Two Biz Titans Tangle over Net-Metering > AZ +NV // Solar Wars In The Desert

Back on 19 Oct 2015 this blog did a post with the sub-header 
State's Biggest Utilities Defeat
Innovation in Solar Power
Then again a number of other posts, now at least respected Bloomberg News puts international focus on two guys taking different sides on the sizzling core of a barrier to solar installations - the issue of net-metering regulations by public utilities.
Here in Arizona the AZ Corporate Commission recently got a lot of heat when investigative reporting threw some light on conflict-of-interests for some of the people who regulate the industry.

As recently as 08 Jan 2016 there was another post here reporting on investment tax credits ITC - Read it!
The report [and video] from Bloomberg is a must-watch to get information about two big boys in biz bucks and what side they are taking in what is turning out to be the usual battle of how innovation challenges entrenched power structures unless both can see benefits for their respective positions - and the customers' [that's a plural passive adjective, dear readers] interests and benefits need to get spoken up for and engaged in the power-play dynamics.

 









Here's a link from four days ago to Bloomberg's report about Elton Musk and Warren Buffett
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-01-28/musk-vs-buffett-a-solar-war-in-the-desert-heats-up



Here's a big map to show you how Sun-Rich Arizona & Mexico compare with other areas in the Southwest



Main Street Comes Alive Every 2nd Friday!

Well, yeah for years and still goin' strong.
Cheers to Suzanne Woodford - Sweethearts are welcome all the time!

Contact: Suzanne Woodford

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tel. 602.318.5689

Email: suzanne@2ndfridaynightout.com

2ND FRIDAY NIGHT OUT  SWEETHEARTS ON MAIN

Historic Downtown Mesa welcomes romance during Sweethearts on Main!

 

January 31, 2016, MESA, AZ. – 2nd Friday celebrates Sweethearts on Main on Feb. 12.  There will be a free swing dance lesson on the OneOhOne patio at 8PM followed by a dance contest with prizes for the best swing dancers.  Get out your zoot suit and be ready to jump, jive, and wail.  There will be sweet treats for your sweetie and shops and restaurants open late.  Forget to buy a gift for your honey?  There’ll be over 60 artists showcasing original art work. Plus check out the food vendors, entertainment, live bands, and shops and restaurants open late. If you don’t have a sweetheart, bring your dog, bring your grandma, or bring your BFF. There’s always a free movie in the sliver lot.  This month’s film is Happy Feet 2!  Bing a lawn chair.  It all happens on Main Street from Center to Country Club.

 

Mesa’s 2nd Friday is the winner of the 2010 New Times “Best of Phoenix – Block Party” and was nominated for the 2011 “Best Arts Festival!” 2nd Friday brings thousands of people together for an evening of fun, food and entertainment as they experience the local culture and creativity of historic downtown Mesa. Learn more at www.2ndFridayNightOut.com.

~~~

If you would like more information about Mesa’s 2nd Friday events, or to schedule an interview with

Suzanne Woodford, please call 602.318.5689,

email: suzanne@2ndfridaynightout.com,

or visit  2ndfridaynightout.com

FWD > Are YOU The New Face of Bicycling In Arizona?

To be fair, there are a lot of images out there - and a lot of positive things going on to promote cycling in Arizona and around Mesa. Except for one-day events like cause-related rides or marathons or cycling summits or industry promotions, what your MesaZona blogger sees about people who use bikes to get around on regularly, not just for occasional recreation or to snag political points, is a different picture.They're not all tricked-out on high-priced bikes or trendy cycle sportswear - apart from walking, it's their only way to get  jobs and that's if they a job - many do not and many are homeless . . . that was the subject of a post here back on 13 Nov 2015 "Can we get real ....?  http://mesazona.blogspot.com/2015/11/can-we-get-real-reimage-of-cycling-not.html 

 

Included in the post is this image of everyday bikes parked and secured in front of the Mesa Main Public by bike riders who either have no home or get locked out of homeless shelters and need a place to go during the day, with the other choice hanging-out in public spaces. Other homeless in Mesa aren't that lucky to get a bike - they have to use discarded shopping carts to carry aroundall their worldly possessions.

Please keep that point in mind. At the same time, yours truly is happy to your attention a one-day event coming up on Friday 01 April at the Mesa Convention Center:

Arizona Bicycling Summit 2016 Announced

Posted by Ed B on Sunday, January 10, 2016
http://www.cazbike.org/summit/  WATCH THIS SPACE for additional information
Presented by: Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists and the City of Mesa
With Support from: Perimeter Bicycling Association of America
Other Participants: IMBA, ADOT Bike/Ped, GABA, CASAz, FHWA, MAG, Flagstaff Biking Organization, Valley Metro, Yuma Region Bicycle Coalition, Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition, Pima County, Cities of Sedona, Peoria, Tucson, Buckeye more…
Friday, April 1, 2016
Program Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm          Check-in begins at 8:30 am
Location: Mesa Convention Center, Bldg C, North Center St., Mesa, AZ  85201
Parking: Between 201-263 N Center St, Mesa AZ (east side of Center St)

Here are some more photos of cyclists: this one from last week's Out to Lunch open-air concert at Mesa Arts Center on Thursday to show that some people choose not to drive and park to get to events in the public spaces here in the  new urban DTMesa.
It always shows they have the free leisure time to attend a mid-day attraction.
They were a small - but very visible - part of the sizeable crowd that turned out for this popular daytime attraction, sitting or standing a distance from the stage.


Life of The Party's on-site catering truck did a brisk business with hot burgers and refreshments. They used to be located here on Main Street Grill at Urban Grill finding success now in a changed business model.

Happy to Mesa Mayor John Giles in his own backyard with son-in-law, daughter and offspring in a photo from Facebook

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fed Is Hostage To The Rest Of The World - Mohamed El-Erian - 28 Jan 16 ...

We are living in the midst of massive changes -just wanted dear readers here in the new urban DTMesa to hear about conditions that are "unusually uncertain"

City of Mesa Open Data > In The Hands of A Leadership Board

Back on 05 Nov 2015 , three months after the announcement that Mesa is now a WhatWorksCities, there's been little information or data forthcoming out of the inner workings inside City Hall, except for this tweet from City Manager Chris Brady who recently celebrated ten years on the job:
Open Data Leadership Board appointed to lead open data in Mesa!
https://twitter.com/mesacitymanager

Readers will note the repeated words and phrases "open data", "leadership", "lead" and "open data'. 

The image to the right is an upload of the Twitter announcement - can anyone read it ?

What and where is this this open data portal that the City of Mesa will be creating ?

Time has moved ahead - it's now almost three months more on anybody's clock - any open data portal that we can open to find data?
What have appointed members of "The Open Data Leadership Board" been doing for the last six months? Mebbe looking for data . . .

Quite fortunately there are other available on-demand sources for open data about the City of Mesa. For example : http://www.city-data.com/income/income-Mesa-Arizona.html 
Mesa, Arizona (AZ) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, ... with income maps of neighborhoods, earnings and wage data from 2000-2013.





Here's an infographic for race distribution if you are interested in finding out:

 

Or open data about home sales

Or crime rates

Top 20 Cities by Total Venture Capital Investment (in $USD) ::)

Just a list from a friend in Toronto:

The Martin Prosperity Institute here in Toronto recently published a new report that looks at worldwide venture capital investment by city. The report is called Rise of the Global Startup City.
The data is from 2012, because that’s what was available from Thomson Reuters, so keep in mind that there might be some variation in the rankings if we were to look at more recent data. Nonetheless, here are a few of the broader takeaways (from the report page). Phoenix ranks at #19. San Francisco is #1
The United States accounts for nearly 70 percent (68.6 percent) of total global venture capital, followed by Asia (14.4 percent) and Europe (13.5 percent).”

Encore On First West : Another Vertical Rise for Housing Options in The New Urban DTMesa









Building up/construction in-progress

New construction [see image at left] is moving forward on the second parcel of land on First Avenue near Macdonald Street on what were once vacant city-owned lots that are filling in and building up the housing base downtown.
This ongoing 44-unit construction project is a good example of form-based zoning, an urban infill project on long-vacant City-owned property, transit-oriented development and public-private partnerships creating new urban downtown areas in Arizona.
It will soon join Encore On First, the recipient of a 2014 Real Estate Design Award, in the new urban landscape half-a-block close to the Mesa Arts Center, one city block from the Valley Metro Central Mesa Extension Light Rail station at Center/Main Street and the central business, retail and arts-and-entertainment district in The New urban DTMesa. 

Developers Charles Huellmantel and Todd Marshall are in the forefront of the increasing momentum for building up urban regeneration here by providing attractive housing options in urban in-fill that have set a new standard by their success in these two buildings that can lead to future development in the surrounding area propelled by public-private partnerships
The First Avenue Improvement Project from Country Club Drive past Mesa Drive has been underway by the City of Mesa for more than two years.
The lot you see in the foreground at the SE intersection with Macdonald Street may be the next site for  further development since the option with the City of Mesa for the proposed Goldwater Library expired in December.        
Leasing applications in the new building are now being accepted for occupancy beginning in April-May.
Qualifications and other criteria may apply.
For information please call the property management office @ Encore On First 480.834.4547.
[You can tell them you got that information here]

According to an AZBigMedia report, "Encore on First is one of downtown Mesa’s first private sector investments in nearly three decades. It is an 81-unit, transit-oriented apartment community for independent seniors who desire a walkable lifestyle.
The site is all about location, which is benefited by several civic amenities ...
The building mixes the urban landscape setting with metal wall panels, colored glass landscape panels and white steel elements with a more tranquil rural look with extensive plantings of trees and landscaping, a pocket park and reflecting pool with fountains. The building is built to attract residents and to catalyze future developments on the building and the surrounding area . . . sustainable resources include a 60 KW solar plant located on the roof that provides more than 50% of the renewable energy for public areas in the building that is tied into the City of Mesa’s downtown power grid, electric vehicle charging stations, LED lighting and high-performance windows and appliances."

Todd Marshall, the president of Urban Development Partners, says the company was founded with a passion for infill development and the belief that urban redevelopment is both an opportunity and a responsibility to create a diverse and sustainable community.

[Image credit: architectmagazine.com]