Two Guys Make Their Case Directly To The Public

In a special for The Arizona Republic published at 05:03 a.m. last Thursday October 29, 2015, mayor John Giles and Steve Banta, CEO of Valley Metro, did a a contributed joint promotion for the benefits of Valley Metro Light Rail

Mesa driving its future with light rail

The 23-mile light rail corridor that connects Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix continues to showcase the transformative power of transit-oriented development.
[See addendum after for TOD MetroCenter in Phoenix, investment by Carlyle Group]

Multi-modal connections with highways along Route 60 & 202 will fill in the gaps in the near future.

A new, two-mile extension to Gilbert Road brings another multi-modal milestone as rail will stretch into Mesa’s residential neighborhoods. Construction will start in fall 2016 - a year into the future - and conclude in 2018 after a couple of years of car-traffic disruptions in that stretch of Main Street between Horne and Gilbert Road.
Read more in new addition to Valley Metro addition to their website >>
http://www.valleymetro.org/projects_and_planning/project_detail/gilbert_road/

The East Valley has embraced the growth of light rail, its enhanced mobility for residents and an economic development revival. The three-mile Central Mesa extension has already generated more than $90 million in private investment since the project broke ground in the summer of 2012. New shops and coffee houses are opening on Main Street . . . historic neighborhoods are becoming home to young families renovating 100-year old houses, and seniors choosing an urban lifestyle in one of the new downtown residential units.

Valley Metro’s safe, reliable and efficient regional transit system promotes Mesa’s use of 120 acres of city-owned land in downtown to accelerate its transformation. The parcels vary in size and can be the future locale of award-winning restaurants, local retail and offices.

None of this could happen without the partnership between Valley Metro and Mesa.

The game-changing results are helping Mesa attract millennials who want to live, work and play near light rail. Connectivity is key.
 

Valley Metro image

Another benefit to the new extension is the proximity to the U.S. 60 and Loop 202 Red Mountain, via Gilbert Road, a major arterial.

We envision a time in the near future when the total transit network reaches other areas across the Valley.

There is a study underway to connect Mesa and Chandler . . .  If that extension is possible, a new world will open up for the Fiesta District and our neighbors in Chandler.

Once again, this resurgence is being fueled by private sector interest in building near effective public transportation and our drive to improve regional competitiveness and quality of life for our residents and riders.

ADDENDUM: Malls are a 63-year old concept + some of them are struggling
Three reasons Metrocenter investment portends the future for struggling malls

Carlyle Development Group bet millions when it acquired the fading Metrocenter mall between Peoria and Dunlap avenues adjoining I-17. There are three reasons this investment has potential for high ROI .
1. the two projects have a Valley Metro bus transit node and potentially within five years the site is going to be the western terminus of Metro light rail, which will bring 5,000 to 8,000 riders a day into the middle of Metrocenter.
2. enclosed malls are a 63-year-old concept as of this Christmas. People are not shopping at malls the way they used to. Many developers are now mixing land uses.
3. Carlyle knows its local customers and is directing the renaissance to serve those living nearby
Read more >> http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/business/2015/10/three-reasons-metrocenter-investment-portends-the.html