There’s some important language that opens the door to transit-oriented-development planning, but it’ll be meaningless unless the groups apply pressure. They have to keep at it.”

One of the many Mesa workshops. Photo: Gordon Walek

Crummey and others now active in groups like RAILmesa (Retail, Arts, Innovation, Livability), which advocates for increased citizen participation, responsible development of housing, transit options and the creation of quality jobs along Mesa’s light rail corridor, agree. But he sees the planning experience as simply a prelude to an era of larger public engagement in Mesa development.

“The biggest thing that needs to be conveyed is that a group of people with a common purpose can bring about change,” he said. “If the community wants to see things happen, it needs to work together and speak in a concerted voice. This experience has changed the level of interest in downtown Mesa. And it’s reduced the fear that the community is some ugly beast that would bite you.”

Gordon Walek, a Chicago-based writer and photographer, has spent that last 15 years working in various communications capacities for Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Prior to his work with LISC, Gordon spent 20 years as a newspaper and wire service reporter in the Chicago area, where he also worked as an adjunct professor at Columbia College.

More photos of the events are included here.

Downtown Mesa: If you knew it, you’d do it.

Impromptu Restaurant Crawl is Successful in Downtown Mesa

Recently, a group of passionate friends formed Project Downtown Mesa and DTMesa.org, with the goal of bringing another restaurant to downtown Mesa. Excited by new people interested in downtown, NEDCO decided to host a restaurant crawl to show off a few of the great restaurants open for dinner downtown. Many of the group had no idea that downtown Mesa had such a variety of restaurants open for dinner including 26 restaurants within a half mile of the arts center, 14 of which are full-service.

Beginning at Republica Empanada, we enjoyed a delightful spread of empanadas and their fabulous Arroz con Pollo. Marco Meraz, the manager, introduced the food and told us the history of the restaurant, and about his family’s commitment to Downtown Mesa. From there, we transitioned to Nunthaporn’s Thai Cuisine, where we were overwhelmed by three featured dishes and spring rolls - Pad Thai with Shrimp, Cashew Chicken, and Massaman Curry with Chicken. Nunthaporn shared her family’s story and history in downtown, moving from Country Club and the US60 to downtown in 2009.

As it began to lightly rain, the group made it’s way over to Queen’s Pizzeria where they were delighted with bruschetta and margarita pizza. Emilie and Gannon Nikolich shared their family’s history in downtown and were delighted to show off their recently renovated new location with a full bar & craft beer on tap. Il Vinaio (the Wine Merchant) greeted the group with a full dining set up and individual portions of their goat cheese linguine with grilled chicken. Cameron and Cindy Selogie talked passionately about their decision to open their business on Main Street and their hopes for the continued growth and local support in downtown. Feeling a little fuller, the group then transitioned to Mango’s Cafe, who generously offered to stay open a little later to accommodate the group. We enjoyed street tacos made with carne asada and al pastor, and were offered chips and salsa and horchata to accompany our tasting. Long-time Mango’s employee, David Jimenez, welcomed the group with enthusiasm and warmth providing an atmosphere tailored for our enjoyment. Our final stop was Margarita’s Grille, where we were greeted with a full table set up and individual sample platters of chimichangas, tacos, taquitos, and fried shrimp. Ryan Caldwell, shared the family’s 30 year history in the restaurant business and in the valley, with Margarita’s being the newest addition to the restaurant family.

The final stop also allowed for easy conversations between the DTMesa group and the NEDCO staff. Discussion was passionate and curious, and everyone spoke with an open mind and excitement about the possibilities in downtown. The downtown vision was mentioned, noting that the initiative to bring 1500 new housing units to downtown would not only support the existing businesses but would also provide evidence and support for new businesses to join our downtown family. There was general consensus that the local restaurants in our downtown need help spreading the word and getting attention from new patrons, as it was clear how easily they were overlooked even by interested local residents. Everyone involved walked away feeling the excitement of a collaborative effort to support and improve downtown.

MESA: If you knew it, you’d do it proved true once again - inviting people to experience our downtown challenges the common misperception that there is not much to offer. In reality, downtown Mesa is made up of locally-owned shops and restaurants and filled with passionate and involved business owners, organizations, and neighbors. If you knew it, you’d do it.

If you are interested in participating in a future downtown restaurant event, please contact us at nedco@nedco-mesa.org. For more information about NEDCO, go to: nedco-mesa.org.

Click here for more photos from the crawl.

Main Street Gets Creative, Artists Invade Downtown Businesses

Local Artists get $1000 mini-grants to partner with Local Businesses in Downtown Mesa

Mesa, AZ: This fall, five local artists will partner with Downtown Mesa businesses to engage the community and bring vibrancy and life to Main Street. In a program called Ripple, the Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO) will fund artists with mini-grants to do placemaking projects in an effort to support community and economic development.

Ripple is inspired by Irrigate in St. Paul, where a local non-profit discovered the value of creative placemaking during their light rail expansion. Downtown Mesa has experienced some of the same challenges as St. Paul and responded in a similar way – finding ways to celebrate the extension of the light rail line and inviting the community to do the same by participating in ongoing events and taking part in a “Shop on Main St.” initiative to support local businesses. Ripple takes these efforts a step further by giving local artists the opportunity to build relationships with the independently owned businesses along Main Street and to use their art as a tool for community development.

All artists were required to attend a day-long workshop on creative placemaking that took place in August and was taught by Springboard for the Arts’ Artist Community Organizer, Jun-Li Wang. Jun-Li focused the workshop on examples of creative placemaking and necessary collaboration and leadership skills. Artists were then required to develop a proposal and submit it for review. Projects were chosen based on three criteria: 1) Quality of Partnership – Is the project mutually-beneficial to both the artist and business? 2) Impact – Will the project have a meaningful, visible, potentially ongoing impact on the community? 3) Viability – Does the project fit with Downtown Mesa and do the partners have the capacity to see the proposal through to successful completion? Five projects were chosen ranging from activities encouraging participation using social media to live mural painting, interactive window displays, and community art workshops.

Terry Benelli, Executive Director of NEDCO, shared her enthusiasm about Ripple, stating “We are so excited about the partnerships that have already been created between these artists and the local businesses and cannot wait to see what these projects further inspire. Ripple provides an opportunity to not only share local artistic talents but to also expose more people to the unique independent business in our downtown. We are witnessing the unique marriage of arts and economics – let’s support our local economy by supporting our local artists!”

Ripple projects are set to take place at several Downtown businesses including Lo-fi Coffee, Queen’s Pizzeria, Lulubell Toy Bodega, Margarita’s Grille, Linton-Milano’s Music, and more to be announced. Projects will begin within the upcoming weeks and wrap up during the winter holidays. 

For more information, contact Jennifer Disbrow at jdisbrow@nedco-mesa.org or 480-258-6932.

About NEDCO: NEDCO is a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution based in Mesa, AZ. Primarily offering micro-loans to low-moderate income census tracts, NEDCO also seeks out opportunities to support the local community through economic development. Find more information at nedco-mesa.org

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Mesa’s Arts & Culture District, needs more arts & culture.

Yes, we have the Mesa Arts Center (MAC), the i.d.e.a. Museum, Mesa Contemporary Arts, and the Second Friday Art Walk, so why does it still feel like something is missing? That question can be answered with two words: Creative Placemaking.

You may be asking yourself, what is this thing, this placemaking? In the words of Springboard for the Arts, “Placemaking is the act of people coming together to change overlooked and undervalued public and shared spaces into welcoming places where community gathers, supports one another, and thrives. Places can be animated and enhanced by elements that encourage human interaction – from temporary activities such as performances and chalked poetry to permanent installations such as landscaping and unique art.”

In July of this year, the Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO) hosted a Creative Placemaking workshop. Carefully selected leaders in Arizona’s art scene participated in three days of training to learn how to administer this workshop to others in the future, representing the Arizona Commission on the Arts, Mesa Arts Center, Childsplay AZ, the i.d.e.a. Museum, and the Mesa Art Bizarre. Along with these leaders, over a dozen artists from Mesa and the Valley participated in the eight-hour interactive course, learning how to begin using their art as a tool for community engagement. Jun-Li Wang, from Springboard for the Arts in St. Paul, used activities, visual examples, and animated discussion to teach artists about placemaking, collaboration techniques, leadership, and teamwork. The workshop wrapped up with Jennifer Disbrow, from NEDCO, answering questions and reviewing the requirements to apply for a mini-grant for artists to fund their own placemaking project.

The sense of connection, engagement, empowerment, and overall excitement coming from those who attended was undeniable. Artists were inspired to start working on their projects to make an impact in Downtown and that is what they did.

Jaime Glasser, a local artist whose craft is iphonography, stated "It has given me an opportunity to think of how public art can bring art in different ways to more people and help connect people with their place and encourage interaction too between businesses, people, places and art. I am really excited and empowered to see what I can do to engage more people this way!"

The Mesa Art League was well-represented at the workshop too, and Loralee Stickel, president of the Mesa Art League, shared her excitement about the experience. "I had no idea this workshop would make a difference. How wrong I was. Not only was I able to network with other artists and business owners, but I was presented with opportunities to work with them. They taught skills on how to cooperate with diverse individuals and what real collaboration is. Thanks to NEDCO for sponsoring this workshop."

Kyllan Maney, “I found the Placemaking workshop to be a gathering of artistic minds seeing downtown Mesa in a new light. I have a greater appreciation for the historic quality of the area. I was enlightened by the projects I saw in other cities presented. It helped me see how Mesa can keep it's historical roots and move forward with the progression of the area. I also liked the aspect of the workshop on communication and collaboration.”

The program is called Ripple, inspired by Springboard for the Arts’ Irrigate program in St. Paul. Ripple applications were due on September 1st and will be reviewed by a collaborative group representing NEDCO, MAC, the Downtown Mesa Association, and downtown businesses. Five artists will be funded to do their project in collaboration with a local business.

We expect the results to be a hit - encouraging a blossoming relationship between artists and downtown, and bringing the arts to the Arts & Culture District in an exciting and reimagined way.

NEDCO is a Community Development Financial Institution based in Mesa, offering microloans and technical business assistance. NEDCO also organizes the Mesa Entrepreneurial Artist program which spans eight weeks and teaches artists business basics and provides networking opportunities. Find out more about NEDCO and this program here: http://www.nedco-mesa.org/calltoartists.html.

Participants discuss leadership styles.

The winners of the tallest tower building contest, demonstrating exceptional teamwork!

More passionate discussion about leadership!

Councilwoman Terry Benelli, on leave from her position as Executive Director of NEDCO, stopped in to speak with participants.

Jun-Li Wang and her exceptional facilitation skills engage participants in discussion about placemaking and collaboration.

ASU State Press and Downtown Mesa

The student newspaper at ASU mentions Downtown Mesa as a potential hub for music after light rail!
"There could be three hubs: downtown Phoenix, downtown Tempe/ASU, and downtown Mesa. Each hub could have different events in the various cultural centers within walking distance of the light rail."
Check it out
http://www.statepress.com/2010/11/03/make-music-phoenix-aural-evolution/

Lighting Octopus reports on our Downtown

Some people like steampunk. Some people really like steampunk.

And some folks like it so much they reserve a big ol’ chunk of space in Downtown Mesa’s 2nd Friday and fill it up with the stuff.

These people are awesome.

Just like last time, Evermore Nevermore (and their neighbors) are going all out again in October’s 2nd Friday. If you’re a fan of the genre at all, you can help make this event shine. You can participate officially, or if you have any sweet gear or outfits to show off to fellow fans, just show up and represent.

It’s all going down Friday, October 8th from 6pm to 10pm.
On the south side of Main Street, between Robson & MacDonald.
(Just find Evermore Nevermore.)
Steampunk artisans, vendors, costumes… contraptions? (I hope so!)
Let them know if you want to be a part of it.
Otherwise, just show up and enjoy!

BTW- Lighting Octopus is another friendly blogger

01-01-10

No I have not turned all linux on you! This is the day of the next Motorcycles On Main AND Randy and Maria's wedding on MacDonald and Main - center stage. Our M.O.M. newlyweds are probably the oposite side of the spectrum when it comes to computer geeks who are looking forward to this rare date. Come join the fun 7:pm is the ceremony.

Az Republic Editorial Board and Downtown Mesa feasibility study

Mesa has learned a valuable economic lesson.

The city used federal grant money to commission two studies on downtown: one on the viability of health-care-related industry, the other on higher education. City Council members had hoped the studies would recommend specific developments for Site 17, the notoriously empty swath of land near Mesa and University drives.


But that's not what happened.

Consultants had a difficult time studying the viability of either industry on the site because most of Mesa's assets in those fields exist outside downtown.

Both studies concluded there were significant health-care and higher-education opportunities to be had in Mesa. That's good news, considering those industries are the "H" and "E" of the city's "HEAT" economic strategy.

Mesa Mayor Scott Smith unveiled the strategy just after taking office in hopes of attracting more high-wage jobs by strengthening the city's existing health-care, education, aerospace and tourism industries. It's good to know the city is on the right track.

But neither study broke much new ground. The conclusions mirrored what Smith and others within the city have been saying for more than a year.

Neither included detailed recommendations for Site 17, a point that visibly disgusted several council members last week when the studies were presented during a study session.

But that's where the lesson comes in.

Smith recognized after the meeting that Mesa had fallen into a common trap, hoping the studies would offer grand ideas to fill a vacant piece of land. It was focusing on a real-estate opportunity, rather than on the most effective strategies to woo high-wage jobs Mesa's way.

Site 17 needs to be filled. But engineering the market to build something there is not the way to do it.

Smith says Mesa should focus its energy on selling the city to health-care companies and colleges and letting them choose the best site for their needs.

He's right.

Though much work remains to finalize that strategy, Mesa now has a much sounder foundation on which to build it - one filled with third-party data about Mesa's assets, not just city intuition and a desire to fill empty real estate.

An important lesson, indeed.



Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2010/09/09/20100909mr-edit0910.html#ixzz0z5tVakYu

Downtown feasibility studies complete

The Az Republic revealed some detail regarding the idea of bringing more of the HEAT initiative to Downtown Mesa. HEAT is the acronym for the area of emphasis for business attraction in all of Mesa. (Healthcare, Education, Aerospace and Tourism).


A "healthplex" was suggested in the study; it would include doctors' offices, diagnostic centers and healthy restaurants and spas. Seems logical (although a big ole bummer) since our health-care assets- Cardon Children's Medical Center, A.T. Still University and Banner Health's medical simulation center are close by.


The Higher Education study confirmed that Arizona is under-served by colleges, especially private schools. A suggestion was made to have a delegation head out to Notre Dame to see what it would take to get them thinking about a western campus in Downtown Mesa. Councilman Kavanaugh said such efforts go back more than a decade when in 1997 Mesa went to Lewis University with the same concept.

Councilman Finter hit the nail on the head about both of the studies- "Everything I'm reading so far, I knew".

So the ideas were confirmed and maybe the dream whittled down a bit. But we still don't have tens of millions of dollars in the bank to plant the seeds like the Mayor said. What about the 84 million potentially on the table for Wrigleyville west. Would concentrating on the "T" in HEAT for Downtown be a bad idea?

Councilman Elect Glover

Yesterday District four elected a new councilman to represent Downtown Mesa. I have taken an excerpt from an article in the Az Republic in July about Christopher.
"My name is Christopher Glover, and I am a candidate for the Mesa City Council District 4 seat. Born and raised in Mesa, my lifelong ties to the area make me an ideal candidate to stand up for the issues that are most important to Mesa citizens.

Recently, I graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a bachelor of arts in political science and minors in Spanish and Latin American history.

I have worked for the law firm of Udall, Shumway and Lyons, as well as the office manager for our family business.

I have seen firsthand the importance small businesses have on the economy and the community, and I am eager to bring this knowledge to the Mesa City Council."

Changes are coming to Downtown Mesa as I've mentioned in a previous blog and this is the beginning!

Bye bye Tribune employees in Downtown

Mark Pierce of Lee and Associates just tweeted that he got the assignment to sell the Tribune Building in Downtown Mesa. It is 107,000 SF. Ok everyone, think outside the box here, and let's get a company in here to bring more jobs to Downtown. Light rail access will be a bonus in the deal.

Get out and vote for the next cheerleader

I mean City Councilman for Downtown Mesa. Tuesday is the day that our next leader will be determined. It is what I think is the most important election in Downtown's history. The four year term that either Vic or Chris will hold will bring changes like we have not seen before. Light Rail will be constructed. There is the possibly of a Cubs Spring Training Stadium and Wrigleyville West being built Downtown. Feasibility studies for a university, college or some higher education entity and a medical campus have been completed and are ready to go to City Council.

District four voter turn out in Mesa is typically weak at best. With the significant changes happening to Downtown it is vital that we get out and vote for the best Cheerleader on Tuesday. Pass the word along to any registered voter in District four it will make a difference in how the changes upon us will play out.

Your choices:

christopherjglover.com

electviclinoff.com

Happy 100th Birthday Arizona (2012) Recalling the past...Mesa Style

Early Mesa pictured about 1883 shows the A. F. Macdonald home and gardens at lower left and at right the “relief society hall” (bishops storehouse? with flat roof), a hotel and store (on corner) and new city hall and jail (pitched roof). Macdonald, Mormon Stake President and first mayor, was sent to Mesa from Utah to iron out difficulties. He left in January 1885 to establish a colony in Mexico.


Bringing the abundant supply of Salt River irrigation water to the top of the mesa transformed the desert into an oasis, providing a source of agricultural wealth. Within a few years, Salt River Valley farms could feed all of Arizona and export a surplus to the rest of the nation. This unidentified canal is pictured about 1908.


Commercial life centered around the intersection of Main and Macdonald, seen here about 1908, looking west. On the SW corner (at left) is the Mesa City Bank, which later became Mesa Drug Company. The next building west is LeSueur, Gibbons & Co. mercantile, established in 1905. It later became LeSueur-Botkin Co. and finally sold to Bayless mercantile of Phoenix in 1926. The building was then replaced by the Nile Theater.


To provide narrow store fronts with the most customer parking automobiles parked head-in at both curbs and in the center of Main Street when this postcard was issued about 1927 (the autos at left are in the middle of the street). The view is looking east toward the intersection with Macdonald. The green sign marks Everybody’s Drugs on the corner with the lamppost. At right is the Nile Theater. Built in 1928, it closed as a theater in 1951. Recently it has been a church and is now called Mesa Underground, a venue for rock music.

This is the intersection of Main & Macdonald about 1939, looking northwest toward Everybody’s Drugs in a rebuilt remnant of Chandler Court (1908). Dr. A. J. Chandler designed and had constructed a horseshoe-shaped, single-story office complex with the first big evaporative cooling system in the Valley. The remaining half seen here was restored in 1984, though nothing like the original building. Established in 1906, Everybody’s Drugs closed in the late 1990s. Parking in the middle of the street was eliminated about 1935. Carrying highways 60, 70, 80, 89 and 93 until the 1970s, Main Street funneled all transcontinental highway traffic from the east into the Valley, giving Mesa the nickname “The Gateway City.”


The same block on Main pictured above is seen here about 1953. Stapley’s Hardware (at right) opened in 1895, profited by providing supplies for Roosevelt Dam construction and eventually added 11 locations across the Valley. Owner, O. S. Stapley was a member of the Arizona constitutional convention in 1910 and then served as state senator. Great grandson Don is a county supervisor.

Looking south on Macdonald in the first block below Main about 1956, the Pioneer Hotel began in 1894 as the Alhambra, finest in Mesa. It burned in 1921, was reconstructed the following year and received a large addition in 1951. It survives as a public hotel operated by Transitional Living Communities. Pat’s Bicycle Shop was next door from 1947 to 1957, when it moved to 929 East Main. The still family owned business moved to Gilbert Gateway Towne Center near the airport at the end of 2009.

Looking northwest above downtown Mesa about 1969, the 5-story Valley National Bank (1959), on the NE corner of Main and McDonald, is the tallest building. In the next block north on McDonald is City Hall (now the Arizona Museum of Natural History), with Queen of Peace Catholic Church (red roof) across the street to the north. At lower right, on Main, the El Portal Hotel (1928) was demolished in 1972 and Mesa City Plaza occupies the site. Valley Bank sold to Bank One in 1993, which was then acquired by Chase. A $6 million renovation completed in 2005 turned the bank building into One Macdonald Center offices, with a US Bank on the ground floor. This part of Mesa used to be the commercial center of the original square-mile city limit bounded by University and Broadway, Country Club and Mesa Drive.

Comparing Salt Lake City and Mesa?

Took this post from a livability blog that talks about similarities of our Downtown and Salt Lake. Interesting and a little off with some of the facts but hey at least people are talking about us- which IMHO is a step in the right direction.

"The City of Mesa has undertaken an ambitious plan to revitalize its downtown along Main Street, which is anchored by the Mesa Arizona Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Mormon church) on its eastern end and by the Mesa Performing Art Center on its western end. The City’s plans include the adoption of the Central Main Street Plan and a form based code which will foment a comprehensive approach to planning, designing and regulating mixed use transit oriented development in downtown Mesa for decades to come.

Drawing similarities to the Mesa’s historic roots and those of Salt Lake City is not difficult. Moreover, current bold efforts by Mesa’s leaders to seek federal funding to extend light rail along Main Street through downtown Mesa and to adopt such cutting-edge planning and development tools begs the questions…if Salt Lake City can do it, why not in Mesa? Granted there are distinctions to be made…but the mere fact that Salt Lake City, with its conservative roots was able to look so progressively into the future and that the residents saw the wisdom of investing in their downtown speaks volumes about the opportunities for Mesa.

When the light rail reaches Mesa Drive on its eastern terminus, it will be a short block from the Mesa Mormon Temple and will likewise serve the powerhouse campuses of Arizona State University in Tempe and downtown Phoenix, Mesa Community College students, and connect Mesa to thousands of square feet of retail, residential and other mixed use sports and entertainment sites along the Tempe and Phoenix corridor. The light rail has the ability to serve as a tremendous catalyst for redevelopment and growth in downtown Mesa.

Noone expects the Mormon church to invest so heavily in Mesa’s downtown but what if Mesa was Salt Lake City…to the many East Valley residents of Mesa who trace there roots back to their Mormon pioneers ancestors…“this is the place.” "


Link to the full blog http://livabilitylaw.com/2010/08/17/salt-lake-city-sustainability-model-for-mesa/

Encredicon.... yes I said Encredicon

Evermore Nevermore is going to rock the local geek art scene in early September with their very own “Encredicon!”

(That’s Evermore Nevermore Comic Review of Enlightened Drawing and Inscribing Convention, just so you know.)

Sept 10, 6pm-10pm
Sept 11, 12pm-6pm
Part of Downtown Mesa’s “Art Attack On Main.”
Taking place at Evermore Nevermore.
“A mini comic convention with the spotlight on local Valley comic book artists and writers.”
Local Independent comic book artists and Sci-fi fashion show!
Free screening of Sacrifice, a monster movie put together by some locals.
If you are a local artist and want to participate, they have some info click on the link below about how to get involved.


http://www.evermorenevermore.com/encredicon_artisans.htm

Cubs Spring Training

There has been some interesting articles regarding the location of the potential new Cubs stadium. I personally hope that it comes to downtown and that like in Chicago - Wrigleyville is a few miles from Riverview Park. The pictures are of an amusement park called Riverview, a former Chicago amusement.

Change is good, is happening, and about time.

So there is this concept of an Urban Triangle floating around the Valley. I have taken some excerpts from a Blog by Matthew Petro that defines the idea. Downtown Mesa is included in the idea seemingly as an after thought due to the decision to bring light rail into our core. The Urban Triangle is of course Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale because they are the usual players. If you read the blog you will see that a commenter replaces Scottsdale with Mesa. I know, that is an outrageous thought - after all look at what Downtown Scottsdale has to offer versus what Downtown Mesa has to offer. But... you have to admit the potential for Downtown Mesa is right at our feet.
I agree with the commenter that we have one of the most underrated Downtowns in the Phoenix Metro area. Let's not miss the memo this time on TOD (Transit oriented development). I say get on Board this train, own it and change with the times.

Thanks Matthew for sparking the conversations!
Here's the link to the blog:
http://matthewpetro.name/2010/07/29/urban-triangle/

Take me out to the Ball game via light rail ...in Mesa?

There is finally some talk about Downtown being an option for the Cubs stadium. I always thought it was a likely choice but was told by former powers that be in Downtown that it would never be a discussion. Of course I wanted to know why and the answer was the idea died when Hohokam was built down the road. I continued to conversation with others and many were on the same page as I was/am... times have changed or at least should!

The Tribune's article today confirms that Downtown may be back on the table for a stadium location. Here are some excerpts from the article "The Chicago Cubs are scouting a growing number of locations across Mesa for a spring training complex, including along the light-rail line downtown. The new locations could dramatically change the character of the complex, as a downtown spot would call for a denser, more urban development.
A downtown location would also revive an idea born in the 1990s, when Mesa was planning to rebuild Hohokam Stadium for the Cubs and had considered moving the team to 40 acres of land it owns downtown. Supporters of the idea said it would transform the downtown, but the team stayed in Hohokam.
Light rail wasn’t part of the equation back then. It will arrive downtown in 2016 and has sparked renewed interest. Mesa’s 40 acres on the southwest corner of Mesa and University drives are several blocks from light-rail access, but the city is looking at plans that could involve using land that’s now privately owned to take better advantage of the transit line.
“If there were property available, we’d like to see the stadium as close to light rail as possible,” City Manager Chris Brady said."

I know someone will wake me up but this dream is kinda sweet - people getting off the light rail train at the stop just east of Center and walking through our beautiful Downtown to see a game, then heading to the micro brewery for an after game drink, all the while commenting that they should have taken advantage of the opportunities in Downtown Mesa before it became the place to be and be seen.

Mesa partied like a rock star this past weekend... really!

I've been checking out blogs about our great Downtown and the party we had on Friday and Saturday night in celebration of this great country we live in. Here is one of the comments....
From iheartmesa.blogspot.com
"Did you make it downtown? If you didn't, you missed out. I took my older girls on Friday night for a mommy daughter date. It was the best. Playing in water, holding exotic birds, dancing in the street to live music. Then on Saturday night we enjoyed the downtown fireworks from a nearby empty lot. In my opinion, it really couldn't be much better. I thought Mesa did a wonderful job on this event. We will be looking forward to it again next year. Great job Mesa, you made me proud."

Arizona Celebration of Freedom

The inaugural event was held Fri and Sat and made me feel proud to be a part of Mesa. The event has a real home town feel with Main Street closed and people milling around checking out motorcycles on Friday night, and classic cars on Saturday evening. There we history lessons, water slides, watermelon eating contest, patriotic tributes and fireworks, of course.

This is event is going to be held every year the weekend before the Fourth of July. If you made it out and think there was something missing, let us know. If you didn't I am not sure how to relay how different this event is then any other Fourth of July celebration I have been to in Arizona. Having grown up a few decades ago I can tell you that it felt like things used to feel.... a community celebration. Community is hard to find these days and I think Downtown Mesa hit the nail on the head these past two days.

Things to do at the awesome Mesa Arts Center

Hanson
7 p.m. Sept. 14, Virginia G. Piper Repertory Theater, $32
The blonde-locked "MMMboppers" are all grown up, and the brothers - natives of Tulsa, Okla. - have just released their fifth studio album, "Shout It Out."
NBC's "Last Comic Standing"
8 p.m. Sept. 17, Tom & Janet Ikeda Theater, $40
The Emmy-nominated TV show currently weeding out the comic competition Monday nights on NBC will return with a new group of finalists.
Sheena Easton
8 p.m. Oct. 1, Piper Repertory Theater, $38
Eighties pop star and Grammy Award winner Easton performs an intimate, stripped down concert, highlighting hits from her 30-year career.
Nikki Yanofsky
7:30 p.m. Oct. 14, Virginia G. Piper Repertory Theater, $30
At the age of 16, this Montreal-born songstress has already headlined international jazz festivals, played Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, toured with award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch, performed with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra, and had a No. 1 hit on the Canadian music charts with her single "I Believe," the official song for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Vince Gill
7:30 p.m. Oct. 19, Tom & Janet Ikeda Theater, $52-$67
The Country Music Hall of Famer and 19-time Grammy winner gives an intimate performance.
Jean-Michel Cousteau
7:30 p.m. Oct. 20, Tom & Janet Ikeda Theater, single ticket price not yet posted
The underwater explorer and conservationist - and son of legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau - reflects on his father's life and legacy in this National Geographic Live Speaker Series presentation.
Ravi Shankar
8 p.m. Oct. 23, Tom & Janet Ikeda Theater, $40-$70
Named the "Godfather of World Music" by Beatle George Harrison, Ravi Shankar's talent has been compared to that of Mozart. The virtuoso sitarist, composer, teacher and writer is India's most esteemed musical ambassador. In addition to the performance, there will be a celebration of Indian traditions before the show.
Eugenia Leon
8 p.m. Oct. 30, Tom & Janet Ikeda Theater, $34-$38
The Mexico City-born songstress is often considered to be one of the best singers in her country, and her shows have been called cultural gems.
"Celebrity Autobiography"
Nov. 4-21, Nesbitt/Elliott Playhouse, $35
The hit New York comedy show and winner of the 2009 Drama Desk Award for Best Unique Theatrical Experience features a line-up of revolving comedians who perform and interpret unintentionally hilarious words and stories written by celebrities. The ever changing cast has included "Saturday Night Live's" Rachel Dratch, "The Soprano's" Steve Schirripa, "Ugly Betty's" Vanessa Williams and "Law & Order SVU's" BD Wong and Paul Rudd. Mesa's cast has not yet been announced.
Straight No Chaser
8 p.m. Nov. 5, Tom & Janet Ikeda Theater, $35
Last year, this group's version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" became the hottest viral video of the holiday season. Instead of relying on digital processing and vocal tooling, they reinvent a cappella pop.
Lang Lang
7:30 p.m. Jan. 6, 2011, Tom & Janet Ikeda Theater, $52-$92
Named one of "Time" Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2009, Lang Lang might be the most popular pianist on the planet. He was watched by over five billion people in the 2008 Olympic Games, and his performances have sold out all over the world.
Joshua Bell
8 p.m. Feb. 11, 2011, Tom & Janet Ikeda Theater, $40-$70
Apart from winning Grammys and Oscars, Bell has made music for movies such as "Angels and Demons" and "Defiance," and was named 2010 instrumentalist of the year by Musical America. The accomplished violinist's concert is expected to sell out quickly.
Canadian Tenors
8 p.m. March 4, 2011, Tom & Janet Ikeda Theater, $35-$45
The group recently seen on "Oprah," fuses the powerful tenor voices of four talented young men with an eclectic blend of classical and contemporary pop.
Steve Tyrell
7:30 p.m. March 18, 2011, Piper Theater, $44
One of last season's fan favorites, Grammy Award winner Tyrell makes an encore to perform jazz standards.

Mesa restaurant to serve real lion burgers

At Il Vinaio Restaurant in downtown Mesa, they like to experiment.
"We're stepping outside the box, trying something new," chef Jason Bacon said.

This Wednesday and Thursday, the kitchen will put something on the menu.
For $21 a plate, the restaurant will serve the lion in one-third pound burgers along with special fries and corn.

Selogie said he started planning the special lion meal a few months ago and is doing it now in celebration of the World Cup in South Africa.

The lions are raised on a farm in Illinios. They are regulated by the USDA.

Breaking news

You must tune into channel 15 tonight at 10:00 to see what is happening Downtown. I will try and send a link later if I can.

Update on the Charrette... your chance of a lifetime to give your two cents on Downtown!

Important decisions about the character and scale of development in downtown Mesa will be made during a two-day workshop.
Here is the schedule:

· Brown-Bag Lunch. Wednesday, June 23 from noon to 1 p.m. A discussion about Form-Based Codes, appropriate building types and pedestrian-oriented street design. Bring your own lunch and come ready with questions.
· Open Studio. Wednesday, June 23 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday, June 24 from 10 a.m. to noon and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Stop by and talk with the design team members one-on-one.
· Open House. Wednesday, June 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. An informal information session and review of the in-progress drawings will be held.
· Closing Presentation. Thursday, June 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A formal presentation and public comment session will conclude the workshop. If you have limited time, this is the meeting to attend.

Affordable and attorney in one sentence!

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Ah oh people are catching on

Random Zeffler Thoughts for Wednesday, June 16, 2010
I went to the Second Friday event last week in downtown Mesa, Ariz. and actually liked it. I live in Mesa and bemoan the fact that downtown closes at three in the afternoon. That is an exaggeration, but not by much. I think it would be a great opportunity to meet people I want to photograph in person. I would also like to help build downtown Mesa into something better. Family-friendly does not have to mean boring. My family is here for the long haul it seems, it is time to start making the best of it.


Seems like the secret is getting out for which I am thankful! It is nice to share.

Rag Doll Clothing

A perfect skirt for the Arizona Celebration of Freedom on July 2nd and 3rd in Downtown Mesa. Get your's at:
Contagious
37 W. Main St.
480-615-0110
Mon-Sat
10am-6pm

*open til 9pm every 1st and 2nd Fri of each month!

Shabby Chic Paradise: Blossom Salon & Boutique in Mesa

The uber-cute Blossom Salon in Mesa. The storefront that lines the quaint street of historic downtown Mesa, feels like Anthropologie. Open the door to a wealth of unique tops, dresses and accessories!

Have you ever participated in a "Charrette"?

I have on three occasions. One of them was a brainstorming session about the area of land we now know as "Riverview". I sat at this table with people I had never met before and we had this blank map that had the boundaries of some property off of the 202 freeway. There was a gravel pit and a golf course/park area and basically some lines that we had to stay within. We were told the history of the area from way back to present. Our group started coming up with all kinds of ideas and placing them on the paper- there was so much space we could not even fill it all. One of the ideas was a place called "Bass Pro Shop" and it was suggested because we thought the gravel pit would make a nice lake someday where people could fish or test drive boats. Ok- I don't know much about either (and those of you who know me can attest to this). I certainly didn't have any idea what the store was and was assured it was a great place that someone had seen in like Oklahoma or someplace. BUT there was so much room to fill in that we all went along with the idea. Who would have thought.....

So now YOU have the opportunity to get in on the action to craft a vision for the mile-wide urban corridor that straddles Main Street between Country Club Drive and Gilbert Road. Believe me you don't have to be an architect or a land planner by profession. In fact all you have to have is the desire to own and be a part of the community you live in. You see our opinion matters in these settings before all those professional's who have to figure it out after we decide!

The two-day "charrette" is June 23-24 at the former Mervyn's, 1240 E. Main St. You know the place called POOL. If you haven't been there this is the perfect opportunity to check it out (under the guise of being an interested resident of Mesa). Hope you all come join the fun and think it is as cool as I did. And then I hope the powers that be do this more often...

Charrette-The word charrette may refer to any collaborative session in which a group drafts a solution to a design problem. Each sub-group then presents its work to the full group as material for future dialogue. Charrettes serve as a way of quickly generating a design solution while integrating the aptitudes and interests of a diverse group of people. Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2010/06/10/20100610mesa-council-main-street.html#ixzz0qUncvdU5