What happens the other Eleven Months?

I love the Wrigleyville in Downtown Mesa concept, but there has to be more to it than Spring Training. Mesa could use a bigger restaurant and entertainment district as has been happening down on Main Street. Maybe the stadium could field a minor league team through the summer. How about High School championship games during football season. Whoever controls the stadium and the property around it is going to want to make sure that there is something going on there year-round. If they have invested in it, you can bet they will make sure there is. Look what the Suns have done with their arena; WNBA and Arena Football are products designed to extend the season at the Phoenix downtown arena.
Removing zoning restrictions in the immediate area around the vacant land would allow entrepreneurs to make their own choices about the uses of their property. I believe that informed individuals investing their own money will make the best choices about what to do with their properties. I know this seems like a contradiction in the middle of a city-owned redevelopment area, but we are dealing now with an already existing situation. The city owns the property and it is sitting vacant now, so why not do whatever we can to make it more productive. Setting loose the free market, while providing infrastructure in terms of transportation and access would help encourage development around the stadium area.
Speaking of transportation, how much could we afford to improve our bus system by foregoing extension of the light rail. It seems much more economical and flexible to go that way.
I hope some really smart people will add their own ideas for this blog.

Wrigleyville, Arizona

I am a long-time resident of Mesa, Arizona, "Spring Training home of the Chicago Cubs". I can actually remember attending games downtown at Rendesvous Park and watching Ernie Banks and Billy Williams play there.

I have noticed recently a resurgence happening in downtown Mesa. There are new restaurants and activities happening down there that are fun to be involved in. The Independence Day celebration spearheaded by Mayor Scott Smith and sponsored by many local businesses, churches, and service groups was a huge success.

Mesa has recently proposed an innovative plan to help keep the Cubs from moving to Florida. The plan involves creative financing using property bought by the city years ago in Pinal County to secure water rights. The Cubs are interested in expanding their revenue opportunities around their spring training facilities and would like to see a "Wrigleyville" surrounding the facilities with restaurants, shopping, and other related businesses. Site selections have been proposed including near Williams-Gateway airport in far, Southwest Mesa.

Another site is a possibility, which I think makes far more sense for both the City of Mesa and the Cubs organization. For several years a big chunk of land has sat, not only underused, but actually vacant right in downtown Mesa at University and Mesa Drive. In addition, there is a former housing project across University between Center & Mesa Drive that is boarded up and unused. These properties are being held for some type of downtown redevelopment project. I cannot imagine a more fitting project for this downtown Mesa area than a new Wrigleyville surrounding a new baseball stadium. If it is going to be done, it should be done there. The history of the Cubs and the City of Mesa started right near there at Rendesvous Park. The synergy of a developing downtown and a new themed neighborhood would be powerful. There is good freeway access from both the 60 and the 202 freeways East and West and the 101 North to Scottsdale and South to Chandler and beyond. Good bus connections exist from the light rail terminus and the new Wrigleyville might actually give downtown Mesa a destination which would favor extension of the light rail route (a theme for another story).

I hope to start a discussion at this blog in support of this project and specifically for a new Wrigleyville in downtown Mesa.