volume 14, issue 12 • december 2012
www.northcentralnews.net
Big malls reach out to small businesses By Teri Carnicelli Two large retail centers in the Phoenix area are hoping to attract new shoppers by thinking … small. Where formerly shopping malls could rely on big chain department stores to serve as anchors for their centers, the slumping economy has seen heavy hitters like Macy’s and Dillard’s closing up shop around the country, while others, like Robinsons-May, have disappeared altogether. Shopping centers such as Metrocenter Mall and even Biltmore Fashion Park have seen retail spaces sitting vacant for months or even years as their corporate owners struggle to attract new businesses. That’s where the concept of thinking “small” recently has come into play. On Nov. 9, Biltmore Fashion Park debuted UNION, a collection of local, independent retailers gathered under one roof. In the meantime, Metrocenter continues its own efforts to attract local small business owners to add to the diversity of its urban shopping center.
UNION With 18 different concepts coming together in a single 7,200-square-foot building located on the east end of the shopping center next to Stingray Sushi and Seasons 52, UNION has created a shopping experience within a shopping experience.
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please see MALLS on page 10
Artist Hugo Medina (hugosart.com) chats with Xavier College Preparatory students Ashlyn Coyle (center) and Sarah Falker as he works on a mural at the new PHX Renews sustainability project at the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Indian School Road. Medina’s mural is a protest to the Phoenix Suns organization tearing down the iconic Madison Hotel to make way for additional parking, using a large rezoning public notice billboard as a background (photo by Teri Carnicelli).
Project transforms 15-acre vacant lot By Teri Carnicelli The city of Phoenix saw it as a blank slate. The owners saw it as a property in search of a project. Now, the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Indian School Road is being transformed into something truly unique — a sustainable public space. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and property owners Barron Collier Companies announced the first-ofits-kind project during a special event on Nov. 19 featuring artists creating mini murals, food trucks selling their tasty eats, and info booths from Arizona sustainability organizations. The 15-acre project, dubbed “PHX Renews,” is the largest transformation of vacant land happening in the country and perhaps will become a template for other projects within the city and across the United States, commented Stanton. “I am super psyched about this project,” Stanton said. “This represents all things good about our city. “I want this project to serve as a prototype of a living, learning laboratory of how other vacant properties can be transformed into great public spaces,” Stanton emphasized. “We need to change the conversation about vacant land from a negative to a positive.”
The initiative is a partnership between Keep Phoenix Beautiful, a nonprofit, and Barron Collier Companies, owners of the property. As a creative partnership, this project brings no additional cost to the city since the land is on loan from Barron Collier Companies and all design and building services are provided by Smith Group/JJR Design Firm. The project will be managed by Keep Phoenix Beautiful. “Barron Collier Companies is pleased to provide this opportunity to the citizens of Phoenix, and we have enjoyed working with the mayor and city officials to make this a reality,” said Gary DuBrock of please see VACANT on page 12
in this issue Green Team is part of science day, page 3 Community garden receives grant, page 8 Boy Scout tree lot open for business, page 12 GLAAZ gets support for invention, page 32 Eatery’s success built on food, family, page 48