It explains actions taken by the Mesa Council in the last two years to rubber-stamp approval for actions using public taxpayer monies to promote the private personal gains of real estate developers:
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An aerial view shows the buildings that Caliber, The Wealth Development Company
purchased and will redevelop in Mesa. They are outlined in red.
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A fog of non-disclosure covered any details of the multiple-purchase deal offer to swoop-up 8 parcels in once package at the $1M per property take-it-or leave-it offer, except for the response that these were "private transactions". Owners of the one-story historic buildings decided to cash-out at that time for the proffered going-price . . . Just yesterday there was a public announcement in a media release in AZ Big Media that reveals "the game-plan" for that one-time fixed-price offer real estate package-deal done months ago, clinched by "insiders" and their deep-pocketed cohorts. 
It's the grunt-groundwork private-investment real estate speculation here in the downtown historic district with sidewalk frontage on both sides of Main Street along the line of Valley Metro's Light Rail Central Business Extension opening service in August 2015 two years ago. Caliber’s $7.625 million purchase consists of eight historic buildings along Main Street between Country Club Drive and Center Street, connecting the properties to the entire Valley - or at least the few miles between Mesa Drive to Downtown Phoenix through Tempe.
That helps explain nearly all the actions by Mayor John Giles and the entire Mesa City Council Council to rubber-stamp and unanimously approve that can benefit a close cohort of undisclosed business connections as well as "family-and-friends" in the political machine controlling this city for generations while claiming some public benefit yet to materialize in the grand Pie-In-The-Sky proposals plopped-down and defeated two years ago to transform downtown into a satellite ASU campus that devoured downtown Tempe. This year and this time around, it's a rehash of the same game-plan using city-owned parking lots leveraged as land-banks offered in two locations to ASU for the city to finance - by taxpayer-guaranteed Municipal Bond Obligation debt-service obligations - "educational facilities" to spur private real estate speculation based on attracting about 1,000 ASU students riding on the back of a boom in student housing construction and related activities. 1,000 students in no way makes "a boom". Benedictine University here for five years has succeeded in finally enrolling 500 students with a 56-unit residence hall, where John Giles said it would be 24/7 street activation/retail shopping bringing "night-life" downtown. That's not the case.
Caliber buys up buildings to give Downtown Mesa a makeover
Here we go again, dear readers, with another one of those Spoon-Fed news stories where Mesa Mayor John Giles is featured up-front and center. He's come out in public standing in the middle of Valley Metro's Light Rail tracks with some people from a wealth development company:
"For years, Arizona’s cities have been revitalizing their downtowns by bolstering the arts, installing public infrastructure like the light rail and enticing a plethora of unique, private development projects. It’s no question that Downtown Mesa has been on the receiving end of these efforts, as light rail and the Mesa Arts Center have transformed the area. Now, Downtown Mesa is set to receive another transformation after Caliber, The Wealth Development Company purchased 100,000 square feet of property in the heart of downtown.
Caliber’s $7.625 million purchase consists of eight historic buildings along Main Street between Country Club Drive and Center Street. The buildings are just a short walk from the light rail, connecting the properties to the entire Valley.
Blogger Note: Wealth for who?
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The article from AZ Big Media brings up a very salty and salient point about the role that John Giles has played for years behind-the-scenes when this curtain is pulled open by his own statements taking credit for another "make-over" and "another transformation" here in Downtown Mesa - Is this The Golden Rule he likes where those who have "the dough" and the gold rule making all-the-money in real estate speculation?
Once again, Mesa Mayor John Giles is excited to see Caliber’s plans for Downtown Mesa
. Giles has played a role in much of the public investment into Downtown Mesa since he was a councilman in the late 1990s, paving the way for private investment like this.
HERE'S THE GAME-PLAN:
"Giles says it’s great to see private investment from Caliber that will help further transform the Downtown Mesa area, making it more attractive for future employers and private investment."
"Caliber’s developments could also bolster Mesa’s efforts of bringing ASU into Downtown Mesa as well, Giles says.
Readers of this blog might like to note that Mesa taxpayers REJECTED the goofy public relations fiasco when the mayor put himself on center-stage with ASU mascot "Sparky" making underhanded gestures to sell a scheme, backed by over $500,000+ bucks in private special-interest monies that turned out to be a major screw-up to finance over $100,000,000 on the back of taxpayers for the personal gain of his "friends-and-family" undisclosed business connections.
He says economic developers have to make areas around universities attractive for students, and public investment on things like the light rail and the Mesa Arts Center are one part of that."
"Giles remembers when Downtown Mesa was “embarrassing” due to the area’s ghost town atmosphere, but he worked to bring the $100 million Mesa Arts Center and the light rail, both of which made a dramatic change to the area."
Didn't Giles once say that Downtown Mesa was just like that old television comedy Mayberry RFD?
. . . and now as quoted in the article he sets the stage for a new role as creator of this environment. What a dude!
Giles says. “We set this stage now, for creating this environment people want.”
Giles says it’s great to see private investment from Caliber that will help further transform the Downtown Mesa area, making it more attractive for future employers and private investment.
Caliber’s developments could also bolster Mesa’s efforts of bringing ASU into Downtown Mesa as well, Giles says. He say economic developers have to make areas around universities attractive for students, and public investment on things like the light rail and the Mesa Arts Center are one part of that.
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READ MORE > Caliber buys up buildings
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