Arizona off-topic

[MJLO]

actually it went thru a slow period but it's still kickin, not that i had anything to do with that

[clarebear]

why is there absolutely NOTHING constuction-wise going into down-town mesa?

[MJLO]

re: see above ,

Mesan Residents won't permit anything interesting within the cities borders

[traal]

Mesa is going through an identity crisis. It's still clinging to its desire to remain a small town, like the large dog that still wants to sleep on your bed like it did as a puppy. I'm sorry, but there's no way to uncook the egg. People need to realize that.

Edit: not you people, I meant the citizens of Mesa need to realize that.

Edited September 21, 2007 by traal

[MJLO]

I assume it will catch up with itself, what do we really expect to see out of it one day? A true Central Business District? An entertainment district? Perhaps, a night club?

[clarebear]

atleast something thats not as embaressing as it is right now. right now dt kalamazoo MI is more impressive.

[MJLO]

haha well having been to downtown Kalamazoo Michigan, that's kinda true. Apples to oranges. Lets move this discussion back to the Mesa thread.

I read a couple of my posts today, you guys. when did I get so winded and wordy? It's time to burn the soap box.

[clarebear]

wats that mean?

[colin]

BURN!! BURN!!

Soapbox is okay. As long as it's not some rant or, worse, drunken rant (not that I ever do that). Just gotta keep your head on your shoulders.

[colin]

I just had to post this because it's so ridiculous. Especially that it actually needed an "UPDATE."

UPDATE: Cardboard Geico caveman caper unsolved

Quote of the year:

[MJLO]

where has everyone been? We are so up and down on here. We should be one of the busiest forums by now, alas we lag. I pretty much gave up moderating over the summer my heart wasn't in it. Now I don't have the energy to get and take pics and all that.

[colin]

Well, I can add something.

I moved again. This time to the bustling, restaurant-lined North Campbell Avenue. It's extremely convenient, the apartment's nice and it's on an express bus route. I've been walking a lot since moving in.

I'll have pictures from the area pretty soon.

[convulso]

are you north of river? still in the city? sounds like perhaps the allen-rogers-prince area. wife works at GRB, a law firm located off campbell ave. along that stretch.

if you're south of that, in the plaza liquors - lucky wishbone area, you even get a nice buzz of (for tucson) urban activity. i always feel a very 1950s, car-culture-mixed-with-ped-culture sort of vibe along that part of campbell, especially at night.

is anything being done with the catalina theater?

[colin]

Plaza Liquors area but actually a little north, near Campbell and Blacklidge. There are tons of restaurants right across the street. I've walked over to Albertson's three times already and Old Chicago once. Went to the pho place near Glenn last night (which is awesome, btw).

I agree completely about the vibe though and that's one of the reasons why I like it. There is a surprising amount of ped traffic in that area but the sidewalks are unfortunately sparse. It's a fairly easy corridor to walk around on though.

There was the idea of Walgreens taking over at least part of Catalina at one point, but I think that idea is dead as dead. Theaters are so difficult to reuse that I doubt anything will occur without demolition. It's a difficult intersection also because of that right turn lane and the amount of traffic it gets. At one time, there was a proposal to sink Campbell and create an underpass/exit situation, but that died quickly mostly due to the pseudo-rich folks in adjacent Catalina Vista.

[MJLO]

omg our forum is almost dead! where are my people talking about nothing in the off topic place?!?

[convulso]

tonight i've been reading my old posts and those of the others on here when this forum was alive.

i've gone through a period during which i've lost interest in...well, pretty much everything. i am hopeful that i am slowly emerging from that. i tentatively foresee a gradual crescendo in my activity on here and elsewhere, as i start to remember myself again.

sorry for going AWOL.

is there life? *ping?*

[MJLO]

hey ben

we exist, i think we are all with u in what we are experiencing. i'm on here everyday but only to check on other parts of the site really

it's hard to stay engaged in something that doesn't grow. On top of that interesting development news in AZ is all but stopped, and there isn't enough space on the site for every new strip mall that goes in.

[nuplanner]

I think the slow down is good for Arizona. We were growing to fast and were not planning smart. The developers controlled what was going on because of the cash flow that was coming in. Now that is dried up, and now we have time to sit back, be smart and rethink of all the crap that we just let happen out in the fringe. So, this is a time we can make sure we make good decisions. At least mesa is now doing that with Gateway. There is no rush, and we want to get it right.

[convulso]

hey ben

we exist, i think we are all with u in what we are experiencing. i'm on here everyday but only to check on other parts of the site really

it's hard to stay engaged in something that doesn't grow. On top of that interesting development news in AZ is all but stopped, and there isn't enough space on the site for every new strip mall that goes in.

[nuplanner]

I just think that Arizona got it wrong when they voted no on the growth boundary in 2000. The problem is, growth (i.e. construction) is a main source of jobs. That is a huge reason why college grads do not stay in AZ. There are not enough jobs to keep them here. However, we have been riding on the backs of cheap labor, gas, and horrible public policy in the southwest.

For the past few decades, growth was the band-aid for the poor economy, and has been heavily depended on to support our local and state economy. We are going threw another cycle again, one that we have never seen with other elements affect it. Cost of everything is going up, and the medial income is not. We had too many people getting into the real estate market and investing that made it way un-sustainable. As a society, we expect that we could make so much on a home in 2 years, move further away in a bigger house, buy new things, put them on credit cards and in a few years, you sell your house again and pay it all off. It was false hope, a mirage by the local economy, our politicians, developers, media and citizens in general. Build more roads, more strip malls, drive drive drive! No thought was going into what happens when this boom defilades? What happens when gas does not come down, and the market falls? I know I almost got caught up in this, and every market is hurting from it. Yes, some development is still going on, but in general, things are going to be hurting big time due to this over inflation of the real estate market.

Our neighborhoods are going to suffer too. Especially the master planned communities of the past two decades to the present. They are horrible designs, and anti social. These are the future slums.

There is a reason why a large majority of foreclosures are out on the fringe of the city. Location and false hope of the cheap American dream fueled this for so long that this dream is now crumbling right before us. Its like we, as human beings are forgot how to build cities the past 5 decades, and have thrown out one of the most important elements, the human. Its out of scale, and that is what sprawl brings.

Until we wise up, invest in our cities, and take control of our cities, we are going to get the same. Developers run this state, and they affect the outcomes of voting and how politicians act. It

[MJLO]

Phoenix has a large service economy(which is ultimately self sustaining), it is certainly over reliant on growth and construction. I think it will end up evening out soon. It certainly is flashy, even with real estate in the tank.

[MJLO]

Alright y'all, there is a new governor. Mrs. Janice K. Brewer. I know alot of people on the forum are partisan in nature. Alot more don't care, but how do you think this will affect the state? Good, Bad? Goodbye Janet, don't let the door hit you in the rear on the way out?

[tombarnes]

I really have not heard much about her just yet. Of course, Washington is pretty insular, so we don't get as much real news here as we ought to. Tell me more....

[colin]

Hi!

Sorry for the long lapse in activity. No excuse for myself, but maybe it was the job that I took ended up actually keeping me busy.

But I quit the job at the end of May and have been traveling since. First up to Canada and out to Newfoundland, down to Costa Rica, to DC for a few days, driving around the Great Plains, and I'm recently back from a California and Utah national parks tour. I have one more trip coming up next week that'll take me to the Midwest, but only for a week. I'm working on a new job now, but I may end up in stupid Phoenix. The market is getting better here, but it's not as easy to find a job in my field anymore.

I'll try to post some stuff on Tucson development, because there are some things going on here.

[MJLO]

holy crap it's Colin! I thought we lost you man. Sounds like you've been having fun dude, can't blame you. If you end up in Phoenix i'm sure we'd all be happy to see you