Lot happening in downtown Tucson

[Salty]

Is Jefe on suicide watch this week?

[Jefe]

Block Party Saturday night

http://tucson.com/entertainment/blogs/c ... 08acb.html

Hotel Congress will block off North Fifth Avenue Saturday night for what it describes as Tucson’s “most ridiculous summer gathering.” The party will spill onto the street from Hotel Congress and fill the beach. Activities include a water slide, a mechanical bull and live entertainment from Slobby Robby of Generation Cool, Jalph.net and Malcolm Flowers.

~Waterslide~
~BBQ~
~Water Balloon Fight~
~Dunk Tank ~
~Pool Lounge~
~Water Proof Photo Booth~
~Mechanical Bull Rides~
~Bathing Suit Contest~
~ Vendors, Water Toys, Giveaways & More!

MUSIC BY:

BORIS
(7pm-10pm Club Stage)

NATHANIEL KNOWS
(1am-2am Plaza Stage)

THE FURYS
(9pm-10pm Plaza Stage)

SHRIMP CHAPERONE
(10pm-11pm Plaza Stage)

BOB FELIX
(10pm-2am Club Stage)

SID THE KID
(10pm-2am Club Stage)

JALPH
(11pm-1am Plaza Stage w/ Slobby Robby)

[Jefe]

[Jefe]

Still recovering from the weekend but had an awesome time. Talked with several business owners who shared the same thoughts on the overall value of the streetcar. Beach party started at dusk with food trucks and music, volleyball/ping pong/badmitton games, etc. Toured Connect Co-Working which is above Rialto and then toured Summit Fundings new office space next to Thunder Canyon Brewery.



Connect had a rooftop party over at Playground as well. The streetcar was jam packed all day/night. Probably 150 people in each, standing room only. After we got out of HiFi at 2am we saw an empty street car heading west so we jumped on. Took us all the way around and dropped us off back downtown at like 230am. They had overly excited volunteers at every stop answering questions and passing out water. They will be using a swiping/NFC machine for people to pay. The volunteers said there will be fare police on the cars to make sure people are not abusing the system(like every other city). See how long that lasts...

Rode it Saturday morning to B Line for breakfast and then over to UofA. From Congress/6th downtown to 2nd/Warren(McKale stop) was about 22 mins. DT to 4th isnt worth the trip, faster to walk but DT to McKale will be

[Jefe]

Oh ya, found yet another new bar. In between World of Beer and Rialto in the alley is R Bar

http://www.rbartucson.com/
http://www.downtowntucson.org/2014/07/d ... son-decor/

[Alieberman]

My folks came down to Tucson on Sunday. Took them and wife and kids to The Frog for a drink late afternoon. Took the streetcar (totally packed) past the end of the route and then got off on Broadway / 6th. Tooled around downtown, had a little bite and another drink at The Cub... ice cream at The Hub and then took the streetcar (Completely packed in like sardines) back to University.

It was awesome.

Every street car I saw was jam packed, there were lines at every stop. It was very hot and humid out. Many times there wasn't any room for people to get on and they had to wait another 20 minutes for the next streetcar, yet I never saw a single upset person, no one pushing and shoving, being rude, etc.. It was beautiful. If this was in any other city, fights would have broken out.

It was so Tucson.

[Merkin]

[teemackdee]

Heard about this on the Frank Show yesterday, awesomeness.

[Miller time]

Was at the Buffet this weekend...looks the same to me. Only difference, they no longer serve the Buffalo Sweat.


Thank god.

[Jefe]

http://tucsonfoodie.com/2014/08/05/pueb ... oran-dogs/

Downtown Tucson will soon have a new destination to enjoy locally brewed craft beer along the new Sun Link streetcar line. Pueblo Vida Brewing will hold its grand opening on Friday, August 29th, at 115 E Broadway Blvd, just east of 6th Ave in the former TUC and Capoeira Brasil spaces.

Pueblo Vida’s first of three phases begins with the brewery tap room, which features areas for seating and standing for fifty or more patrons. Initially, Pueblo Vida Brewing will keep the selection simple, offering its three flagship beers: a Northwest IPA, a Bavarian Hefeweizen, and a Breakfast Stout (which will feature an oat-based brew, aged on coffee). The stout will be served in special Pueblo Vida Brewing mugs made by Tucson-based dinnerware legend HF Coors. Eventually the eight available taps will feature two rotating seasonal brews, and in particular Jefferson plans to bring more sour craft beers to Tucson, a style he became familiar with in Seattle during his internship as an assistant brewer at Lazy Boy Brewing.

In addition, BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs will set up its third Tucson location in front of the brewery, serving up its world-famous Sonoran dogs and freshly grilled carne asada tacos during regular business hours.

Booze and the Old Pueblo are in co-owner Kyle Jefferson’s blood, as his great-grandmother Ruby Red owned and built The Shelter in 1961. The popular 60s era dive was one of six bars she constructed and ran here as one of the first female architects in Arizona. Jefferson, a University of Arizona graduate, along with partner Linette Antillon, plan to keep the same, unique Tucson spirit alive with Pueblo Vida while combining the neighborhood feel of an Irish Pub with the rich culture and characters from Tucson’s past.

Though BK’s cart is expected in front of the building immediately, a shaded and Urban Beer Garden will extend the bar up to six feet from the door. When the former Capoeira Brasil space recently became available, the third and final phase was added, allowing room for semi-acoustic live music and a private room in the back for meetings.

For now, Pueblo Vida will be open 7 days a week, from 2-10pm on Monday through Wednesday; 2pm to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays; and Sunday from noon until 6pm, with to-go growlers available all week. Follow along with the brewery’s progress in advance of the grand opening on Twitter and Facebook.

[Salty]

http://nationswell.com/tuscons-streetca ... z3ACUSFn94

Why More Cities Should Desire Streetcars Like Tucson's

The Arizona city's Sun Link transit system is eco-friendly, and it's largely made in America.

Last month, residents of Tucson welcomed a new form of transportation: Sun Link, a new line of zero-emission streetcars.
The eco-friendly option connects the University of Arizona campus and Medical Center with the 4th Avenue Business District downtown area, as well as the new Mercado community west of the Interstate, according to a Department of Transportation (DOT) release.

These sleek, modern streetcars may be a nod to the country’s transportation past, but the $196.5 million revival is directed at creating an environmental-friendly, seamless public transit experience in addition to other forms like buses. In fact, the Arizona Public Interest Research Group found that Tucson increased its transit ridership by 25 percent (per capita) over the last five years, Government Technology reports. While a population growth and the millennial generation’s proclivity for public transit are contributing factors, it’s important to see Tucson’s urban planners responding with initiatives like Sun Link.

The Downtown Tuscon Partnership estimates the four-mile route has raked in about $1.5 billion in public and private investments, which includes more than 1,500 new units in housing development, restaurants and retail.

“Roughly 100,000 people live within a half-mile of one of the new Sun Link streetcar stations, and that’s great news for everyone looking for an opportunity to leave their car at home and take transit instead,” said FTA Chief Counsel Carter.

That foot traffic alone is enough to sustain a transit system like Sun Link. In fact, on opening day 17,000 residents boarded the green streetcars.

Sun Link was partially funded by the DOT’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, while its Portland-based manufacturer, United Streetcar, is supported by the country’s Buy America program, which ensures at least 60 percent of each vehicle bought with taxpayer money is American-made and assembled in the U.S. That means Sun Link’s economic stimulation extends to Portland as well.

As Government Technology points out, investing in future transit combined with domestic manufacturing incentives is essential to spurring economic development and job growth. Strengthening that concept through the GROW AMERICA Act, which would increase the domestic requirement for transit vehicles to 100 percent by 2019, is one way the more cities can benefit from a system like Sun Link.

[Merkin]

"Tuscon" in the URL, really? I imagine it was that in the article too until some editor noticed it.

[Jefe]

$197 million created $1.5bil in investments to the area? Misspelling the city name...its pretty clear how much research Courtney did

http://www.arizonadailyindependent.com/ ... money-pit/

I don’t know what the streetcar fare will be, but let’s assume it will be the same as a bus day pass: $3.50. Under that condition it will take 1.25 million riders annually (or 3,424 riders per day over the 3.9 mile route) just to break even on the operating costs. How likely is that? To put that in perspective, Sun Tran claims a total system-wide bus usage of just under 20 million passengers in FY2012. It will take an additional 57 million streetcar riders over the life of the project to recover the capital costs. - See more at: http://www.arizonadailyindependent.com/ ... xwhqm.dpuf

[Salty]

$197 million created $1.5bil in investments to the area? Misspelling the city name...its pretty clear how much research Courtney did

http://www.arizonadailyindependent.com/ ... money-pit/

I don’t know what the streetcar fare will be, but let’s assume it will be the same as a bus day pass: $3.50. Under that condition it will take 1.25 million riders annually (or 3,424 riders per day over the 3.9 mile route) just to break even on the operating costs. How likely is that? To put that in perspective, Sun Tran claims a total system-wide bus usage of just under 20 million passengers in FY2012. It will take an additional 57 million streetcar riders over the life of the project to recover the capital costs. - See more at: http://www.arizonadailyindependent.com/ ... xwhqm.dpuf

1.5 billion is development = project paid for itself.

Public transportation is about investment in the community. It's not about making money off fares.

[Merkin]

1.5 billion is development = project paid for itself.

Project pays for itself = no subsidies


http://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-p ... 4c809.html

Fares will cover only 6 to 7 percent of the system's annual operating cost, according to a draft five-year Strategic Transit Plan. By comparison, fares pay for 24 percent of Sun Tran bus system operations.

The Regional Transportation Authority and the University of Arizona will pay a portion of the annual streetcar operating subsidy.

But most of the streetcar operating money will come from the city's general fund, 56 percent in the first full year, or about $2.4 million. By the fifth year city taxpayers will be picking up 66 percent, or about $3.7 million.



And that was when the UA agreed to pay a portion, now they say: "We never said that" and is leaving the city to foot the entire bill.

[CalStateTempe]

Salty believes that money grows on trees.

Such is the mind of the 50k millionaire.

[Jefe]

1.5 billion is development = project paid for itself.

Literally of figuratively?

Borrowed money on borrowed money Thats how you stimulate an under-planned and grossly misled city!

And that was when the UA agreed to pay a portion, now they say: "We never said that" and is leaving the city to foot the entire bill.

Did not know this wow. Article on that?

[84Cat]

Streets don't pay for themselves either yet I see them everywhere.

[Merkin]

1.5 billion is development = project paid for itself.

Literally of figuratively?

Borrowed money on borrowed money Thats how you stimulate an under-planned and grossly misled city!

And that was when the UA agreed to pay a portion, now they say: "We never said that" and is leaving the city to foot the entire bill.

Did not know this wow. Article on that?

Here is the link to the copied article, where the original is now behind a paywall at the ADS:

http://forum.goazcats.com/showpost.php? ... stcount=18


The city also is counting on a $600,000 a year subsidy from the University of Arizona, although no signed agreement is yet in place.

[Jefe]

http://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-p ... 327cf.html

The Rio Nuevo Board of Directors took no action Tuesday on proposals by two downtown developers for competing $100 million-plus projects .

Each developer hopes to win the chance to build their projects on about 8.5 acres of Rio Nuevo district land near the Tucson Convention Center.

Although the talk lasted over three hours, the board voted 3-2 to take a few days to think about how members will individually score the proposals and to submit their results by Monday.

The board will then vote on whether to open negotiations with a winner at its next meeting. Last month, board members ranked the proposals submitted by Allan Norville, manager of Nor-Generations, and Ron Schwabe of Peach Properties to develop the land behind the TCC along Granada Avenue, east of Interstate 10 and north of Cushing Street. Both proposals included plans for a hotel, parking garage and some mix of apartments, office space, and restaurants and shops. Norville’s plan also included a visual arts center that will contain three museums and a theater.

While Norville’s proposal edged out Schwabe’s 5,290 to 5,115 in the initial scoring, board members decided it was too close to settle on a winner and set up the public interviews.

On Tuesday, both sides expounded on how their projects were best-suited to transform the parcel into a vibrant entertainment district. Norville, who owns about 10 acres adjacent to the property, said he hasn’t developed his property because of all the uncertainty surrounding it throughout the years. “We have been through five condemnations. Every time we have tried to start something, the city initiated an action,” Norville said.

Despite the obstacles, Norville said he still managed to build the biggest gem show in town.

Schwabe, who still has a $1.9 million claim pending over a previous city solicitation to develop the same property in 2009 that was later withdrawn, said he would dismiss the claim if he is the winning bidder.

When pressed by board member Alberto Moore, Schwabe wouldn’t say what he would do with the claim if he lost, only that he would have to confer with his attorney before making a decision. The board members will now re-rank the presentations and combine the results with their first scores. The board will vote on whether to open contract talks with the winner at a future meeting. Even though the board decided to delay scoring the proposals, one member didn’t want to wait to reveal his preference, and in the process may have violated Rio Nuevo rules.

Prior to taking a vote, Moore asked to make a statement.

After about five minutes of speaking about how the site could become Tucson’s version of Rockefeller Center in New York City or St. Mark’s Plaza in Venice, Italy, Moore announced Norville’s project should be the hands-down winner.

Moore said the property fits what Rio Nuevo is looking for and “can become the true urban heart of Tucson.”

Chairman Fletcher McCusker stopped Moore mid-speech over a potential rules violation.

“Our rules are pretty tight, and my instincts were he had gone too far,” McCusker said after the meeting.

Rio Nuevo’s attorney, Chris Schmaltz, explained that Rio Nuevo’s rules prohibit board members from influencing one another in the middle of a bidding competition.

“You should be having no conversation with anyone, proposer or otherwise, who is attempting to influence your scoring,” Schmaltz said.

Unlike the city, where elected officials can vote only on final bids, Rio Nuevo’s board members both evaluate and vote on them.

The board adopted specific rules to avoid charges it’s process was unfair. Violating the rule could provide grounds for a bidder protest. Schmaltz said Moore was treading into dangerous territory and cautioned him to stop. Moore disagreed and invoked his constitutional rights to free expression. “I have a right as a citizen of this community to speak up,” Moore said. “I expect to continue my presentation. If nobody likes it, too bad,” Moore said.

After about 10 minutes of arguing with Schmaltz and board members, Moore relented.

[Salty]

Streets don't pay for themselves either yet I see them everywhere.

Weird how that works, right?

[Merkin]

Streets don't pay for themselves either yet I see them everywhere.

Weird how that works, right?

Ever been on a toll road? Only the people who use the road actually pay for it. Just was on one Saturday going through LA. Reminds me, I need to pay for that.

[Jefe]

Here is the link to the copied article, where the original is now behind a paywall at the ADS:

http://forum.goazcats.com/showpost.php? ... stcount=18

The city also is counting on a $600,000 a year subsidy from the University of Arizona, although no signed agreement is yet in place.

Found it

http://www.wildcat.arizona.edu/article/ ... -streetcar

The UA is failing to pay its fair share of streetcar construction costs, city leaders say.

Although the Tucson Modern Streetcar might not be operational until 2014, the UA has contributed by offering students subsidized SunLink passes, collaborated with the streetcar management team on marketing and giving input on the design of the routes. However, Tucson City Councilman of Ward 6 Steve Kozachik said those contributions aren’t enough and the UA should contribute more financially.

“I think the university is a direct stakeholder in the success of the streetcar and for that reason they should be contributing a fairly substantial amount of money to its success,” Kozachik said. “Giving away reduced fare passes to me does not even begin to address the value that the streetcar has to the university.”

Kozachik said the streetcar is expected to cost $4 million to $5 million in operations and management every year. In terms of financial contributions, Jaime Gutierrez, vice president of external relations at the UA, said the subsidized bus passes the UA offers to students costs the UA $300,000, with that money coming from parking fees.

“We’re figuring that it’s probably going to cost another $300,000 for streetcar passes,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez said he expect the UA to benefit from a streetcar subsidy as 3,100 students and faculty have used the discount for bus passes this year. The hope is that students living in housing along the streetcar line won’t bring their car since the streetcar will be so close, Gutierrez said.

“Throughout this whole planning period we’re letting the city use [a lot] of our space that we have, like for electrical boxes,” Gutierrez said. “You’ll notice that there will be a lot of the equipment on the UA campus and I think that’s really what the partnership is all about. We want this to succeed. We need the streetcar to succeed for everybody’s benefit.”

Michael Graham, spokesman for the Department of Transportation for the city of Tucson, wouldn’t comment on the UA’s relationship with the streetcar though he said the dialogue is ongoing. The city of Tucson will also be able to market on campus for streetcar passes during summer orientation or on the UA Mall, according to Gutierrez.

“We’ll see how we can help them out in terms of spreading the word about the streetcar and really, the benefits the streetcar brings to students,” Gutierrez said. “If I was a parent of an incoming freshman, I would seriously, hopefully look at the streetcar as an option…”

The contributions are not set in stone and the UA is still in current discussion with the city of Tucson, according to Gutierrez.

“Clearly I think our commitment is to continue the subsidy program at a 50 percent level, to help them out in terms of marketing, and to help them out, as I’ve said we’ve already helped them out with our staff people meeting with them, making sure the routes are perfect, making sure the electrical boxes are placed correctly,” Gutierrez said. “They may have some needs that changed and we’ll be there to see if we can help them.”

City throwing the UA under the bus 2+ years in the making and still no deal. Doesnt sound the UA wants to give anymore but they'll help spread the word. Another clear example of how incompetent our city is. They already went after the biggest benefactor and its not working out. Is the city going to go after businesses along the route to help pay for it?

[Merkin]

[catgrad97]

Jefe, Kozachik is an employee for the UA AD as well. Nobody's throwing anyone under the bus. I don't think that makes your narrative what you want it to be.

But this sort of "profit right away" mentality is the same one used by Jane Dee Hull and the Capitol for delaying light rail construction for five more years after Phoenix was the only one of the five most populous cities in the nation not to have rail mass transit.

[Jefe]

[youtube]sZBPoRwog00[/youtube]


Broke down last night and blocked Main Gate

[wyo-cat]

OK, I was downtown tonight for the first time in a while, and I have to admit that it is a totally different vibe. Cool bars and restaurants line Congress. Gone is the wig shop...

I used to work downtown and it has changed so much, it's unbelievable. Less bums and tattoo parlors, it's feels more family friendly and safer.

Anyhoo, I had a private dinner at Pizzeria Bianco (they are usually closed Mondays), and it was fabulous. Gotta be one of the best pizzas I've ever had.

Downtown Tucson is coming around - color me impressed.

[ASUHATER!]

And that's on a Monday before the students are really back. On weekend nights it's a zoo.

[cats101]

I've been down there 3 weekends in a row and it's been packed.

Went Thursday around 4 and it was a pretty good crowd out.

[Reydituto]

$197 million created $1.5bil in investments to the area? Misspelling the city name...its pretty clear how much research Courtney did

http://www.arizonadailyindependent.com/ ... money-pit/

I don’t know what the streetcar fare will be, but let’s assume it will be the same as a bus day pass: $3.50. Under that condition it will take 1.25 million riders annually (or 3,424 riders per day over the 3.9 mile route) just to break even on the operating costs. How likely is that? To put that in perspective, Sun Tran claims a total system-wide bus usage of just under 20 million passengers in FY2012. It will take an additional 57 million streetcar riders over the life of the project to recover the capital costs. - See more at: http://www.arizonadailyindependent.com/ ... xwhqm.dpuf

Yes, $197 million created $1.5bil in investments to the area. Why is that so hard to believe? Add up the new real estate and commercial ventures along the route from UA through Downtown to the Mercado made since the streetcar was announced in 2006. These investments will generate user tax revenues (sales, property, rental, etc) that Tucson will essentially recoup from their investment in the streetcar. None of this counts future such investments either which will only add to the ROI.

This whole mentality that the project has to pay for itself based primarily on the fares it generates is ridiculous. Streets don't even do that (not even toll roads Merkin). The cost of the Streetcar to Sun Tran, which is wholly funded by the City of Tucson, will be offset by the increased generation of user tax revenues near and along the route. In the end, the monies come out of and go into the same pocket. This is an investment with a long-term payoff, not an immediate profit-making venture.

Salty believes that money grows on trees.

Such is the mind of the 50k millionaire.

No, Salty actually appears to understand the economics of urban development as well as the concept of community investment. Or, he just watched "Field of Dreams" on a date and understood the concept of "Build it and they will come." Either way, it's not the thinking of some douchebag spending half his paycheck in Scottsdale bars every weekend trying to impress the ladies with his (leased) Beemer and True Religion jeans ...

Streets don't pay for themselves either yet I see them everywhere.

Weird how that works, right?

Ever been on a toll road? Only the people who use the road actually pay for it. Just was on one Saturday going through LA. Reminds me, I need to pay for that.

I've been on plenty of toll roads, and even seen building plans for a couple in Texas BITD. Toll roads typically enjoy less traffic and yet have the same costs to build. While ostensibly maintenance is covered by the tolls and not the taxpayers at large, they can take longer to realize their ROI depending on the toll authority bureaucracy created to oversee them which historically has been susceptible to corruption and mismanagement as much as any other public agency. Toll roads also have the tendency to divert traffic to other roads not originally designed to handle the added volume.

Toll roads work best when they a.) create a new path between two or more destinations that was either not previously conceived or effectively handled and b.) are partially or wholly funded privately in return for a commission over a fixed period of time. For example, a toll road was built in Mexico between Mexico City and Guadalajara that cut travel time from 9 to 6 hours, and the contractor who built it had a 15 year commission on the fares collected, making their costs back in 6 years. Not every private toll road has that level of success however.

But I digress ... toll roads for mostly individual drives and public mass transit are not really analogous ...

That graphic only counts Downtown Tucson only though. Not including 4th Avenue, or the University area. Not apples to apples.

[Jefe]

But this sort of "profit right away" mentality is the same one used by Jane Dee Hull and the Capitol for delaying light rail construction for five more years after Phoenix was the only one of the five most populous cities in the nation not to have rail mass transit.

This whole mentality that the project has to pay for itself based primarily on the fares it generates is ridiculous.

I don't remember ever stating that the streetcar needs to pay for itself. I knew the supporters would claim every single project along the route was a result of the streetcar. My entire point was that the money could have been spent better. That money could have re-paved 85% of Tucson. A portion of it could have built the Snyder bridge. Or here's a bright idea, don't spend the money! We had a streetcar before, remember how well that worked? Why not spend less than 5% of that money and buy some double decker buses if this was really about getting people around?

The street car wasn't the main reason for the "public/private" investments in the area. The majority of them(Cadence, 1E, 1N, Hub, Level, Herbert) happened because of 8 year tax breaks and other incentives the city gave them.

It took me 45 minutes to go 15 miles last week through town. Google says that trip should take 28 minutes. Congress is so congested now that I bet they will close it to vehicle traffic. Lets wait until they try to expand the streetcar routes and turn this into a billion dollar project that clogs our streets even more and makes commuting by car a nightmare. They want to add routes on Campbell, River, Broadway, 6th, Nogales Hwy, etc. They want to connect Tucson Mall to Tucson Airport. It will take an hour to get across town soon. It will take even longer to use the street car on a similar route.

By the way, I rode it again last weekend and didn't spot the fare police anywhere. I saw several people board and sit down without paying. Already abusing it less than a month in.

[Merkin]

Without using any city funds.

http://www.jrn.com/kgun9/news/New-city- ... 78551.html

New "city" being built in Casa Grande

By Christina Myers. CREATED Aug 15, 2014
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - Work has started on the North American Logistics, Trade and E-Commerce City (NALTEC) in Casa Grande.

When it is complete, it will be a 585 acre "city within a city" including apartments, hotels, offices, houses and even a resort. It will all be centered around PhoenixMart, a shopping center that will be the first-of-its-kind in the Western Hemisphere.

It is meant to simplify distribution for thousands of American manufacturers by putting all options in one place.

"When a retail buyer, or a buyer for a retail chain for instance or department store, goes to market to source the products they're going to offer their customers, they're still doing it in a way that's been done for decades," said Vice President Mike Harris.

PhoenixMart is expected to be ready by the end of 2015. It will have space for 1,740 manufacturers.

The construction of PhoenixMart is phase one of the NALTEC project, and work on the entranceway has begun. Phase two will add buildings for bigger manufacturers.

PhoenixMart alone is projected to create 3,500 jobs in the building and more than 10,000 jobs across the country.

PhoenixMart will be a 1.6 million-square-foot building that will cost $150 million to complete. It is all paid for by 300 private, foreign investors through the U.S. government program called the Immigrant Investor Program or "EB-5".

This program allows people in other countries to invest $500,000 in businesses in areas like Casa Grande, as long as it creates at least 10 new American jobs, in exchange for a temporary green card.

Harris said they already have manufacturers lines up for when PhoenixMart opens, but he could not tell 9 On Your Side which ones yet.

[Jefe]

Wow thats crazy. I wonder what the locals think of it

[Salty]

But this sort of "profit right away" mentality is the same one used by Jane Dee Hull and the Capitol for delaying light rail construction for five more years after Phoenix was the only one of the five most populous cities in the nation not to have rail mass transit.

This whole mentality that the project has to pay for itself based primarily on the fares it generates is ridiculous.

I don't remember ever stating that the streetcar needs to pay for itself. I knew the supporters would claim every single project along the route was a result of the streetcar. My entire point was that the money could have been spent better. That money could have re-paved 85% of Tucson. A portion of it could have built the Snyder bridge. Or here's a bright idea, don't spend the money! We had a streetcar before, remember how well that worked? Why not spend less than 5% of that money and buy some double decker buses if this was really about getting people around?

The street car wasn't the main reason for the "public/private" investments in the area. The majority of them(Cadence, 1E, 1N, Hub, Level, Herbert) happened because of 8 year tax breaks and other incentives the city gave them.

It took me 45 minutes to go 15 miles last week through town. Google says that trip should take 28 minutes. Congress is so congested now that I bet they will close it to vehicle traffic. Lets wait until they try to expand the streetcar routes and turn this into a billion dollar project that clogs our streets even more and makes commuting by car a nightmare. They want to add routes on Campbell, River, Broadway, 6th, Nogales Hwy, etc. They want to connect Tucson Mall to Tucson Airport. It will take an hour to get across town soon. It will take even longer to use the street car on a similar route.

By the way, I rode it again last weekend and didn't spot the fare police anywhere. I saw several people board and sit down without paying. Already abusing it less than a month in.

I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Cadence was built because of the streetcar.

[Jefe]

I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Cadence was built because of the streetcar.

Maybe but tax breaks were a major part of it

http://www.insidetucsonbusiness.com/new ... 963f4.html

[Jefe]

Tucsons 239th birthday today. Old DT pics with new pics as well

"Stone Ave in Tucson, including Arizona Land and Title, Pima Savings, Jacome's and Steinfelds, looking south from Alameda Street from the northeast corner in 1962."



"Alameda Street and North Stone Avenue in Tucson looking south from the roof of the county building at 200 N Stone on Thursday, November 7, 2013. The old department stores (Jacome's and Penney's) were replaced by the central library and plaza. Steinfeld's was replaced by the Bank of America tower."



"Downtown Tucson buildings taken June 1965. Looking south on Stone Ave from Alameda St. The Wells Fargo Bank, Pioneer Hotel and Tucson Federal Savings building. "



"The Wells Fargo Bank, Pioneer Building and Pima County Public Defender's Office on Stone Avenue looking south near Alameda Street in downtown Tucson."



"Downtown Tucson buildings on S. Stone taken June 1965 from the East side of the street, looking North. "



"This is the view of One East Broadway at Stone Avenue and Broadway Boulevard looking northeast with the Chase building in the background. The plans for the building are to have commercial businesses on the ground level with office space in the upper floors. The offices for the Regional Transportation Authority or RTA and the Pima Association of Government or PAG are expected to occupy space in the building."



"Standard Oil gas station and Albert Steinfeld Hardware at 100 block of N. Stone in 1957. They were demolished to build J.C. Penney building. It is now the main library plaza. "



"This is the northwest corner of Stone Avenue and Pennington Street and the main library plaza in Tucson."



"Northeast corner of 6th Ave. and Congress Street in Tucson in 1965, including Dee's Shoes, Nationwide Finance, Johnny Gibson's Gym Equipment and the Manhattan bar. It's now the Ronstadt Transit Center. "





"6th Avenue and Broadway Road in June, 1965, including the back of the Santa Rita Hotel (right), Nick's Liquors, Western Union, the Roosevelt Hotel and Danny's Cafe. "



Now TEP:



"This is the parking lot at 35 E. Pennington, the site of the "new Woolworth Building" in May, 1956. "



Now



"June 1965, Broadway & 6th"



"Now the Federal Courthouse"



"The Fox Theatre in downtown Tucson buildings taken June 1965."



Now



"Perkins Motor Co. , pictured in 1955, at the northwest corner of Stone and Alameda occupied the site for 15 years until it was demolished to make way for the Arizona Land Title Building, which was converted to Pima County Public Works Center in early 2000s. "



"The Pima County Public Works Center on the northwest corner of Stone Avenue and Alameda Street."



Lots more: http://tucson.com/gallery/news/local/ph ... d1f.html#0

[azgreg]

Great pics.

[Merkin]

Tucsons 239th birthday today. Old DT pics with new pics as well

"Stone Ave in Tucson, including Arizona Land and Title, Pima Savings, Jacome's and Steinfelds, looking south from Alameda Street from the northeast corner in 1962."

Neat pix, and really how cool was someone in 1962 driving a VW Microbus?

[Jefe]

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews ... ew-620.jpg

In May, an small army of Food Network food trucks and crews appeared in Tucson to film "The Great Food Truck Race."

Social media was full of local food-truck aficionados trying to track down the trucks. So many people found them that the trucks reported running out of food several times.

The episode — filmed here over three days — will air on the channel this Sunday at 9 p.m. Tucson time. Check your cable guide for more information.

The description of the episode on Food Network's website says:

"Tyler (Florence) greets the teams in Tucson, Ariz., where they must come up with a creative marketing campaign. Later, they must put their twists on a local hot dog favorite, with the top sellers winning bonus cash. The next day, the teams must create and perform a catchy jingle at the Tucson Folk Music Festival. (Episode: XT0502H)"

[Jefe]

http://www.texasobserver.org/julian-cas ... streetcar/

A Desire Named Streetcar

How did Julian Castro’s streetcar project become a political train wreck?

On July 28, former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro raised his right hand and was sworn in as the new secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That same day, back in the Alamo City, one of Castro’s signature programs, the “Modern Streetcar” project, was going off the rails, undone by the very leaders who’d once backed it.

A couple hours after Castro’s swearing-in, the new interim mayor, Ivy Taylor, stepped out of a City Council executive session and announced the controversial streetcar project was effectively dead. Things were quickly changing in this new Julian Castro-free San Antonio.

“Castro leaving killed the streetcar but it also opened the floodgates to some crazy politics that is going to impact San Antonio for some time,” said Henry Flores, a political science research professor at St. Mary’s University.

Flores said Castro’s sudden departure is welcomed by the city’s Tea Party activists, who see an opportunity not just to ax the ex-mayor’s projects, but make gains in a Democratic stronghold.

The estimated price tag: $280 million, with $32 million provided by the city—a relatively low cost for re-introducing rail to San Antonio. The Austin transportation proposal, which goes to the voters in November and includes a proposed 9.6-mile rail system, would cost $1.4 billion. The San Antonio streetcar system would have required no tax increases, and if all went well it could have served as a starter system for an eventual citywide light rail.

While Castro characterized it as a step forward for San Antonio, the proposal also harked to the past. San Antonio had a thriving streetcar system from 1877 until the 1930s, first with a mule-drawn trolley from Main Plaza to San Pedro Park. At its peak, the system boasted 90 miles of track and 1.5 million fares in a single month in 1922, when the city had just over 160,000 people. But in 1933, the Alamo City became the first major American city to kill its electric streetcar network.

The Modern Streetcar project had been in development for five years, and VIA Metropolitan Transit, the agency that would build and operate the streetcar system, was only weeks away from placing the order for the streetcars themselves. Castro and other supporters had said repeatedly the project was past its event horizon, impossible to pull back. But that was before Castro abruptly announced he was leaving for Washington.

Modern Streetcar was a key component of Castro’s big vision for San Antonio, what he called “The Decade of Downtown.” He had spent much of his five years as mayor working on revitalizing the city’s core. There were a number of successes. Construction on a convention center redevelopment project is now underway. Hemisfair Park, the grounds of the 1968 World’s Fair, is being reimagined. Over 3,500 new downtown residences have been built, with more on the way. A new major highrise was recently announced. New jobs are coming to the Centro area, and H-E-B has finally agreed to build a large grocery store downtown. The streetcar would tie it all together.

When VIA first went public with its plan for the streetcar project in 2011 there was immediate resistance—coming from what you might term “the usual suspects,” gadfly anti-spending stalwarts opposed to most City Hall initiatives.

“There were just four of us. We were tiny, tiny grassroots,” said George Rodriguez, South Texas coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots.

Rodriguez would show up at VIA public hearings with anti-streetcar signs and try to get on the local news. His group would also file public information requests with VIA, trying to get detailed financial information. “We were being flat stonewalled,” he said. “We were being ignored.”

The opposition was so unimpressive that the streetcar plan passed City Council in October 2011 with a 9-to-1 vote. But that setback didn’t stop Rodriguez. Over the next three years the chorus grew louder and larger. Little by little Rodriguez and his group chipped away at support for the streetcar project—with a lawsuit, press conferences, protests, letters to the editor and call-ins to talk radio. They challenged the need for a rail project; they argued that regular buses could do the job better and cheaper; and they suggested that streetcars would actually add to downtown’s congestion.

The opposition also attracted folks who had little interest in transportation issues, but saw a chance to take a swing at Castro.

Over Castro’s time as mayor, a faction grew in San Antonio that reflexively attacked his causes and projects. That faction grew in size and political stature when it became clear that Castro had his sights set on higher office. When he was picked by President Obama to give the keynote at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Castro became a handy surrogate target for local conservatives who lacked the range to clip Obama.

The entire anti-Castro coalition climbed aboard the anti-streetcar bus, including the local Tea Party, anti-toll road stalwarts, social conservatives who’d fought against a non-discrimination ordinance for LGBT people, the Koch-financed Americans for Prosperity, and GOP supporters looking to halt Castro’s rise as a Democratic star. There were even some unlikely allies like the local firefighters union, which was battling City Hall over a new contract.

“We were doing the groundwork of educating the public about the problems with the streetcar,” said Jeff Judson, senior vice president of the San Antonio Tea Party. “But we didn’t have a ground game until the firefighters joined in.”

But to some the firefighters’ objections appeared to be insincere. “Those firefighters didn’t care one whit about the streetcar. For them it was all about keeping their benefits,” said Flores. “And to do that they needed to show some political muscle.”

The involvement of the San Antonio Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 624 transformed the streetcar opposition from a mere nuisance to a major problem for City Hall. The turning point came came on July 7, when Greg Brockhouse, the union spokesman, walked into City Hall carrying cardboard boxes crammed with petitions.

Brockhouse, a failed City Council candidate and a former chief of staff for Councilman Rey Saldaña, knew how to get the council’s attention: 26,749 signatures on a petition that could put the streetcar issue on the November ballot.

“We want a focus, a back-to-basics focus, on where our tax dollars will be spent,” Brockhouse said as he presented the petition.

Brockhouse howled that there was no citizen referendum on the streetcar issue and stoked public mistrust of the project and city leaders. The anti-streetcar coalition successfully diverted the discussion from the merits of the project to arrogant politicians trying to shove a boondoggle down San Antonians’ throats.

“These city hall types just want to spend tax dollars so they can build legacy projects they can name after themselves,” said Rodriguez. “We don’t need these things; it’s just for their ego.”

Looming in the background was the specter of the May 2000 referendum on light rail—a disaster for rail enthusiasts. Seventy percent of voters shot down the $1.5 billion, 53.5-mile system, which would have stretched to the far corners of the growing city. To pay for it voters needed to agree to a quarter-cent sales tax increase. But the plan was too aggressive. (Later that same year, Austin voters narrowly defeated a similar plan by just 2,000 votes.) Fourteen years later, the defeat of light rail still haunts Bexar County politics.

Brockhouse deftly played on the old fears. Twenty days after he delivered the petitions to council, Castro was taking the helm of HUD in Washington, and the city’s top officials were announcing that the project was all but dead.

Longtime Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, a Democrat who faces an anti-streetcar Republican opponent in November, told reporters on July 28 that he still believed in the plan but that it had been effectively defeated.

“You win some, you lose some,” Wolff said. “We’ve lost this one.”

Interim Mayor Ivy Taylor said City Council wouldn’t pledge any money until there was a public vote.

But there was still the issue of the petition—the equivalent of a live grenade among the city’s suddenly shifting political scene. A streetcar question on the November ballot, even if it was technically dead as an idea, could add a complication for a lot of candidates.

On August 6, City Attorney Robbie Greenblum announced there was a problem with the petition: Too many pages lacked the signature of the person who circulated the petition. Greenblum threw out those pages where no one had signed off as “circulator.” Now the anti-streetcar drive was 8,000 names short—the streetcar initiative wouldn’t be on the ballot.

Even though the petition drive failed on what some called “a technicality” city leaders were still concerned about the appearance of blocking a public vote on an issue that clearly now could not be settled without triggering a voter backlash.

“At the end of the day we knew we had to show the public that we’re listening because they spoke very loud and clear about the project,” Taylor said.

So in early August, the council voted to put the streetcar project on the May ballot.

“I don’t know what Council was thinking,” said Brockhouse. The May ballot will include races for all 10 City Council seats and the mayor’s office. Since Taylor has promised not to run, it’s likely to be a mayoral free-for-all. Voters will also decide on whether to give council members a significant raise.



Vice President Joe Biden ceremonially swears in Julian Castro as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House, August 18, 2014. Also pictured are Secretary Castro’s wife Erica, and daughter Carina.

“Add in the streetcar,” Brockhouse said “Those two contentious items on the ballot would attract fiscal conservatives in droves.”

Brockhouse sees a political opportunity for him and his cause. If he can rally his supporters in May, including the 27,000 petition signers, he thinks it’s a chance to clean house.

“Streetcar was about the frustration that the citizens of San Antonio have about their City Hall. They don’t listen and they are not accountable,” said Rodriguez. He said the city’s conservatives are now looking for candidates to run in May that will tap into that frustration. “We are going to capitalize on that,” he said.

Brockhouse said he is strongly considering running again for Council in May. He said would like a chance to do for all of San Antonio what he did for the streetcar and usher in an era of reduced spending and the end of major downtown legacy projects.

Wow, talk about identical

[Jefe]

http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/06/ ... id/371986/

Austin Wants to Build a Light Rail-Streetcar Hybrid
Austin Urban Rail couples the best part of streetcar and light-rail transit to connect urban and suburban commuters.

It could be the teaser for a sweet new Ford pickup: Tighter turning for city driving. Faster speeds for country commuting. But Austin's new hybrid project is meant to get drivers out of their vehicles.

Last month, Austinites got a first look at Austin Urban Rail, the light-rail project at the heart of a high-capacity transit vision for Central Texas. The 9.5-mile track extends from East Riverside Drive north over Lady Bird Lake (via a new, to-be-constructed bridge) through east downtown to Highland Mall north of the city.

The project is expected to cost $1.4 billion (in 2020 dollars). That figure includes estimated costs for design services as well as vehicle and right-of-way acquisitions. The vehicles that Austin will get are something new, according to Kyle Keahey, vice president for HNTB and urban rail project lead.

"Light-rail manufacturers want to improve their vehicles to compete in the streetcar arena," Keahey says.

Austin's urban-rail cars will be designed to accommodate the tighter turning radii of a streetcar as well as the higher speeds of light rail. Keahey, who headed up the Project Connect effort responsible for the plan, says that the hybrid characteristic is crucial to "address some of the congestion elements that are anathema to Austin."

In Austin's east downtown, traffic is choked by congestion along I-35. Much of this traffic stems from short trips, Keahey says. The streetcar-esque light-rail design means that the urban-rail system can navigate tighter right-of-way turns and more stops through east downtown. The vehicles can be coupled together like light-rail cars, but they could also operate in mixed-flow traffic, if necessary.

Many of the questions surrounding the urban rail plan so far concern costs. They include nine cars, two maintenance facilities, a bridge over the lake, and a tunnel where the light-rail crosses paths with Capital Metro. Keakey argues that the $1.4 billion price-tag puts Austin's proposed urban rail in line with other recent light-rail initiatives.

Light-Rail Corridor Length (in miles) Cost Year
Houston Southeast 6.6 $823 million 2012
Houston North 5.3 $756 million 2013
Portland-Milwaukie 7.3 $1.49 billion 2013
Minneapolis–St. Paul 9.8 $957 million 2013
Austin Urban Rail 9.5 $1.38 billion 2014

Many more in Central Texas are questioning the wisdom of building a light-rail line along the Highland–East Riverside sub-corridor in east downtown Austin instead of the Guadalupe–North Lamar sub-corridor in west downtown Austin. Cheyenne Krause, public-information specialist with the Austin Transportation Department, says that many trips originating in west downtown Austin, in particular from the West Campus neighborhood, proceed east–west, not north–south. Keahey says that east of downtown, Austin can build light rail that serves the place where growth will be highest in future years.

"We’ve tried to design a path for the process, to serve as many of the people as possible," he says.

Both the questions about cost and vision will factor into decisions made by stakeholders regarding phasing—which will help to determine whether Austin can get the most out of a hybrid streetcar-light rail train. Project Connect officials have put forward three scenarios for Austin's City Council and Capital Metro board to consider this month, including a 7.3-mile urban rail (for $990 million) and a 5.7-mile urban rail (for $820 million).

The planners expect approximately half of the urban rail's costs to be paid by federal dollars. The remaining funding will come in the form of obligation bonds. In August, Austin's City Council will shape the bond language for a November election. While voters will be deciding primarily on what sort of urban rail they want for their city, they'll also be deciding what sort of test we can expect for this hybrid light rail model.

[TheBlackLodge]

This thread is supposed to be about downtown Tucson. Who gives a fuck about what San Antonio isn't doing? Or what Austin is doing?

[84Cat]

This thread is supposed to be about downtown Tucson. Who gives a fuck about what San Antonio isn't doing? Or what Austin is doing?

Agree TBL! I thought about posting how the Phx light rail is so successful that they are trying to figure out how to move up their expansion plans but then I figured that this thread is about downtown Tucson. How is d/t Tucson doing? So well that they had to close the 4th AVe underpass to cars over the weekend between 7pm & 2 am due to gridlock from so many people being downtown. Sucks when things are going well for all the haters.

[Jefe]

How is d/t Tucson doing? So well that they had to close the 4th AVe underpass to cars over the weekend between 7pm & 2 am due to gridlock from so many people being downtown. Sucks when things are going well for all the haters.

Going well means cutting off access to cars due to ignorant planning?

Looks like this may be happening quite often now:

Attached and below is a news release distributed today from the City of
Tucson Department of Transportation regarding a change in the start time
(9 p.m.) for the southbound Fourth Avenue Underpass detour.

TRAFFIC ALERT

FOURTH AVENUE UNDERPASS SOUTHBOUND LANE CLOSURE

AMENDED START TIME FOR DETOUR

NORTHBOUND TRAVEL LANE REMAINS OPEN

The City of Tucson Department of Transportation (TDOT) will again close
the southbound travel lane through the Fourth Avenue Underpass at Ninth
Street. Last week’s traffic control change significantly decreased the
gridlock at the Congress Street/Toole Avenue/Fourth Avenue intersection.
Please note that the northbound travel lane through the underpass will
remain open to all modes of travel.

The southbound lane closure will take place on Thursday, August 28,
Friday, August 29 and Saturday, August 30 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

During the closure, the Sun Link Streetcar and bicyclists will be
allowed to use the southbound travel lane through the underpass, and
pedestrians will be allowed to use the southbound sidewalk through the
underpass. Motorists will be detoured at Ninth Street west to Stevens
Avenue, north on Fifth Avenue to Seventh Street. Motorists can then
travel south on Sixth Avenue to access Downtown.

Eastbound travel on Ninth Street at Fourth Avenue will be restricted to
“local traffic only” to lessen the traffic impacts to the adjacent
neighborhood. Business access signs will be in place to inform motorists
that businesses along Ninth Street remain open.

For the past several weeks, TDOT staff has been evaluating and
monitoring traffic volumes, traffic movements and pedestrian access at
the Congress Street, Fourth Avenue and Toole Avenue intersection. The
increased activity in the downtown area, specifically at the
Congress/Fourth/Toole intersection, has caused vehicular gridlock
conditions. TDOT staff made permanent traffic signal timing adjustments
last week on Congress which improved traffic flows.

Electronic message boards will be in place along Fourth Avenue to
inform motorists of this weekend’s travel lane restriction. Motorists
are urged to use caution when traveling along Fourth Avenue and in the
downtown area due to the high volume of pedestrian activity in these
entertainment districts.

Next they will close Congress to all those evil vehicles. Molly McKassons wet dream

[UAdevil]

Hell, I'd prefer Congress as a pedestrian mall.

[TheBlackLodge]

Closing the 4th avenue underpass to cars on the weekends makes a lot of sense. It will keep congestion down and prevent all those T-locs from using 4th ave/Congress as a place to cruise. The city is probably going to have to keep Congress as-is to allow people access to the garages downtown.

The next step should be to remove on-street parking along 4th avenue, make it safer for bicyclists and pedestrians while preventing possible street car accidents (or god forbid, fatalities).

[Salty]

The reason it's been closed to motorists is because there's such a heavy increase in traffic in the area due to the streetcar.

Downtown Tucson and 4th avenue are absolutely booming. I was near 4th on Tuesday and it felt like a Friday night.

[azgreg]

I'll be down in Tucson tomorrow and Thursday for training so I might just swing downtown and see what all the fuss is about.

[Jefe]

Be sure to do Little Poca Cosa for lunch. Cash only

[azgreg]

Lunch is out. Will be handles at the training site (the Alcoa plant on S Alvernon).