MesaTV - owned and operated by our city government - took five days to upload last Thursday's 'study session' to its YouTube channel.
Running time is 1:41:14
Otherwise known as "March Madness" here for your information and civic responsibility to engage and participate is the published calendar for March 2022
Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on the City’s upcoming 10-year General Plan update that must be submitted to the voters for ratification in 2024.
Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide a recommendation on the proposed fees and charges for the following City departments: Falcon Field, Development Services, and Economic Development.
22-0417 Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide a recommendation on removing the Stormwater Drainage Impact Fee from the Mesa Development Impact Fees in Title 5, Chapter 17 of the Mesa City Code.
Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide a recommendation on removing the Stormwater Drainage Impact Fee from the Mesa Development Impact Fees in Title 5, Chapter 17 of the Mesa City Code.
Intro: It was and is a recurring wrecking-ball wreck leaving behind a vacant 27-acre scar all in the name of urban renewal when the city of Mesa seized the properties using Eminent Domain.
It was a futile attempt to "whitewash" segregation in the neighborhood named North Town, next to Rendezvous Park.
However it came to be known as The Mesa Verde Resort Debacle
30 years ago the City of Mesa spent $6,000,000 to demolish a neighborhood that created a "wrecking-ball nightmare. This public statement made last year: "The City of Mesa wishes to transform 27 acres of city-owned land at the SWC of University and Mesa Drive into 'a vibrant and cohesive urban mixed-use project' and is requesting a partner to help with that vision . . ." NICE SPIN ON THAT LIP-SERVICE at the same time city officials were talking with Salt Lake City developers for years.
According to the RFQ, “At 27-acres, this site would be the largest parcel to be developed in the downtown area and could be the largest single development opportunity within downtown for many years to come.”
featuredtop story
Can city boondoggle be a downtown boon?
By Scott Shumaker, Tribune Staff Writer
City planners laid out their vision of how residential, commercial and office space would be distributed on the downtown site. (City of Mesa) +
By Scott Shumaker, Tribune Staff WriterUpdated
"Mesa City Council hopes this is the year to finally turn a downtown boondoggle into a boon for downtown. Council recently heard the latest development plan for 27 acres of city-owned land just north of Main Street near Phoenix Marriott Mesa that Mesa acquired through eminent domain, leveling 63 homes at a taxpayer cost of $6 million.
". . . On May 6, the City of Mesa issued a Request for Qualifications for a developer to help redevelop the currently vacant Opportunity Zone site, also known as Transform 17 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The conceptual masterplan for Transform 17, as recommended by Mesa City Councilon March 21, shows
If Mesa succeeds in bringing the long-dreamed redevelopment into reality with the city’s latest partner on the project, Miravista Holdings, it would make the third decade the charm for a prime piece of real estate that has long sat vacant.
The city started purchasing property at the southwest corner Mesa and University Drives in 1996 and eventually acquired homes through eminent domain in order to make way for a 12-story water-park resort proposed by a Canadian developer.
But the planned Mesa Verde water resort died after the developer failed to secure funding.
Since then, city planners have envisioned different types of projects for Site 17, as it’s been known, and hoped one developer after another would take up the mantle; but those deals all fell through. . .city planners are hoping 2022 is the year an agreement with a developer leads to shovels in the ground.
> Last year, the city signed a nine-month “exclusive dealings agreement” with Miravista Holdings to create a master plan for the parcel, which commands a critical location that is in walking distance from downtown attractions, light rail and the Arizona State University campus.
> Officials appeared cautiously optimistic that the multi-phase, mixed use development concocted by Miravista and architectural firm Gensler will come to fruition and keep the redevelopment project only on the drawing board for a fourth decade. . .
Downtown Transformation Manager Jeff McVay said the city has extended its memorandum of understanding with Miravista to continue working on the plan with the goal of signing a development agreement by Aug. 29.
. . .The plan is divided into eight sections that can be developed in any order after the initial phase.
“The remaining blocks have the flexibility to be developed in partnership with you as opportunities arise, as the market dictates,” Ayers said. “Really, the city has the opportunity to control that process for the most part.”
. . .If the city signs a deal with Miravista in August, the company would be required to purchase the first two blocks of land within a year of council approval and complete construction within two years of purchase. . .
TWO QUOTATIONS ARE INCLUDED:
City Manager Chris Brady“We’ve always thought of this site as a support and complement in strengthening downtown. The idea is we didn’t want this to compete with what’s already downtown, . .“Downtowns, to be successful, need to have that residential vibe, that 24-hour vibe, not just during the workday.”
Hizzoner the Mayor (Giles put it more bluntly): “What downtown needs is people,” . . .“I have been sitting in this room talking about this piece of property since the 1990s, . .I’m very anxious to see a shovel go in the ground.”
> Miravista plans two neighborhood information meetings next month to share details of the plan. It will hold an in-person meeting Thursday, April 7, and a virtual meeting Monday, April 4. Miravista said notification letters went out to neighbors at the end of last week.
. . Besides describing the master plan, McVay also sketched out the outlines of a development agreement with Miravista for council members.
> Miravista would have to follow timelines for getting the first phase done, and also set aside money for the city to do “restoration” if the project fails for some reason.
> The city, for its part, would sweeten the deal for Miravista by giving it the opportunity to significantly offset the cost of the land.
> The city would agree to reimburse Miravista up to 75% of the land purchase price for what appear to be modest public improvements in the master plan, such as a “linear park” along the southern edge of the property on 2nd Street, and “enhanced streetscape improvements” to Hibbert and 2nd Street.
The linear park would be the beginning of a “connected network of shaded space” through the development, Ayers said.
> The city would also agree to consider temporary tax waivers on certain development blocks within the master plan deemed to offer particular public benefits. The state allows cities to waive property taxes for up to eight years for developments located in a designated Central Business District that meet other specified criteria.
Council members appeared satisfied that Miravista’s plan has the potential to inject energy into downtown Mesa, but the optimism was tempered by caution, knowing how many false starts the site has seen. . ."
Don't know if you noticed or not but Miravista Holdings LLC happens to be all over some places in Mesa.
Miravista Holdings (https://www.miravistaholdings.com/ ) is a boutique development firm specializing in Brownfield redevelopment, urban infill, and adaptive re-use projects.
Here's a story from three weeks ago - curiously enough featuring former Mesa Mayor Scott Smith and his "vision" for that now long-time vacant downtown urban redevelopment wrecking-ball disaster infamous Site 17: What to do with Site 17?
SPOTLIGHT
Site included big-splash resort plan that fizzled
By Gary Nelson, Tribune Contributor
More > An answer seems to be at hand now with the emergence of Miravista/SIHI Holdings LLC as the city-approved developer for the land. The vision, endorsed by the City Council on April 5, is a mixed-use project with a heavy emphasis on health care and research, residential and other business components
> Scott Smith, who served as Mesa’s mayor 2008-14, believed Site 17 eventually would find its own solution.
In a 2013 interview, Smith said the city – having already waited that long – was willing to wait a while longer.
“We’re going to let things happen organically,” Smith said.
He figured the arrival of light rail in downtown Mesa in 2015 would hasten the process, and suggested the acreage might become home to one or more of the colleges that had committed to building campuses in Mesa around that time.
That didn’t happen, either.
> > >
The current mayor, John Giles, adopted Smith’s approach to developing Site 17, referring to it in 2018 as a “long-term play” whose final outcome should be worth the wait. With the agreement approved on April 5, Giles and the rest of the council seem to believe that moment is at hand
The Infamous Site 17: Downtown Mesa's Biggest Urban Eyesore/Downtown Development Wreck
This is a reminder - a strong reminder and a call-to-action - to GET INVOLVED in fixing this 30-year old scar in the downtown landscape and to WATCH OUT for the Mesa Grande/ANA (Action Neighborhood Alliance)
Here's an excerpt from a post on this blog site two years ago: 18 November 2016
Who wants to go here to take Mesa to the next level? Is this what works for Mayor John Giles or is there another direction? At tonight's Mesa City Council Study Session for Monday, Nov 21, 2016,one item stands out on the Final Agenda, but first some background to put things into perspective . . .
16 years later fast-forward to this Monday, November 21, 2016 where Director of Downtown Transformation, Jeff McVay, will be making a presentation of the results of months of online surveys and community meetings to a study session of the Mesa City Council. Real estate developers' perspectives are included also.
16 years ago demolition bulldozed the site, with reporter GaryNelson calling the 30 acres " a vastscar of empty real estate" in an article from 3 years ago. . .
_________________________________________________________________________ It's the result of bad urban planning when city officials only listened to real estate developer speculation schemes that demolished more than 60 homes to destroy a neighborhood leaving 27 acres vacant, ugly and un-used and it's city-owned. City officials now own the damage done and have hired a group of consultants who tried to transform a part of downtown Gilbert's Heritage Area. The history here on this infamous site - and all the problems - simply cannot be ignored now. . . Jeff McVay, the city's so-called "Director of Downtown Transformation" failed miserably two years wasting time-and-money on citizen input sessions that got nowhere. Did the community already provide input on this site? _________________________________________________________________________ BLOGGER NOTE: I only attended one of the workshops two years ago, observing the domination and control by the Mesa Grande/ANA (Action Neighborhood Alliance). Likewise, once again, at the Steering Committee the same complaint was voiced for actions by the Mesa Grande/ANA (Action Neighborhood Alliance) _________________________________________________________________________ Yes! There were two community meetings and a survey conducted in the summer of 2016. After those meetings, Mesa City Council asked that a consultant be hired to create conceptual master plans for the property with more community input. The consultant, Crandall Arambula, was hired in September 2018 and has received all of the input from 2016 for review. This is their promise to fulfill the ____ contract: “We will provide the Mesa community with maximum value for investment. We are passionate about assisting communities through our depth of experience and research, and we are committed to the long-term success of this project. The measure of that success will ultimately be the development of a vibrant community that is harmonious with greater Downtown Mesa. We look forward to working with you.” _________________________________________________________________
What makes your MesaZona blogger turn red is this statement just a few days ago made by Mesa Mayor John Giles: "The city is not in the business of owning remnant, undeveloped pieces of properties, . . . " WTF???? How wrong can Giles get spouting bullshit like that with blinders on when Site 17 has been an ugly eyesore for more than 30 years. He sees only what he wants to see and lacks any vision whatsoever unless it's fed to as bait. ___________________________________________________________________________
Here's a Press Release just now from the City of Mesa Newsroom Mon 20 Oct 2018 Community workshops for southwest corner of University Drive and Mesa Drive
October 29, 2018 at 12:45 pm
The City of Mesa wants to hear your ideas about the southwest corner of University Drive and Mesa Drive. The community is invited to participate in two hands-on workshops to establish project goals and provide input in the creation of master plan concepts for the 27 acres of undeveloped land in Downtown Mesa. . . Public Information and Communications Contact: Kevin Christopher Tel. 480-644-4699 kevin.christopher@mesaaz.gov
Scroll down this post to read the presser in its entirety ________________________________________________________________________ Hold on just a minute! Didn't Jeff McVay, the Director of Downtown Transformation do this two years ago? Link > https://mesazona.blogspot.com/2016/11/mesa-city-council-study-session-for.html#more Known to the City as “Redevelopment Site 17,” the tract once contained 63 homes that the City condemned and purchased at a cost of $6 million. A group of Canadian developers planned to build Mesa Verde, an entertainment village featuring a time-share resort, water park and ice-skating rink. After the City had already seized the homes, financing for the project fell through.[2] Now, 16 years later, the City is still considering possible redevelopment plans for the area.[3] . . . what's the current thinking and planning that's been put into an attempt to gather data from online surveys and two community meetings involving 1,873 people?
"The yield on the 10-year Treasury TMUBMUSD10Y, 2.465% has shot up 84 basis points this year. Yields move in the opposite direction to prices.
The previous bond bear markets were from 1899 to 1920, and from 1946 to 1981.
(Image caption: US President Harry Truman signs the Marshall Plan into effect on April 03, 1948 in Washington the day after the US Congress passed the Economic Cooperation Act that authorized it. AFP/Getty Image)
Michael Hartnett, chief investment strategist at Bank of America, in his weekly flow show report declared the big picture is one of “deflation to inflation, globalization to isolationism, monetary to fiscal excess, capitalism to populism, inequality to inclusion, US dollar debasement.” He said long-term yields will surpass 4% by 2024.
He noted the class of negative yielding bonds has quietly vanished, from some $18 trillion down to less than $2 trillion.
The yield on the 10-year German bund TMBMKDE-10Y, 0.582%, which started the year at -0.12%, has climbed to 0.58% on Friday."
