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Lots of govenrment pork for downtown Tempe!! I guess it is called corporate wellfare for the businesses on Mill Avenue
Updating Tempe's core With more and more construction cranes dotting Valley skylines, one Tempe group is looking to help the city remain competitive by making the downtown core not only cleaner and safer, but also funkier and livelier. It has just unveiled a 10-year plan for businesses and landowners on and around Mill Avenue in the hopes of keeping one of the Valley's most distinctive downtowns viable against the glut of planned shopping centers throughout the Valley. "Our competitive advantage is our independent and independent-thinking retailers," said Pam Goronkin, a former Tempe city councilwoman who leads Downtown Tempe Community. "We need to capitalize on that we're not a totally planned mall. ... We're not a faux urban lifestyle like Kierland Commons or trying to have an urban lifestyle like Phoenix. We already have one." Here are some highlights of the 29-page 10-year plan Goal: Clean up Mill Avenue and the surrounding business district. How: Develop new maintenance criteria for trees, trash, sidewalks, fixtures and newspaper kiosks. Use seasonal box planters. Goal: Be prepared for new residential and retail growth. How: Analyze infrastructure needs based on growth projections. Goal: Make downtown more business-friendly. How: Open the street grid to create more corners - always attractive places for businesses to locate. Goal: Make sure people can get to downtown Tempe. How: Promote mass transit. Increase the supply of parking spots by realigning on-street parking and adding new garage space. Goal: Create a friendlier atmosphere. How: Create an ambassador program and new signs. |