Part of Mesa's hated colonnade to come tumbling down

[TexasTowelie]

Mesa’s much-maligned downtown colonnade — a lumbering shade structure installed by the city in the 1980s in front of most Main Street businesses — will be torn down this fall to encourage redevelopment.

The Mesa City Council approved an $852,000 contract last week with Rytan, LLC., the lowest bidder to undertake the extensive project, which will rip down the colonnade from 10 downtown buildings.

Jeff McVay, the city’s manager of downtown transformation, said the project is needed to create more visibility for downtown storefronts, helping businesses attract more customers and helping landlords attract more businesses, particularly restaurants.

Although the project is not cheap, Mesa hopes it will attract a significant number of new businesses and new jobs while injecting more vitality into the area, McVay said.

Read more: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/news/part-of-mesa-s-hated-colonnade-to-come-tumbling-down/article_57073090-bd2f-11e8-a5bf-0707f00bf83b.html


Some of the colonnade like this one in front of the Pomeroy Building along Main Street in Mesa will be torned down soon in the hope of attracting more businesses, especially restaurants, downtown.
Special to the Tribune

[marble falls]

1. I've always like d it. Its nice not having the hide burned off my face walking downtown ...

in the summer. It makes it easier to window shop on the North side of the streets. Actually the lack of parking is the biggest gripe I have about Main street.

[Mosby]

7. the expectation is that building owners

Will create their own shade structures, along the lines of the building itself.

If you read the article, the existence of the colonnade has prevented buildings from obtaining historic status.

IMO it was a transparent attempt to recreate Old Town Scottsdale in Mesa.

[marble falls]

8. You mean that Scottsdale, "the West's Most Midwestern City" Scottsdale?

[marble falls]

9. I read the article and I've lived in Tempe/Mesa. Two blocks off Pioneer Park and across ...

Main St from the Temple. The problem for merchants on Main St is they can't sell anything cheaper than the four or five malls and shopping centers can within one mile of Main St.

Those shops worked when Cowboy hats and boots were what a business guy in Mesa wore up to the sixties.

After you visit the Visiter's center there's nothing to do in Mesa - they took out the merry go round and closed the great outdoor rock venue (Saw the Animals there), movie theaters are closing, And all the workers in the midrises downtown makes traveling parking bad. There are a lot of good places to get lunch, I admit.

If I lived in Mesa - except for some occasions parades or festivals - I'd never go downtown on Main.

[3Hotdogs]

2. Yeah, I think, bad decision.

[marybourg]

3. WHO hated it? Shopkeepers?

[JayhawkSD]

4. So removing shade structures in Arizona...

...will improve shopping conditions and cause people to buy more stuff. It will cause people to linger in front of store windows longer, because they will no longer have to stand in that nasty shade but will be able to fully enjoy the welcoming Arizona sunshine. Awesome.

[Mosby]

5. downtown mesa is hideous

You could not pay me enough money to live in Mesa.

[JonLP24]

10. I agree

And I live here.

[ArizonaLib]

6. TEAR IT DOWN SO THAT IT CAN WORK BETTER!!!

- Republican infrastructure approach

Sounds like the only business it's going to benefit is the contractor who got the work.

[QED]

11. The last time I was in downtown Mesa was for jury duty.

I don't have another reason to go there.

I live in Mesa - I can't afford to live anywhere else unless it's in far far suburbs. I don't much like it but it's convenient and affordable. No HOA to limit the number of dogs I have or tell me how my yard needs to look.