Building Bridges // Connecting Cultures

Multicultural family event El Puentecito returns to i.d.e.a. Museum Oct. 8 Post Date: 

09/29/2016 8:25 AM     

The i.d.e.a. Museum again joins Cultural Coalition Inc. and Childsplay Theatre to present a special celebration of theatre, music and art on Oct. 8. El Puentecito features mariachis, dancers and several hands-on art projects from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the i.d.e.a. Museum.
The family event – in its second year at the i.d.e.a. Museum - will feature multicultural masks and performances by Zarco Guerrero, a well-known sculptor, mask maker and performing artist born in Mesa.

Activities and entertainment are included with museum admission.

“We’re always seeking ways to bring together our diverse community,” said Sunnee O’Rork, museum executive director. “El Puentecito is a fun way to introduce families to multicultural music, dance and art. It will feature beautiful performances that will delight families.”

Featured performers are: Desert Sounds Mariachi, Ballet Alegria from Mesa, Mariachi Juvenil de Mi Tierra and Quetzalli Ballet Folklórico. Hands-on activities include mask making with Cultural Coalition and designing maracas with Childsplay.
Zarco’s 8-foot-tall Frida Puppet be present and lead the final Masked Parade at the end of the program. 

El Puentecitio means little bridge in Spanish. That’s significant, explains Carmen Guerrero, co-founder of Cultural Coalition and Xicanindio Artes, now known as Xico, Inc.
“In every language the word ‘bridge’ conjures up universal metaphors of transformation, enlightenment, freedom and even our passing into the afterlife,” she said.

 

El Puentecito is a sister event of El Puente Theatre Festival and Mask Procession, which was created three years ago to bring multicultural audiences to local arts institutions via a partnership by Cultural Coalition and Childsplay, with support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Cultural Coalition provides unique cultural programs which foster community engagement and are dedicated to the education, promotion, and development of Indigenous arts and artists in Arizona. Childsplay, Inc. is a nonprofit theatre company of professional, adult artists who perform for and teach young audiences and their families.

More museum activities: www.ideamuseum.org/special-events.html.

Contact: Yvette Armendariz
Museum Public Relations & Marketing Yvette.Armendariz@MesaAZ.gov (480) 644-4129 

Jason Mraz - Life is Wonderful Music Video

PUBLIC INFORMATION: June 20, 2106 Mesa Fire & Medical Department Gets A Review |

Blogger's Note: This audit review [an official document] by the City Auditor's office was published 10 (ten) days before the end of FY21015-2016 and received little notice in the budget approval process conducted by the Mesa City Council for this fiscal year's budget 2016/2017.
Readers - and voters - can decide if asking for more funds for budget increases for MFMD are supported by the findings in this audit that recommendations that were not fully implemented in the budget they had.

FOLLOW-UP REVIEW  CITY AUDITOR
Report Date: June 20, 2016
Department: Mesa Fire and Medical Department (MFMD)
Subject: Fire Prevention
Division Lead Auditor: Dawn von Epp, Sr. Internal Auditor 
OBJECTIVE The objective of this review was to determine whether the Mesa Fire and Medical Department (MFMD) effectively implemented the action plans presented in response to our July 2014 Fire Prevention audit report. 
Source >> http://www.mesaaz.gov/city-hall/city-auditor/audits
Please note: Appendix with details are on Pages 5-8

Pursuant to the Council-approved Audit Plan, the City Auditor’s office has completed a follow-up review of the MFMD Fire Prevention Division.  The report is attached. 
Due to the number of recommendations that were not fully implemented, we plan to conduct another follow-up review later this year. . .  

RECOMMENDATIONS & RESPONSES
1. Recommendation: Management should regularly monitor to ensure that inspections are completed in compliance with established risk-based priorities.
   
Management Response: “Management will effectively monitor inspections using newly introduced iPad and reconfigured Firehouse Software.  New program will allow the Sr. Program Assistant to more efficiently schedule inspections to meet our productivity standards and risk-based priorities.”
 
2. Recommendation: When inspection activity reports are provided to City management, the percentage of completion toward meeting the adopted standards (with regard to inspection frequency) should also be included in order to provide context.
 
Management Response: “Monthly report will be updated to include percentage of inspections completed fiscal year to date toward meeting the adopted standards and broken down between billable highs and mediums. (Falcon hangars and city facilities are inspected but are not billable and will not be included in this report.)” 

3. Recommendation:  Staff should develop written procedures for invoicing activities, to ensure accuracy and consistency, and to maintain continuity of operations when employee turnover occurs
 
Management Response: “Sr. Program Assistant will create a process document for all invoicing activities.”
 
4. Recommendation:  Management should implement a process to ensure that follow-up inspections are conducted when required, and that all applicable fees are invoiced in a timely manner.  Management should also regularly monitor these activities for compliance with established procedures. 

Management Response: “The implementation of the iPad and Accela will assist management in accomplishing this goal.  The iPad will visually identify all occupancies within an inspector's district that are due for follow-up inspection.  Assistant Fire Marshal will check follow ups on a monthly basis to make sure they are completing these inspections within the guidelines. Accela will allow for immediate invoicing when follow-up is completed.” 

5. Recommendation:  Staff should complete all necessary revenue posting corrections, and should eliminate any remaining backlog of open Accounts Receivable documents.  In
City Auditor Follow-up Review of  MFMD Fire Prevention Page 3 of 7 
addition, regardless of existing backlogs, staff should perform monthly reconciliations to ensure that current payments are posted to the correct accounts, receivables are adjusted, and payments are accurately and consistently recorded in the FireHouse system. 

Management Response: “Sr. Program Assistant will continue to reconcile Firehouse to Advantage line-by-line until all accounts are current.  Sr. Program Assistant will also start doing a monthly reconciliation now.”

In Progress = Not Effectively Implemented

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Issued The Following News Release Yesterday

State personal income growth accelerated to 1.0 percent on average in the second quarter of 2016 from 0.3 percent in the first quarter, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal income grew in every state in the second-quarter with growth rates ranging from 0.4 percent in Alaska to 1.4 percent in Utah (table 1).
The full text of the release on BEA's Web site can be found at www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/spi/sqpi_newsrelease.htm

In Utah, the state with the fastest growth in personal income, earnings grew 1.5 percent. Growth in transportation and warehousing earnings was the leading contributor (table 3).

In Nebraska and Idaho, the states with the second and third fastest growth in personal income, earnings grew 1.6 percent and 1.4 percent respectively. Growth in farm earnings made the largest contribution to overall earnings growth in both states.

In Oregon, with 1.3 percent growth in personal income, earnings grew 1.5 percent. Growth in management of companies and enterprises earnings made the largest contribution to personal income growth.

In Florida and Nevada, states with 1.2 percent growth in personal income, earnings grew 1.3 percent. Growth in healthcare earnings was the leading contributor to growth in Florida, and growth in accommodations and food services earnings was the leading contributor in Nevada.

For the nation, earnings grew in 22 of the 24 industries for which BEA prepares quarterly estimates. Health care, professional services, and transportation and warehousing were the leading contributors to overall growth in personal income.
Mining earnings fell 2.2 percent nationally in the second quarter, the seventh consecutive quarterly decline (table 5). Lower mining earnings was the leading contributor to below average earnings and personal income growth in four of the five slowest growing states: Alaska, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and North Dakota. Lower farm earnings was the leading contributor to below average earnings and personal income growth in South Dakota.
Updates to Personal Income. In addition to today's release of 2016 Q2 personal income, BEA also released revised quarterly and annual state personal income estimates for the 1998 Q1 to 2016 Q1 periods. Revisions are usually made each September to incorporate the results of the annual revision of the national income and product accounts (NIPAs), to incorporate state source data that are more complete and more detailed than those previously available, and to update the seasonal factors used for the quarterly estimates. In addition, this year's annual revision introduced two major methodological improvements affecting nonfarm proprietors' income that were discussed in the July 2016 issue of the Survey of Current Business: (1) improved geocoding and editing of source data from IRS Form 1065 (Partnership Returns) and Schedule C of Form 1040 (Sole Proprietor Returns), and (2) an improved method of allocating national control totals to states. A complete presentation and discussion of the data and revisions will be provided in the October 2016 issue of the Survey of Current Business.

Next release: December 20, 2016 at 8:30 A.M. EST – State Personal Income: Third Quarter 2016.

A Rare Black Moon Will Rise In the Sky on Friday Night

The Dark Side of The Moon

Published on Sep 28, 2016

Views: 744

A rare 'black moon' will rise this Friday night, turning the sky dark as the Western Hemisphere experiences its second new moon of the month.

Those on the other side of the world will have to wait until next month for the same event to occur, but it’ll be worth it - their eerie black moon is set to coincide with Halloween.

If you’re having trouble keeping up with all the different types of 'moons' we've got now - with blood moons, blue moons, and supermoons clogging up your sky-watching calendar - the black moon is a fairly new addition, and experts are still trying to nail down its definition.

Cast In Bronze | What's Zebulon Pearce's Take on The New Urban DTMesa Now?

Readers be warned: this is an exercise in imagination inspired by one of the numerous bronze statues placed on the streets here in downtown Mesa in a public art program all over town by none other than Wayne Pomeroy, who led some of the waves of development changing our street-level urban landscape - some like this one in the accompanying image a human-scale reminder of our vanishing shared past: Zebulon Pearce standing in front of his building on the south side of Main Street. We have Wayne Pomeroy to thank for art.

Take a look where Zeb Pearce stands now in front of The Zeb Pearce Companies Building @c155 West Main Street.
It's an historic property, up-for-sale now, vacant for more than a few years, but read the plaque in the image to the right to know its history and the business story of one of the city's "pioneers" - the site was once the OK Stable opened in 1901 [before cars came to town] and flash forward about 30 years to 1932 thanks to an ammonia cooler Zeb became the first distributor for Colorado's Coors beer. . . and that's one of the points in this exercise of imagination about regenerating downtown.
Main Street has certainly changed.
For one thing there's no longer two rows of cars parking in the middle of the street - public transit Valley Metro Light Rail connects Mesa round-trip along the line to Tempe and Phoenix. The sidewalks are wider for pedestrian walkways. There are trees and lamp posts, and green plantings and benches - and we have some new color and new art installations - that turquoise blue mini-mural in the right foreground says "Welcome to Mesa". See people? No

After just more than two years living downtown, passing by this bronze sculpture at least 15 times a week, your MesaZona blogger had a revelation calling me to take a good long look, to get a good read-out of what was written in bronze, and to change perspective to see what Zeb would be looking at today [image to the left] right across on the north side of Main Street.
Except for one vacant storefront in the entire block, every retail storefront is filled, open-for-business by small business owners.
This economic development driving the regeneration and re-activation of the New Urban Downtown Mesa is small-scale and incremental, adapting and re-using existing unique buildings - not the massive mega-million proposals coming out of City Hall that would radically transform our shared urban landscape.
Since this exercise in imagination started with Zeb and beer,  readers can see Desert Eagle Brewery right across the street.
It's not a corporate brand name and they don't have distributors [yet] - it's locally owned and operated. The owner Joe Campbell is dedicated to craft beer excellence ... maybe that standard for excellence will give the brilliant planners inside City Hall some idea of what downtown is all about.
I'll be happy to raise a glass to that - and to all the small business owners who are here and to those who might be - and are encouraged - locating here.
Blogger's Note: the block of Main Street to the west between Country Club/Main has attracted five new businesses, including a smaller-scale nanobrewery named Oro planning a soft opening this weekend on Saturday.
The Old Brick House Vintage Marketplace [re-located from back of The Drew Building]
Worth Take-Away Sandwich Shop
ASIS Massage Education
Cloud Smoke Shop







Does Public Art Have A Story To Tell?

The Future of Solar Panels | Mohamadou Bella Bah | TEDxYouth@DAA

Published on Sep 28, 2016

Views: 38

The energy industry hasn't seen significant innovation in years. As we advance, we need to realize that past solutions won't create the sustainable solutions we need today.

Mohamadou "Bella" Bah is a student attending Dubai American Academy.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Mesa, AZ Council Member Urges Immigration Reform

Before he retires let's look back to the outstanding record of Dennis Kavanagh . . . perhaps Ryan Winkle, elected to succeed Kavanagh and to serve the people in District 3, will follow-through to do more than urge immigration reform working hard to get this issue - and anti-discrimination - front and forward

Published on Jun 24, 2013

Views: 93

Mesa, AZ Council Member Dennis Kavanaugh discusses the importance of fixing our nation's immigration system.

The Good of the Hive - Matthew Willey

Published on Jul 19, 2016
Views: 583

Artist Matthew Willey is on a mission to hand-paint 50,000 honeybees in 40-50 murals around the world. The goal is to raise awareness about their current struggles by using his art and imagination to celebrate their incredible behaviors.

Elon Musk’s Mars Colonization Event - 5 Minutes!

Published on Sep 27, 2016

Views: 12,838

On September 27, Elon Musk announced a bold new plan to establish a permanent human habitation on Mars with his company SpaceX. It's one of the most ambitious schemes Musk — or humanity in general — has ever attempted, relying on huge advances in both rocketry and spaceship construction.

Subscribe: https://goo.gl/G5RXGs

World-Famous Nile Theater Here in Downtown Mesa

Start the weekend off early - on Thursday

City Council Meeting - 9/26/2016

Does Kevin Christopher sound like one of those 70's-style game show hosts?
Audience seems "packed" with boy scouts ...very few members of the public as usual

Reading of Consent Agenda - did anyone turn in a blue card?
Vote in-the-blink-of-an-eye
Published on September 27, 2016
Views:3

Film in Downtown Mesa > The St. Michael Prayer

Oooops! Almost forgot having had the pleasure to meet and talk with Chad Turner way back in what seems an eternity ago until he sent an email on Sept 7th
Tim,
I am sorry we didn't get to connect at our filming in downtown Mesa on the weekend of June 18 & 19. We have finished our short film, so I would like to share it with you.  I welcome any comments or concerns.  Thank you for your passion for downtown Mesa.

Published on Sep 8, 2016
Views: 1,790

Do you know the St. Michael prayer? What are your battles? Who is amongst you to help fight those battles? Temptations? These are a few questions that Filming the Faith hopes to help you answer in this film.

CREDITS:
THANK YOU to all the Filming the Faith ministry volunteers involved in the making of this film.

A special THANK YOU:
City of Mesa
Nemesis Security Group
Subway (161 W Main St, Mesa, AZ 85201)
Queens Pizzeria (125 W Main St, Mesa, AZ 85201)
Smith-O-Lator Cookies (124 W. Main St. Mesa, AZ 85201)
Tempe Camera Rental Dept. (Camera)
St. Timothy Knights of Columbus
Carlos Weaver (Lens)
Anthony Garone (Microphone)

CAST:

Jason - Austin Morris
Table customer - Mary Lou Kaye
Table attendant -
Tablet Girl - Anika Salazar
Tablet Guy - Justin Patterson
Arguing Woman - Sharon LeBeau
Arguing Man - Peter LeBeau
Gawking Boy 1 - Dominic Pastore
Gawking Boy 2 - John Paul Pastore
Gawking Boy 3 - Kyle Spratt
Drug Dealer - Josh Patterson
Drug User - Maria Boas
Selfie Girl 1 - Hannah Collins
Selfie Girl 2 - Lawsen Stanley
Selfie Girl 3 -
Homeless Man - Br. Jim Scher
Priest 1 - Fr. Charlie Goraieb
Priest 2 - Fr. John Greb

CREW:

Written by Jillian Patterson & Chad Turner
Location Manager: Christine D'Ambrosio
Art Direction: DeAnn Welter
DP/SteadiCam Op/Camera: Thomas Duran
1st AC: John Fritts
2nd AC: Patrick Taylor
Location Audio: Kelly Hartley & Joe Blank
Boom Operator: Tim Mills
Make up: Debbi Fritts
Gaffer: Joe Reynolds
Best Boy: Matthew Reynolds
Key Grip: John Fraser
Location Photography: Kevin Theriault
Assistant to Actors: Peggy Collins
Location Security: Jonah Gerle (Nemesis)
Production Assistant: Cienna Molina
Directed by Chad Turner

Trying To Find The Core: Hard To Get A Beat On

Evolution of the suburban core: Proximity to the ‘good stuff’

By Peter Madrid | MadridMedia
Posted on September 23, 2016 by ULI Arizona
Blogger Note: There's a much better article about sprawls and suburbs later on in this post
Your MesaZona blogger was somewhat surprised to find Peter Madrid, who's a heavyweight in the commercial real estate market, now making a joint-career in journalism.
Instead of biting into the harvest from "The Tree of Knowledge" growing out of a wealth of brilliant thinking for new development models, whatever the author calls "the core" in either urban or suburban environments appears to be surrounded by a bunch of confusion:    

"It’s hard to get a beat on what’s happening in America’s suburbs as trends point to people moving back to the city, particularly the urban cores.
"However, according to panelists at ULI Arizona’s Main Program, “Evolution of the Suburban Core,” people aren’t ready to give up on the suburbs, a big house, and the yard.
( Peter Madrid, shown in the image to the right from Phoenix Business Journal, Aug 1, 2016 )

He goes on not saying that most people think of suburbs as sprawls - they have no core with human populations expanding away from central urban areas into low-density, monofunctional and usually car-dependent communities ...yet he goes onto to write:
"The suburbs are alive and well. At their core, they’re centers of change, cultural activity, and economic growth. The case studies presented prove that point right here in the Valley.

Read more of the article if you can believe what Peter Madrid or any of the panelists had to say
http://arizona.uli.org/uli-arizona-news/evolution-suburban-core/?




Why Sprawl Is Not the Only Choice

By Matthew Robare • September 22, 2016, 2:20 PM

Everyone who follows debates about urban planning already knows that sprawling cities build more housing and have lower housing costs. Yet last week Issi Romem, an economic analyst at BuildZoom, a company that helps people find and hire contractors, published an analysis of this phenomenon that sent urbanists reeling. It should not have done so. Romem’s data was not new and his analysis was flawed and misleading.

Here are some of the points

• While Romem’s data is indisputable, it doesn’t tell the whole story.
• Sprawl isn’t really as cheap as it seems. A network of tax breaks, financial guarantees, subsidies, and other chicanery keep parts of suburbia relatively inexpensive.
• Most notably, transportation costs are often excluded from the discussion of housing affordability, even though it’s hard to live anywhere without a way to get to work
• This leads to what Romem calls the “land-use trilemma,” which presents the perceived trade-offs between more sprawl, doing nothing while letting expensive cities get more expensive, or liberalizing land use laws to allow more density. Much like C.S. Lewis’s trilemma, which was useful for Christian apologetics (but is usually ignored by more serious theologians and Biblical scholars), Romem’s trilemma is useful for the apologists of sprawl but falls apart upon examining his assumptions.
• For instance, tucked away in a footnote, Romem writes that “Shifting from single family to multifamily housing involves a sacrifice in terms of living standards

• A similar view of development underlines and undermines the trilemma. For example, Romem implies that development is a major intervention that happens on a neighborhood scale. He told Bloomberg‘s Patrick Clark, “No one is really thinking about tearing down single-family neighborhoods and putting up apartment buildings.”But no urbanists really think that kind of demolition is necessary. There’s a wide spectrum between the Levittowns, archetypes of postwar sprawl, and Hong Kong’s former Kowloon Walled City, once the densest neighborhood on the planet. Density can be added, as in the albeit extreme Mission bunkhouse example, by turning a single family house into a multifamily
• New Urbanism also presents an alternative to the trilemma by supporting the regeneration of small towns affected by deindustrialization. Many cities have older, traditional small towns with existing but dilapidated multifamily housing stock or downtown commercial or industrial blocks capable of being attractively renovated
• New Urbanist designs can also be applied to new development in expansive cities. Some big cities, especially outside the northeast and west coast, are surrounded by unincorporated land not subject to municipal zoning laws. A developer could build a denser, more urban neighborhood in these areas—which is exactly what’s happening in Toronto’s suburbs, according to Stephen J. Smith. The financing might be difficult, thanks to federal rules that, according to the Regional Plan Association, discourage the construction of small mixed-use buildings by capping how much commercial space they can have and promoting larger buildings.

Just as importantly, the land-use trilemma falls apart because realistically there is no alternative to allowing greater density.
There are hard limits to the development pattern of American suburbia.
The most discussed is commute time across metropolitan areas. According to Slate, longer commutes are associated with divorce, isolation, obesity, stress, neck and back pain, sleeplessness, and unhappiness.

Metropolitan areas need not follow the standard pattern of a dense core—not that most American cities are dense by global standards—and dispersed suburbs, but could become more decentralized with pockets of higher density at certain points throughout a region, along the lines of Joel Garreau’s neglected “edge city” concept.

Rancho del Arte: Housing, Support Services/Education > Small Business Accelerator

Fuerza Local Business Accelerator Program Expands to Mesa

Receives $144,000 Grant to Develop Across the Valley

September 15, 2016 by Elizabeth Leon

The Fuerza Local Business Accelerator Program is skyrocketing to success, and small business owners, community members, and elected officials are taking notice. With the growing interest from business owners who were interested in applying for the program, Fuerza Local realized there was a need to expand to different parts of the Valley.

Rancho del Arte is the new home for Mesa classes, which host 12 small businesses at a weekly basis as part of the Fuerza Local Business Accelerator expansion. The small business owners meet once a week for rigorous courses with instructors who are experts in the subject.

While the Phoenix and Mesa groups are held at different times in separate locations, both groups will graduate together for the program’s largest graduating class in January 2017. The graduation will celebrate a total of 36 businesses, which complete the program’s seventh cohort.
The Fuerza Local Business Accelerator Program has been a huge success since its launch in the Fall of 2013. Since then, the program has graduated a total of 80 small businesses, and has had an economic impact of more than $876,000.

The Maricopa County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) recently approved a $144,000 grant to help expand the program, allowing it to develop in more communities throughout the Valley. 2017 will be the program’s biggest year yet, offering classes is Phoenix, Mesa, Avondale, and Maryvale. A total of 60 small businesses will be able to learn from industry professionals about the proper techniques to opening and operating a successful business.

Applications for the 8th class will be accepted in October. For more information on the Fuerza Local Business Accelerator Program, visit: www.fuerzalocal.org.

Read more >> here

 

 

More Than 50,000 Views & Hits Here > Much Appreciated

 



Your MesaZona blogger is so thrilled and excited -  over 18 months online
Cheers to everyone!



. . . and more to come

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FOLLOW UP > P&Z Meeting Minutes for Sept 21 2016 // Video in Earlier Post on This Site]

Follow-up on earlier post here
Meeting Minutes
Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing
 4:00 PM Council Chambers - Upper Level Wednesday,
September 21, 2016

Most were approved with a committee vote 6-0, including approvals with conditions, staff recommendations, and information about what the items are.
Readers might note 4 approvals in District 6, 4 approvals in District 5, 2 in District 3, and one each in Districts 1 and District 2

Chair Michael Clement
Vice Chair Michelle Dahlke
Board members
Dane Astle
Steve Ikeda
Jessica Sarkissian
Jennifer Duff
Tim Boyle

Items on this agenda that must be adopted by ordinance and/or resolution will be on a future City Council agenda. 
Anyone interested in attending the City Council public hearing should call the Planning Division at (480) 644-2385 or review the City Council agendas on the City's website at www.mesaaz.gov to find the agenda on which the item(s) will be placed.

Call meeting to order.
Chair Clement called the meeting to order.

1 Take action on all consent agenda items.

Items on the Consent Agenda
2Approval of minutes from previous meetings.
*2-a PZ 16217 Minutes from the August 16, 2016 and August 17, 2016 Study Sessions and Regular Hearing Approved (Vote: 6-0)

3Take action on the following zoning cases:
City of MesaPage 1
September 21, 2016Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing Meeting Minutes

*3-a PZ 16204 Z16-037 District 5. 
2810 North Val Vista Drive and 3558 East McDowell Road. Located at the northwest corner of McDowell Road and Val Vista Drive.  (1.69± acres).  Site Plan Review.  This request will allow development of an assisted living facility. (PLN2016-00379). Jennifer Tonna, applicant; Jennifer Tonna, owner. (Continued from August 17, 2016) Staff Planner:  Jennifer Gniffke Staff Recommendation:  Approval with Conditions Approved (Vote: 6-0)
*3-b PZ 16205 Z16-047 District 6.  The 4200 through 4400 blocks of South Signal Butte Road (west side) and the 10300 through 10800 blocks of East Point Twenty-Two Boulevard (north side).  Located north of Point Twenty-Two Boulevard and west of Signal Butte Road (116± acres). Development Unit Plan.  This request amends the Development Unit Plan for Development Unit 6-South of the Eastmark Community Plan. Jill Hegardt, DMB Mesa Proving Grounds, LLC, applicant; DMB Mesa Proving Grounds, LLC, owner.  (PLN2016-00602)
Staff Planner:  Tom Ellsworth Staff Recommendation:  Approval with Conditions Approved (Vote: 6-0)
*3-c PZ 16206 Z16-048 District 6.  4425 South Mountain Road. District 6. Located at the southeast corner of Warner Road and Mountain Road. (3.9± acres). Site Plan Review. This request will allow for the development of a shell commercial building. Lesley L. Partch, Functional Formation Architecture, applicant; Mountain Warner, LLC, owner. (PLN2016-00581) 
Staff Planner:  Mia Lozano Staff Recommendation:  Approval with Conditions Approved (Vote: 6-0)
Discuss and make a recommendation to the City Council on the following zoning cases:
4
City of MesaPage 2
September 21, 2016Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing Meeting Minutes
*4-a PZ 16207 Z16-040 District 6.  The 600 block of South Signal Butte Road (west side).  Located south of Broadway Road on the west side of Signal Butte Road.  (3.1± acres). Rezoning from RS-43 to RSL-3.0 PAD; and Site Plan Review. This request will allow for the development of a single-residential subdivision. Sean Lake, Pew & Lake, PLC, applicant; Leon Ricks, Ricks Investments, owner. (PLN2016-00377).  (Continued from August 17, 2016) Staff Planner:   Tom Ellsworth Staff Recommendation:   Approval with Conditions Approved (Vote: 6-0)
*4-b PZ 16208 Z16-043 District 2.  4500 block of East Southern Avenue (north side) and 4500 Block East Flower Circle (west of the termination of the cul-de-sac).  Located east of Greenfield Road on the north side of Southern Avenue.  (7.33± acres). Rezone from RS-6-PAD to LC, (2.78± acres); and Site Plan Modification (7.33± acres). This request will allow expansion of a mini-storage facility and reconfiguration of existing RV and boat storage.  Jeff D Welker, Welker Development Resources, LLC, applicant; Beth Coons, RFN Investment, owner. (PLN2016-00489)  
Staff Planner:   Wahid Alam Staff Recommendation:   Approval with Conditions Approved (Vote: 6-0)
*4-c PZ 16209 Z16-044 District 5.  Located east of the 200 to 400 blocks of North Power Road and south of the 6800 to 7000 blocks of East University Drive. Located east of Power Road and south of University Drive. (15.8± acres).  Rezoning from LC to RSL-2.5-PAD; and Site Plan Review.  This request will allow for development of a single-residence subdivision.  Mark Pugmire, Highland Communities, LLC applicant; Highland Communities, LLC, owner. (PLN2016-00427) 
Staff Planner:   Lesley Davis Staff Recommendation:   Continue to October 19, 2016 Approved (Vote: 6-0)
City of MesaPage 3
September 21, 2016Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing Meeting Minutes
*4-d PZ 16216 Z16-045 District 1.  3400 to 3500 block of East Thomas Road (south side). Located west of Val Vista Drive on the south side of Thomas Road. (10.6± acres). Rezoning from LC-PAD to RM-2-PAD; and Site Plan Review. This request will allow a multiple-residence development. Brennan Ray, Bruch & Cracchiolo, P.A., applicant; Engel Investments, L.P., owner. (PLN2016-00327). 
Staff Planner:   Kim Steadman Staff Recommendation:   Continue to October 19, 2016 Approved (Vote: 6-0)
*4-e PZ 16210 Z16-046 District 3.  1800 block of West Main Street (north side), 100 Block of North Dobson Road (east side) and 100 block of North Sycamore (west side). Located east of Dobson Road, north of Main Street and west of Sycamore. (20.59± acres). Approval of rezoning from ID-2, GC-BIZ, LC-BIZ and LC to T4N, T4NF, T5N, T5MSF, and T5MS and the adoption of the Preliminary Development Plan of the Smart Growth Community Plan.  This request will allow development of a Transit Oriented neighborhood to including but not limited to uses such as multi-residences, townhomes, parking garages, commercial retail and services, senior living facilities, extended care facilities, and education facilities. (PLN2016-00372) 
Staff Planner:  Andrew Spurgin  Staff Recommendation:   Continue to October 19, 2016 Approved (Vote: 6-0)
City of MesaPage 4
September 21, 2016Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing Meeting Minutes
5Discuss and take action on the following preliminary plats:
*5-a PZ 16211 "Eastmark DU 3/4 East Parcels 3/4-6 through 3/4-8”. District 6. The 9600 through 9700 blocks of East Point Twenty-Two Boulevard (south side) and the 4900 blocks of South Inspirian Parkway. Located east of Ellsworth Road and north of Ray Road. (32.9± acres). Preliminary Plat. Jill Hegardt, DMB Mesa Proving Grounds, LLC, applicant; DMB Mesa Proving Grounds, LLC, owner. (PLN2016-00585).  
Staff Planner:  Lesley Davis Staff Recommendation: Approval with Conditions Approved (Vote: 6-0)
*5-b PZ 16212 "Diamond Court”.  District 6. The 600 block of South Signal Butte Road (west side).  Located south of Broadway Road on the west side of Signal Butte Road. (3.1± acres). Preliminary Plat. Sean Lake, Pew & Lake, PLC, applicant; Leon Ricks, Ricks Investments, owner. Continued from the August 17th Meeting. (PLN2016-00377).  Companion Case to Z16-040.  Staff Planner:  Tom Ellsworth Staff Recommendation: Approval with Conditions Approved (Vote: 6-0)
*5-c PZ 16214 "Skyview”. District 5. Located east of the 200 to 400 blocks of North Power Road and south of the 6800 to 7000 blocks of East University Drive. (15.8± acres). Preliminary Plat.  Located east of Power Road and south of University Drive. Mark Pugmire, Highland Communities, LLC applicant; Highland Communities, LLC, owner.  (PLN2016-00427). Companion case to Z16-044. Staff Planner:  Lesley Davis Staff Recommendation: Continue to October 19, 2016 Approved (Vote: 6-0)
City of MesaPage 5
September 21, 2016Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing Meeting Minutes
*5-d PZ 16215 "Tri-City Pavillions II”. District 3. 1870, 1932, 1960 and 1984 West Main Street and 67 North Dobson Road. Located on the northeast corner of Main Street and Dobson Road.  (12.63± acres). Preliminary Plat. Gary B. Fox, Superior Surveying Services, Inc., applicant; Tri-City Retail, LLC, owner. (PLN2016-00471).
Staff Planner:  Lesley Davis Staff Recommendation: Approval with Conditions Approved (Vote: 6-0)
6Other Business.
7Adjournment. Approved (Vote: 6-0)

WATCH OUT for Wishful [+ Misleading] Public Statements By City of Mesa Officials

Evolution of the suburban core: Proximity to the ‘good stuff’
By Peter Madrid | MadridMedia

Posted on September 23, 2016 by ULI Arizona

Source >> Urban Land Institute

 

Peter Madrid starts off like this: " It’s hard to get a beat on what’s happening in America’s suburbs as trends point to people moving back to the city, particularly the urban cores. . . . "

Say What ?? It's hard to get a beat on. ... Huh? Let's not go there for what all that statement might refer to but consider what drum this dude is pounding,

My observation is that "trends" are accelerating in both directions - urban and suburban at the same time. Living in both and the option "rural" would be the best of both worlds.

What's not clear is why development outside of cities is called sub-urban - it's a misnomer to say the least implying that the different palaces where we chose to live are either inferior or superior to one another.

People move yes they do with the split-decision between the quality of life and the location of jobs. Where to live and where to work that's the turning point.

Peter Madrid cites four examples introduced by The suburbs are alive and well. At their core, they’re centers of change, cultural activity, and economic growth. The case studies presented prove that point right here in the Valley.

He mentions only two suburban examples and two downtown examples when in fact that there are many others.

• Verrado: Not sprawl, but a neighboring town 25 miles from Phoenix bordering the White Tank Mountains. A center of gravity all its own. A town center. A mix of uses. Balance. Proximity to the “good stuff.”
• Chandler Viridian: Suburban infill. A great site because of its proximity to the freeway system. The Price Road employment corridor. Plans for more than 170 businesses, including 40 restaurants. Class A office building. A hotel. A 335-unit Alliance Residential project.
• Gilbert Heritage District: A 30-year vision of creating a destination in the downtown core. More than $24 million in private capital invested. More than 300,000 square feet of residential and retail under construction. Popular restaurant concepts already in place. More growth on the way.
• Downtown Mesa: When it comes to its urban core, the City of Mesa has a lot to crow about. Light rail. Mesa Amphitheater. Higher education,  including ???  Arizona State opening a campus.

 

STOP RIGHT THERE. HOLD ON JUST ONE MINUTE!

 

Your MesaZona blogger's "beat" is the smart re-generation for The New Urban Downtown Mesa where everyone is invited to the table

Yours truly "has a bone" to pick with oftentimes misleading and unsubstantiated public statements made by Mesa City officials to promote their own agendas for economic development.

 

Furthermore, I would tend to argue the point that downtown Mesa is an urban core. Less than 6,000 people live downtown in a population of over 460,000.

 

"Vision, city council alignment, and being deliberate in what they wanted were crucial to Mesa’s successful suburban core, according to Economic Development Assistant Director Jaye O’Donnell. “ASU is coming,” she said. “This is a catalyst for developing the light rail.”

 

- Don't know about that "vision thing". It's murky at best and maybe somewhat fuzzy

- Yes indeed the city has been deliberate trying to sell this to taxpayers, throwing $14,000 raised from a political action committee at a Public Relations company to create a slick and tricky campaign bundling Education together with Police/Fire for a 23% increase in TPT/sales taxes that must be approved before any of that IS

 

Another statement by Jaye O’Donnell, Mesa’s Economic Development Assistant Director, deserves some more serious attention - it is misleading and is more wishful thinking than an actual fact: “ASU is coming .. .”

 

• It is not a done deal nor is it inevitable.
• Many people question the “Pie-In-The-Sky” half-backed proposal that would plop down a satellite ASU campus for 2500 transient ASU students right in the heart of The New Urban Downtown Mesa.
• It is a $100++ Million Dollar massive mis-allocation of resources using a 23% increase in TPT/sales taxes that must be approved by voters BEFORE this might happen ….
• If ASU wants to get a small campus here in Mesa LET ASU PAY FOR IT, not taxpayers
• Smaller incremental growth is a better way to go.
• There are already two smaller universities that have been lured to locate in downtown by favorable leasing terms extended by the city to fill-up vacant city-owned properties- after five years they are still struggling to enroll students.

The question needs to get asked: How good is it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who's Ready To Rumble ???

The week in review: September 17 - September 23
What's on tap next week: September 24 - September 30

What's on tap? The first presidential debate of the 2016 general election season will take place on Monday night. Here is everything you need to know:

• Ballotpedia’s coverage of the debate will include an Insider’s Survey, statistical analysis, and commentary by guest writers. Be sure to follow Ballotpedia on Twitter and read up on Clinton’s and Trump’s policy positions before, during, and after the debate. And if you are feeling nostalgic for the primary debates, Ballotpedia’s in-depth coverage of all of them can be found here.  
• Some observers in the media anticipate viewership for the debate could be around 100 million people. Dentsu Inc., an international advertising firm, is anticipating more than 80 million viewers. In 2012, the first debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney set a new record for presidential debate viewership at 67 million people.  
• The debate will start at 9 p.m. EST and will last 90 minutes. You can watch it on any major television network or online on C-SPAN or the websites of the major cable news channels.   
• It will take place at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. (The debate was originally scheduled to take place at Wright State University in Ohio but was moved after the university withdrew, citing concerns over costs and increased security.)
• The participants will be Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Gary Johnson and Jill Stein did not meet the 15 percent polling average required for participation by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Stein is planning a protest outside of Hofstra during the debate. Ballotpedia is unaware of Johnson’s plans.
• Lester Holt of NBC News will moderate the debate. Trump recently stated, “Lester is a professional, but we'll see what happens ... By the way, Lester is a Democrat. It's a phony system. They are all Democrats. It's a very unfair system. I've worked pretty well within the system.” Holt, a registered Republican in the state of New York, moderated the fourth Democratic debate on January 17, 2016.
• Topics at the debate will include "America's Direction," "Achieve Prosperity," and "Securing America," according to a press release from the Commission on Presidential Debates.
• Its format will be composed of six 15-minute segments, each covering a major topic selected by the moderator. Each segment will open with a question, and each candidate will have two minutes to respond, followed by responses. The remaining time will be used for "deeper discussion."

See also: Presidential debate at Hofstra University (September 26, 2016) and Presidential debates (2015-2016)