FTA Announces New Transit-Oriented Development Initiative

FTA Announces New National Transit Oriented Development  (TOD) Ladders of Opportunity Technical Assistance Initiative.    

Federal Transit Administration sent this bulletin at 10/09/2015 11:19 AM EDT

As a complement to the Administration’s ongoing Opportunities Agenda Program, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced this week that Smart Growth America, a national nonprofit organization, has been selected to lead a team of experts to support transit-oriented development (TOD) activities that will benefit economically distressed communities across the country.

In the near future, the new National TOD Ladders Technical Assistance Initiative will bring together resources and training on

• public transportation,
• transit-oriented development,
• land use,
• urban planning,
• affordable housing, and
• community-based economic development
to help local governments get the most out of transit investments.

Through this initiative, FTA will provide TOD technical assistance, which will include on-site visits to selected local governments, a new comprehensive website, and toll free call lines for individual assistance. FTA will make a formal announcement once the website and toll free lines are launched.
Readers may be interested in
Core Values: Why American Companies are Moving Downtown
Hundreds of companies across the United States are moving to and investing in walkable downtown locations. As job migration shifts towards cities and as commercial real estate values climb in these places, a vanguard of American companies are building and expanding in walkable downtown neighborhoods.
Why are companies choosing these places?
What are the competitive advantages they see in these locations?
And what features do they look for when choosing a new location?
Read more >> http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/core-values

Here's a 6:11 YouTube upload from Smart Growth America  featuring Mesa councilmember Richins



Much More Than Meets The Eye > Sparking A Conversation

There was a September 20 post on this blog about the renamed Indie Lens Pop community cinema series . . . more details were offered yesterday in press release 549 from the City of Mesa Newsroom:

National screening series seeks to spark conversations in Mesa

Post Date:10/08/2015 10:33 AM

The first event of the 2015-2016 season is the screening of “Stray Dog” Thursday, Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Dobson Ranch Library, 2425 S. Dobson Road. “Stray Dog” is from Debra Granik, director of the Oscar-nominated movie “Winter’s Bone” and is the portrait of a motorcycle-riding Vietnam veteran. But there is much more to Ronnie “Stray Dog” Hall than meets the eye. Behind the tattoos and leather vest is a man dedicated to helping his fellow vets and immigrant family as he also comes to terms with his combat experience . . .
Following the 80 minute screening there will be a panel discussion led by Brett Petersen, a social worker and counselor at Marc Community Resources in Mesa, and Mike Pappa, U.S. Navy/U.S. Air Force Retired Veteran.
Blog Note: City of Mesa offers free locks for bikes [donations asked for] while this first event is all about a discussion of many issues including vets, immigration, relationships.
In support of Veterans who may suffer from PTSD, we will be holding a bike lock donation drive at the screening. Ride 2 Recovery is a non-profit organization who donates refurbished bicycles to those Veterans that may benefit from their use. If you would like to help, bring a lock to donate. All locks collected will go to the local Ride 2 Recovery programs.

Mellow Mushroom > Pizza: How//Where Do You Like It?

This blogger with the last name Mello [anglicized from Azores-migrant grandfather Francisco de Melo whose marriage produced 14 born-in-America citizens] just could not pass up an opportunity for a post when asked frequently "Mello"? .... the reply is "I usually try to be mellow . . ."  and give a fair slice of reporting about pizza, one of the most popular foods in America.

How ya gonna get it? . . .
[Readers get an idea of this site's preference in the image to the left.]
. . . Locally in Queen's Pizzeria, a small Mom-and-Pop family-owned local business building downtown community on Main Street, or in a big off-the-freeway franchise?
Hand-made or not?
Or is the question more about convenience, how you travel, and what's the mix of close-by retail and entertainment options?

The New Urban Downtown Mesa Welcomes Partners in Community Development

Drivers - or shall we say accelerators - of new urban growth are the private/public partnerships, finance, community investment and creative place making that expand affordable housing opportunities.
Rancho del Arte is a prime example of these initiatives, featured in one of the very first posts on March 2, 2015 on this blog to start off what this blogsite is all about ... Creative Place Making
Readers can see in the announcement in the image on the left all the eleven partners who worked together to make this affordable housing habitat happen [and, yes, it is a project in the best sense of the word: moving opportunities forward].
Building/construction progress at this location on Main Street was updated on this site as time moved forward with other posts here. 

On the right is one rendering of the building shown in the first post when it was simply called "El Rancho Apartments".
El Rancho del Arte is one of the first Form Based Zoning projects in the City of Mesa.
Ground was broken in August of last year, after the removal of a one-story blighted motel. Perlman Architects of Arizona came up with the unique design for families with children. PHASE 2 has been funded and approved in an adjoining parcel of land.

Photo by Neil Koppes

Rancho del Arte rises four stories on Main Street not far from a new Valley Metro Light Rail station, where investment in the expansion of transit-oriented development promoted by LISC PHX is now established and attractive in the new urban landscape here in Mesa.
The 66-unit apartment community is the latest in a series of new housing opportunities in Mesa - Escobedo @ Verde Vista [now finishing Phase 2 and new construction for Encore on First West at 47 W First Avenue. All three have been prominently featured on this blog from the start.
The City of Mesa has invested heavily in the pursuit of creating a local culture conducive to supporting the arts which this project fully supports. 
Mesa-born artist Zarco Guerrero, to the left and  photographed in his studio below,  met with the developer Eric Paine to come up with a series of mandala designs that were produced in iron works incorporated into both the stunning monumental ironwork façade on the front of the building and on the west side vehicle entrance.

In addition to public art spaces, there is an inside parking garage, a large communal gallery, a flexible large studio space for children's service programming complete with a kitchen, , a media room, computer lab, a large outdoor eating/activities area in an interior atrium , a community garden (in cooperation with Mesa Urban Garden) and a pool. 
Readers will note that  Rancho del Arte will be hosting a celebration of Dia de Los Muertos - the real celebration of life and the celebration of lives after death in new beginnings - not the spooky Anglo-Saxon Halloween traditions with trick-or-treat.
If residents of Mesa don't know too much about that celebration and tradition in Latino culture, it's both an eye-opener and exposure for cultural interchange in what we hope is our diverse community.

"We’re looking at a $13.6M total project,” says developer Eric Paine shown in the image to the left who is the CEO for Community Development Partners - that includes land and soft costs. The construction cost is about $9M.” The project will be leased at affordable rents, although Eric says that the difference between market and affordable in that area of Mesa is pretty close. 

 

Building For The Future > Community Development Partners is a forward-thinking organization based in California and focused on meeting the housing needs of local citizens through the thoughtful planning and development of life-enhancing affordable communities.

 

Related news that's on the company website www.communitydevpartners.com includes two items:

A Perfect Day in Mesa [Sunset Magazine]

Rancho del Arte: Place Making with Dr. John Williams

 

 

 . . . it's important likewise to show you what's been built with professional photos by Neil Koppel courtesy of Eric Paine

View of atrium open to sunlight and interior natural light

Stairs - read what's on the risers

Stunning monumental ironwork on 719 E Main Street

 

 

  

 

 

411 Upload >> What is the Community Reinvestment Act?

News from Connecticut: Another Big Aerospace Acquisition Here in Mesa

An October 21, 2015 update by Business Wire News: TAAT will be renamed “EXTEX Engineered Products, Inc., + an  update from the 24th that the acquisition has been completed http://www.onlineamd.com/article/kaman-completes-acquisition-timken-alcor-102415

From The Hartford Courant October 6, 2015

Kaman Buying Timken Business in Arizona
Kaman Corp. has agreed to buy Timken Alcor Aerospace Technologies [TAAT] in Mesa, Ariz., a division that designs and supplies aftermarket parts to maintenance and overhaul operations in North America.
Kaman Corporation, founded in 1945 by aviation pioneer Charles H. Kaman, and headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut conducts business in the aerospace and industrial distribution markets.
The company produces and/or markets widely used proprietary aircraft bearings and components; complex metallic and composite aerostructures for commercial, military and general aviation fixed and rotary wing aircraft; aerostructure engineering design analysis and FAA certification services; safe and arm solutions for missile and bomb systems for the U.S. and allied militaries; K-MAX® medium to heavy lift helicopters; and support for the company’s SH-2G Super Seasprite maritime helicopters and K-MAX® aircraft.

Here's the company's website:
http://www.timken.com/en-us/solutions/aerospace/aftermarket/Pages/default.aspx

Kaman makes air transport vehicle like this:
Kaman SH-2G Seasprite

See it in action on this YouTube video:
https://youtu.be/Q58hQA6CI6E

Kaman said Timken offers organic growth opportunities in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, along with a robust quality system and engineering expertise. Timken has annual sales of $20 million.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Kaman, which signed the acquisition agreement on Tuesday, said the deal is expected to close by the end of October.

Timken will become part of Kaman's Specialty Bearings & Engineered Products division.
With 14,000 employees operating from 28 countries, Timken posted $3.1 billion in sales in 2014.

Link to a YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/x-Eclu93DPY

BUENO > Arizona-Mexico Trade Mission in Mexico City:

This post is a follow-up to one on 26 September.
Back in the 1990's when your blogger lived in New York City he was [and is] a promoter of transnational initiatives with Mexico, so very happy to see government and business leaders in Arizona getting over the right-wing conservative distortion that interrupted decades of good feelings between the two countries and the shared history, commerce, technology, education, family relations and cultures going back centuries.

Couldn't get to the conference yesterday, but the Arizona Republic did a nice report yesterday 

Image from PHX Mayor's Press Office

Read more >> http://www.abc15.com/news/state/phoenix-mayor-business-leaders-launch-trade-mission-to-mexico-show-capitol-the-real-arizona that featured the mayor of Phoenix Greg Stanton who is leading another trade mission this week to Mexico City, bringing 30 business leaders and economic development experts with him, along with the mayors of Yuma, Surprise, Mesa, Tucson and Nogales
.
According to the press release from the Governor's Office on 05 October The delegation arrived in Mexico City on Sunday. This morning they met with leaders of ProMexico, the Mexican government’s international economic development arm that recently opened an office in Phoenix. Later today delegation will tour Startup Mexico, the country’s premier tech-hub incubator, where the Arizona Technology Council will sign a memorandum of understanding to help startup tech companies in both Arizona and Mexico grow and find new markets across the border. Later Mayor Stanton will sign a similar memorandum of understanding with Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera.

Margie Emmermann on the left with Governor Ducey at right

Among the more than 30 business leaders and economic development experts who are on the trade mission are Stephen Zylstra, President of the Arizona Technology Council; Russ Yelton, CEO of Pinnacle Transplant Technologies; Tom Rainey, President of the Arizona Business Incubation Association; Lea Marquez Peterson, President of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and Margie Emmermann of the consulting firm Molera Alvarez and former executive director of the Arizona Mexico Coalition. 
Stanton was quoted in the The Phoenix Business Journal saying "Mexico is a warm and welcoming environment for Arizona business, and we are making it known that the bad decisions of the past are not the future between our regions. . . "
Trade with Mexico is expanding.
Governor Doug Ducey, unlike the previous Republican governor, has been very active restoring relationships with our friends in Mexico after the disastrous passing of a mis-guided legislative action called SB1070. 
There are groups that have been working for years on both sides of the border to expand Arizona-Mexico connections - just to name a few: the Arizona-Mexico Commission and both the Arizona Office of Tourism and the Mexico Board of Tourism, as well as trade, finance and cultural organizations.