Mesa residents can get the first look Tuesday at new streetscape plans and a police substation that are supposed to trigger a revival of the struggling Fiesta District.
The city plans a $11.5 million project along Southern Avenue to invite more pedestrians with shade, paths, wider sidewalks and more attractive landscaping. The city has conceptual renderings and will spend the next year working on the specifics, said city spokeswoman Rene Powell.
“They really want to put an emphasis on the pedestrian components and creating a linkage between the major properties and the neighborhoods,” Powell said.
The project would span from the border with Tempe to Extension Road.
Already, the city has replaced street signs to begin rebranding the district.
Construction should begin in early 2013 and take about one year. Funds will come from a road bond and a $1 million federal grant.
Also Tuesday, the city will show conceptual designs for a police substation. The building will follow new design guidelines for the district that are part of the city’s effort to create a unified look for the area. The $9.4 million building will be funded by a bond voters approved in 2008. The city allocated $15 million for the station and has spent $2.5 million to buy the property.
The substation will be built at the northwest corner of Grove Avenue and Westwood, which is the site of the failed Aquaterra luxury condo proposal. The one-year construction project is scheduled to begin in mid-2012.
The city will show project plans 6 p.m. Tuesday at Fiesta Mall, on the upper level between Macy’s and Sears.
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Suelee posted at 6:10 pm on Thu, Oct 27, 2011.
The Fiesta District should thrive. There are over 50,000 students, faculty and other employees at MCC. Banner Desert Medical Center has hundreds of employees and visitors every day. There are plenty of homes and high density apartment housing surrounding the Fiesta District and several large churches (such as Resurrection Catholic Church). If you add up all of these folks, you have more people than most small and medium sized towns in Arizona have.
snipes posted at 11:25 am on Sat, Oct 29, 2011.
Suelee mentions several of the Fiesta District highlights: MCC, Banner Medical, Fiesta Mall, and BankAmerica Center. Perfect reasons to route Light Rail down Dobson Road and along Souther Ave.
What has Mesa decided to do instead? Route Light Rail thru the somnambulistic downtown.