Monday, September 17, 2018

2 New Reports on Arizona: One Glowing + The Other So-So

The prime take-away from both of these just published today and no matter the usual hype in the Arizona: Billion Dollar Boom published in the July/August 2018 issue of Business Facilities, there's still an issue for potential companies that just doesn't go: the quality of the workforce and education.
In an earlier report on this blog, Mesa is ranked #22 out of 44 cities in Arizona for Smart Cities. The City of Mesa is the largest public school system in the entire state.

Report: Arizona Ranks 4th For Aerospace Attractiveness

Christina Estes Sep. 17, 2018

When it comes to the aerospace and defense sector, a new report ranks Arizona high for attractiveness, but the state’s ranking has dropped a bit.
PwC lists Arizona as 4th most attractive overall, behind Washington state, Texas and Georgia. Last year, Arizona ranked 3rd.
“These metrics change a little bit, you know, every year and these states are really competitive and really close,” said Scott Thompson, Aerospace and Defense Leader for PwC.
Here's how Arizona ranked in the examined categories The lowest score for labor - the quality of basic education, skilled education, advanced educationcost 10labor 23 infrastructure 17industry 5 economy 21tax policy 14 Among the categories, Arizona’s highest score was "industry."“We look at the breadth and maturity of the aerospace and defense industry and Arizona came out number five,” Thompson said.

Aerospace Manufacturing Attractiveness Rankings by KJZZ Phoenix on Scribd

The state ranked 10th in cost which included labor cost, energy cost, transportation cost, construction cost, and labor productivity. Arizona’s lowest ranking, 23, was in the labor category.

The state ranked 10th in cost which included labor cost, energy cost, transportation cost, construction cost, and labor productivity.

Arizona’s lowest ranking, 23, was in the labor category.

“We look at first of all total labor force, but also the quality of basic education, skilled education, advanced education,” said Thompson.

The report said the outlook for defense contractors is strong as a result of increases in U.S. defense budgets and global demand.

PREVIOUSLY UNREPORTED: City of Mesa Settles $1M Police Shooting Victim Lawsuit 2015

The city of Mesa quietly paid $1 million earlier this year to the family of a man fatally shot by police in the La Sendas neighborhood in 2015, Phoenix New Times has learned . . . Mesa City Attorney Jim Smith and the Mesa Police Department did not respond to requests for comment. Mesa police killed Ivan Krstic in the Las Sendas area on the evening of December 3, 2015. Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery declined to file charges against either of the officers involved in the shooting after his Shooting Review Board determined that they had committed no crime.
Here's the link to the report > Phoenix New Times 17 Sept 2018
Mesa Settles With Family of 2015 Police Shooting Victim
For $1,000,000
by Steven Hsieh 07:30 am
Here are a few details:
As a condition of two separate settlement agreements, a $10M wrongful death lawsuit was dropped.
As of August 22, the $1 million settlement represented the largest sum paid by the city for a single incident this year.

The previously unreported payments conclude the legal aftermath of a police shooting that received significant local media attention. The settlements were made in a year when the Mesa Police Department has come under increased scrutiny for its use of force, leading to two federal investigations of three incidents.According to police reports, Officers Dustin Gransee and Daniel Glover responded to a call from two witnesses that Krstic was banging the bar on the ground while yelling that the road was paved incorrectly. A witness who was walking his dog near the site of the shooting later said that he did not hear either officer identify themselves as law enforcement, according to lawyer Troy Hendrickson.
_________________________________________________________________________Another disturbing 9:07 video that was not uploaded to YouTube until August 26, 2016.
It has received 69 views to the time of upload on this blog post

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The FBI recently started reviewing a string of use-of-force incidents involving Mesa police officers for possible civil rights violations, the Arizona Republic reported.
The Bureau is also investigating the fatal shooting of Daniel Shaver, a Texas man who Mesa Police Officer Philip Brailsford shot in a hotel. Body camera footage of the incident went viral. Mesa Police fired Brailsford and Montgomery charged the officer with second-degree murder for the shooting. A jury acquitted him.
Shaver's widow has a pending claim against the City of Mesa for more than $100 M ________________________________________________________________________
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That Downtown Vision Thing > A Re-View

A Smart Growth Community on Main Street @ Sycamore.

What happened to that? Readers of this blog might wonder not only wonder about this one project, but some others that are not listed or listed on the City of Mesa's official landing page for Downtown Transformation. What can we see for ground-breaking results now?
First of all here's the official list from Downtown Transformation . Some that are listed are in need of some serious updating. One not on the list at all is the only one where work has started for Residences on Main & Mesa on the SEC of that intersection (see below)

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Residences on Main & Mesa is part of the development by a for-profit or "investment affiliate" of The Church of Jesus of The Latter-Day Saints to protect and revitalize the 4.6-acre area around the Mesa Temple.
Plans were made public in June in a press release not from the offices of Jeff McVay, the City of Mesa's Director of Downtown Transformation Jeff McVay but from The Mormon Newsroom in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 1, 2018
Please use SEARCHBOX for more posts and information.
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Not on the list: THE GRID
Please use the SEARCH BOX on this blog for more details and information
People who leave here in Mesa might know that the ground to the left off the picture has been the home of Pete's Fish & Chips for many years. To the right is the Mesa headquarters for Wells Fargo Bank. The apartment towers shown are planned to be built on top of the 3-story parking behind the Mesa Municipal Court Building on 1st Avenue _______________________________________________________________________

Drew Street Parking Lot
AZ State Senator Bob Worsley's plans for a 15-story luxury hotel-above market rate apartments is featured on the upcoming cover of Compass Magazine.
He's partnered with his AZ State House campaign manager Kent Lyon and Habitat Metro to push this out-of-scale and out-of-proportion complex to gain fast approval and developer agreements with Mesa city officials.
It's a $130,000,000 projected. More details on searchbox
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NOT MENTIONED AT ALL
Holding companies and the Caliber Wealth Creation Fund's purchase of ten commercial properties built between 1920-1954 on Main Street between Country Club and Center.
Please use the SEARCHBOX on this blog for many more details and much more information
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This has been a controversial proposition for more than two years, as well as the entire site around City Hall directly across Main Street from the International Design Award-Winning Mesa Arts Center. It's mostly parking lots for city employees, with some 1970's-era municipal buildings scattered along the perimeter.

ASU @ Mesa City Center

This is a re-do for a $200M scheme to construct "a satellite campus" that voters REJECTED two years ago . . . here's the hype the city put out:
(they forgot to state voters can choose to VOTE NO)

"Mesa City Council recently took action to bring ASU programs and classes downtown. The agreement calls for an approximately 115,000 square foot higher education facility on City-owned land on the northwest corner of Pepper Place and Centennial Way.
The programs and classes make up the new ASU @ Mesa City Center. Areas of study include digital and sensory technology, user experience design and film and media arts. These programs utilize augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and 3D design. The technology developed through these programs can impact the medical, aerospace, manufacturing and entertainment industries, as well as support tech start-ups and entrepreneurs. The new building is expected to open for students for the fall semester of 2021.

The City of Mesa's finances don't look a whole lot more stable they were in 2008. And the debt pile is even bigger. For spinning the projected budget, estimates, and using impact studies done by ASU to justify this project here A PINOCCHIO!

"The project budget is $63.5 million and will be funded by City revenues. ASU will contribute $10 million towards the interior build-out and be responsible for all ongoing operations and maintenance costs, currently estimated at $1.3 million.

Along with the ASU building, the City is designing Mesa City Center as part of a burgeoning downtown innovation district.

The first phase is made up of a 2-3 acre gathering space called The Plaza @ Mesa City Center and an adaptive reuse of Mesa’s first library at the southwest corner of First Street and Centennial Way into The Studios @ Mesa City Center. The Studios will allow the collision of ideas between industry leaders, entrepreneurs, students and the public.

The design phase for these projects will begin in early August. . . "

ASU @ Mesa City Center by the Numbers:

115, 000 sq ft new build
1,500 sq ft commercial space
5 stories
Technologies: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, 3D Design
25 annual Mesa scholarships
Project budget $63.5m
ROI estimated at >$7m annually
Open Fall 2021

Presentation to Mesa City Council May 10 Study Session: ASU Impact Data

Presentation to Mesa City Council February 15: Intergovernmental Agreement with Arizona State University

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Country Club & Main
Infamous eminent domain wrecking-ball that's left an empty scar for over ten years in a prominent intersection here in Downtown.

The Vision

The vision for this site is a high intensity, modern, urban development that contributes to an active and livable downtown Mesa and complements the community’s vision.

The future development will capitalize on its prominent location by announcing entrance into downtown Mesa and by providing enhanced street-level amenities that promote resident/pedestrian activity.

The proposed mixed-use project will include 200 market-rate rental units and approximately 20,000 SF of commercial space.

The City Council has signed an MOU with the developer and the City is working on the development agreement. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2018.

Development Proposal

Summary & Conceptual Plans [PDF]

Request for Proposal [PDF]

Staff Presentation to Council [PDF]

Design Team Presentation to Council [PDF]

Video of Presentation to Council

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University & Mesa Drive
Another infamous eminent domain wrecking-ball that demolished 60 homes more than 25 years ago. Site 17

The period for feedback has closed and the public survey results have been compiled and presented to the Mesa City Council. We would like to thank everyone who participated. We received nearly 2,000 online responses and exceptional participation at our public meetings.
The City will be hiring an urban design consultant to develop a vision and prepare conceptual master plan(s) consistent with the Guiding Principles below.
The conceptual master plan(s), along with market feasibility analyses, will become the basis for developing the property.
Future development of University and Mesa Drives:

Provides a significant market-rate residential component (for sale and rental)
Develops in an urban form
Is sensitive to the Wilbur Historic District
Provides a variety of building types and uses
Provides high quality design and construction
Activates and supports the downtown core
Provides a connected pedestrian environment
Provides neighborhood supporting non-residential uses that complement downtown core

UPDATE ON

Development of the vision and conceptual master plan(s) will be an open and public process, in which we encourage all interested people to participate. Updates on the conceptual master planning process and how you can participate will be posted on the

Downtown Transformation

page as they become available.

Background Information

Watch the presentation

to the City Council at the November 21, 2016 Study Session

Staff presentation to Council on November 21, 2016

[PDF]

Watch Council's discussion

at the February 25, 2016 Study Session

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Downtown Facade Improvement Program

Blogger Note: Budget has mushroomed from about $90,000 to over $890,000

"The City of Mesa Downtown Façade Improvement Program, funded through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), is designed to assist property owners and tenants in making improvements to the appearance of their building frontages. Commercial or mixed-use properties within the Pedestrian Overlay Area (see map below) located between Country Club and Sirrine/Centennial from 1st Street to 1st Avenue in Downtown Mesa are eligible to apply for funding to complete façade architectural design and contingent upon the City receiving future grant funding up to $50,000 towards demolition and construction costs to implement the architectural design.
Ten (10) properties are currently participating in the program.

See the

Interactive Map & Photos

to see preliminary designs for these properties, current images and historical photos.

Important Documents and Information

Forms for Selected Properties

Maps

Presentations

For questions regarding the program application and program details, contact:

Jeff Robbins
480-644-5249Jeffrey.Robbins@mesaaz.gov

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Currently under construction at 155 South Hibbert, The Artspace Lofts development has been in discussion since 2012. This building will provide 50 units of live/work space for artists and their families with rents 60% less than the median income. Units will consist of studios and units of 1-3 bedrooms. The project will include 1,450 square feet of ground floor commercial space for nonprofit arts organizations and creative businesses as well as 2,900 square feet of community space for events, exhibitions, and educational programs. The project is a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) site located one block from the new light rail corridor, major arts and culture assets and other downtown amenities.
Mesa Artspace Lofts

Construction Progress as of December 2017

The Mesa City Council Approved a memorandum of understanding in February 2018 with R3 Mesa, LLC for a mixed-use development of approximately 1.0 acres of City-owned property located near the southeast corner of West Pepper Place and North Robson at the current location of Pepper Place surface parking.
The building would host a minimum of 70 market rate and/or luxury apartments and 5,000 square feet of commercial space at street level. The 76 city-owned parking spaces will be converted to the same number of spaces in a parking structure at no cost to the City and will remain available for public use.
The apartments will be oriented towards sustainable living with most of the power being generated on-site by renewable energy sources as one of many integrated sustainable amenities.

The remainder of the deal points will be defined as Mesa collaborates with R3 to create a development agreement for the site.

View full presentation to Mesa City Council

View full presentation to Mesa City Council

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On The Agenda: Today's Mesa City Council Session

Image result for mesa az 2018's Point-In-Time Homeless Count!

Let's start off with saying that
ENGAGED RESIDENTS MAKE MORE EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT
Mesa Has A Problem

Here's some data from MAG, the Maricopa Association of Governments, the results of the annual one-night Point In Time homeless count that probably undercounts the actual number of the homeless. The trend, however, is clear - no matter what cities say they are doing or trying to improve, the problem is only getting worse not better here in Maricopa County.
LINK > http://azmag.gov/Programs/Homelessness/Point-In-Time-Homeless-Count
The 2018 Point-In-Time Count identified 6,298 people experiencing homelessness in the region on the night of January 22, 2018. Of this population, 2,618 were unsheltered and 3,680 were in shelter. This is a 12 % increase from the region’s 2017 number of 5,605. While the overall numbers went up, the count also showed that the number of homeless individuals, youth, and families who were not in shelter continues to increase. This year, the number of people living in unsheltered situations was 2,618. This is a 27 percent increase from the 2017 number of 2,059, and a 149 percent increase from the unsheltered number recorded in 2014. Regionally, the number of people living on the streets has more than doubled since 2014.
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Many people here in Mesa might consider the homeless a nuisance. That issue was addressed here in a report from Arizona Attorney Digital Mag
One of the major findings > Working to develop more permanent supportive housing is the true answer.*
Nuisance and Vagrancy Laws: The New Exclusionary Zoning

BY MELISSA KOVACS & JOANNA LUCIO

This article describes the state of nuisance laws among Arizona municipalities and offers examples of California lawsuits as cautionary tales.
< What’s Going on in Arizona?

As shown in the table at left, out of six examined Arizona municipalities, all of them ban sleeping in public, and most of them ban begging in particular public places.

Often, economics and public safety are the justifications for passing such ordinances.

> Municipalities implement nuisance and vagrancy laws to address the public safety, economic development, and aesthetics of communities for business owners and residents. Such laws are seen as solutions to problems. But they don’t advance the goal of reducing homelessness, and they often result simply in the displacement of individuals experiencing homelessness to other parts of the city or neighboring cities—which may have harmful effects on their well-being. Moreover, ordinances directed at the homeless can result in local governments spending resources on legal defense of such legislation as well as consequences for businesses.
> Another unintended consequence of such ordinances can be the erosion of public spaces. Ordinances that criminalize behavior in public eventually can lead to fewer and fewer people using these public spaces, as well. For instance, some parks have eliminated sitting or reclining in grassy lawns to discourage persons who are homeless from loitering in their parks.
> In addition to public safety resources and time, police involvement in arrests and fines associated with public nuisance laws can lead to an erosion of trust in the police if people feel harassed by law enforcement or feel scared to report criminal activity
. . . Yet people experiencing homelessness do end up in the criminal justice system and can become entangled in a cycle of fines and fees they cannot afford to pay, further deepening their involvement with the justice system.
The Arizona Supreme Court, in its recent report of the Task Force on Fair Justice for All, recognize this cycle and addresses it, stating that bailable defendants “should not have to remain in custody simply because they are poor.”¹⁰
Moreover, the consequences to individuals who are homeless can be devastating. Being homeless is extremely difficult—and that’s an understatement —and not having a safe space to rest or sleep can contribute to poor health and poor quality of life.¹² City leaders’ discussion and promotion of these ordinances can contribute to a culture in which violence and hatred toward persons who are homeless is acceptable. Staggering fines have multiple effects; a person who pays will have even fewer resources to secure stable housing and basic necessities, and those who cannot pay may face incarceration, which will affect employment and housing opportunities as well as social services.¹³
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To decrease homelessness, a successful approach has been the Housing First model. Housing First provides permanent supportive housing concurrently with services. In Utah, where the model was implemented statewide, homelessness dramatically decreased by 91 percent. Moreover, results indicated that having stable housing helps residents address other challenges such as addictions, unemployment and health concerns; the model proved to be cost-effective after factoring in ER visits and jail costs associated with persons experiencing chronic homelessness.¹⁴ Ordinances that encourage affordable housing development would go further to reduce the numbers of individuals experiencing homelessness and thus the public nuisances. It is a positive development that more Arizona communities are moving toward Housing First.
However, there are barriers to affordable housing that need to be overcome. Developers and local governments need to work with communities to help residents understand that affordable housing can benefit the entire community, including making the streets safer for everyone, helping employers by ensuring their employees have stable housing, and by engendering empathy for less fortunate neighbors. Finally, cities and lawmakers should consider a more complete picture of homelessness—which is a complex, regional crisis that requires compassion and flexible approaches.
MELISSA KOVACS has a Ph.D. in public policy and is the principal and founder of FirstEval, LLC, a data analytics and statistical consulting firm, where she helps her clients find meaning in data. She can be reached at mkovacs@firsteval.com or found on Twitter at @firsteval.
JOANNA LUCIO is an associate professor of urban and public administration in the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University. She teaches courses on urban studies and conducts research on affordable housing and the rights of low-income residents. She can be reached at joanna.lucio@asu.edu and followed on Twitter @LucioUMS.
The authors thank Lauren Kuby for significant comments and assistance with this piece, and Leonor Camarena for research assistance.

MesaZona > Table of Contents : Here's The Menu. Enjoy