Downtown Voices Coalition
Working for a sustainable Phoenix for everyone ~ para todos

Pick up the latest issue of Desert Living Magazine for one writer’s top 100 things worth looking at along the Light Rail route, from Christown Mall to Mesa to points inbetween.

In early July, the Phoenix City Council voted to adopt the Downtown Plan, a vision for future growth, neighborhoods, and parking, and the first part of the Urban Form Project.  The Plan defines Character Areas within the plan boundaries (roughly bound by Seventh Avenue, Buckeye Road, Seventh Street and McDowell Road) with the goal of ensuring that city planning and zoning [...]

[Source: Casey Newton, Arizona Republic, July 11, 2008] — Light rail charged into downtown Phoenix on Thursday, making a successful maiden voyage into the heart of the Valley.  The trip, which marked the start of the vehicle’s testing period in downtown Phoenix, is the latest milestone in the construction of the 20-mile, $1.4 billion system.  [...]

[Source: Medlock Place Neighborhood Association] — What were plans for three 22 story buildings, each over 200 feet high, have been expanded and are now seeking formal approval to be built to heights of as much as 400 feet.  Slated to begin rising in December, the expected completion date of the light rail, the project [...]

[Source: Lynn Ducey, Phoenix Business Journal, July 8, 2008] — A Valley Metro Light Rail car is expected to make an inaugural appearance in downtown Phoenix on Thursday or Friday, while city officials prepare a Web portal aimed at “all things downtown,” Mayor Phil Gordon said on Tuesday.  Gordon made the announcement as part of [...]

[Source: Jahna Berry, Arizona Republic, July 6, 2008] — If Phoenix wants its downtown nightlife to thrive, buses need to stay on the street long after sundown, several business owners say.  Bill Smith, who owns Bar Smith and other local restaurants, is a member of an alliance of bar, restaurant, hotel, and nightclub owners working [...]