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/

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/

Light Rail Stations!

After several months of public participation and community discussion, the Mesa City Council helped to further define the Central Mesa light rail extension with approval of four station locations and a Main Street traffic configuration plan at their City Council meeting last night, June 7.

Recommended station locations on Main Street:

East of Alma School Road

East of Country Club Drive

East of Center Street

East of Mesa Drive

These locations were identified for their proximity to activity centers and bus connections, least impact to adjacent property and curbs, economic development potential and convenient pedestrian access.

Recommended Main Street traffic configuration, Sycamore to Mesa Drive:

Sycamore to Country Club – Remains as two lanes of traffic in each direction. On-street parking will be removed to reduce impacts to adjacent property and sidewalks.

Country Club to Mesa Drive (Downtown Mesa) – Transitions into one lane of traffic in each direction. On-street parking and existing signalized pedestrian crossings will be maintained where possible.

All intersections along the line will have separate left turn lanes with dedicated left turn arrows.

The above recommendations will be forwarded to the METRO Board of Directors for their review this summer.

In addition, the Council committed to City funding for operations of the light rail extension.

All Aboard...Light Rail

Arizona PIRG, a group that advocates for the public interest, released a report this week titled The Business of Light Rail. According to the AZ PIRG website, the report provides an on-the-ground perspective of how light rail helps small business owners in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa. Many of the businesses mentioned were negatively impacted by the light rail during several months of construction. Now that the system is up and running, the business owners are seeing the benefits of having light rail roll along the streets of Phoenix. What exactly does the report accomplish?

However, as of yet, there has been no document which compiles anecdotes of how the light rail has benefited the local economy. This report provides real-life examples of businesses that have thrived by having light rail access near their establishments, documenting perspectives from local business owners in their own words that statistics simply cannot provide.

Arizona PRIG

There report mentions six common themes and perspectives amongst the 14 businesses profiled in the document.

¨ increased foot traffic due to light rail

¨ businesses shaping their location decisions in anticipation of light rail, thereby potentially decreasing urban sprawl

¨ light rail’s value as a transportation alternative for special events like community festivals

¨ increased visibility for the businesses near the light rail

¨ light rail’s role in community development

¨ light rail’s role as a mobility option for people who cannot drive.

Here is the link to the report

http://www.arizonapirg.org/home/reports/report-archives/smart-transportation/smart-transportation/the-businesses-of-light-rail-a-compilation-of-local-business-interviews.

Another announcement about Mesa's extension of light rail....

Mesa to unveil light rail extension details. Metro will give the public its first full look at how the light rail system will look in downtown Mesa when the planned 3-mile extension is to be completed in 2016.

The April 24 presentation will unveil the latest plans for where stations will be positioned, how they will be designed and how they will integrate with the city’s plans to redevelop downtown. After taking public comment, Metro will proceed with engineering the four-station extension. This open house will be held in conjunction with other downtown Mesa events including the MacDonald Street Farmers’ Market and MACFest. It will take place at:

Saturday, April 24, 2010
9 a.m. – noon
18 W. Main St., Mesa (between de la Cruz Bistro and Milano’s Music)

For additional information on this meeting or project, please contact Carla Kahn at (602) 744-5552 orckahn@metrolightrail.org. Light rail extension information is also available online.