Who Do We Blame For Rising Urban Home Prices? is a post from: Rail Life

It’s always fun to blame someone for something, right? Just ask my kids, they’ll tell ya’.

I saw an interesting article recently titled, “Boomers to blame for rising urban home prices.” While the article makes some interesting points, I think there is a LOT more than boomers contributing to the rising costs associated with urban living.

Around here, we’ve seen a rising trend toward a more urban lifestyle for quite some time. Yes, we have seen some awesome success with a few age restricted projects along the line, and we know that more are planned to open in the near future. BUT, there has also been a very large shift toward urban living from young professionals, college students, families and people from many different walks of life.

“Boomers are also looking for walkability, proximity to public transit and diversity. They also want to be closer to their children, who generally head to cities right after college. This is a big change from their parents, who often headed to warmer areas to retire.” – nbcnews.com

So, who’s to blame?

How about blaming convenience, cost savings, green living, gas prices, smart business people  and a certain cool-factor that is hard to deny. Yes, cool factor. Young, old and anything in between seems to be shifting to an urban lifestyle choice when searching for a place to call home. It’s more than boomers and it’s certainly not just hipsters. To be honest, I’m really not sure WHO to blame. Maybe I’ll just blame YOU…

Rail Life Pic Of The Week – Jake The Snake is a post from: Rail Life

It was cool to see Jake Plummer cruising the sidelines and signing autographs at this weekends annual Spring Game. It’s also cool to hear that he has been spending some time with the team and coaching staff recently.

The Sun Devils have some high expectations for the upcoming season. Some hard work and some great fan support will be just what we need to make it a great year!

Remember, Rail Life has a Phoenix Light Rail Group on Flickr Basically, we want to share some of our pictures from the community and allow people to add their pics (or videos), as well. These can be light rail related, but we also want pics or videos of your favorite spot, restaurant, sports team, community, event, etc.

Phoenix Sky Train Connects With Light Rail is a post from: Rail Life

The long awaited Phoenix Sky Train at Sky Harbor Airport is here! May 8th, 2013 will be another historic day for transit in the valley as the automated Sky Train begins connecting millions of riders between the airport, the East Economy parking areas and the Metro light rail line.

Quick, efficient, environmentally friendly, fun to ride and FREE to use, the Phoenix Sky Train is a welcome addition to our transit system that will run 24 hours per day.

The Sky Train adds convenience to traveling to and from the airport. For travelers at Terminal 4, it is possible to be at the 44th St light rail station within 5 minutes using the train. Business travelers and tourists alike can get to a hotel along the line quickly and easily. For people smart enough to live near the line, their travel experiences just got another shot of convenience, as well. It’s a win-win situation for a TON of people.

Here are a few Phoenix Sky Train Facts:

• It will take 3 minutes to travel from the 44th Street station to East Economy Parking and another 2 minutes to Terminal 4
• Trains will run continuously in both directions and arrive as frequently as every 3 minutes at an average speed of 23 mph, but up to 38 mph
• 18 train cars will be assembled into 2 or 3 car trains.
• Each car holds 53 passengers
• The driverless train will run on an electrically powered, center-rail guideway, and facilities will be LEED certified

Another fun fact about the Sky Train: It is the first mass transit system in the world to pass over an active airport taxiway. Yep, you’ll be riding over the planes and will be 125’ above ground at one point on your ride over the taxiway. Don’t be squeemish, it will be fun! Heck, the “Disneyland effect” of the Sky Train is sure to bring out a lot of people just to check out the ride. At one point, you’ll even have kind of a “blind turn” where the train appears to go over the edge of its track. This system is truly an impressive and much needed addition to AZ travel.

“This Sky Train is going to redefine how people in Phoenix interact with their airport” – Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton

Take a look at these videos of the new Phoenix Sky train below, and enjoy the ride!

Phoenix Sky Train testing:

Mayor Stanton talks Phoenix Sky Train:

Walking tour of Phoenix Sky Train via Sky Harbor Airport:

Tempe Looks To Lake For New Transit Opportunity is a post from: Rail Life

The wildly popular and economically beneficial Tempe Town Lake will soon be the home of one of the nation’s newest and most ambitious transit projects to date.

Tempe officials, along with their colleagues in Phoenix and Mesa, are about to create a way for desert dwellers to enjoy an amazing waterfront lifestyle along the shores of the expanding Tempe Town Lake.

In a blockbuster deal involving public and private funding sources, we are on the verge of creating a transit system similar to the CityCat ferry services in Brisbane, Australia.

Tempe Town Lake will be expanded along the riverbed further west into Phoenix and further east into Mesa.

Citing Tempe’s regional strength, Tempe officials say this will be a huge economic engine for Tempe and for the region.

“We all know that waterfront property is some of the most desirable property available. We’ve seen a tremendous amount of economic impact along our light rail line and our studies show that demand for lakefront property, along with a unique transit element, will far exceed what we have along our light rail line.”

CityCat transit service – Brisbane Australia

“As a landlocked city, Tempe has to be different. We have to think and grow regionally, upward and out of the box. Our partnership with CityCat will be one of the most exciting and economically stimulating projects we have ever seen.”

Working with the manufactures of the CityCat Transit Service, Tempe officials and private investors have traveled to Brisbane to see the amazing efficiency and the excitement that comes with lakefront developments. The time is now. As Tempe real estate continues to show very strong demand, we want to make sure that we have many options available to live, work and play in our great city. This type of project will boost tourism, grow enrollment at ASU, create more economic activity in our community and will continue to show people all over the world that Tempe is a world class city.

Not only have officials traveled to Brisbane, they traveled to a place called Blarney Island, a college-type restaurant and bar, only accessible by boat. The proximity to ASU and the relationships we have with them, will allow us to build an amazing restaurant and nightlife district along the south side of the lake. Look at the area from Hayden Ferry to where State Farm is building a regional headquarters. The headquarters will bring 6000 jobs to the area – it’s a perfect fit for creating the demand for a new urban, lakefront lifestyle. Just a mile to the west, the city of Tempe has a Tempe Town Lake development deal in place for land at Rio Salado and Priest, where the lake will be extended and boat docks will be installed for travel to new destinations accessible via the water.

“With job growth comes opportunity. These boats are far less costly to build and maintain. The huge construction cost of light rail is offset,

because we don’t have to deal with the expense of laying track, moving utility lines or buying homes or businesses that get in the way.”

A press conference with private investors, institutional fund managers and city officials is scheduled for 5:00pm Friday, April 1st to give us more details about this transit and economic development package. While it sounds good in theory, I certainly hope we get something more than pie in the sky theory, pronto.

Stay tuned…

** Yes, this was an April Fools Day post.
]]> http://raillife.com/blog/2013/04/01/tempe-lake-transit-opportunity/feed/ 3 http://raillife.com/blog/2013/03/22/yoga-people-tempe/ http://raillife.com/blog/2013/03/22/yoga-people-tempe/#comments Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:20:01 +0000 Nick Bastian http://raillife.com/?p=7100 Yoga To The People Comes To Tempe is a post from: Rail Life

Another Big Week For Sun Devil Athletics–AND Sparky Fans is a post from: Rail Life

The ASU Basketball team begins NIT play this Wednesday night at 7pm. You should be there, wearing gold. If you are an ASU student, the tickets are free of charge, just use the South entrance. Tickets for the general public are available for $15 and $30 by calling 480-727-7000.

As the basketball season nears the end, football season is right around the corner. The first Spring practice was today and the upcoming Spring Game and Fan Fest celebrations sound like a lot of fun.

ASU Fan Fest info can be found here:

In 2013, the ASU football team will play the defending Big Ten champs, the defending Pac-12 champs and Notre Dame who played for the 2012 BCS National Championship. The team has an awesome opportunity to do some great things this year, and it will be easier with butts ( yours ) in the seats.

Check out this cool interview with Bruce Cooper and ASU Football Head Coach, Todd Graham.

Of course, there was more big news today as ASU announced via a press release titled “ASU to engage Sun Devil community in mascot costume update.”

“The university is developing an online program that will enable members of the Sun Devil community to pick the features of the costume’s head and face. For example, the program is expected to offer a choice between maroon and black horns, different sizes and shapes for the eyes, face shape choices that include a less prominent chin, and options for the moustache and goatee. All features offered will be consistent with the identity of Sparky” – ASU

The online program will be available from April 22 – May 5th and they will contact people when the program begins.

“Sun Devils will be asked to choose their preferred features and submit their selection to the university. Each person will be able to vote once. The university will tabulate the results and reveal the fans’ choice for the costume on Sept. 5, 2013, at the first football game of the season. If there are close calls between some of the features, the university may present a set of three to five combined images for final review and selection”

Obviously, not everyone was happy with the new look for Sparky so this is pretty big news. I don’t ever recall this kind of thing happening before, so make sure and participate if you are unhappy with the new Sparky. Heck, if you love the new Sparky, you better participate, too.

We’ll see the new or old or ?? Sparky at the first game of the year.

So you can sit around and bitch about the new Sparky or you can take a minute to actually have a say in what comes next. After that, come out and support the teams, that’s what it’s really all about.

Go Devils!!

Rail Life Pic Of The Week – Brunch at Squash Blossom is a post from: Rail Life

Squash Blossom: It’s a cool place with kind of a funny name. Yeah, Squash Blossom serves up a really good breakfast and lunch every day of the week, it’s their $10.00 Sunday Brunch that is even harder to beat.

Seriously, what a deal. This popular Sunday Brunch features a made to order omelette station, salads, cheeses, a large pastry bar, eggs, bacon, sausage, fruits, veggies, juices, coffee, tea and more. They also make a pretty tasty Bloody Mary ( extra charge ) that goes really well with your brunch!

Brunch at Squash Blossom is served from 8:30am to 1:30pm each Sunday. Check it out at 705 N 1st Street in the PHX. 602-253-4606

Remember, Rail Life has a Phoenix Light Rail Group on Flickr. Basically, we want to share some of our pictures from the community and allow people to add their pics (or videos), as well. These can be light rail related, but we also want pics or videos of your favorite spot, restaurant, sports team, community, event, etc.

Public Meetings For South Central Transit Study is a post from: Rail Life

Want to know if light rail has a snowballs chance in Phoenix for heading through South Central? It sounds like there will be a ton of good information available tonight and tomorrow for you to find out!

Will funding be available? Have station locations been determined? What would the potential ridership numbers look like? Are there significant economic benefits for the area? Have other options been discussed? If you are interested in these questions or have any others, you should attend these informative and interesting public meetings. Take a look at the information below for details from METRO.

Two Public Meeting Options for Updates on South Central Phoenix Transit Study

PHOENIX, AZ — Valley Metro will hold two public meetings to discuss the results from the Tier 2 South Central Corridor Study. This is a study of alignment alternatives for providing enhanced transit service to South Central Phoenix, an area bound by 7th Avenue, 7th Street, Washington Street and Dobbins Road.

At each public meeting, Valley Metro will provide the latest information about the study progress. Staff will be available at both meetings to take public comments and answer questions once the presentation is complete.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (6:30 p.m. presentation)

South Mountain Community Center

212 E. Alta Vista, Phoenix (Central and Southern)

Thursday, March 7, 2013

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (6:30 p.m. presentation)

Academia Del Pueblo

School Gym

201 E. Durango, Phoenix (Central, just north of I-17)

The South Central Corridor Study, also known as an Alternatives Analysis (AA), is an 18 – 24 month evaluation of several high-capacity transit modes — including light rail, bus rapid transit and modern streetcar — and routes to determine the option that will best serve the community.  It is the start of the federal process to eventually apply for capital funding. Funding for the study is provided by a Federal Transit Administration grant with a local match from the City of Phoenix.

For additional information or to make reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities at either meeting, please contact Sonya Pastor La Sota at 602-744-5584/TTY 602-251-2039 orspastor@valleymetro.org. For more information, go to ValleyMetro.org/SouthCentral

New Look For Sparky The Sun Devil is a post from: Rail Life

Coach Graham and his team comes in to this years football season with some pretty high expectations and with the attitude that their very tough 2013 schedule is an opportunity to show the nation that Sun Devil football is ready for the very bright spotlight that will be shining on Tempe.

Creating a football culture at ASU has been the goal of this coach and his staff from day 1. Early on, we heard about the relationship between ASU and the Disney Institute to help create changes in game day experiences and fan experiences. We’ve seen players, alumni and fans have more opportunities to interact together, to help change the football culture in Tempe to begin changing the entire football program from the inside out.

Yesterday, we saw what is the next phase of what ASU hopes will help more fans relate to the team in a positive way. We saw the unveiling of the “new” Sparky.

“The newly designed mascot will now be used in a variety of applications that appeal to younger audiences, including comic books, children’s books and animated productions.” – ASU News

As we know, Sparky has evolved over the years and if one thing remains the same, it’s change. Yes, there is a new Sparky in town and he’s certainly arrived with mixed reactions. Over the years, there has been a lot of change with Sparky. Recently, when ASU and Nike teamed up to make some uniform and logo changes, there was quite a bit of concern that Sparky would be forgotten.

One thing is for sure after yesterday’s announcement. Sparky is here for good. See some more pics from our friends at House of Sparky.

From an ASU press release we read that: “The contemporary character that has been developed by Disney is designed to engage younger audiences. The character will be used in formats such as animation, comic books and children’s books. It will also be featured on merchandise and apparel.” – Arizona State University

I tried out the new logo on my kids and they seemed to like it, but some of my friends weren’t so sure. One friend asked of ASU on Twitter if the new Sparky is the secret illegitimate son of the Burger King character. Interestingly enough, I saw the resemblance.

The first chance for the public to see the new Sparky will be at the annual Spring Game at Sun Devil Stadium April the 11th. Come on out and take a look for yourself. Heck, bring a friend, bring some kids. This is a big year for the Sun Devils. Whatever you decide about the new Sparky, get yourself out there and cheer for the Devils.

Here’s a better look at the new sparky:

Rail Life Pic Of The Week – Coming Soon is a post from: Rail Life

So, the Phoenix Sky Train has been said to be opening in the “first quarter” of 2013. From some of the online chatter, it sounds like a lot of people are more than ready to check this thing out. Unfortunately, a date has not yet been set.

#SkyTrain still being tested @phxskyharbor, opening date not set:…

— Angelique Soenarie (@asoenarie) February 22, 2013

One thing is for sure, it’s going to be pretty cool and it will help get a LOT of people to and from the airport.

I think many people will be surprised at the height of the Sky Train in some areas. Recently, I was told by one of the contractors who helped build the system, that there are some “fun” places where people could feel like they are “way up in the air” while traveling. The “Disneyland effect” should be an interesting part of the new Phoenix Sky Train. I can’t wait to give it a try.

The pic of the week shows where we will be boarding the trains. Some day soon.

Remember, Rail Life has a Phoenix Light Rail Group on Flickr Basically, we want to share some of our pictures from the community and allow people to add their pics (or videos), as well. These can be light rail related, but we also want pics or videos of your favorite spot, restaurant, sports team, community, event, etc.