Mesa

[traal]

The future promises to be one of taxes in Mesa

The article is about how Mesa has promised to find ways to pay for its bonds without imposing a property tax, but it has found that sales taxes haven't been sufficient and have resulted in people taking their sales tax dollars to neighboring cities.

California has a solution to the problem: the Mello-Roos tax. Instead of making everyone in the city pay for new infrastructure required by new housing developments, only the people who buy those new houses have to pay for it.

It can be kind of expensive. I believe $6,000 per year for 10-20 years is fairly typical. But it keeps taxes in more established parts of a city at a more reasonable level.

However, it would probably slow growth, and Mesa has been a growth-at-any-cost city for decades. In any case, the piper must be paid. It sounds like Mesa is finally starting to realize that.

[nuplanner]

Traal, good take. Something has to be done, and the residents are the ones who have to realize they have to pick up the bill.

The idea about the Mello roos tax is interesting. The only thing is when you live closer to major employment centers, and other residents from other cities congest the streets, they do not pay for it, but put wear and tear the roads faster than further out.

I was out in Higley/Gilbert today and it is freakn out there. Most of the roads are old farm roads with leap frog housing developments. Traffic is hell and shows the problem with developers, our laws and so forth. I think the valley should have had a flex growth boundary line. One that you can re-evaluate every so often to try to keep affordability possible (unlike Portland area) Since most cities say that developments have to build the roads and infrastructure in front of there development and so forth, you get patch work. With a flex growth boundary, you infill those areas and have the developers pick up the tab and not the citizens. Than you hopefully put more money into your transportation fund for maintenance and mass transit.

Read article

http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/narsgareport2007.html

[nuplanner]

Oh, and I almost forgot. Last Friday in downtown Mesa was 2nd Fridays night out in downtown. I helped with a lady at my work organize Mesa's first cruising main in 24 years. We had around 800 car clubs from model T's to modern car clubs. Around 3,000 people came downtown from the normal few hundred that shows up to the event. Stores ran out of food.

The big thing was, people loved the downtown and were surprised at what was down there and loved the environment as a urban area. Saturday, people returned to shop and this is the most these shop owners have made ever due to this event. It was fun and hopefully some spark with return to downtown and interest with fallow and become a true downtown with reinvestment and redevelopment.

Eventho this promoted more cars and pollution in the area, it was a good event for a good past time.

[colin]

That's great.

Was there anything particularly different about this event? Something more offered? Extra PR?

Seems kind of random to go from several hundred to several thousand.

[MJLO]

Silverbear made an interesting point in another thread, about Mesa focusing on Transit Oriented Development. Can anyone tell me what the cities plans are for working on it's established west end? I think if Mesa were to have any kind of shot and solidifying itself it would be done on it's psuedo downtown area.

[nuplanner]

Silverbear made an interesting point in another thread, about Mesa focusing on Transit Oriented Development. Can anyone tell me what the cities plans are for working on it's established west end? I think if Mesa were to have any kind of shot and solidifying itself it would be done on it's psuedo downtown area.

[nuplanner]

The city of Mesa has secured the Cactus leagues most profitable team in staying in Arizona and Mesa.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/149977

Now what do you guys think about what is being talked about? A Wrigley field west that has entertainment, retail, restaurants, office and hotels?

[MJLO]

I think that's great! Where in East Mesa are they looking to build?