Urban Life

Downtown Phoenix Sports District to Light Up Things

An article in the Arizona Republic and on AZCentral.com today has stirred up a lot of controversy on Facebook, Twitter and other social sites.

As is usual, many of the comments are spot on and some are riff with unsupported allegations and false information... welcome to social news.

I read through the articles, made a few calls and feel I have a decent understanding of the plan. I say decent because everyone puts their spin on things and the full picture is often hard to paint, especially for a paint by numbers guy like me.

My base take on things is there are a number of people out there who are trying to figure out what to do to re-energize the fallen downtown Phoenix “sports district”. Rather than the epic entertainment and sports neighborhood many envisioned, we have a condo tower in questionable recovery,vacant storefronts and more questions than answers.

The plan discussed on AZCentral uses “flashy Vegas-type signs” to enliven the area and create ad space. The digital ads would create revenue for both the organization behind them and the City of Phoenix.

The organization mentioned above has  a vested interest in the future of downtown sports since they also have ownership interests in the DBacks and Suns. To some folks that makes them evil,while others say, yeah for the home team.

Personally, I see both pros and cons. Lights, cameras, action is not just a director’s statement, it is used to spark action.  Digital ads are energetic and energy is what the region needs. Ads create revenue and getting national retailers to drop money downtown can be advantageous... not always but not never either. The ad revenue is a taxable event so a City suffering from revenue shortfalls would have a new food source.

On the con side of things, lots of large signs may not add positively to the flavor of the district. That will depend on where they are placed, how they are structured and the creativity of the ads being shown. They could be very cool or they could just throw off a lot of light pollution without adding a cultural advantage.

I’d love to hear your take on things. Hopefully with well thought ideas verses simple rants... we get enough of those on AZCentral and other blogs... UrbanLIfe readers are above that in most cases.

Best to you

Gene Urban
The Urban Team
602-234-5777

BASEBALL IS GOOD NEWS FOR THE VALLEY

We seldom write about areas outside of Central Phoenix, Paradise Valley and Scottsdale, but sometimes news from other areas helps all the Valley.

The Cincinnati Red's have inked  out a deal to start spring training in Goodyear, AZ. joining the Cleveland Indians in Cactus League play.

This is exciting for our area. Spring league baseball brings many pluses to Greater Phoenix including economic growth, future residents, and just plain fun.

Cactus League baseball has become an important part of our heritage and brand. It all began in 1951 when Yankee co-owner Del Webb orchestrated a deal to have his team play in his backyard while overseeing his growing real estate empire. The Chicago Cubs came to town and played two games against the Yankees. While here, the Cubs struck a deal with Dwight Patterson, a Mesa rancher, to play their spring ball in Mesa.

Today, we get to enjoy baseball with many teams including the Angels, Cubs, D-Backs, Rockies, Royals, Brewers, Padres, Giants, Mariners, Rangers and Indians. Much of this success is due to former governor Rose Mofford who took a stand against rival Florida by helping pass legislation key to Cactus League growth.

Our region is greatly benefited by Cactus League play. In 2007 an estimated 1.31 million fans enjoyed the festivities and spent a whopping $300 million. When we consider the revenues from hotel bed taxes, airport fees, gas taxes, general spending and fees paid by the teams, we are talking real money.

In addition, our State is seen by fans across American who are attracted by the great weather and the general fun of baseball. Not a bad image to put out there, especially when times are tough.

Thanks to all who have and do make Cactus League Baseball a reality in our towns.

Gene Urban
The Urban Team