Moving Phoenix into the 21^st Century

The centerpiece of the Phoenix La Playa del Sol development concept on Central Avenue and Rio Salado will be a sculpture arising every hour in the La Playa del Sol lagoon representing a Phoenix arising from the ashes of the Rio Salado.

PHOENIX (By Jon Garrido) June 5, 2008 — Hispanic News is the number 1 Hispanic website at Google, Yahoo and Bing. As such, this is where I spend most of time; however, on Monday I began the process to run for the Phoenix City Council from District 8. The major focus of my candidacy will be economic development because of my former career with two major cities, an Indian reservation, a private development company and my own firm — master planning revitalization projects.

Sequentially, I build a economic development career beginning as economic development specialist (city planner I, II and III), economic development coordinator, executive director of economic development, director of an industrial development authority issuing tax exempt bonds for fixed asset financing for establishing industrial and commercial businesses, director of community development and vice president of planning and development for once the largest real estate development company in Arizona where my primary responsibility was conceptualizing and proposing an air cargo airport with three runaways in the northwest quadrant of the Phoenix metro area. I then began a master planning consulting firm where I planned for clients master plans to revitalize Main Street in Payson, Arizona; the Queen Creek in Superior, Arizona; downtown Gilbert, Arizona; and the southern portion of the Arizona Canal extending to the Valley Ho Hotel in downtown Scottsdale.

My candidacy for the Phoenix City Council will focus on a vision to take Phoenix in the 21^st Century. This will prioritize economic development and specifically will concentrate on developing an area which has the most potential to enable Phoenix to become a world class destination city.

On Monday afternoon, I was in Downtown Phoenix to file paper work with the City for the District 8 election and took the opportunity to walk from city hall over to Saint Mary’s to make a visit.

I am amazed at all the new big boxes in Downtown Phoenix but as I casually walked I began counting people on the sidewalks. I did this because Downtown Phoenix is like walking through a maze of a city that has experienced a “rapture” where everyone suddenly vanishes. There were less than 200 persons on the sidewalks and most restaurants were empty. I walked into Matadors hoping to see any old friend and to my astonishment there were only two tables being used.

In front of Saint Mary’s I was in awe with the scale of the new convention center expansion. Massive and I again thought how stupid it was to demolish the old Catholic diocesan office and construct a single story building to accommodate the Diocese of Phoenix. A golden opportunity lost to build a massive structure housing a major convention hotel, retail and office complex.

When the present bishop leaves will be the time to re-visit this property to give consideration to the coffers of the Catholic Diocese social and education programs.

I then walked to the new Sheraton. Impressive but the walk will diminish it from being the hotel of choice for convention visitors.

Talking to myself, I thought: what a stupid duo of Catholic leaders, Thomas O’Brien and the perverted Monsieur Dale Fushek, both forced to resign for sins against the Church.

I first had this thought on October 16, 2006. I wrote: http://hispanic.cc/the_phoenix,_arizona_downtown_con_instant_gratification.htm. Questionable downtown develop is not new to Phoenix. It began with the property on the north side of the Phoenix Civic Center which is a block owned by the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.

To develop this key parcel, Bishop O'Brien gave the assignment to the once prima donna of the Diocese: Monsieur Dale Fushek whose only development experience was limited to developing a youth movement. The diocesan parcel abutting the civic center on the north side would have had any savvy developer drooling at the possibly of maximizing the site with a high density multi use convention hotel, class A office space and retail structure.  Even high rise condominiums would have worked in the tower. Directly behind Saint Mary's Cathedral is where Saint Mary's High School once was located and had it been restored to historical architectural significance, the restored school could have provided class A office space to chancery staff.

Parking for the renovated Saint Mary's school diocesan center could have been accommodated underneath the tower structure to the east along with providing underground parking for tower users.

The tower could have easily duplicated the amount of space built as the Arizona Center with location being more premium for its location directly across a small collector street from the Phoenix Convention Center, a premium ideal site for a convention hotel complex.

The ideal scenario would have been to execute an unsubordinated land lease to develop the underground parking garage and tower above accommodating the convention hotel and office space. By leasing this church land, the Diocese of Phoenix without risk would have received in excess of $20,000,000 annually CPI indexed which could have been used by the Diocese to cover increasing operating costs and increased charitable services. A golden opportunity lost because of the lack of foresight and development experience of Monsignor Dale Fushek, a parish priest now waiting for his faith to be decided in court on charges of molesting youth in his care.

Similar to Fushek is Phil Gordon, former photography shop operator, now making decisions on downtown development as indicative of having development done by persons with no development expertise or economic development vision.

Similar to the loss of development opportunity by the church is to use a prime piece of property in close proximity to the convention center for restoring a handful of low density buildings to accommodate 24 students to attend medical school.

The crux of the problem is public officials without development experience and vision are responsible for Phoenix downtown development.

Monday’s walk

Returning to Monday’s walk in Downtown Phoenix, from the Sheraton, I wandered west back to Central walking past the ASU facilities. Why anyone thinks the ASU presence will contribute to enabling Phoenix to become a world class city is beyond me. This week there was another education project announced which is a high school. A high school in Downtown Phoenix as part of making Downtown Phoenix a world class destination city?

Years ago someone should have pushed for an overlay of downtown to approve only projects that would contribute to making Downtown Phoenix a destination city.

With so little land available in Downtown Phoenix, land is being squandered with “instant gratification” type projects that will do nothing to make Phoenix a visitor destination city.

I have traveled extensively to most major cities in the United States and Europe drawn to other cities by a desire to visit a notable destination, attend conventions primarily chosen by convention planners as a location where people want to visit, or just to have fun. Across the United States, most travelers think of Baltimore's Harborplace, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Disneyworld, the San Antonio River Walk, Pike Place Market in Seattle, the San Francisco Cable Car Tour, San Diego's SeaWorld and historic Mission San Diego.

It comes as no surprise to many, the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus is not on the list.

The direction Phoenix is now pursuing will never enable Phoenix to enter the realm of world class destinations.

When I walked passed the new convention center space, I mocking asked myself after attending the day’s sessions at the convention center, what will conventioneers do afterwards? The only question among conventioneers will be, “How do we get to Scottsdale?”

Rio Salado (La Playa del Sol)

It is now time long overdue to focus on how we move Phoenix into the realm of first class world destination cities?

The diamond in the rough is Rio Salado. A series of lakes duplicating in essence Tempe Town Lake is the answer. Ringing the periphery of each lake each with its own theme, high density centers can be developed that collectively will become a magnet for attracting visitors from around the world including all parts of the Phoenix metro area.

The type of cluster development at each lake must include activities that attract visitors and the first development center must be an entertainment Mecca on the scale of Las Vegas with casinos and hotel resorts.

When casinos where first approved in Arizona, they were approved only on Indian reservations. The rationale for this was Arizonans did not want to have casinos sprouting up duplicating Las Vegas so the thought was to place casinos far away from urban centers by placing them on Indian reservations.

Now casinos are across the highway in Scottsdale and across the street in south Phoenix in Ahwatukee raking in tons of money. How do I know? As the director of community development for the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, working with Bear Stearns on the acquisition of the only major cement company in Arizona, when I first went to the bank used by the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, I was treated as Sheikh Mohammed, the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and the ruler of Dubai. When I had access to the sum in the Tribe's bank account, I knew why I had received royal treatment. This was unsettling for me knowing 95% of the members of the Tribe lived in poverty. To many community members, I shared these feelings but Native Americans think differently than non Native Americans.

By developing economic development districts by initiative or legislation, the Rio Salado Economic Development District can accommodate casino development owned by the Arizona Economic Development District collecting all revenue for disbursement to Arizona residents.

The way to gain approval is to have 50% of all revenue generated go to eliminate state taxes just like Nevada. The other 50% after expenses, will go to education eliminating tuition at all public institutions such as ASU and the Maricopa Community colleges.

These two groups of constituents, tax payers and parents/students, will be enough to deter the efforts of the Indian reservations to keep casino gambling limited to Indian reservations.

The major development scenario for Rio Salado (La Playa del Sol may be a better name) is to conceptualize and plan duplicating the Mexican Riviera with beaches surrounded by resort hotels, retail and cluster villages. With the high cost of fuel, airplane traffic to Mexico is being curtained. This is an opportunity for Phoenix to replace traffic to Mexican resorts by promoting Mexican resort type developments on the banks of the Rio Salado in close proximity to the Mexican theme village lifestyle.

The other development scenarios could include a Mexican theme similar to San Antonio’s River Walk. There is a need for a Hispanic Cultural Center in Phoenix and this could be the primary focal point of this Mexican theme development. Many Americans have retired to Mexico's small villages and towns but with the escalating drug war in Mexico, Phoenix Rio Salado (Mar Playa) would be much more secure. The Rio Salado Mexican Village would duplicate the atmosphere and theme found in Mexico including affordable housing, mercado and open market plaza.

Similar type developments can also be accommodated on the banks of the Rio Salado each focusing on a Phoenix sister city to develop a world presence on the banks of the Rio Salado lakes.

The list is endless for types of development along the Rio Salado all within easy access to the Phoenix Convention Center by mass transit such as a “BART” monorail.

Sky Harbor Airport

I have already starting assembling airport staff I once worked with to address limiting flights from Sky Harbor using flight corridors directly above the Rio Salado on the west side of Sky Harbor.

I have already begun contacting some of the former FAA personnel I met years ago and I was reminded LAX has no flights at night over Los Angles. All evening flights at LAX depart and arrive over the Pacific Ocean.

This would be the best scenario having all traffic to Sky Harbor arrive and depart to the east. Sky Harbor is already experiencing a 6.8% traffic reduction (article in Phoenix News). A more probable solution curtaining air traffic over the Rio Salado enabling developing Rio Salado has a more probable solution by limiting the western flight corridor to an area north of Maricopa Freeway and south of Downtown Phoenix enabling full development of the Rio Salado.

The most important reminder from former acquaintances is Sky Harbor is already beyond capacity. The plans for a fourth runway to the north of existing runways will never happen. The project to relocate thousands of Phoenix residents north of Sky Harbor is a colossal blunder.

Where was the City of Phoenix councilman from District 8 when this project was approved?

The Aviation Department is now focusing on developing Mesa's Williams Gateway as a commuter airport but even this is limiting because the runways are pointed in the wrong direction. The future of Arizona aviation is the area south of Casa Grande to build a “Denver” type airport to accommodate Phoenix and also Tucson.