First on the schedule was high tea at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver with two good friends of mine. The bill came to about $50 (after tips) each – cucumber sandwiches, eclairs, lemon tarts, and classic scones galore, and a delectable selection of tea – I highly recommend the Kyoto Cherry Rose green tea.

I also finally visited the Brandy Melville store on 850 Granville Street and picked out two pieces: a light turquoise knit sweater, and a black bralette. I realize summer is just around the corner (even though it’s grey and raining right now as I look out my window), but I can always do with another good knit sweater.

Another store I discovered was Loft 82. They had a very simple, yet captivating window display and the products they have in the store did not disappoint either. Lots of pastel dressy-casual clothing, perfect for the fashionable city girl. I will definitely be returning to the store once my bank account has been replenished. xo

]]> http://ledesmaphotography.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/my-first-ricoh-gr-gallery/ Fri, 17 May 2013 19:41:41 +0000 Jorge Ledesma http://ledesmaphotography.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/my-first-ricoh-gr-gallery/ Thoughts on handling and snap focus

As soon as you hold the GR, you know you’re holding something special, its just that simple. Its funny because perhaps some of you out there reading this post have never handled a Ricoh GR Digital before and perhaps are even questioning what’s the big deal. Well, the Ricoh GR Digital series is what they call a professional’s compact camera. Everything from its magnesium body frame to the precise position of the buttons have been carefully thought of and are not an after thought like some other manufacturers. If you’ve handled the GRD3 or the GRD4 then you know where I’m going with this. Folks, this feels 1,000,000 times better than the aforementioned GRD’s. Its hard to articulate but I’ll give it my best shot.

The body of the new Ricoh GR is a little bigger than the GRD (from now on, know that I’m referring to the GRD3 and GRD4, when I mention GRD) both horizontally and vertically, not much bigger, but slightly bigger, enough for it to feel, big word coming now, brace yourselves ― perfect. Yes, I said it, it feels just perfect. I can totally see and picture a guy like Gruber sporting one of these in Philly and doing some street photography, nah, he’s not that cool, maybe Marco though, well maybe. If you’ve ever held a GRD, well at least for me, I always felt it was a little small and this is coming from someone who has small hands folks. Envision yourself holding the GRD in horizontal mode one-handed, your there, well that’s exactly what I’m talking about. When you hold the GR in horizontal in the same way it feel awesome, its slightly bigger dimensions are just what the doctor ordered for this professional compact. You’ll remember this post when you get one in your hands.

They buttons are a new type of rubbery material that dampens the pressure when you press on them ― they feel great! The play button is positioned right below the the level that moves exposure compensation (you can program it to do other things as well) and you can see easily, one-handed, press it to review your images or as they say “chimp away”. The macro, fn1, wb, and flash buttons also have that feel to them and just a pleasure to press them, all buttons feel the same. The keys and levers have a very tactile feel to them and overall, I’ll just reiterate that its a home run by designers of GR.

Powering the camera is very snappy. When I walk around, like I did this morning, I sometimes turned off the camera and when I saw something of interest I quickly turned it on and no issues there ― the GR was up to the task every time.

Folks even before you get your Ricoh GR buy yourself an extra battery and a charger that you can plug into the wall socket. The GR comes with a little attachment type of charger that only charges via mini usb. Meaning that in order to charge the camera the battery must be inside the GR, in its regular compartment and plugged into the usb cable and the little black adapter into wall charger. I’ll be ordering mine in the days to come. If I’m not mistaken Amazon has a little kit which comes with the Wasabi DB65 and a wall charger for about $20, which I think its a great deal. I’ve had plenty of experience with Wasabi batteries and they are one of the most reliable 3rd party battery manufacturers.

Snap Focus, well I’ll save that for tomorrow as I’m still testing it out but the images but two bw images with the older gentleman and the couple were both using snap focus at 1 or 1.5 meters. I’ll say this, its no the same as the GRD3 or GRD4, I think slower. Mind you, I could be wrong but its my initial impression. When you press the shutter all the way down fast, enabling snap focus and bypassing the traditional way, this lens take a tad longer to do what it does, so its a matter of timing I think, getting in that zone. I don’t anticipate this being an issue. Talking about AF, its freaking fast during daylight conditions. My Fn1 key was set to activate the ND filter and the FN2 to 35mm crop mode, I love this setup and we’ll probably end up saving it to one of the custom menus. But like a good relationship, getting around all the features and all the combinations needs a little time. My GR came without a user manual and I already contact Pentax-Ricoh to send me one. If you’re an experienced GR or GXR user then you’ll feel at home like I did but its a good idea to brush up on the features to fully extract all the juice out of this compact. Ok, I’ll stop writing, gotta go, see y’all tomorrow or the day after.

PS. The 100% crop in Lightroom out all these images are amazing, this sensor and lens combination is resolving just the right amount of detail.

Strobist, did I say strobist, yes, David and Zack would be proud of me. I switched the GR’s flash setting to manual and powered it down to 1/64 and gave it a negative flash exposure compensation of -2 alongside manual setting for aperture and shutter and triggered an off camera flash and the results were very nice.

Click on any of the images to view them as a gallery in full screen mode. The images a mix of macro, landscape, street photography, and general snap shots.

All images by Jorge Ledesma

I’m always looking for an excuse to be outside. Whether it’s to ball out on the court or pretending to be super productive on my laptop while sipping on an iced Red Eye, any reason to enjoy the warmer weather is a no brainer for me. But when I’m really in the mood to get my pedestrian on, I tend to head for the ever-growing list of food trucks in the city. Recently, I visited Chef Peter Gobin’s LA style Taco Truck, Mijos Tacos, for a smorgasbord-like selection of authentically prepared tacos.

When I stepped up to the window, I really didn’t have a feel for what to order. After staring at the menu in a hungry daze, Chef Gobin chimed in and whipped up some of his favorite creations. (Mind you this was my first time meeting him yet I had all the faith in the taco world that he would not disappoint.)

At Mijos, you’re given the choice to mix and match different fillings (sweet potatoes were on point) and salsas to satisfy any taco craving. All tacos are made with soft corn tortillas, a staple in Mexican street food. After spending over 5 years on the West Coast, Chef Gobin makes it a priority to stick to the script when it comes to LA style tacos. If you’re looking for that crunch, then order a Tostada, at least that’s what I would do.

Huevos Tacos - The egg was cooked to perfection, with a messy, runny yolk. It’s like a breakfast burrito on steroids. Great for a late breakfast/early lunch.

Campechanos Tacos - Not on the menu, but be sure to mention these and Chef Gobin will be more than willing to deliver the goods. Hearty portions of chorizo and carne asada line the double layer of corn tortillas. As a matter of fact, just be sure to order the chorizo and you’ll be just fine.

As far as salsas go, the Rojo guajillo was my clear-cut favorite. I’m a sucker for anything chipotle, and it delivers the perfect amount of smoky and hot without having to reach for napkins to wipe the sweat of your brow.

Mijos Tacos roams daily throughout Providence and the rest of the state, so follow them on Twitter to keep track of their taco trails.

Here’s a development proposal that briefly appeared on the City’s website, and now seems to have disappeared again. It’s the redevelopment of the Granville (formerly Odeon) cinema complex, which will return to being three separate buildings.

On the left (south) end of the site there’s a heritage facade for the Palms Hotel, dating back to 1898. It only got that name in 1913 – before that it was the home of the MacKay and Almond Creamery, an ice cream manufacturer. It was consolidated into the cinema in the mid 1980s. The most recent building, the contemporary cinema facade in the middle, will get a completely new articulated glazed look. The third building has a notable windowless art deco heritage facade from 1938 when it became the Paradise Theatre. It was built originally in 1912 as the Globe. After 1965 it became the Coronet, until it became part of the Odeon in 1986.

Studio One Architecture have proposed to restore the plaster facade and reintroduce a vertical sign on the face of the building, with a slim vertical window to allow some light in, without significantly compromising the facade. Skylights will introduce natural light into the upper floor.

More than 300 Tucsonans packed the Rialto Theater to voice their opinions regarding the future of the Ronstadt Transit Center in April 2013.

Since the local media has pretty much ignored the recent struggle over the Ronstadt Transit Center (RTC), I am publishing a series of posts with position statements by the different players in the battle. Here are links to the other positions: business, residents, and bus riders.

On April 2, 2013, the Tucson Bus Riders Union (BRU) held a public forum to gather citizen feedback about the future of the Ronstadt Transit Center. (Watch the video here.) More than 300 people attended, several Tucsonans spoke, and a 4-inch stack of comment cards was collected. Below is a collection of the written comments, compiled and organized by the BRU. This is what the public wants…

1.  Improving Sun Tran service (longer hours, more routes, etc.)

• I ride the bus every day it would be nice if buses ran the same hours on weekends as they do weekdays. And my kids wish a child would be cheaper than an adult.
• More routes, more places, more frequency, more/longer hours
• Therefore, RonstadtCenter should stay and furthermore should extend its hours of function. If you do that more people will take advantage.
• Lower bus prices
• Buses need to run til 3AM. It would help reduce drunk drivers.
• We need to act like we are proud to have a bus system in this town! Our stops need shade, we need more buses so our schedule actually works for working people. We also need extended hours on the schedule.
• Increase hours of operation. Increase safety and accessibility. Make it a place all of Tucsonans can be proud of.
• But focus on better cheaper bus service for everyone.
• I care more about bus fare and improved bus service (more routes, night service, etc.) than where the transit center is. What matters is having enough buses running frequently enough to serve bus riders downtown and elsewhere.
• I only once in a while ride the bus but my grandchildren (teenagers) ride buses to their schools and job hunting. They need buses to run later and more often.
• Give government employees free bus passes.
• Free bus passes for city workers. Later bus runs.
• I demand the RonstadtCenter’s perpetuation and the stagnation, if not decrease, in bus fees. Improvement at bus stops; longer hours, more routes to other areas; more buses on weekends; new green fuel source; better wages for drivers; lowered fees/free for kids.
• Lowering fares.
• The idea of more bus passes for city employees, university employees, etc. is a great idea.
• Expand routes—they only come every 30 minutes many times and so working people won’t ride. Buses need to come every 10 minutes and it will increase ridership (build it and they will come).
• More people would use public transit if it was more available—buses are great but we need express transit from east to we sides!
• Thank you to the organizers and volunteers for creating and supporting this event. I fully support the bus riders union and any initiatives that put more resources into accessible buses and public transportation, particularly for people who are economically disadvantaged, I think the buses should be free
• Free fares The day pass is way too much and even with the $.50 card you can’t get a day pass cheaper and the buses should run a little later.
• Water fountains and misters at bus stops, extended routes to the outskirts of town, work on union partnerships
• Need to extend hours on weekends, I have to walk 3 ½ hours on Sunday because the bus stops running at like 8:30PM. Reduce child fare it’s way too expensive for working families
• I did not want the price to change.
• More buses on weekends. Later buses servicing until midnight or later. East side transit center/west side transit center.
• More buses downtown for the workers to help with staffing with businesses at late night. More public transport!
• Expand hours and routes—stop road construction!! Bus use saves air only problem is waiting in heat to catch bus, more buses!
• also ways to get more than two (2) bicycles per bus
• We need more and better bus service—more frequency, more routes, more coverage.
• I would really use later hours on the weekends, super important.

2a.  Keep Rondstadt Downtown …

• Tucson needs the transit center to be where it is—downtown!
• Yo no quiero que muevan el Ronstadt Center porque me va a quedar muy lejos que se quede como esta
• Do not move the transit center!
• Maintain the status quo.
• My vision for the RonstadtTransitCenter is to stay downtown whether it’s kept in the vicinity it is now.
• Oppose relocation of RonstadtTransitCenter
• No Sun Tran money for the trolley. Leave the RonstadtTransitCenter alone! No more redevelopment.
• I believe the Ronstadt center should stay where it is. It needs to [be] centrally located for all people regardless of economic or ethnic background. I’m from OroValley and believe that all people should be treated equally and fairly.
• Keeping the RonstadtCenter downtown will tell the world that Tucson cares about public transportation and sustainability. Making the center better is the way to go.
• I think it is crucial to have the RonstadtCenter downtown but it can change as long as it serves its purpose which is to provide bus service. I felt the meeting presented a false dichotomy between “gentrification” and “no change”. Downtown Tucson has not been an ideal downtown in my mind so please don’t romanticize “no changes”.
• I don’t mind the bus moving Northish. I would like to see RonstadtCenter be a combination green space and social nexus with cafes to serve folks. A traditional plaza approach.
• Needs to remain where it is not torn down in the way the original MLK apartments were. City council and mayoral rubberstamping of its demolition is unacceptable.
• Keep it as a historical site. Leave it alone, do your job, who is it who pay your paycheck

2b. … with  improvements

• Add color via flowers/local artwork, misters. Cut costs using solar power to fund itself. Sell power. Make it a nonsmoking area—smokers can smoke around outside areas not in the middle.  Improve bathrooms T.P., Changing tables. Get youth involved. Offer pay for vets & homeless
• Make it a multipurpose open area and incorporate an open-air art exhibit as part of the larger downtown area. The other purpose would be a mix of transit and below ground recreational facilities for youth and adults including some food and bars and nightlife options. Make it an attraction for more outdoor concerts to get to by bus.
• I want the Rondstadt to stay in downtown. I want there to be benches on the periphery of the center. I think there should be food close to the center so while I wait for my bus I can get something to eat or drink. A play area for kids would be great!
• Making it a tobacco-free nonsmoking center will be healthy and reduce transient loitering. I hate smoking, It stinks.
• Better water fountains, vendors/farmer’s market, more trees, solar panels/power for lights and emergency phones, place to buy discount work by local artists
• Need more bicycle facilities—racks (short term) and lockers so people using court services can stash tools, pumps, and other accessories that will not go through metal detectors
• The central hub for downtown is for the people. Personally I use it on a daily basis. I live in the area. Improvements I would like to see is remodel the Bathrooms and cooler towers and cold water fountains.
• Customer service, information desk back, more bathrooms, air condition in benches, toilet paper
• RonstadtCenter means to me a hub for viable transit. Keep it where it is and introduce mixed-use options.
• Ronstadt center is very convenient and I like the improvements. I would like more seating in the open areas; staffing in the customer service area. I hope there will be good connections between Greyhound and RTC.
• Changing tables, educational facilities, safety, lending library, outreach facilities, public health facilities, more shade
• I’d like to see the center become a performing space. Nothing like the NYC subway. Maybe like the 4^th Ave. underpass.
• Downtown needs the RTC more than high rises! Safe and clean! Need the greyhound station and streetcar station also, but people need the buses to get there! And open late/early enough to get back home/into work. Relax at the nearby coffee and restaurants while waiting for service.
• Please put small eating stands all around Ronstadt (like hot dogs, tacos, corn dogs, mini J.J.’s, mini pizzas, mini subways, and many others). They can promote their regular establishments, great advertisement or promotion, and help economy! Bring more other parts of Tucson to Downtown, save Ronstadt!!
• I believe RTC should balance the need to revitalize and invest in downtown with the needs of transit customers. Effective, efficient, safe, comfortable, and convenience. I think it is important to offer amenities that attract more people to ride transit.
• KeepRonstadtCenter where it is. Covered waiting areas. Misters during very hot weather. Recycle bins. Kiosk with info re: community resources.
• Keep the RonstadtCenter where it is. Improve facilities. Place for kids to play. Information/tourist kiosk. Bathrooms!
• I’m really inspired by the idea of creating a community center out of the RonstadtCenter. Keep the depot downtown is crucial for connecting people to services however, the center should also be made too valuable to sell and this could mean adding property.
• Children’s play area; garden; better restrooms. Better restrooms. No more fences. Customer service center. Police Station. The return of Bus stop at the east end. Long bus routes at the center for Downtown business and U of A students. Open space and place to sit and eat.
• If you want to make any changes just make the facilities nicer for the public.
• Solar panels for the center, and the buses. Also electric power would be good for the buses. Change machines all throughout the center would help riders find accurate fares. Community programs for public. Beautification and upkeep for the center would be appreciated. Los Artes, and prison work programs could achieve this.
• As a taxpayer and worker using the bus, I sure would like to see the “ramada” effect that filters light to also protect from rain/snow. I was waiting in the rain for a No. ! University bus while looking at car garage with a roof for cars while I am getting wet. I would also like better facilities that include pull-down change tables for babies and other decent toilet supplies. The entire downtown area needs to be revamped to be more user-friendly like a mall. A mall has facilities, places to sit, friendly people to advise where to go, etc. Instead of police perhaps the “old west” image could be utilized and a friendly “howdy” and maps showing the turquoise trail routes, etc. This downtown should b the most beautiful spot for foreigners visiting and for all of the community.
• RonstadtCenter needs safe, clean, locked, stocked bathrooms, drinking fountains, a garden and playground for kids, and a huge police presence to reduce loitering and graffiti.
• RTC needs more water fountains and more desert vegetation. Also recycle bins for cans and bottles.
• I would like to see RTC remain downtown. I am open to some modifications/development on the site, but it should be compatible with transit and enhance transit.
• I would like to see the transit center improved, by providing mixed uses for riders and downtown customers. Restaurants, air-conditioned areas, nice restrooms, and shops. Maybe more housing, too. I think we can have both buses and comfortable nice spaces.
• What would I do to make Ronstadt better. Better water fountains. Community garden. Vendors/farmers market. More trees. Solar panels to run all electricity
• Community gardens. Movie documentaries. Playground for children.
• Transportation to and out of downtown is important to bus riders. Improve and expand RonstadtCenter based on riders’ needs
• Downtown is growing fast and RonstadtCenter needs to stay and get expanded. Don’t lease or build in the property, we need the space. Sell monthly passes at Ronstadt.
• Why not more of a park space? There are so many more buildings (all the dorms) so more greenery and outdoor sitting sculpture garden… but keep the buses. Thank you!
• One idea would be to have a center/outlets for the community to teach/learn different arts such as cooking, playing the guitar, handicrafts… places for people to meet that could be part of RonstadtCenter.
• It seems to me, it would be best to keep the RonstadtCenter where it is, as it best serves the community as a whole there. Also to make it more community friendly and beautiful.
• A sensible bus transit point for bus riders. We need more in town. Unisex bathrooms! Vote for Roseanne Barr 2016
• Keep the RonstadtCenter a vibrant hub for public transportation in downtown Tucson! Improve service times on all bus lines.
• Water fountains/misters at bus stops. Heaters for the winter. Garden and playground for children. Large fans/misters/water fountains
• Make central shade panel solar! More cooling. This station works!! Build ridership to downtown. Stop ruining Tucson. Keep the bus.
• Improve the facilities! Fix the bathroom
• Suggestions: solar panels, water fountains.
• Make it a multipurpose open area and incorporate an open-air art exhibit as part of the larger downtown area. The other purpose would be a mix of transit and below ground recreational facilities for youth and adults including some food and bars and nightlife options. Make it an attraction for more outdoor concerts to get to by bus.

3.  Importance of democracy, public space, Downtown for Everyone, no privatization

• Important event. So many people here demanding open space! This is an issue of democracy over business. We need to have many more events like this to maintain the original vision of the Ronstadt.
• The Ronstadt should be public educational/historical space. Please keep me informed re: any future initiatives.
• I think that having a strong bus system is extremely important as a form of resistance for two ways. Firstly because it gives agency to poor and disadvantaged residents in a world that systematically discounts the validity of these experiences. Secondly because the public transportation system provides one of the only spaces that strangers in the same community get to interact with each other and share a space that is not defined by commercial interaction.
• City of Tucson/Developers/New Comers/Anglos are gentrifying La calle this is not Portland, Oregon—this is Chukson, AZ.
• Mass transit is a beautiful thing—look at Curitiba, Brazil!! Let’s have frequent buses that run on time and stop catering to cutesie rail systems that go nowhere. Everybody would ride if the buses could be relied on and this town would benefit greatly. Keep Ronstadt as a center for us all.
• Public space is a key element of real democracy. If everything downtown is privately owned an meant to sell people things, then the 99% will have no place in the downtown. Downtown will just be another private mall. Downtown must be a truly open and accessible space in the future, especially in a future that reshapes the city to deal with climate change and the high cost of fossil fuels. A vibrant bus system is vital to the economy.
• Keep Ronstadt—Ronstadt not office space above or around the bus terminal. No urban removal of bus riders from downtown! Downtown is for everyone. Seniors, students, rich and poor—all of us!
• I believe that the RonstadtCenter should remain. The downtown should remain for all.
• I support a downtown for everyone. The bus center should not be made smaller and moved. It should remain the way it is.
• I want a vibrant, economically strong downtown for everyone.
• My daughters had a safe place to be in the heyday of Ronstadt after it was built. To say that this cannot be is not true. Please save public space.
• Centralized location a must. Moving bus center will not solve other issues which must be addressed. I love my Sun Tran, I love my RonstadtCenter. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it especially not for profit for others who don’t utilize buses. There will always be problems to address regardless of location.
• Take the time to listen to the people that use public transit as well as others. Moving too fast has hampered longer-term development, creating problems for residents in downtown/UA neighborhoods as well as the general [public]. We need a thoughtful and inclusive process that is not planned around a developer’s timeline. Let’s change how Tucson plans and get it right this time.
• Downtown is NOT just for those who live or work there. It’s for EVERYONE. And all of us who find ourselves DT spend $ there even “poor” people who just lacking money otherwise we are good people. I usually ride my bike downtown—like bus riders I don’t have to park—and there is plenty of parking . We need fewer cars and more people downtown. If businesses want customers the streetcar helps, but buses bring folk committed enough to plan and ride the bus. Keep RC open to Congress. Put the business elsewhere on the 2^nd floor.
• A downtown for everyone! Including BUS RIDERS! Save the RonstadtCenter. We need a community conversation, and updates about the issues. Why now?? The streetcar will eventually be done. Major money will be made if we remove the Ronstadt center. Don’t! College educated. Chose to ride bus. Enjoy it!
• Don’t move Ronstadt, don’t make it smaller. It’s an important part of Downtown Tucson. Don’t let the city privatize the RonstadtCenter. The RonstadtCenter—and downtown—is for everyone.
• I support public transportation and the RonstadtCenter. As an indifferent bus rider but supporter of working people, families, students, and struggling communities of Tucson.
• We must struggle to remove the parasitical and destructive finance capitalist class, the transnational corporations, and their political agents in both parties and install a people’s agenda. Que Vivan los bus riders!!!
• As corporate greed forces more of us into poverty, more of us will need the bus. Do not let the fortunate few dictate the future of our downtown. Let the rich blight the suburbs they already infest.
• I’m a bus rider. The most important is to save RonstadtCenter. We all need this transit center. A downtown for everyone. There is another bad idea in front of MLK building someone is going to build one. Terrible for everyone.
• They asked for support—and they received. This transit center represents a heart of this city. The Rialto is filled with support, people, a community. Downtown is for everyone. Many rely on buses in order to make it—to work, to school. Take a ride, because if you think this needs to go, you need to look again. Look at US, we are an us. Every decision affects every citizen in some way. We are men, women, children, elderly, students—all together—don’t try to take that away.
• I have met many of the local bus riders, and they have touched my heart with their stories and with the history of the RTC. It is important that we provide an environment that all will feel welcome in. Todos somos iguales y necesitamos un lugar en que podemos sentir comodo. El RTC es uno de estas lugares.
• Downtown for everyone. We all benefit ourselves. It is the center point for transferring and that most people are accustomed. And it has become like a tradition. Our future generations will also need it for their transportation for education, social, leisure
• Ronstadt is a beautiful award-winning piece of architecture and must continue to be a bus hub and public space. It should be restored to be more welcoming (take down the new fences and restore a real person to assist bus riders). Let’s encourage people to come downtown on the bus, to frequent businesses and not clog it with cars. Downtown must do for everyone!
• The RonstadtCenter should not be moved. Downtown should not, is not, for people with money coming from the foothills, it is for everyone. Please listen to the voice of community members.
• Downtown is starting to feel claustrophobic. Open the remaining space—community space.
• We should stop privatizing everything, stop creating monopolies.
• It is located downtown where the city and county buildings are, also courthouse and city council, where most the day activities and judgments are made. It gives you a chance to hear what is going on and make your own judgments and speak up about something. It gives you a change to find out what is going on and get feedback from public or friends, etc. and present it to appropriate agency particularly if it affects you. Everyone has a voice and it should be respected and heard.
• A downtown for everyone is important for me because is a historic area when the tourists come. Also is important because people need to access many federal buildings.
• The community vision event was inspirational. This will preserve Ronstadt for the people.
• Brings diversity, public ownership, past history important
• Keep Ronstadt as it is—keep it public, keep downtown for everyone
• The RonstadtCenter can’t be closed down, it functions as a vital hub for Tucson bus riders. Additionally, the modern streetcar is the most asinine and profit-driven planning project in recent memory. There needs to be affordable AND accessible transit options, NOT a luxury ride for car drivers!
• Downtown is the center life of any city, the working class must have direct access to city courts, libraries, shops, etc., not to mention the direct availability and ease to transfer and continue their daily commutes. Communities need more public spaces and services and less privatization. Power to the workers, down with capitalists!!
• Tucson needs a vibrant, walkable downtown with great bus transportation. Please keep the beautiful RonstadtCenter so everyone can come.
• Ronstadt is important for workers, for student, for families, for Tucson. Closing or reducing services should not be an option. Bus riders and bus employees are a considerable part of Tucson’s population.
• We need our RonstadtTransitCenter, downtown is for everyone, it’s been like that for years.
• Giving it up to outside influence and developers will NOT lead to the greatness of the city. This decision is from a narrow viewpoint—the center was only JUST built! The public GOOD is what is important.
• Life happens at transit centers. Life happens in a city’s downtown. Moving or changing the RTC will kill the life that happens in the city. What would Jesus do? Ride the bus and stand with the bus riders. Stand with the poor and marginalized that rely on the transit center.
• I loved the slide show with the pictures. The RonstadtCenter is so beautiful! It looks and feels like the Old Pueblos should. Very unique to Tucson. Biggest point: Sun Tran, RonstadtCenter is suppose to be in existence to benefit the public transportation needs of Tucsonans. So, currently it’s doing its job. Why are we going to spend millions of dollars to break something that is working just fine?! Then, think of all the disabled tenants in the MLK building that must rely on that location. It’s not just for poor people. I make over $50K a year and I choose no car.
• So long as downtown keeps a bus center in DOWNTOWN Tucson, it needs to continue serving NSEW citizens.
• 1. What is very important to consider is the architectural and artistic significance of the RTC. The RTC was recognized in architecture journals, it as received national recognition as a fine piece of architecture. 2. The RTC has some of the most significant public art in the state. The 2,500 sq. ft. of hand made tile, designed by one of Tucson’s most significant artists needs to be preserved t all cost.
• I support bus riders and transit, but development in some degree—sensitive to transit needs—must happen. Buses in their capacity now impact downtown in several ways, good and bad. Please consider the connections the streetcar will bring. I hope everything can be peacefully agreed upon, compromise and working to everyone’s needs. Changes don’t mean necessarily compromising access to bus. Ronstadt is not currently an open public space for everyone. However, if these are the conclusions that are drawn through true balanced public process, then that I the democratic process and should be supported. Unfortunately this is just a rally.
• All public bus terminals have transient people why and how can we be different, this is asking the impossible. Also the Greyhound should still be located closer to Ronstadt Bus Terminal so Greyhound riders can easily ride in-town buses.
• I think the Ronstadt is an important community service, it should be preserved as is. I don’t think it should be sold for development. I think that other models of development and economic opportunity should be explored. Instead of student housing or high-end retail on the street periphery, why not open up the street for more street vendors? It would be awesome to see the streets have carretas and more of a “swapmeet” style of economic development as opposed to all the high-end retail.

4.  Environmental, Traffic and Congestion Concerns

• Also, a third thing is that if Tucson wants to be a member o the environmental movement against global warming and environmental degradation, support the public bus system is essential.
• Bus rides are part of the solution to climate change. We should be congratulated and supported by the entire community.
• Moving the RonstadtCenter seems like it would be a huge headache and take tons of time. Getting rid of it would lead to congestion and negatively affect the daytoday lives of many Tucson residents.
• Keep transit functionality but reduce number of buses or traffic downtown (move some to north of down town).
• Moving the RonstadtCenter seems like it would be a huge headache and take tons of time. Getting rid of it would lead to congestion and negatively affect the daytoday lives of many Tucson residents.
• Will the city ever close the downtown to all traffic cars, etc.
• I’m Green. I love the solar idea!
• RonstadtCenter is in a perfect location—near streetcar, restaurants, businesses, and housing. We should encourage people to take the bus and use sustainable transportation instead of encouraging cars downtown.
• The Ronstadt is a vital part of the community. Keep it and improve it. Better yet play a vanguard role in cutting carbon emissions—free public transportation!
• The Ronstadt history was interesting and I’m glad it had a message; getting rid of the Ronstadt doesn’t cure congestion.
• City officials must lead the way in transitioning people from single occupancy vehicles onto public transportation! Reduce pollution. Ease traffic congestion. Solve downtown parking problems. Pack the buses!

5.  Necessity of Buses/RTC for family, affordability, employment, schooling, livelihood, etc.

• Transportation to work gets me home. Gets me to my mom’s!!! It works leave it alone, gets our kids to school, library, home.
• The Ronstadt [has] been here forever and so have the people from Tucson. So don’t let it go. We need the downtown transportation not everybody can afford taxis. Good bless the Ronstadt. Thank you for the good.
• I am not a bus rider, however, the Ronstadt center is important for those who live and work downtown and it should be kept exactly how it is.
• I want the bus terminal where it’s at now. I live only a mile from here and its very convenient for me to come here for a transfer for my appointments. I’ve been riding the bus for seven years. The bus service is very good. Thank you.
• Without the RonstadtCenter, I would not be able to get to work. I would lose my job. No one would be able to get downtown. The businesses would fail. Tucson would experience an economic crisis.
• I really need the buses. I have 4 kids and would not be able to survive if it wasn’t for the buses. I need to take the kids to school then I need the bus to get to work. Please if I didn’t have this transportation I would probably lose my job and be devastated and everything would go downhill if I didn’t have the buses. Thank you!
• Don’t move Ronstadt from downtown—it’s a hub for transfers. I work downtown and need the bus to get to work.
• As a student of U of A, I do not take the bus, but in high school in Phoenix, I had to ride the bus to school and back everyday which was located in downtown Phoenix so I know how important the bus is to so many people who may not be able to afford a car or be physically able to walk there. There is no benefit from taking away a form of transportation to the central point of Tucson.
• I am a student at the University of Arizona and I support bus route access in downtown Tucson. I give thanks for bus access in downtown because it takes me to school, home, church, parks, etc. Thank you. I am glad I can arrive home and to school safe and on time. Free bus pass! Wow, awesome!
• I am a Park and Ride user of Sun Tran, parking at PCC West and taking the #3 downtown. RonstadtCenter is important for its location downtown when I stay downtown, or as a transfer point. I fear discussion about multiuse, seeing what has already happened with the East side bays, forcing us to board along 6^th Ave., sometimes standing in the rain.
• Es muy necesario para mi y para todos las residentes de MLK por lo 5^th Ave que no nos quiten los buses en downtown porque la mayoria los necesitamos. Tanto par air con el doctor como para hacer nuestras compras de comida y es lo mas cercano que tenemos, ya que en downtown no tenemos tiendas de comida y tenemos que utilizar los camiones que nos quedan muy cerca a nosotros. Gracias!
• The RTC makes Tucson an accessible, safe, and affordable city that cares about all its residents. To take RTC away from the place it is in, and put in a Starbucks? We don’t need overpriced coffee in the heart of our city.
• The Ronstadt is very important to my family and to how my kids get to school. A family of 5 with 2 working parents and only 1 car needs a good transit center and there are lots of us.
• Bus riding is not just a type of transportation, its ‘s livelihood. Downtown is not just a location its ‘a home. The Ronstadt is not only a place, it’s a history, a memory, a future. Save the RonstadtCenter! Si se puede!
• I’m a bus rider to go to school and to go to work.
• Need the bus to get to work and other appointments.
• A quien corresponda, yo vengo mucho al Ronstadt me prasporte en a bus para todo para mi es mi primer para aratado so para mi es muy importante que se quede asi para mi y toda mi familia
• I strongly feel that the RonstadtBusTransitCenter must stay where it is! As bus riders this is very important to me and my family. To get to work and to other activities we are part of daily downtown we but keep this center as it is, NOT make it smaller or into office space or retail space. Thank you for keeping downtown as a place where working families are important.
• A lot of people can’t afford taxis, don’t own a car so need bus transportation 2. Important to preserve downtown bus transportation
• It is important where Ronstadt. I used to live on east side but schedules were not consistent. This is why I lost my last job. I moved to Broadway and Campbell to catch the bus to go to work downtown. This is perfect for me and I don’t want it moved. The site also provides alternative routes.
• I ride the bus and the relocation or elimination of the Ronstadt will move my commute to the U of A. I’m a junior, even harder. I come from southwest Tucson and it is hard enough.
• My child took bus to magnet school (too far from home) she’s not poor, I hate traffic.
• I feel strongly about the bus terminal (Ronstadt). At this time it is my only means of transportation while I’m in a scooter. Although what I think is that there should be special buses just for scooters so that me, myself, and I, including so many others in scooters wouldn’t have to always be first, and have to hear all the whining and bellyaching form those who have to wait. They think we can’t hear what they are saying about us crippled people. They ought to be careful, the too could be in a scooter someday.

6. Public Transportation Important for Businesses, Cities, Access

• RTC is a hub for connecting bus riders with downtown and other places of the city It must be the connection for the streetcar extension too to connect the south of the city with downtown. Let’s think in our present and our future.
• Ronstadt is the most well used, dynamic public facility in downtown. I ride downtown at least 5 times for work, for various reasons, including supporting downtown businesses.
• I recently moved to Tucson from New York City, a city where it prides itself on its public transportation. In NYC, people of all classes use the public transportation and I believe its because its buses/subways are constantly and consistently running. I believe that the key to the success of a city relies on the effectiveness of its public transportation because this is what literally provides the city with movement and excitement.
• The Ronstadt should be kept downtown. The buses help people contribute to businesses on 4^th Ave and Congress. The businesses would lose money.
• RonstadtTransitCenter is an important hub for the efficient movement of people around the city. It is located for maximum utility in the heart of downtown. Its design is reflective of our southwest culture. Its openair architecture makes it very energy efficient for our warm, arid climate.
• Transit belongs in the heart of a city. Moving the Greyhound out of downtown was a mistake. Keep the buses in the city center. The last thing we need is more private dorms.
• Leave it the way it is. The bricks that make up the arches etc. were specially saved and rescued from the buildings torn down as a remembrance and celebration of the building lost. Leave it where it is a hub center for those wanting or needing to come downtown and for end point for access to 4^th and other government offices and businesses.
• Without Ronstadt being downtown, downtown will die!
• As is, RonstadtCenter is working. Brings people into downtown. Station is SAFE, beautiful (save the trees) and right where you want to be—walk to train, civic buildings, library—and plenty of cafes/bars for spending any connection wait. Ride when I don’t have to because don’t worry about parking and feel safe on arrival
• Remember Penn Station New York
• I support having a nice transit center that is safe and pleasant for bus riders and offers other amenities, like shops. However, any development plans must be designed with one major design criterion as a priority: effective bus transit. Any other development criteria should be secondary, e.g. downtown business development. Thus, the goals for the transit center should be effective/efficient bus flow access to buses and transfers by bus riders, and other services necessary for bus riders.

Comments about the session/process

• Gracias por food
• Too much rara very little substance just preaching to the choir.
• Thank you so much for having this event and allowing everyone to speak out.
• It means everything to me!
• Thanks for giving a voice to the little guys!
• Good job
• Excellent event!
• Don’t reelect any incumbents. Leave it (the Ronstadt) alone.
• My comment is to talk how in this center. (?)  I [appreciate] the help.
• I love Sun Tran.
• I don’t understand why the location of the bus center matters as long as there are plentiful stops downtown.
• I really like the high level of community participation plus food is always a plus!
• A “public meeting” where you seek to be inclusive should not be biased. This event is just as guilty of what you accuse the city of doing also. This is propaganda.
• Well organized. Thanks for getting people to talk to each other.
• Important event. So many people here demanding open space! This is an issue of democracy over business. We need to have many more events like this to maintain the original vision of the Ronstadt.

Other Comments

• Why not include light rail—from east to west sides of the city? Can’t believe this hasn’t happened yet! Also, light rail to Phoenix AND Flag/Grand Canyon! Talk about tourist dollars! Use federal funds for building/construction, etc.
• What about the south side? Every place has a side that doesn’t shine and the south side is the place where it does not shine. We need to upgrade on safety. Everyone kept talking about downtown, what about the south side? SMH

Since the local media has pretty much ignored the recent struggle over the Ronstadt Transit Center (RTC), I am publishing a series of posts with position statements by the different players in the battle. Here are links to the other positions: business, residents, and the public.

Here is Sun Tran’s official unedited executive summary of 2800 surveys completed by bus riders during April 2013. This is what the bus riders want…

SUN TRAN

RONSTADT TRANSIT CENTER BUS RIDER SURVEY

APRIL 2013

Executive Summary

A survey regarding current usage and future improvements to the Ronstadt Transit Center (RTC) was administered to Sun Tran riders on Wednesday, April 10, 2013.  The survey was developed and administered by representatives from the Bus Riders Union, Downtown Tucson Partnership, Ward 3 City Council Office, Imagine Greater Tucson and Sun Tran.

Surveyors were stationed at RTC from 5:00 AM to 8:00 PM to administer the survey to Regular Route Riders.  Express Route Riders had surveys left on their seats that day because these buses do not currently stop at RTC due to construction detours.  Both populations were asked survey questions regarding their preference on improvements to the RTC, their final destination downtown, as well as the purpose for their trip.  In addition, Regular Riders were surveyed on their method of arrival at and departure from the RTC, and Express Riders were surveyed on their satisfaction with the current diverted routing through the downtown area.

A total of 2,827 surveys were completed by bus riders; 88% of the surveys were completed by Regular Route riders and 12% by Express Route riders.  Data is reported specifically for responses provided by Regular Route riders, Express Route riders and a combination of both groups when appropriate.

Though not a scientific statistically valid survey, the single-day survey results provide a snapshot of the current downtown ridership.

Improved Amenities:

The most commonly requested improvements for RTC by combined riders were upgraded restrooms (73%), water fountains (48%), customer service representatives to provide transit information (48%), security officers (45%), safety improvements (44%) and bus service information, maps & schedules (42%).  The top eight improvements were features that directly support transit.  The most commonly chosen mixed-use options were retail food/ produce sales (30%) and restaurants (24%).  25% of all riders wrote in additional ideas, the most popular being designated smoking areas and issues related to security (e.g., fewer drugs/ intoxicated individuals).

Trip Purpose:

Completed responses indicate the most common purposes for traveling through RTC are work (39%), transferring (28%), school (16%) and medical & social services downtown (9%).    

Express Routing:

The majority of Express Route riders responded that they prefer the original routing that took them through RTC over the detour routing adopted during streetcar construction.  Riders of the 107X and 103X routes most often indicated a preference for the current diverted routing or had no preference for routing.  These are the routes which may be the best candidates for permanent diversion from the RTC; however, due to small sample size, further surveying of these routes may be necessary.

Data Summary

Overview:  Two bus rider surveys were administered on April 10, 2013 regarding current usage and future improvements to Ronstadt Transit Center (RTC).  Representatives from Tucson Bus Riders Union, Downtown Tucson Partnership, Sun Tran, Ward 3 council office and Imagine Greater Tucson participated together in the development and administration of this survey.  The survey was administered on a Wednesday, which is typically the busiest day for Sun Tran riders.  Surveyors were stationed at RTC from 5:00 AM to 8:00 PM on April 10 to distribute the surveys to Regular Route riders.  On the same day, Express Route riders arrived at their buses with a survey and pencil on each of the bus seats.  All surveys were collected that day.

The Regular Route surveys asked riders the following questions:

1. What changes and additions would make the Ronstadt Transit Center more pleasant and useful to you?
2. How did you get to the Ronstadt Center right now?
3. How will you get to your final destination?
4.  What was your purpose for coming to downtown today?

Riders on Express Routes coming into downtown were asked the following questions:

1. What changes and additions would make the Ronstadt Transit Center more pleasant and useful to you?
2. Where is your final destination?
3. Do you prefer the current downtown routing of your bus or the original downtown routing before streetcar construction started?
4. What was your purpose for coming to downtown today?

Total number of Surveys:  In total, 2,827 surveys were filled out by bus riders on that day.  2,509 Regular Route riders and 318 Express Route riders completed the survey.

Top needs and requests for changes to RTC:  The top requests for changes to RTC by Regular Route riders were as follows:

• Restrooms upgraded (76%)
• Water fountains (51%)
• Customer service staff (Sun Tran) (49%)
• Security Officers (45%)

The top requests for changes to RTC by Express Route were as follows:

• Safety improvements like security cameras, lighting, etc. (58%)
• Security officers (51%)
• Restrooms upgraded (44%)
• Bus service info, maps, schedules (44%)

The requests for changes to RTC by Regular Route and Express Route riders combined are listed in the chart below in order of preference:

The top eight improvements chosen by riders were items that directly support transit.  Upgraded restrooms were the improvement most frequently requested.

There was little consensus on other improvements at RTC beyond those essential for transit.  In other words, there was not as much consideration of the other uses in a mixed-use transit facility.  The most popular of the mixed-use options were the Retail Food/ Produce Sales (30%) and Restaurants (24%).  13% of all riders mentioned Retail Stores and only 8% mentioned Service Stores such as dry cleaning or shipping.

In addition, 25% of riders listed additional suggestions for changes to RTC beyond the items listed in the survey.  Some of the more common of these open-ended comments were the following:

• Designated smoking areas
• Issues related to security (e.g., fewer drugs/ intoxicated individuals)
• Awnings or shelter over benches for rain
• Expanded bathrooms
• Change machine
• ATM machine
• Food carts/ food vending machines

And there were a few open ended responses that were less common but could be promising aspects for a mixed use transit center.

• Electrical outlets for charging phones
• Blue emergency call phones (like at UA and Pima College)
• WiFi

Riders arriving at RTC specifically to transfer to another route:  The percentage of riders arriving at RTC specifically to transfer to another route is broken out below for Regular Route riders, Express Route riders and all riders combined.

31% of Regular Route riders indicated that their purpose for being downtown at RTC was to transfer.  12% of Express Route riders indicated that they came downtown by bus to transfer to other routes.  For the combined counts for Regular Routes and Express Routes, 28% of riders indicated that their purpose for being at Ronstadt was to transfer to another bus.  These numbers are consistent with anecdotal and historical calculations from Sun Tran staff.

It is noted that these numbers were determined for the most part through Question 4 on both surveys inquiring into trip purpose.  This was an open-ended question, and similar responses were grouped together.  In some cases, the responses to these open-ended questions were re-categorized based on other information listed in the survey responses.  For example, riders listing final destinations such as UMC, VA Hospital, or the U of A clearly were transferring to other routes and not staying downtown.

Top trip purposes for downtown trip:  Riders were asked in Question 4 about the purpose of their trips downtown.  This was an open-ended question, and similar responses were grouped together.

The trip purposes for the combined group of Regular Route and Express Route riders are listed in the chart below:

Note:  Some respondents listed more than one trip purpose on their surveys (e.g., Main Library, shopping downtown, Special Services Offices) so the total of all the trip purposes above is 111%.

The top downtown trip purposes for Regular Route riders are as listed below:

• Work (32%)
• Transfer to other route (31%)
• School (18%)
• Medical or social services (10%)

The top responses for downtown trip purposes for Express Route riders are as follows:

• Work (83%)
• Transfer (12%)
• School (3%)

Mode of Travel: Another set of questions were asked of Regular Route riders to determine which modes of travel were used.  72% of Regular Route riders indicated that they arrived by bus to the RTC and would travel by bus to get to their final destination.  A review of the surveys indicated that the majority of riders interpreted the question of “how will you get to your final destination” to mean how they would make their return trip several hours later.  As a result, there was little information to be gained through these questions.  Survey developers often use Mode of Travel questions in conjunction with multiple checkboxes to determine specific modes of transportation such as walking, biking, carpooling, driving to Park & Ride lots, etc.  Follow-up questions to Mode of Travel questions determine information such as the walking distances between boarding and de-boarding locations.

Safety and Security at RTC:  When indicating their preference for potential improvements to the RTC, Regular Route and Express Route riders addressed the issue of safety at RTC.  The charts below compare the safety and security preferences for both populations.

The data showed that 30% of Regular Riders and 36% of Express Riders requested by security officers and safety improvements, while 28% of Regular Riders and 38% of Express Riders requested either security officers or safety improvements.  By comparison, only 42% of Regular Riders and 26% of Express Riders did not indicate a preference for the addition of security officers or safety improvements at the RTC.

Routing preference for Express Bus riders:  Express Route riders were asked if they prefer the original downtown routing that took them through RTC or the current downtown routing adopted during streetcar construction which diverts them from RTC.  Express Route riders could also respond that they had no preference by listing they were “happy with either routing”.  43% responded that they preferred the original routing through RTC, 26% preferred the current downtown routing and 31% stated no preference.  The chart below shows the complete distribution of routing preference for the nine Express Routes.

Responses for Routes 109X, 107X and 103X indicated a preference for the current diverted routing or no preference for the routing.  Because of this, these may be the best candidates for permanent diversion from the RTC; however, because the population size from these routes is relatively small, it may also be advantageous to administer an additional survey on them  in order to confirm this result. Among the remainder of the routes, there was either no clear consensus on preference, or a slight to large majority who preferred the original routing through downtown.

Conclusions

Based on the data collected and our review of the responses from both the Regular Rider and Express Rider populations, we can make the following statements:

1. Regular Route respondents show a distinct preference for improvements to the restrooms at the RTC above all other improvements.  Express Route respondents also heavily support this improvement.
2. Large percentages of respondents are also in favor of adding or improving water fountains and customer service representatives of Sun Tran and bus service information, maps & schedules.
3. Although they were rated significantly lower than transit-related improvements, the most popular of the mixed-use options were the Retail Food/ Produce Sales and Restaurants.
4. Large percentages of Express Route and Regular Route respondents requested security officers and/or other safety improvements, such as cameras and lighting, emergency call phones, increased presence of TPD officers, or generally stricter enforcement of existing statutes regarding panhandling, public intoxication, illegal substances and vagrancy.
5. Both populations also indicated an interest in the designation of specific smoking/non-smoking areas.
6. 83% of Express Route respondents replied that they travel downtown primarily for work.  12% of Express Route respondents replied they arrived downtown to transfer, and 3% responded that they took the express bus to get to school.
7. The top downtown trip purposes for Regular Route respondents are work (32%), transfer to other route (31%), school (18%), and medical or social services (10%).
8. Express Routes 109X, 107X and 103X appear to be the best candidates for permanent diversion from the RTC; additional surveying of these routes may be beneficial to verify this conclusion.

Besides being tired for most of the day because of the lack of sleep and driving, I love that I can spend my weekend at the bay with Liz. I haven’t been in NorCal since 2008, so everything was all new and exciting!

Here’s some pictures of the trip up, and our day around the city

Finally getting close to the city…

The beautiful Bay Bridge near Pier 39

Chowing down on some clam chowder in a bread bowl at Fisherman’s Wharf

It was actually a beautiful day, too!

Finishing up the day with some salted caramel and honey lavender ice cream at Bi-Rite…

…then off the Richmond to snap some pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge (stay tuned for more pictures of the bridge).

Inviting entrance to restored downtown adobe home. (Photo Credit: Pamela Powers Hannley)

Since the local media has pretty much ignored the recent struggle over the Ronstadt Transit Center (RTC), I am publishing a series of posts with position statements by the different players in the battle. Here are links to the other positions: business, bus riders, and the public.

Here is the official unedited early February statement by the Downtown Neighborhoods and Residents Council their vision for the RTC. It was written in response to the Downtown Tucson Partnership statement (here). This is what residents want…

Downtown Neighborhoods and Residents Council

Position Statement on Ronstadt Transit Center

The Ronstadt Transit Center (RTC) is a unique and valuable resource for downtown, downtown neighborhoods, and the entire region.

The assumption, held by some interests, that the RTC should (or needs to) move is incorrect.  In fact, for best of use of current bus and future bus, streetcar, and intercity train riders, the RTC’s use as a transit center needs to be upgraded and expanded.

It is premature for the Mayor and Council to issue a request for qualifications. Additional steps need to be taken prior to issuing the RFQ, with priority given to a larger, more inclusive public process.

In the near term, it is difficult to predict the future of downtown and transit needs; downtown links, the street car, and other transportation projects will change the traffic and transit patterns.  Moving forward quickly with changes to the RTC may lead to unforeseen consequences; mistakes are likely to be cast in concrete, which will be difficult—if not impossible–to change.

Accurate and complete data are necessary to support any decision, and need to be gathered before any RFQ is issued. A survey of current and potential transit users is key, along with the collection of new data on current bus usage (and limitations).  Based on those facts and data, any resulting plan needs to present a long-term vision for an integrated multi-modal transportation center/system.

Any decision about future uses of the RTC needs to be preceded by an open, inclusive process that includes the expertise of bus riders, neighborhood residents, and downtown neighborhood associations as well as downtown business owners, civic leaders, and urban planners.  The process needs to be more than a public hearing; it needs to be an inclusive design process in which these key stakeholders participate in shaping the future of a viable transit center.

The two Cadence maxi-dorms can be seen at left and right, just beyond the 4th Ave Underpass.

Since the local media has pretty much ignored the recent struggle over the Ronstadt Transit Center (RTC), I am publishing a series of posts with position statements by the different players in the battle. Here are links to the other positions: neighborhoods, bus riders, and the public.

Here is the official unedited February 3 statement by the 41-member Downtown Tucson Partnership board regarding their vision for the RTC. This is what the businesses want.

Board Position Statement on

 A Re-Envisioned Ronstadt Transit Center

February 3, 2013

The Downtown Tucson Partnership’s mission is to revitalize the city’s urban core so that it attracts, excites, and economically benefits the entire region.  The Partnership was formed to administer the Business Improvement District in 1998, and provide services including enhanced maintenance, enhanced security, marketing and public relations for downtown, advocacy for downtown and issues impacting downtown, and economic development through our support of downtown businesses.  The 41-member board is comprised of both the public and private sector stakeholders who are actively engaged in making downtown Tucson vibrant.

Ronstadt Center’s central location, critical multi-modal transit role, and proximity to available vacant properties present one of the most significant and unique entertainment/retail/residential development opportunities nationally.   The Board’s position is a result of careful deliberation informed by case study research and community conversations involving a wide representation of City officials, Bus Riders Union, and downtown stakeholders.

The Downtown Tucson Partnership Board supports the efforts of the City of Tucson to pursue comprehensive redevelopment of the Ronstadt Transit Center and surrounding Congress St./Toole Ave./6^th Ave. area into a major, active, transit-oriented, mixed-use downtown destination.

The Partnership Board encourages the City to pursue a process for redevelopment that is:
1. Comprehensive — encompassing the entire Ronstadt Center and adjacent parcels (Madden triangle (6^th Ave. and Toole), vacant Toole Avenue lot west of the Train Station, and bordering streetscapes) in order to create a cohesive vision and capture the full potential of the area.
2.   Inclusive — by continuing the consultative and transparent process begun by

Council Member Karin Uhlich, the City can fully incorporate the needs of a diverse set of stakeholders.  The city needs to seek a developer with experience in building public/private partnerships, urban mixed use, transit-oriented development, and an interest in strong municipal relationships, consensus building, and transparent dealings.

Transit decisions, a key consideration, should be guided by bus riders concerns and the need for improved bus service and amenities.  Completion of the Sun Tran study of bus rider volumes and travel patterns needs to be accelerated in order to inform decisions.

3. Transit-Oriented — planning and design guided by conditions and incentives that emphasize well-connected urban parks, public gathering spaces and streetscapes, excellence in urban design, and the creation of local jobs and expanded tax base.

Improvements in transit service and amenities, circulation, and parking are critical to the success of Ronstadt redevelopment, downtown Tucson, and the region.  Bus service to the project is essential, however full accommodation of local and citywide transfer services on the Ronstadt site will be difficult, particularly as bus ridership grows.  Consideration needs to be given to relocating bus transfer locations and express routes to nearby, less congested locations.  Specific locations should be determined by an integrated multi-modal transportation plan for the larger downtown area (Euclid-Convento/22nd St-Speedway) that integrates pedestrians, bicycle routes, bus service, the Modern Streetcar, taxi, and auto circulation.

4.    Expeditious — respecting the legal and financial needs of both the City and a developer. The Partnership Board offers its members as a consultative body for use by the City in the development of performance standards, any potential RFP process, and planning and design.

A re-envisioned Ronstadt Center has the potential to place Tucson on a national stage.  Success will require a new level of effort and excellence by all concerned. The Partnership Board believes such success is well within reach and welcomes the opportunity to work to achieve this goal.

JIM SHEPERD OF PLEX SYSTEMS

Article by Jon Zemke of Model D

GraviKor is one of those startups that can fit in a number of different classifications. Its welding and space-frame technologies are light enough that they could be considered a green business. It’s technology is meant for vehicles so it could be pigeonholed as automotive. But GraviKor is considered a defense firm because its technology is being used to refurbish military vehicles to make them stronger, more versatile and energy-efficient.

Gravikor is one of many growing firms that is expanding its business through the defense and aerospace industries. Not that is a new thing for Metro Detroit.

General Motors made tanks, among many other armaments during World War II. Ford was renowned for its prolific production of the B-24 Liberator bomber. Many other automotive companies diversified to make the region the Arsenal of Democracy. Metro Detroit’s economy drifted away from defense and toward more automotive work in the latter half of the 20th Century. When the automotive industry began to contract over the last decade more and more local firms set out to diversify their customer bases to bolster their bottom lines. Taking on more defense work during the War on Terror was an easy move.

Plex Systems is one of those companies. The Auburn Hills-based tech firm makes ERP software for manufacturers. It has followed many of its customers (traditionally automotive firms) into the defense and aerospace industries in recent years. This relatively new vertical now accounts for about 20 percent of the company’s revenue. That has played a key role in the firm’s growth, helping it hire 59 people over the last year. It now employs 290 with a sizable portion of its staff dedicated to defense and aerospace.

“This is an industry we are committed to,” says Jim Shepherd, vice president of strategy for Plex Systems. “It’s approximately the same size market (as automotive). We would like aerospace and defense to grow to 30 percent of our revenue over the new 3-4 years.”

He adds that defense and aerospace are cyclical, like most manufacturing industries, but helps to even out the ups and downs of the automotive sector. “Over the long haul it is a very significant part of the national gross domestic product and overall economy,” Shepherd says.

Defense is going through one of those down cycles at the moment. Federal budget cuts have meant billions of dollars are cut from defense. The Pentagon is cutting in excess of $40 billion from its budget from sequestration alone, according to the U.S. Dept of Defense. That short-term pain doesn’t mean investment in the defense sector is a poor business strategy.

“The military has to respond to new threats everyday,” says Richter, who is also president of the Michigan Research Council. “There will always be a strong pull of the Dept of Defense to new technology to respond to threats in the future.”

To read the full article and learn more about this growing sector in Metro Detroit, visit Model D

There are no renders around (that we’ve seen yet) but there are elevations – here’s GBL Architects design for the Helmcken Street facade. GBL have designed some of the best non-market buildings in the city, so if approved, we expect this will also be a positive addition to the streetscape.

While I received a lot of wonderful, thoughtful graduation presents, my friend Michelle came up with one of the most creative gifts to give me. Since we share a foodie passion and love to try new restaurants together, she set up a whole night of restaurant hopping in downtown Raleigh for both of us, with a different restaurant for appetizers/salads, the main course, and dessert (admittedly the present was probably just as much for her as it was for me, but do you see me complaining?)

So after spending much of the week anxiously anticipating this evening, we finally headed downtown around 5:00 p.m. on Friday (getting an early start… a really good idea considering I needed time between the restaurants to recuperate a little bit after eating so much food). We started off the night at Gravy, an Italian-American restaurant, for appetizers and salads. Looking at the menu, it was really difficult to choose just one or two things to order, but I figured since I still had two other restaurants to go, I should probably keep the first course to a minimum. Well, that plan didn’t work out too well, but it was so worth it. Between the two of us, Michelle and I split the meatballs, calamari and a Caesar salad.

Caesar salad made with hearts of Romaine, homemade dressing and parmesan

Local raised beef meatballs topped with parmesan and marinara

Delicious calamari topped with pepperoncinis

As if that weren’t enough, we also ordered drinks (I went with the Spritz — a cocktail with St. Germain, prosecco, soda and a twist of lemon — while Michelle got the Raspberry Lime Cello Martini, made with house limecello, raspberry liqueur, fresh squeezed lemon juice and soda) and received complementary garlic rolls. As someone who could exist solely on Italian food (and by that I mean really anything carb-heavy and covered in marinara), basically I was in heaven.

Nice and refreshing on such a humid evening!

Light, fluffy rolls soaked in butter and garlic? Yes please!

While it was a little heavy, Michelle couldn’t have picked a better restaurant for our first course. Next, we shifted gears and made our way to Sono, a sushi restaurant and bar, for the main entree. And it’s a good thing there were a few blocks in between Gravy and Sono because I was already feeling pretty full. But, given my extraordinary capacity to consume enormous amounts of food in one sitting, by the time my sushi roll made it to the table, I was more than ready to devour it.

With a pretty extensive list of specialty rolls, I had a difficult time choosing which one to order (do you see a theme here? I’m indecisive to a fault when it comes to delicious food), but I finally settled on the Piano Roll, made with spicy crab and shrimp tempura, and topped with avocado, a wasabi aioli and soy glaze. Although I’m not a huge fan of anything mayonnaise-like on sushi, the wasabi aioli combined really nicely with the sweet flavor of the soy glaze. And for my cocktail, I went with the International Gimlet (Hendrick’s gin, St. Germain, and freshly squeezed lime juice — apparently I was on a St. Germain kick this evening). It was light and refreshing; a great complement for sushi.

Not the most flattering light, but the gimlet was delicious!

It was also the perfect size for dinner after all those appetizers!

By the time I had cleared my plate at our second restaurant, I was really starting to regret my dress choice (the tight bodice was doing nothing to relieve my expanding stomach). But being the foodie champ that I am, nothing was going to get in the way of my eating experience, including unforgiving clothing. With another brief walk to our next and final stop of the evening, we got to enjoy the beautiful weather and get a taste of downtown Raleigh’s night scene (there’s a lot more activity than I expected, including several places to eat/drink outside and some great live jazz).

We ended the night at The Big Easy, a cajun-creole restaurant where Michelle treated me to my favorite dessert of all time — Bananas Foster. And since the restaurant is known for its Hurricane cocktails, it seemed obligatory that I order one of those as well. Let me just say, this was one of the most delicious versions of Bananas Foster I’ve ever had because it was served over bread pudding, which is one of my other favorite desserts (let’s be honest, you could probably classify any dessert as my favorite). With sauteed bananas in a buttery rum sauce on bread pudding with a side of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel, it was a heavenly, albeit overwhelming end to our restaurant tour of the evening.

Yes. Just… yes.

We snagged a table out front on the sidewalk so we could people-watch while enjoying dessert.

While I couldn’t tell you for sure what was in the Hurricane (the menu just says ‘secret family recipe’), it tasted like a whole lot of rum and was a little too strong to accompany my already heavy dessert. But all in all, the night was a huge success and it was so much fun to try a range of different foods throughout the evening. Michelle really nailed the perfect gift, because it’s definitely more special to have an experience that you’ll remember for a long time, don’t you think? I don’t think I could even pick a favorite restaurant of the three that we visited — each one was great for the course we ate there. However, I’ll definitely be going back to Gravy for a full dinner because the rest of the menu looked delicious as well (I really want to try the house-made tagliatelle bolognese), not to mention I could easily polish off a whole basket of those rolls.

Perhaps one of the biggest highlights of the night, however, was finding this gem:

A street car turned bar? Awesome.

Behold the Trolley Pub. Just as we were making headway into the mountainous Bananas Foster, this contraption pulls up curbside with what appears to be either a bachelorette or birthday party aboard. Color me intrigued. From what I could gather, there are 14 bar stools (complete with seat belts so over-zealous passengers don’t fall off mid-intersection) surrounding a bar down the center of the trolley. It appeared that the group provided their own alcohol and music (there was an iPod hook-up), and the trolley driver took them around downtown to different bars. I mean, is this not one of the coolest ideas ever? Michelle and I quickly proceeded to look up the Trolley Pub online — for a 2-hour private tour with 8-14 people, it’s $350, or if you don’t have enough people to fill the trolley, you can buy a seat for a 2-hour mixed group tour for $30. A.k.a. I know what I’m doing next time I come to downtown Raleigh. Wouldn’t this be a blast?

Three courses, extremely full stomachs, exceedingly tight dresses and one Trolley Pub sighting later, Michelle and I finally made our way home. Not only was the evening great from a foodie perspective, but it was a really neat way to check out downtown Raleigh and a definite high note on which to end the week.

Summer is upon us, and we are preparing for pool parties, picnics and playing outside. Of course, this also means summer concerts where you can see who is hot, who is making a move and hear your favorite artist.  The summer concert season has a fix for every type of music junkie.  These concerts can be hosted in large outdoor venues which may feature up to 30 acts, to indoor festivals which may feature as few as five with the hottest talent in the industry. Whether you seek char- busting artists or local favorites, summer is definitely the time of year to get out there and enjoy live music.

On Mother’s Day, I had the pleasure of kicking off my outdoor concert season with a local favorite, The Candlelight Jazz Series in Augusta, Georgia. This summer series is sponsored in part by the City of Augusta and Garden City Jazz.  What I love of about this concert series is the intimacy.  Yes, I said intimacy. Concerts are focused on bringing the masses to the music.

                I have attended jazz festivals where I felt like a speck of dust on a flower in Whoville. There were literally thousands of people, all jockeying and vying for a patch of grass to spread a quilt.  The bathrooms are overcrowded, and it never fails, that I get the stall that just ran out of paper. The lines are long, the patrons are hot, tempers are flaring and I leave stressed out.  This, is not a relaxing experience.

I have attended “free” outdoor concerts where again, not only am I vying for a spot near or under a tree, I have to fight for a spot that is not loaded with a young family. As a firm believer in truth in writing, it is with no shame that I admit, I attended the free concert, because I, like many of the attendees was broke with nothing else to do. I packed my lunch basket with cheap wine, lots of ice, bug spray and a positive attitude.  I did not leave with one.  I left with a sour feeling in my stomach and a firm understanding that sometimes you don’t need to bring the masses to the music, but music to the masses.

The Candlelight Jazz series does just that.  It offers diverse programming all summer long for lovers of music in a safe, family friendly environment.  It happens in the calm of the evening juxtaposed against the Savannah River, with the freshness of the air blowing in off the water. The coolness of the acts on stage are inviting, as they soothe the savage beast in you whilst preparing you for your work week.  Friends and family gather with table coverings, bottles of wine are uncorked as glasses are filled, people get merry and the music begins to play.  Lawn chairs are opened as patrons sit back, relax, and enjoy live music.

There is no hustle.  There is no bustle.  Grandma Earline and Aunt Annie rise to dance on the make shift dance floor of the sidewalk that leads to the stage.  Little Becka Summerall, adorned in her pink tutu, hits the dance floor and begins modified pirouettes.  Teens, who were forced to come, find themselves enjoying the evening and one or two even get up to dance with one of their parents. The concert starts at 8 pm and by 9:30, everyone is heading home, eager for next week, so they can return to enjoy another Sunday evening at the River.

It is an intimate affair because you make new friends.  You share your wine with your neighbor and promise next week to bring more fruit and cheese to part with your new pals. If you have not tried or experienced Candlelight Jazz at the River, it is time to mature your music experience. I am currently the Foursquare Mayor of Candlelight Jazz, so when you come down to the river, look for me, and if you locate and snag a photo with me, you just may win a prize.

Last week, in discussing an article on Miami as “America’s Next Start-up City,” we discussed the concept of creative disruption.  Coincidentally, the issue arose locally in the context of developing the health care industry in the Tampa Bay area.

To get there, experts said Monday, requires the health care industry to embrace “disruptive innovation.”

It’s such a key concept behind this 10-year goal that the MediFuture conference invited the Harvard Business School professor who coined the term to speak.

Harvard’s Clayton Christensen describes “disruptive innovation” as a process by which a product or service at first takes root in simple applications at the bottom of a market but then relentlessly moves up market, displacing established competitors.

Citing the computer industry, Christensen described how the mainframe got replaced by the minicomputer, which in turn was deposed by the desktop, the laptop and now the smartphone. In each case, the next product was more affordable and accessible to more people.

Disruptive innovation can do the same thing for health care, he said, pushing mobile and cheaper medical technology further into the hands of retail clinics, nurses, pharmacists and even into the home.

Indeed it can.  However, can the Tampa Bay area, where the issue of USF and a teaching hospital still can’t be worked out, overcome its own culture to accept such disruption?  And can you succeed with an environment where you only have disruption in one industry while living in the past in all other ways or do you need to create a comprehensive culture where disruption is embraced?

To attract and retain people who will find these innovative solutions (which are often multidisciplinary), you need to create an environment which attracts them and in which they will thrive. (Like it or not, that requires real transit, not just buses, and urban development.  You can hardly claim to be a hub of innovation if your public policy is living in the 1970’s.) If you look at innovation hubs, like Boston, NYC, the San Francisco Bay area – even Austin or Atlanta (not to mention places like London, Tokyo, and Berlin) – they are cities of broad ranges of innovation in many fields.  For real innovation through disruption, there needs to be cross-pollination and an environment of openness to new ideas.  It cannot be isolated.

Interestingly, the speaker made another point which really gets to the Tampa Bay area:

Don’t confuse disruptive innovation with lesser imitators, he warned. Simply making good products better is a fine form of innovation but won’t generate new jobs. Making goods and services more efficiently will actually result in job cuts.

As far as we can tell, that applies almost across the board in the Tampa Bay area.  Simple improvements are held out as innovations, while elsewhere real innovations in politics, transportation, arts, music, science, technology, design, and development occur.   Incrementalism is not innovation.

We support developing our biomed sector, and we are happy the idea of disruption is actually being discussed here.  We are all for transformational techniques and technologies.  However, we understand that we need a wholesale opening of our culture – especially politically.

If you create an app to sell buggy-whips, you still have not accomplished anything.

Built Environment – The Sprawl Strikes Back

We have been critical of Hillsborough County’s love of sprawl.  We still are.  For a long time, the east part of the County has supported politicians that support sprawl and poor transportation planning.  Well,

Hillsborough County commissioners told residents opposed to a big box store on Bloomingdale Avenue that the commission has no legal avenue for stopping the development.

County Attorney Chip Fletcher told commissioners there is no way they can reverse a 2003 rezoning that allowed a big box retail store and multifamily residential housing.

* * *

Residents in the area, which includes Bloomingdale High School, a ball field and numerous retail stores, have collected more than 1,000 petition signatures opposing the development. They said the big box store, rumored to be a Wal-Mart, will add traffic to already congested roads around the store, making it dangerous for children and students who cross Bloomingdale.

“The proposed changes impact not only our traffic but our environment on the Lithia-Bloomingdale bottleneck,” said Theresa Cecchini. “I resent that our community had no input into this decision which impacts our quality of life, to say nothing of the investment in our homes.”

If nothing else, the community has the input of elections.  It is unfortunate the Commission has its hands tied by what its predecessors did (one of whom is still on the Commission and who happened to be the main advocate of the Estuary/Bass Pro Shops deal).  Yes, it is poor planning.  Yes, it is unfortunate.  However, you get what you vote for.  On the other hand, there is this:

The commission agreed that any payments that the developer makes toward traffic impacts will be spent on traffic improvements in the immediate area.

Too bad the entire impact fee system in Hillsborough County is outdated and inadequate to help support the sprawl policies. Those Bloomingdale residents sure could use the $6+ million going to the Estuary/Bass Pro Shops developer.

Transportation – What Should Be On That Confounded Bridge?

The plans for replacing the Tampa-bound span of the Howard Frankland Bridge continue.

State transportation planners are studying three types of structures to replace the northbound span of the Howard Frankland Bridge by 2020-2025, with costs depending on what kind of transit corridors might be included.

Ok.  What are the options?

The price to replace the Howard Frankland with four lanes of roadway will be about $367 million, FDOT said. That does not include relieving the traffic bottleneck at the Tampa International Airport/Memorial Highway interchange.

Well, FDOT should have fixed the bottleneck a long time ago – at least when they did the Pinellas side.  But, setting that aside, that is the cost for a no-frills four lane bridge.

If the project added two express lanes in each direction to accommodate bus rapid transit and cars paying tolls to avoid the free, congested lanes, the cost would increase by $339 million to $706 million.

Logically, if you add four more lanes to allow a few people to pay really high tolls and not really relieve most people who will sit in traffic, the price is double.

And if the new bridge were built to accommodate a transit exclusive guideway — a corridor for either light rail or bus — the cost would increase by $989 million to $1.36 billion. That price would include additional work in both Hillsborough and Pinellas to accommodate an enhanced transit system and link with new transit terminals in the Pinellas Gateway and Tampa West Shore areas. 

Also logically, a rail-capable bridge would be more expensive. Then there is this:

State and federal money would be used for the new span if the current bridge is replaced with one the same as today’s, but if other features such as transit corridors are incorporated, FDOT could ask local entities to come to the table, District 7 spokeswoman Kris Carson said.

We thought it was the Department of Transportation, not the Department of Cars, so why the disincentive to creating transportation options?  Why penalize locals for planning ahead.  If there is a statutory reason, we would like to hear it and why it cannot change.  Do they make locals pay in other toll road projects? (See here)

Regardless, we favor the last option.  We need to have connections other than cars, and this corridor is the best place to put that connection.  It is well past time that this area actually started planning for the future rather than just maintaining the status quo.  Yes, it is more expensive, but:

It might be possible to modify the express lanes option to accommodate rail at a later date, but that cost has not been calculated and would be more expensive than the three primary options.

Waiting will just increase the cost.  We have already increased the cost by waiting so long. It is time to invest in our infrastructure.  There is really no reason not to do it now.  Even if buses run along the path for a while, it will allow rail to be built in the future.

In other news from FDOT:

In a few weeks, FDOT intends to release a separate study on express lane proposals, also called managed lanes, for Tampa Bay area interstates.

That concept would be similar to express lanes on I-95 in south Florida where high occupancy vehicle lanes were converted to speed vehicles through congested periods.

We understand that idea of toll lanes to speed traffic but 1) we do not have HOV lanes because our interstates have long been neglected and 2) we have a problem with variable tolls.  By allowing uncapped, variable tolls, it is entirely possible that the average driver is going to be priced out of the lanes, which seems an odd way to spend taxpayer money, especially if there are no transit options.  Of course, FDOT could surprise us.

Transportation – The Selmon Connector Moves Forward

It seems the Selmon Connector is back on schedule.

The Interstate 4-Selmon Expressway connector project, which is expected to take a majority of Port of Tampa truck traffic off Ybor City streets, is on target to be done by year’s end.

The latest schedule update is that traffic will begin using the 1-mile toll road by Dec. 31 and the entire project will be completed by spring 2014, said Bill Adams of Johnson-Adams & Associates, the senior project engineer.

That is good.  The idea is only about 30 years late, but at least it is getting done.

Interestingly,

Motorists on the toll road will be billed through SunPass and toll-by-plate systems, with costs ranging from $1 for two-axle vehicles to $5 for six-axle trucks.

Imagine that, a fixed toll so drivers know whether it is worth it or not to use the road.

Transportation – HART/PSTA, Whatever

We noticed that the Tribune ran a guest opinion piece from one of the Tea Party members of the HART board regarding the HART/PSTA issue.  Here’s what she had to say:

When politicians don’t get results from a consultant study they want, they simply issue another study. Why not? It’s not their money being wasted. That is what is behind the $200,000 spending item inserted into our state budget to fund a study on consolidating the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART).

A consolidation study costing more than $100,000 was mandated by the Legislature last year, and the study findings were mixed. HART put the issue to rest, but special interests wanting to seize control won’t give up.

Um, it was HART that rejected the study’s findings, not unnamed “politicians” or PSTA or anyone other than HART. (For instance see here, here, here, and here)   We have no idea what the unnamed “special interests” are either.

Rail advocates want to take away local control of HART, which has been successful in meeting budgets while accommodating increased ridership demands despite less revenue from the down economy. This is about forcing HART to alter its 10-year Transit Development Plan, which includes six cost-effective bus rapid transit routes throughout the county, to instead support the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority’s master plan that includes 250 miles of costly rail. This is about bypassing the HART board made up of folks from all ends of the political spectrum yet are united against the merger.

* * *

HART has a five-year balanced budget that routinely shores up its reserves, and early budget projections indicate it will have enough revenue to expand weekend and night service. On the other hand, PSTA taxes property owners at a 40 percent higher rate, and its own CEO recently indicated publicly that PSTA will deplete its reserves and go in the red in 2015.

Its seems her real opposition to studying whether money can be saved and better service provided is that she does not want rail.  (She apparently thinks it is a UN plot after all. ) But even setting that aside, it is hard to square her other claims with what has been reported.  First, as the Tribune reported, HART does not have funding for its second Metrorapid line, let alone four more.  Moreover, as the Tribune reported, HART does not have money to replace older buses.   Additionally, HART has already cut services and raised fares, (see Tribune report and Times report) though maybe they will not have to do the same this year. (See Tribune report that HART may luck out because property tax revenue may increase enough to add some service and also Creative Loafing)  Even the resident bus expert thinks there is a problem with HART’s future plans:

At Monday morning’s monthly board meeting, HART board member Dr. Steven Polzin said he was concerned that a gap was growing between what the current budget calls for and community expectations. “At some point we need to close that gap,” he said.

While many of you might think this is all problematic, the following may explain why the Tea Party Board member thinks it’s all good:

Jaroch’s stance on mass transit seems to have lessened slightly, but she still would like to keep public transportation small within Hillsborough.

“I would prefer private transit, but I’m not there to beat HART out of existence,” Jaroch said. “I’m there to work with it and improve the economy.”

One of the things Jaroch said she would push for is a smaller bus system, a view that differs from HART’s more recent goals of providing public transportation for everyone.

“I don’t know if we want a bus company that will serve everybody in the community,” Jaroch said. “That’s not feasible. But as a cost safety net to serve the people who really need it, I don’t have a problem with it as long as it’s done in a fiscally responsible way.”

That isn’t to say Jaroch is opposed to the idea of large public transportation on face value. She simply does not want everyone to pay for a service that benefits a few.

“If HART provides a service that is faster and cheaper and more convenient than other forms of transportation available, people will try it and would very likely adopt it in their routine,” Jaroch said.

“She simply does not want everyone to pay for a service that benefits a few.” What a pithy philosophy. We’ll go with that.  All roads should be toll roads – why should we pay for the road to your house when we never use it?  We haven’t had a fire in while, so why should we pay for the fire department to help you?  All schools should charge tuition – why should we pay for your kids to get educated? (And that includes the full cost of that degree – no, not the tuition, the full cost – this Board member got from USF.  Why did she attend a taxpayer subsidized school?)

It is difficult to defend HART’s obsessive attempts to not examine how to better serve the taxpayer, and the guest opinion piece does not really address that actual issue except in the vaguest rhetorical terms.  Then again, given this HART Board member’s apparent priorities, that is not a surprise.  The real question is why the Hillsborough County Commissioners put her on the HART Board in the first place and if, knowing what they now know, they would do it again.

Transportation – Do We Want a Ferry?

Over the years there have been a number of proposals floated for a ferry in the area. Frankly, it is a bit odd that there is not one, but there isn’t.  Now:

Turanchik, a lawyer with the Akerman Senterfitt firm, has been quietly pitching a proposal to some civic leaders and elected officials on behalf of a client hoping to operate a commuter ferry service in Tampa Bay.

The ferry service would focus on shuttling employees of MacDill Air Force Base to and from their homes in southern Hillsborough County, where many of them live. During noncommute times the ferries, with an initial capacity of 250 people, could potentially be used to carry passengers between southern Hillsborough, the Channel District in downtown Tampa and downtown St. Petersburg.

Ok, what does it cost?

Here’s the rub: Turanchik and his client, HMS Global Maritime of New Albany, Ind., are seeking public money from the county, the state and possibly the federal government to build the docks, dredge bay beds near them and buy the boats. The price tag Murman says she was told: $24 million.

In exchange, the company would cover the operating costs, bearing the risk if it can’t turn a profit, she said.

Since we have not actually seen the proposal, we can only speak generally.  Generally, we are fine with a ferry.  We are not sure that the government should pay for it.  On the other hand, in the greater scheme of things, $22 million is not really that much for a transportation project – if it works.  The bigger question is whether it will attract passengers and, given our lack of proper transit, how any passengers get around when they land?  How will the lack of real transit limit the success of the potential ferry?

We are curious to see the actual details.

Downtown Tampa – Same Ole Decision Making

Last week, we discussed the apartment tower proposed for the lot behind the library and the objections to it, which we think are mostly without basis.  In our discussion, we noted the skywalk issue and that it was not an insurmountable problem.  Then the Tribune ran a column that hints at what the real problem is.   We are not going to get into the whole article, partly because the arguments against the project are quite weak, especially this:

No.

That was Jan Platt’s signature word during her time on the Hillsborough County Commission and Tampa City Council. She argued and voted against projects and proposals so many times she got the well-earned nickname of “Commissioner No.”

* * *

“That area is the crown jewel of downtown,” she told me Friday when I called her for a follow-up. “That high-rise is misplaced. To put it slap-dab in the middle of the cultural district is just weird.”

(Just to be clear this is the lot in question.) The opposition to the idea of a tower in that location is misplaced. Putting a tower with street interaction on that lot makes perfect sense because it is now an uninviting turn lane that does nothing to enhance the “cultural district.”

It should also be noted that the failure to build a dense city leads to more sprawl, not less.  If one wants to protect the environment, one of the best ways to do so is to build a denser city with good transit so there is no reason to pave the entire county.  Of course, for all the time this opponent was in office we did not have or develop density nor did we have good mass transit (we still don’t).  Always saying “no” can be counterproductive.

What was the Mayor’s reaction?

“She’s doing exactly what she has done for 28 years — attempting to kill any good project,” he said.

Instead of actually explaining why the project is good, this is basically a personal attack, which also counterproductive. And there is this, from the former County Commissioner and City Councilwoman, which is more about process and personality than the actual project:

“This has been rammed down everybody’s throat without any dialogue,” she said. “That’s why I said what I did. This has just upset me so much. I am proud of downtown. I want to see it first rate.”

So do we, which is why we think the proposed idea is ok.

On the other hand, there is some truth here.  It is not effective to just announce a project and expect everyone to fall in line and approve it.  While Tampa has a “strong mayor” system of government, the Mayor does not govern alone. If he believes the project is key, he needs to sell it – to be entrepreneurial.  He has not done that. (For instance see here)  And he needs to communicate better.

On the other hand, it is not ok to reject a plan just because the Mayor may have done a poor job selling it.  If it is good, it should be approved.  So far, we have not heard any good objection to this plan.  In fact, many of those complaining now started off supporting the project.  (see here  and here) If there is an isolated issue like the skywalk, work it out and move forward.  (And if politicians don’t like each other let them play a winner-take-all game of cribbage and get back to work.)

Everything about this process is business as usual in the City government.  The DNA has not changed.  And you wonder why young professionals just leave for other cities and don’t look back?

Channelside – Show Us the Money

The recent, highly hyped offer to take over the Channelside complex went before the Port Authority Board and promptly ran into reality. (And we are not even going to get into the very odd “decorum” issue. See here  and here)

After two weeks of nonstop negotiations, Liberty Channelside LLC came to an impasse on Wednesday with the Tampa Port Authority over its proposed purchase of the failing downtown waterfront entertainment and retail complex.

The Tampa Port Authority staff wants Liberty Channelside and its principals, real estate investor Santosh Govindaraju and hotel developer Punit Shah, to pay $8 million in escrow up front before allowing the port’s governing board to vote on the deal. The Tampa Port Authority owns the land Channelside was built on, so the board must approve any sale of the lease.

But Liberty has offered to put only $2 million in escrow. Neither side appeared ready to back down on Wednesday.

Both the port and the ownership group would sign off on using the money, but it would all be used by the prospective new owners to pay for their proposed improvements to Channelside.

We have absolutely no problem with the Port Authority’s position.  It is well past time to get this whole thing right.  If the new guys really want to fix up the Channelside complex, especially if they are asking for public money, they can commit fully. And not only that:

The port said there are several reasons why it needs Liberty Channelside to pay such a large financial guarantee up front. For one, the port wants proof of financial commitment in exchange for all of the rights that Liberty Channelside is asking the port to surrender.

* * *

“But if we give up our rights then we have no control. It just continues the death spiral.”

The escrow would also give the port financial assurance that the Liberty group will actually spend the millions it has pledged to put toward upgrading and revamping Channelside. Liberty has proposed spending anywhere from $13 million to $22 million to bring in new restaurants, new shops, add office space and build a boutique hotel on top of the building.

We have no problem with that position. And this:

But it’s not just Liberty that’s saying no. Klug said the port has, for now, rejected Liberty’s request to have the port help pay for new pedestrian skybridges to the parking garage.

We agree with that, too.  We are glad to see a businesslike approach from the Board.  In many ways more importantly:

The port wants Liberty to show it is financially committed to revitalizing Channelside, and not just buying and repainting it. But that’s not the only issue frustrating the port. Officials said the Liberty group’s plans for the complex, like its funding, are still too amorphous.

Exactly.  We still do not know what the real plans are, so why sign off on anything yet?  We do not really care if this group or another group takes over the complex, particularly since we have not seen real plans from anyone.  We care that Channelside is finally laid out and run properly so it enhances the area.  There have already been many mistakes made.  Thankfully, it seems that the Port Board may have learned from those mistakes.  Hopefully, they will do it right this time.

Trader Joe’s – Not Yet

Last week we discussed all the rumors about Trader Joe’s in South Tampa and noted that there are plans for Orlando and Miami.  Well,

The popular Trader Joe’s grocery chain known for carrying unique products — like turkey meatloaf muffins and chicken cilantro mini wontons — said it has signed a lease to open at the PGA Plaza in Palm Beach Gardens next year.

You can see the urban oasis in where they are opening in Palm Beach Gardens here.

So what exactly is the issue in South Tampa?  Maybe Trader Joe’s is about to announce a location or maybe not. Based on this map of wealthiest zip codes, if they are having trouble with their targeted site, maybe they should consider more options in the area.

List of the Week

Our list this week is the Men’s Health Best and Worst Places to Exercise (also known as the most active and laziest cities list)  This list ranks 100 locations with number one being the best place to exercise.

The top 10 are: Portland, OR; Boise, ID; Salt Lake City, UT; Minneapolis, MN; St. Paul, MN; Denver, CO; Seattle, WA; Madison, WI; Oakland, CA; and Aurora, CO.

The Florida cities on the list are St. Pete at 45^th, Miami at 49^th, Jacksonville at 64^th, Tampa at 70^th, and Orlando at 76^th.  For a warm and supposedly active state, that is not very good.