Imagine Greater Tucson
Phase I Data Gathering
| Tucson Commercial Real Estate Women | ||
| University Marriott – 880 E. 2nd St., Tucson | ||
| Date of Conversation: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 Time: 3:30 – 5:30 PM | ||
| Facilitator: Patrick Hartley Recorder: Lindsey Sexton | ||
| Number of Tables: 1 Number of Participants: 20 | ||
| Theme 1. Governance | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| The no-growth political environment - bad governance | ||
| Support of military and negativity from a small vociferous group against the military | ||
| Better support for bringing new business and military to town | ||
| Unincorporated Pima County not able to participate in City elections | ||
| Lack of cohesive political leadership | ||
| More competent government | ||
| A more attractive streetscape | ||
| Theme 2. Economic Development | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| More effort to bring new business/families to the Tucson area | ||
| More business friendly (encourage jobs and keep students here) | ||
| Lack of professional opportunity - a one job town | ||
| Better wages | ||
| Attract bigger and more businesses | ||
| Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
| Housing costs are still high compared to income because of land costs and government fees | ||
| We need higher wages. Professionals make 1/3 less here for the same job in other places | ||
| There are 2 things that make Tucson unattractive for business. 1) no properly trained workforce, and 2) we have a vertical government that isn't on the same page | ||
| We are blessed with low property taxes, but this affects our schools | ||
| We need to find our own uniqueness | ||
| Businesses have a 2-3 year process to move here, and they lose interest. It needs to be quicker and easier | ||
| My daughter just moved back here from LA with her 4 year old daughter, and has heard nothing but bad things about local schools | ||
| Governor Brewer is proposing probusiness ideas, but cutting education. It doesn't make sense | ||
| How is it that we are paying more for schools, but getting less? Is it because of charter schools? | ||
| There is no funding in schools for librarians, nurses, music programs, etc. | ||
| San Antonio - the riverwalk use to be where criminals went and they changed that image. Schools are worse here than in Texas. When I came to Arizona, I skipped from the 8th grade to 12th without having to think | ||
| Jobs are leaving California for Texas, because of Texas's pro-business environment. Tucson isn't business friendly | ||
| Job creation is a beauty contest- we lose because we don't have the depth of services in this community - for example, education | ||
| There is a persistent illusion that Tucson is a cheap place to live. It used to be, but not now. Companies are still paying $10.00 an hour but rent is $1,000 a month. We need well-paying jobs, so we can all pay our taxes. Something is upside down | ||
| We can't fix the transportation system without affecting other things. We need to develop higher paying jobs or kids can't stay. Need balance, but we can't sacrifice the environment to create jobs. Finding that balance between all of this is a true challenge | ||
| We have a bad case of NIMBYism - we need to learn to compromise | ||
| Economic development will not happen unless we fix the education system. We rank 50th in the nation | ||
| So much of the money (tax revenue) is in unincorporated Pima County so we don't get that money | ||
| The military brings money here, and shouldn't be overlooked | ||
| We want to accommodate business, but we don't want to compromise the local environment by giving too much away | ||
| Need corporate citizenship; only 1 or 2 corporate drivers. Need to lower fees, charges, and taxes for the business community | ||
| The tail wags the dog - need money to do the bike lanes, etc. We need good paying jobs | ||
| Theme 3. Urban Planning | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Need more neighborhood centers - i.e. mini-towns or urban villages | ||
| Theme 4. Education | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Schools | ||
| Need to support education to achieve workforce development | ||
| Theme 5. Sense of Community | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| We need to think big on the right things - small class sizes are ok, but big transportation projects are also ok | ||
| "Small Town" | ||
| Feeling or sense of being connected to a community | ||
| Big city with a small town feel | ||
| Big city that feels like a small town | ||
| Community | ||
| Friends! | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Increase recognition that there may be a better alternative to solve problems of community - those could even be found in Phoenix! | ||
| Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
| Community defines who we are and sets us apart from other places "shared sense of community" | ||
| People live here because they want to and enjoy the environment. They figure out how to stay here | ||
| Tucson is different - we should celebrate and define those differences | ||
| Very scary regulations from Phoenix coming down - for example carrying guns makes people afraid | ||
| Eye contact, friendly waves, talking in the grocery store - preserve this! I don't want isolation | ||
| People need to care about decisions - that they are part of the community | ||
| The crime rate is not reported accurately in Tucson - it's hard to keep track of the actual crime rate (example: UofA students are encouraged to report every little incident) | ||
| The high crime rate really effects our sense of community | ||
| Do we need an identity? 20-30 years and we still always compare ourselves to Phoenix. We should define ourselves by ourselves, and not negatively by what we are not. We are not "not Phoenix" we are "Tucson" and we need to acknowledge that fact. (Sierra Vista views Tucson in much the same way that Tucson views Phoenix) | ||
| Tucson should ask itself "What assets do we already have, and how can we make them better?" | ||
| We 'poo poo' big ideas, like bridges. We don't want it to be an attraction. We don't think big - how about a big cultural and arts center? | ||
| Theme 6. Medical Care | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| Medical care | ||
| Theme 7. Transportation | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Improved transportation options | ||
| An easier crosstown commute | ||
| Transportation | ||
| Need easier ways to get from here to there - efficient and effective | ||
| Get a freeway across town | ||
| Better transportation | ||
| More freeways and commuter transportation | ||
| Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
| The Modern Street Car will be nice, but it doesn't serve the entire area | ||
| Better transportation so that there are less cars on the road and less deserts bulldozed | ||
| Transportation includes walkability and bicycles - design for pleasant walking | ||
| Many voter approved transportation projects aren't supported by the Council | ||
| We live here because we don't want to commute for hours | ||
| We have top turn down jobs because we don't want to travel across town | ||
| It's isolating - you lose friends when you move across town (this is a real problem) | ||
| I live of the east side and I don't want to drive 45 minutes to do things downtown or at the UofA | ||
| It interrupts what you can do - for example it is difficult to network on the other side of town. It interferes with the things I'd like to do around town | ||
| Amazed how long it takes to get from A to B here as compared to other cities - say Dallas | ||
| Air quality, higher insurance rates, preservation, quality of life - time behind the wheel | ||
| The current system is inefficient and transportation affects every aspect of our lives | ||
| Theme 8. U of A | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| University of Arizona | ||
| University pride | ||
| UofA sports | ||
| Theme 9. Relationship with our Natural Environment | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| The weather | ||
| Outdoor activities/lifestyle | ||
| Natural beauty | ||
| The weather - allowing many days for outdoor activity | ||
| Clean air | ||
| Desert environment - friendly people, diversity, cultural events, the UofA | ||
| National Parks | ||
| Outdoor recreation - Mt. Lemmon, parks, desert, trails | ||
| Sabino Canyon and Mt. Lemmon recreational areas | ||
| Climate | ||
| Lifestyle- outdoors, friendly and diverse people | ||
| Love the weather - the ability to be outside most of the year | ||
| Weather | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Create a strong urban center to reduce blading the desert | ||
| Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
| Our population has grown so much, that are roads can't keep up | ||
| Our city government has been sneaky about getting projects done. They are slow but there has been real progress since the 1980s (ex: River Rd) | ||
| I saw a video of some town halls that were held around Tucson in the 60s and 70s and the participants were talking about many of the same issues we are talking about today. It's very humbling | ||
| A bridge idea was shot down in the area where I live, and I've been in car accidents because the current road system there isn't safe enough | ||
| I like to be in Tucson because of the nature | ||
| The environment is linked to childhood obesity. Kids can get out more, so can be more healthy. It's also tied to education, health, and tourism | ||
| I spent time in Germany and it was so wonderful. I could walk everywhere, but things in smaller quantities, and really got to know my area. When I can back to Tucson, I had to start driving everywhere again. We developed to sell cars, so everything in this country is developed to drive to | ||
| I'm likely to live in a subdivision that's a loop. You see lot's of nature. It feels like being in nature in the center of the city. Lot's of people walking and we have a mini community. For future development, we should structure the roads, etc. to build small communities within the larger community. I want to live at Grant/Swan so I walk to Starbucks and other places | ||
| Williams Center was developed but was a mess, but then it worked out because it became the center of Tucson. You are going to have opposition to projects, unless you can communicate all the benefits they get from development (restaurants, etc.) An example is the streetcar | ||
| It's harder to redevelop older areas because so many opinions. Section Tucson into neighborhoods, and work on developing neighborhood identities | ||
| Can be camping, hiking, mountain biking in nature. It's for my personal well-being. I need this or I go nuts. | ||
| Parks, trails, smaller lot sizes (Rancho Sahuarita?) | ||
| Need to find a balance | ||
| Theme 10. Arts and Culture | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| Arts and culture | ||
Monday, March 07, 2011