September 20, 2010

Grand Avenue Festival Re-Dapt Tours to Shine Spotlight on Hidden Gems

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet This Saturday the 25th is going to be the 2nd Annual Grand Avenue Festival hosted by the Grand Avenue Merchants Association (GAMA). Two women in particular have been the heavies behind putting this event together, Beatrice Moore and Kate Benjamin. Beatrice owns nine buildings on Grand and Kate has her studio, ModernCat Studio, in one of Beatrice’s buildings, the old Braggs Pie Factory. Both are active members of GAMA. I had the chance to sit and talk with Beatrice this Saturday at her Kooky Krafts Shop. I’ll let you in on a secret about her. Beatrice’s unwavering commitment to…

September 15, 2010

Claude Mattox on the Sahara Hotel and the Reversible Lanes

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today’s post is part II of my interview with Councilman Claude Mattox who is running for Mayor in 2011. If you missed part I of the interview, catch it here. Below is the rest of our conversation: Blooming Rock: This is a question I’m sure you get a lot, what are your views on the reversible lanes? Councilman Mattox: My view of the reversible lanes is that they function the way they are designed. In lieu of having another freeway that runs north and south, they decided to do this (the reversible lanes) 40 years ago. My official position…

September 14, 2010

Cancer Survivor’s Park – Activated!

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet This morning I’m working at Giant Coffee and enjoying the view of the green-gray Phoenix Art Museum in the background, the CVS sign which is thankfully draped over by a beautiful Palo Brea tree, and of course integral to the Phoenix landscape, the cars zipping by, silently. I noticed a little while ago a coffee drinker stepped outside and sat on a bench at the Cancer Survivor’s Park. And it occured to me, well, isn’t that wonderful? Having the lovely Cancer Survivor’s Park right out there to be enjoyed by us coffee drinkers when we need to make a…

September 13, 2010

Claude Mattox talks about City North and Arizona’s Solar Future

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A few weeks ago, I sat down with Councilman Claude Mattox in his office on the 11th floor of City Hall and asked him questions about future development in Phoenix. I’ll be posting the interview in two parts. Part I is on Councilman Mattox’s views on Green Phoenix, City North, commuter rail, and attracting solar companies to our State. Councilman Mattox is running for Mayor in 2011. Below is Part I of our conversation: Blooming Rock: Tell me what your views are on the Green Phoenix plan and what your priorities would be to implement it if you get…

September 08, 2010

Engineered Shade is a Poor Substitute for a Vibrant Urban Forest

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet As I’ve discussed in the previous weeks on the Wednesday Phoenix Tree and Shade Masterplan series, the first step outlined in the Masterplan to restore our urban forest is Raising Awareness. The second is Preserve, Protect and Increase. Today I’ll be talking about the third and final step towards the Masterplan’s 2030 goal of a 25% canopy coverage in Phoenix – Sustainable, Maintainable Infrastructure. The goal of this step, according to the Masterplan, is to “Treat the urban forest as infrastructure to ensure that trees and engineered shade are an integral part of the city’s planning and development process”. …

September 07, 2010

Greg Stanton on Alternative Transportation and Historic Preservation in Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today’s post is a continuation of my interview with Greg Stanton, the Deputy Attorney General who is thinking about running for Mayor of Phoenix in 2011. Read yesterday’s installment of the interview here. Blooming Rock: Mayor Gordon has this Green Phoenix plan. What do you think are the key aspects of becoming a green city? Greg Stanton: When I was chair of the committee that I talked about, (I oversaw) the carbon emissions plan of Central Phoenix. The Mayor’s plan I think is a good ambitious plan. We ought to always be looking for ways to be more environmentally…

September 06, 2010

Greg Stanton on Sustainable Economic Development in Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet About three weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Deputy Attorney General Greg Stanton and talking with him about a sustainable Phoenix, not only in the environmental sense, but in the economic sense as well. Mr. Stanton is currently working for Attorney General Terry Goddard and is working in support of Mr. Goddard’s gubernatorial race. But he is also seriously thinking about running for Mayor in 2011. Today’s post features Mr. Stanton’s positions on economic development, City North and future growth in Phoenix, among some other things. Stay tuned for the rest of the interview in…

September 01, 2010

Developing a Tree Fund is Crucial to the Future of Phoenix’s Urban Forest

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today’s post is the fifth installment of the Wednesday Phoenix Tree and Shade Masterplan Series. Today’s installment is about the second step outlined to implement the Masterplan – Preserve, Protect and Increase. As you might recall, Raising Awareness was the first step which I discussed two weeks ago. The final step is Sustainable and Maintainable Infrastructure and that will be the subject of next week’s installment. The goal of the Preserve, Protect and Increase phase is to “Preserve, protect and increase the quality and quantity of trees and vegetation, especially large shade trees in appropriate areas” according to the…

August 31, 2010

Mayor Gordon on his Legacy to Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet This morning, I had the honor of sitting down with City of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and asking him a few questions about future urban development and sustainability. I had asked readers to send me questions to ask the Mayor and I got many really good ones. Unfortunately, the Mayor’s morning was a particularly busy one and I was only able to speak to him for a short time. But I tried to touch on the topics that matter to my readers in the short time I did have with him. Below is our conversation: Blooming Rock: Would you…

August 27, 2010

10 Things You Should Know about the Upcoming Parking Lot at the Sahara Hotel

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet 1. The City used funds from the Downtown Phoenix Hotel Corporation to buy the Sahara building. Apparently part of this deal was the temporary use of the site as a parking lot for the Sheraton Hotel. This is the “done deal” City Manager David Cavazos was talking about. 2. When several community members suggested the lot become a park or a green space, Jeremy Legg, the City applicant for the parking use permit, mentioned the Civic Space Park is just a block away. Wait, so we can have TOO MANY green spaces, but never enough parking lots? 3. The…