Subject: Business owners told light rail is commerce catalyst & Smart steps drawing praise for Valley Metro
Date: Friday, January 13, 2006 2:28 PM

Business owners told light rail is commerce catalyst 

Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 13, 2006 12:00 AM 

 

A flower shop owner whose business is in the path of Metro rail
construction says he is encouraged after hearing business owners from
other cities say the light-rail line will fight blight.

Dave Johnson, owner of Watson's Flowers in Tempe near the Mesa border,
said after a panel discussion Thursday night, "They all said more eyes
makes those problems go away. . . . You have extensive lighting that
drives away the drug dealers and the prostitutes."

The business owners from Houston, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City spoke
Wednesday at a "Getting Ready for Rail" forum sponsored by Valley
Forward at the East Valley Institute of Technology. About 30 business
owners attended the Mesa session. The panel presented another forum in
Phoenix for business owners there Wednesday morning. 

The rail line will follow Central Avenue to Camelback, pass Sky Harbor
International Airport, cross Tempe Town Lake via a bridge and head 1
mile into Mesa along Main Street. 

William Franks, president of Spire Realty in Houston, described how
rundown buildings frequented by crack dealers in midtown Houston were
replaced by three-story garden condominiums thanks to construction of
Houston's rail line.

"I think you'll see the natural metamorphosis," Franks said. "It takes a
catalyst like light rail."

They described how business plummeted, then took off, after light-rail
lines were built.

They also offered business owners advice on how to survive the impact of
two years worth of construction, including looking for new ways to reach
customers, to obtain lines of credit and to pursue Small Business
Administration loans.

Main Street in Mesa will be ripped up, with one lane of traffic open in
each direction during the rail line's construction, which is expected to
start in earnest later this spring.

Main may narrow to only one lane for both directions during off-peak
hours, said Daina Mann, a Valley Metro spokeswoman. The 20-mile line
will cost $1.3 billion, with construction ending in mid-2008. 

She said the worst of the disruption should be over by the end of 2007.
Construction begins with reinforcement of Tempe Canal Bridge, which
separates Mesa and Tempe, by mid-February, Mann said.

A telling side note occurred when Johnson told the panel that family
members were pressuring him to move the family owned business because of
rail construction and blight.

When panelists learned his flower shop was only 200 feet from a planned
rail station, they quickly advised him to stay open.

"Don't sell," said Tony Weller, operator of Sam Weller's Zion Books in
downtown Salt Lake City, a 76-year-old family business.

Franks told Johnson to buy the land of other property owners who panic,
saying property values along the rail doubled in Houston after the line
opened. 

 

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Smart steps drawing praise for Valley Metro 

Jan. 13, 2006 12:00 AM 

 

There's some encouraging news and some sobering news about the Valley's
$1.3 billion light-rail project. Even some suggestions.

And they're all from what should be a reliable source: business owners
from other cities who have experienced the impact, and sometimes the
trauma, of light-rail construction.

First, the good news: The Valley Metro Rail system apparently has
learned a lot from the mistakes of other cities in planning what is the
most ambitious public-works effort here since the Central Arizona
Project.

During a visit to the Valley this week, four businesspeople from Salt
Lake City, Houston and Minneapolis were nearly unanimous in praising
Valley Metro for creating programs to soften the negative impact on
local businesses during the three-year construction program.

"I would give (your project) a 9 on a scale of 10," observed William
Franks, a developer from Houston. 

Construction is under way on the initial 20-mile segment linking
Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa. It's slated to open in 2008. The federal
government is paying for about half the project.

"Where were you guys when Houston opened?" quipped David Edwards, who
owns a restaurant in that city. 

The four came here at the invitation of Valley Forward, a civic
association that promotes a balance between environmental quality and
economic development. Half-day programs with local businesses were held
this week in downtown Phoenix and Mesa. 

Among the most encouraging news: Several aspects of the Valley's
light-rail project received special recognition, including its phased-in
construction timeline, business-assistance programs, community outreach
efforts and a hotline that are now part of the Valley Metro operation.

"You guys have learned a lot," commented Tony Weller, who owns a large
bookstore in downtown Salt Lake City. 

The bad news: Stores along the light-rail route should be prepared for
dramatic drops in business. Some will close. 

Indeed, if there was a central message the visitors had for local
businesses, it was: Get your financial house in order. Take out a line
of credit before you need it, before the roadway is torn up in front of
your building, because banks won't be as helpful when your profits
slump. 

But the light-rail project, once it's complete, will be good for
business and economic growth in previously depressed areas, visiting
executives predicted.

"Our business suffered some," Franks, the Houston developer, said. "But
our gain was great."

"There were a lot of business casualties," added Edwards, the Houston
restaurateur. "But at the end, the light rail is a great deal. It really
helps businesses along the (route). The end result is fantastic." 

Don Matson, owner of Cap's Grill in Minneapolis, said he had opposed the
light-rail project and suffered a considerable loss of business during
the construction phase. 

But, Matson said, the project has revitalized older parts of his city
with new townhouses, condominiums and retail services that follow the
growth. 

Attitude and signage were identified as key ingredients to surviving the
inevitable turndown.

The more business owners and employees complain about the inconvenience
and the economic losses, the worse it will be, the visitors said.

Signage makes a critical difference in helping motorists to find their
way to retailers, they added.

The overall message? Some Valley businesses are in for some discomfort
and pain. But if they can operate smartly in the interim - and Valley
governments make every effort to listen to their concerns - the
sacrifice and expense will pay off for everyone. 

 

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