Light Rail AZ

$6 Billion and our .02 Cents

As we get closer to the big day in December when the light rail trains begin to carry passengers in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa, we are seeing a lot more media coverage. Recently, there was a story in the AZ Republic talking about the development along the 20 mile route and the amount of public and private development created since 2004. The figure; SIX Billion dollars. According to the article.. "The price tag includes projects already completed, developments under construction and announced projects within a half-mile radius of the line that officials from those cities say will likely come to fruition, according to Ben Limmer, a Metro light rail planner."

They also had a breakdown (as provided by Metro) that mentioned the following. (yes, we know the real estate market is different today than it was a few years ago)

$6 billion Total value of public and private investment in transit oriented projects along the light-rail line since 2004.
15,000 Approximate number of residential units that are planned, under construction or already completed along light rail since 2004.
7 million square feet Amount of commercial space that is planned, under construction or completed close to light rail since 2004.
1800 Approximate number of hotel rooms that are planned, under construction or completed along the line.

While that is a lot of cabbage, it is important to note (also mentioned in the article) that much of this development is in areas that would have built even without light rail. However, there is no doubt that many projects have been put in the works because of their proximity to the line. You see, rail is more appealing to many because it is more tangible than say, a bus route. ie: The stops create more opportunity to build community, to build small business etc.
The timing for light rail in Arizona couldn't get much better. As gas prices continue to climb, people are embracing public transportation more than ever. While the "cost" of the system has been reported as $1.4 Billion, there are many factors to consider when evaluating future expansion and success of the overall project. Time will tell how many people will ride, how many will be occasional users and how many will use it as an effective way to get to school and work every day.

Following the project a little more closely than the average person, I have been amazed at the amount of work, planning and design that has gone in to bringing light rail to Arizona. I get the feeling that many people believe someone throws down a few tracks, buys a few "electric buses" and bam, we have a new transportation system. This just isn't the case.. Come December though, I bet Metro hopes to make everything look "easy."

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Posted on June 22, 2008 14:42 by Rail Life
Tags: rail life, light rail
Categories: Light Rail | Light Rail Real Estate
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The Memorial Day 2008 Super MeMe

I woke up early this am and saw that my new friend, Laurie Manny, the Queen of Long Beach Real Estate, had MeMe'd, me! You see, her "partner in crime," Mary McKnight started the whole Memorial Day 2008 Super MeMe thing. Since I just met these two ladies at the recent Unchained, Social Media event in Phoenix, I think I'll play along. Anyone that blogs, knows that it is probably a good idea to "share the love" with some really great blogger's. So, here's the deal and an explanation of what is going on in-case you are lost..

According to Mary's post.. There are two me-s in meme because it's all about me. Meme's are the perfect way to let other bloggers know about you, let your audience know about you and get to know and relate to other bloggers, expand your network and watch your sphere of influence expand outwards. If you ever posed the question to yourself, "how many degrees are between me and Kevin Bacon?" this is the way to find out.
I am asking 8 questions because when tipped over the number 8 is the infinity symbol and that is totally geeky and 8 is my favorite number and it is 2008. Oh, how the stars have aligned!

1. Who is your favorite musical artist? (post a youtube video) Not exactly my favorite artist but this song let's us know that Light Rail is coming.. :-)

2. Who is your favorite artist (post a flicker photo) Mark Hobley in Venice CA. Great guy, very talented. Has done some cool stuff for movie studios and many galleries.

3. Who is your favorite blogger? Hard to tell but I think it might be Russ Shaw.. He tells it like it is.

4. If you could meet anyone (alive or dead), who would it be and what is the most interesting thing about them? My grandfather. Actually, both of my grandfather's. They died before I knew them but they each are a big part of my life. One, pretty "old school," the other, very "proper." A great combination. :-) I miss them..

5. What did you want to be when you grew up? When I was a boy, I wanted to be like my dad.. So far, so good..

6. What is the most interesting piece of trivia you know? Maybe not the most interesting but it has stuck with me for 30+ years.. Pele' the famous soccer player's name was Edson Arantes Do Nascimento - Funny, I am not a huge soccer fan but did play as a boy..

7. If you could live in any point in history what would it be and why? During the Crucifixion.. This is a fascinating time in our history.

8. What is the most interesting job you have ever held? wanna be blogger..

The 8 people I memed
(which means they are required by meme law to answer and ask 8 other people to answer these same questions on their blogs) They probably don't need to call it the Memorial Day meme but, it would be fun for them to chime in..

1. Jeff Brown - He's Bright, he's Bawld and he's the Bomb when it comes to blogging about real estate investments..

2. Geno Petro - He IS Chi' Town Real Estate! A wonderfully talented writer, I was glad to meet him recently in Phx.

3. Brian Brady - My new friend.. Mr.Twitter, Mr. Social Media Marketing Guru. An awesome resource.

4. Phil Sexton - I had a chance to speak with Phil recently. Nice guy, great real estate company with some real talent.

5. Samuel I. Richard - Very talented ASU student. This bright "kid" is a real STaR and is going places, fast..

6. PHX Rail Food - David, aka. Silver Bear, does a great job writing about one of my favorite subjects.. Food.

7. Dru Bloomfield - We have met briefly but not yet had a chance to talk. Excellent Scottsdale real estate blog.

8. Glenn Kelman - Showed a lot of guts and gave a great presentation last week. Would love to hear some more..

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Posted on May 26, 2008 23:28 by Nick Bastian
Tags: meme, nick bastian, rail life, blogging
Categories: Fun Stuff | Light Rail Real Estate
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Unchained? Many ways to market TO many different markets

Marketing takes on many different shapes and sizes and can reach audiences large and small. The upcoming "Unchained" Social Media Marketing Conference at the Heard Museum has a pretty interesting line up. I had some good conversations with Greg Swann last week after an Unchained Preview. I really like some of Greg's marketing ideas and philosophies but don't agree with everything we discussed. Greg, Brian Brady and I do agree that the power of social media marketing can do great things for our respective businesses.

Greg does a great job with his blog and freely admits that there are those who love it and those that hate it. I guess you could say that I fall somewhere in-between. When the topic of Phoenix Light Rail came up, Greg said, "You know, we have been bashing that thing" with his trademark grin.. Yep, I know but that certainly does not change my opinion . Taking examples from a person that thinks light rail is a "boondoggle," or saying that construction makes it "impossible for people to drive," is a difference of opinion that we might have. The location of the conference is along Central Avenue and near the future Central / Encanto Light Rail stop. This again got me thinking of the many areas along the route. I believe a ton of people in the neighborhoods along Central are getting excited to live near light rail. I have read some really great transit related blogs locally and nationally (along with some really bad ones) and find that there is a large group of people interested in a lifestyle of convenience and accessibility that these systems can provide. While it is still pretty early to tell, I am betting that Phoenix is ready for light rail and that the system will change many of these areas more than people realize.

I am looking forward to attending the Unchained Social Media Marketing Conference in Phoenix this Sunday-Tuesday, May 18-20th and to learning more about social media. I hope to be able to buy Greg lunch, or maybe a drink somewhere along the light rail line. :-)

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Phoenix Business Journal to feature Light Rail

Light Rail fans might want to make sure and take a look at the upcoming, May 16 issue of the Phoenix Business Journal. They will be doing a feature called "Block by Block by Light Rail" which sounds pretty darn cool.. Our friend Karen sent us this brief description of what to expect..

"The Phoenix Business Journal has a 20-page pullout, Block by Block by Light Rail, coming out May 16. The section focuses on businesses and neighborhoods near light rail stops. There's a feature on transit oriented development (TODs), Apache Boulevard and coverage of businesses that have actually survived construction hassles. The Business Journal also spoke to a number of those in the Phoenix business community about if they think light rail will change the city. The section also includes a list of landmarks near light rail that will be undergoing renovation, a light map, and a time line on the history of Phoenix commuter rail."

Stay tuned.. By the end of the summer, Rail Life will begin to roll out our community pages, hotel pages, shopping pages, sports pages etc., complete with searchable mapping capabilities, line section information, park and ride information and all kinds of really cool "stuff" for you to enjoy. Stick around Phoenix... "Your Life Is On The Line!"

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More Light Rail Benefits - Leaving the Sprawl

In this mornings paper, I noticed an article titled "Residents arrive at luxury Tempe condos." While there was just one small mention of the benefit to Bridgeview because of it's proximity to light rail, I think it should not be over looked. I have had the opportunity to tour this amazing community several times, have met with some really great people at SunCor and discussed the Hayden Ferry projects at length. I'm sure that every person living in this community feels light rail will be another huge benefit to this amazing place. While it isn't affordable for everyone, Bridgeview is a spectacular lakeside community in Tempe. I recently took a short video while touring one of the models. Not exactly a "professional grade" video but I wanted to try and give you a feeling of how gorgeous these units are. The video was a spur of the moment shot taken with my new toy, the Flip camera. :-)

This particular model is a West facing property on the 4th floor of Bridgeview featuring 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and approximately 1718 square feet. The views of the lake, grounds and mountains are amazing. Take a look at the kitchen, I loved it! At the time, the pricing was set at $1,225,000.00 for this unit.

For the ultimate in luxury lakeside living, this area is hard to beat. The amenities at Bridgeview are phenomenal! Residents of this exclusive community are pampered with a hosted reception center, a demonstration kitchen, beautiful private hospitality area, theater room, business center, game/billiards room, fitness center with wet steam room and dry sauna, wonderful outdoor barbecue area(s), swimming pool, spa etc etc!

I will be shooting more videos and writing more articles about some of the many different housing options available along the light rail line in the near future.

Remember.. "Your Life, is on the Line!"

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$6 Billion and our .02 Cents

The Memorial Day 2008 Super MeMe

Unchained? Many ways to market TO many different markets

Phoenix Business Journal to feature Light Rail

More Light Rail Benefits - Leaving the Sprawl