David Krietor has served as CEO of the newly-formed Downtown Phoenix, Inc. (“DPI”) since April 8, 2013. In that time, he has begun work with community stakeholders to develop the downtown we want. “Your Downtown” shares his thoughts and DPI’s progress with the downtown community and beyond. Read the other chats here.
For the past year, Phoenix residents have provided thoughtful feedback on the City of Phoenix’s future investment in the Move PHX transportation plan (Prop 104) and the General Plan (Prop 100). At our next Radiate PHX networking event on Tuesday, June 16 at the DeSoto Central Market at Central and Roosevelt, the Downtown Phoenix Inc. (DPI) board of directors invites you to rally in support of these important initiatives and their beneficial impact on Downtown Phoenix at the ballot box on August 25.
We’ll hear from Shawn Connelly, general manager of the wonderfully-restored DeSoto Central Market; Mo Stein, board chair of the Phoenix Community Alliance who has been instrumental in developing the General Plan; and District 8 Councilwoman Kate Gallego, who co-chairs the Move PHX Campaign. In “Rock The Vote” spirit, an official voter registration ambassador from the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office will be on hand to register voters and answer questions. For more information about RadiatePHX and to RSVP, click here.
On Wednesday, June 17 at 3 p.m., the Phoenix City Council will consider a new five-year contract for DPI to manage the core Enhanced Municipal Services District. While the Downtown Phoenix partnership (DPP) will remain a major partner overseeing services in the core, the new contract ensures we have a coordinated and collaborative approach to managing our increasingly dynamic downtown.
In other recent news about our downtown…
Good People
- Retiring Deputy City Manager Naimark Looks Back and Ahead
- ASU downtown charter school graduates first class
- Charlie Rose receives Cronkite Award from ASU Downtown
- Deserving good neighbors to be awarded artistic front porch benches
- Randy Johnson receives key to the city
- Kimber Lanning saves vintage Wurth House on Roosevelt Row
Good Eats
- The Counter Custom Built Burgers opens in Downtown Phoenix
- Freak Out Dinner at DeSoto Central Market to feature 13 top Valley chefs
- Restaurants open and close in May in metro Phoenix
- Short Leash Hot Dogs opening second Downtown Phoenix restaurant
- Surge in seafood restaurants hits Phoenix area
- The Duce on first episode of new Food Network show
Good Times
- Bentley Gallery creates intimate Warehouse District art space
- Comicon takes over Downtown Phoenix
- Could the Arizona Coyotes move back to Downtown Phoenix?
- First Friday music guide for June in Downtown Phoenix
- Phoenix featured on Snapchat
- Soak up thriving art scene, great food in Phoenix and its suburbs
- 10 cool things we saw in Downtown Phoenix during June’s First Friday
Good Effort
- artHAUS brings artful residential infill to midtown Phoenix
- Business execs, change agents & localists attend national BALLE conference
- Center 8 Townhomes planned for 8th Avenue
- Community forum highlights opportunities for proposed Roosevelt BID
- Construction firms, engineers betting on Phoenix light rail expansion
- Cutting edge, arts-oriented infill coming to Downtown Phoenix
- Developers ask for more time to buy, redevelop Barrister Building project
- Forum explores Phoenix’s rapid growth and future
- Four Phoenix coworking spaces among top 100
- Orlando leaders look to Phoenix for downtown inspiration
- Phoenix one step closer to creating downtown entertainment district
- Phoenix poised for $3.2B capital investment; experts say it’s not enough
- Phoenix ranked Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community
- Topping out ceremony signals ASU law school’s downtown arrival
Goodwill
- City of Phoenix suing FAA over aircraft noise
- Phoenix shelter needs a lot of water to help homeless during summer
- Power surge disrupts experience for downtown Hyatt guests
- Residents long for fix to Downtown Phoenix’s business problem
Good News
Downtown Phoenix Inc. recently launched a new mobile-friendly website with bright colors, a visually rich design, and expanded content. We realize it’s a big shift from the old website and through this transition, we want to ensure you have the best experience possible. To continue providing you the latest and greatest Downtown Phoenix events, news, research, maps, and information, please click here and take five minutes to fill out the questionnaire. We feel this new resource better showcases our vibrant urban center, and hope you love the new website as much as we do.
The newest What’s Happening Guide for the upcoming week is hot off the presses. You can download a copy by clicking here.
In Closing
I wanted to share with you an interesting perspective and commentary from former Arizona Republic reporter Eugene Scott about the significant downtown changes and community building he experienced during his time in Phoenix. Whether riding a GRID Bike Share bike, walking our neighborhoods undergoing transition, or taking in the First Friday arts and music scene, Eugene reported from a refreshing “ground up” approach. Congrats to Eugene on getting his Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard and now reporting from our nation’s capital on all things politics.
