Phoenix to piss away $100,000 for street artists.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0505downtownart-ON.html

City seeks team of artists to bring vision downtown

Ginger D. Richardson The Arizona Republic May. 5, 2006 06:38 PM

PHOENIX - City officials are looking for a team of artists to help them create a prettier, more vibrant downtown.

The City Council allocated this week $100,000 in arts funding for the plan, which would involve designing more attractive street fronts, as well as shaded public areas where residents and visitors could gather and walk.

Currently, Phoenix's core is known for its unattractive mix of parking lots and concrete and is considered a detriment to the city's overall downtown revitalization efforts.

"We're trying to encourage people to feel comfortable outside all year round," said Phil Jones, director of Phoenix's Office of Arts and Culture.

The proposal is part of an overall strategic vision for the downtown area, which was approved by the council in December 2004 and is slated for implementation over the next decade.

The document includes districts for government, education, entertainment, restaurants and arts spaces, generally excludes single-family housing and sets goals for new retail development, public green space and extensive shade. The plan is divided into themes, including Downtown Living, Knowledge Economy, Distinctive Shopping and Great Places/Great Spaces.

The plan point outs specific items, or goals for the city's core, including attracting a new grocery store to the downtown area and developing mixed-use zoning districts. All are designed to pick up where big-ticket items - such as the new Arizona State University campus, light rail and an expanded Phoenix Convention Center -leave off.

Those pricey public projects, which represent a more than $1 billion investment in the downtown area, are expected to create spin-off private development in the form of residential housing and retail. But officials still fear that downtown will never be a truly "cool" place if they don't do something to address the never-ending sea of cement that blankets the area.

"We have to create a connected, comfortable people place where people will want to stay and linger," said Brian Kearney, chief executive officer of the Downtown Phoenix Partnership. "That was a key goal of the strategic plan, and what you are seeing now are the fruits of that effort."

Phoenix plans to solicit resumes from interested artists in late June or early July. A panel will review the applications and select a short list of finalists, and then the team that will ultimately work on the project, Jones said. The city estimates that it will need several months to select the right mix of artists and consultants, and another year after that to design the "connected oasis" it wants for downtown. So it's likely to be at least 2008 before residents and visitors start to notice a real change in the city's landscape.

Coincidentally, 2008 is also when the ASU campus expands to its second phase, with an estimated 7,500 students, and the year the starter light-rail line is slated to open.

"We hope this will ultimately result in a really nice street experience for people as all of these things are being built," Jones said.


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