OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

City of Phoenix Economic Development & Arts Subcommittee Meeting - Nov 12, 2025

City Council — Wednesday, November 12, 2025
BodyPhoenix, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, November 12, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:16:28

Transcript — Verbatim
0:40

Good morning.

0:42

Welcome to the November 12th, 2025 Economic Development and the Arts Subcommittee.

0:50

I'd like to call the meeting to order and turn it over to our city attorney, David Benton, to explain public comment.

0:59

Morning, madam chair, members of the subcommittee during citizen comment, members of the public may address the subcommittee for up to three minutes on issues of concern to them.

1:08

The issues being addressed, however, must be on subject matters that fall within the jurisdiction of the subcommittee or upon which the subcommittee or city phoenix may act.

1:17

The Arizona opened media mall permits the subcommittee members to listen to the comments, but prohibits members from discussing or acting on matters presented.

1:25

Thank you, Madam Chair.

1:28

Thank you so much, sir.

1:30

And this morning for um interpretation, we have Elsie Duarte.

1:34

Would you please introduce yourself?

1:37

Yes, thank you, uh Madam Chair O'Brien.

1:40

My name is El C Duarte, and I will be providing Spanish interpretation during today's session.

1:47

I will now take a moment to address our Spanish speaking audience.

2:31

Thank you, Madam Chair.

2:33

Thank you so much, Elsie.

2:35

Um then our next agenda item is called to public, and we have one virtual person uh online, Jenny Ann Sumner.

2:46

She's not on.

2:47

Okay, we'll come back.

2:49

You guys will let me know if she comes back on when or gets back on.

2:52

Thank you.

2:54

The next uh agenda item is approval of minutes from October 14th, 2025.

3:00

Do I have a motion?

3:02

I move to approve.

3:04

Second.

3:05

I have a motion and a second.

3:06

All those in favor, please say aye.

3:09

Aye.

3:10

Aye.

3:10

Aye.

3:11

Motion passes.

3:13

Um, any nays.

3:15

Motion passes unanimously.

3:17

Thank you.

3:19

Um item number two on our agenda is light rails impact on economic development and community visioning.

3:27

For this item, we have with us Marcus Coleman, our light rail administrator for the city of Phoenix.

3:33

Joshua Bed Benerek, planning and development director with the city of Phoenix.

3:38

Oh, Marty, I'm gonna apologize.

3:40

Marty Zeke.

3:41

Oh, yay, from with Valley Metro, and then Eric Johnson with the deputy who is the deputy director for community and economic development.

3:50

Thank you all for joining us this morning.

3:53

This item is for information and discussion.

4:00

Madam Chair, members of the subcommittee, thank you for having us here.

4:04

Um it's an honor to be able to present to you today on an important topic of economic development that has been spurred by our light rail project.

4:16

Today we have Josh Benarick, as you stated, um, who will from our um from our planning development department who will talk to us about our planning around uh public transit and high capacity transit.

4:31

Also some of the community efforts that we go through to make sure that these projects are done with the community and done in a responsible manner.

4:39

Um we also have Marty Z from Valley Metro, who will talk from a regional perspective, who will give us information that really shows what we've seen around our light rail system from a regional perspective and some of the benefits that we've been able to observe.

4:54

And then finally, we have Eric Johnson from our community economic development department that will give specifics for the city of Phoenix.

5:02

Um, is really dive into some of those details of projects that we've seen, some of the results that we've seen from this investment that we've done throughout the valley, and then also some of the critical opportunities that we have identified to help us to continue to grow our economic development footprint around our light rail system.

5:22

And with that, I will hand over to Josh Bonari.

5:28

Thank you, Marcus.

5:29

Madam Chair, members of the subcommittee.

5:31

When we talk about transoric communities in Phoenix, we're generally talking about the neighborhoods, businesses, and properties within a half mile on each side of the city's light rail system.

5:42

Trans-oriented communities are designed to encourage investment near light rail stations that is compact, accessible, and mixed use, helping to maximize the investment in light rail and enhancing ridership.

5:55

Phoenix has 11 transit-oriented communities spanning from South Central to the New Metropolitan District and from Sky Harbor Airport to Desert Sky Mall.

6:04

Eight of the communities have City Council adopted policy plans, while staff is hard at work finalizing plans for the Metropolitan Capital and I 10 West districts.

6:15

All the TLC plans are done in collaboration with the community through hundreds of hours of workshops, meetings, and surveys.

6:23

We have seen tremendous support and subsequent investment in the TOC areas, thanks in large part to the ownership the community has of the plan and its vision for the future.

6:34

All of the TOC plans focus on six planning elements land use, housing, economic development, health, mobility, and green systems.

6:43

This holistic approach to planning results in robust discussions with the community and a comprehensive policy framework that guides investment in each of these impactful areas.

6:55

The TOC framework has developed around the community answering three key questions who we are, what we want, and how we get there.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
International Relations███████████████████████████27%
Economic Development█████████████████████████25%
Workforce Development███████████████████19%
Public Transit██████████10%
Procedural███████7%
Personnel Matters██████6%
Public Engagement███3%
Community Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Economic Development and Arts Subcommittee Meeting - November 12, 2025

The City of Phoenix Economic Development and the Arts Subcommittee convened on November 12, 2025, to discuss the economic impacts of the light rail system, update on Phoenix Sister Cities activities, and approve new workforce development partnerships. The meeting featured presentations from city departments and Valley Metro, resulting in unanimous votes to approve a new Sister Cities contract and formalize registered apprenticeship programs. No public comment was offered by the scheduled speaker, Jenny Ann Sumner, due to technical difficulties.

Consent Calendar

  • Unanimous approval of the minutes from the October 14, 2025, meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • The scheduled speaker, Jenny Ann Sumner, failed to connect virtually. The meeting proceeded to adjourn on public comment after the chair confirmed no other speakers wished to testify.

Discussion Items

  • Light Rail Economic Impact: Presenters Marcus Coleman (City), Joshua Benerek (Planning), Marty Zeke (Valley Metro), and Eric Johnson (CED) detailed the economic revitalization around the 35.5-mile light rail system. Key data points included over $4 billion in infrastructure investment yielding a 500% return ($20 billion private investment), 50,000+ residential units built (10% affordable), and 286,000 workers now employed in the corridor. Specific projects highlighted included Creighton University at Park Central, the Metro district growth, and the upcoming Central Station development.
    • Positions: Councilwoman Pastor expressed strong support, stating the investment has exceeded expectations and emphasizing that the light rail provides essential access to underserved areas like South Phoenix that were previously reliant on less efficient bus systems. Councilman Robinson thanked the presenters for demonstrating how the transit infrastructure acts as a critical tool within a larger transit ecosystem.
  • Phoenix Sister Cities Update: Rita Marco, CEO of Phoenix Sister Cities, and the CED team presented a five-year review and requested approval for a new contract. Highlights included seven outbound delegations (e.g., Prague, Catania), the establishment of a sister city with Suwan, South Korea, and the growth of cultural events like El Grito and Double 10. The presentation emphasized successful business attraction efforts, including semiconductor connections and Taiwanese company growth.
    • Positions: Councilwoman Stark expressed full support for the program, citing its role in bringing semiconductor investment and business connections to the city, with a specific mention of the Waymo partnership in Prague. Councilman Robinson praised the rigorous business focus of the delegations, noting that every trip resulted in tangible business benefits for Phoenix. Councilwoman Pastor, who shared a personal anecdote about the life-changing impact of the program on a local student (Mondo), voiced complete support and emotional gratitude for Marco's leadership.
  • Employer Developed Registered Apprenticeships: The committee discussed a new model where the city sponsors employer-developed registered apprenticeships in advanced manufacturing and semiconducting, moving away from standard city-sponsored roles. The program, launched in coordination with TSMC, Northern Arizona University, and Rio Salado Community College, currently includes cohorts for Industrial Maintenance, Manufacturing Technician, and Equipment Tech roles.
    • Positions: The committee members expressed support for the workforce development strategy. Councilwoman Pastor recused herself due to a potential conflict of interest. The committee noted the program's ability to fill 67,000 skilled worker positions in the valley and its high return on investment for the city through increased tax revenue and workforce resilience.

Key Outcomes

  • Item 3: Motion passed unanimously to recommend approval of a new five-year contract with Phoenix Sister Cities.
  • Item 4: Motion passed unanimously to approve Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with education providers (Northern Arizona University, Mesa Community College, Rio Salado Community College) and authorize the city as the sponsor for employer-developed registered apprenticeship programs.
  • Item 5: Motion passed unanimously to authorize the city to enter into contracts with employers for registered apprenticeship programs, with a total aggregate funding value not to exceed $650,000.
  • Recusal: Councilwoman Pastor formally recused herself from voting on Items 4 and 5 due to a conflict of interest.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. Welcome to the November 12th, 2025 Economic Development and the Arts Subcommittee. I'd like to call the meeting to order and turn it over to our city attorney, David Benton, to explain public comment. Morning, madam chair, members of the subcommittee during citizen comment, members of the public may address the subcommittee for up to three minutes on issues of concern to them. The issues being addressed, however, must be on subject matters that fall within the jurisdiction of the subcommittee or upon which the subcommittee or city phoenix may act. The Arizona opened media mall permits the subcommittee members to listen to the comments, but prohibits members from discussing or acting on matters presented. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you so much, sir. And this morning for um interpretation, we have Elsie Duarte. Would you please introduce yourself? Yes, thank you, uh Madam Chair O'Brien. My name is El C Duarte, and I will be providing Spanish interpretation during today's session. I will now take a moment to address our Spanish speaking audience. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you so much, Elsie. Um then our next agenda item is called to public, and we have one virtual person uh online, Jenny Ann Sumner. She's not on. Okay, we'll come back. You guys will let me know if she comes back on when or gets back on. Thank you. The next uh agenda item is approval of minutes from October 14th, 2025. Do I have a motion? I move to approve. Second. I have a motion and a second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Motion passes. Um, any nays. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you. Um item number two on our agenda is light rails impact on economic development and community visioning. For this item, we have with us Marcus Coleman, our light rail administrator for the city of Phoenix. Joshua Bed Benerek, planning and development director with the city of Phoenix. Oh, Marty, I'm gonna apologize. Marty Zeke. Oh, yay, from with Valley Metro, and then Eric Johnson with the deputy who is the deputy director for community and economic development. Thank you all for joining us this morning. This item is for information and discussion. Madam Chair, members of the subcommittee, thank you for having us here. Um it's an honor to be able to present to you today on an important topic of economic development that has been spurred by our light rail project. Today we have Josh Benarick, as you stated, um, who will from our um from our planning development department who will talk to us about our planning around uh public transit and high capacity transit. Also some of the community efforts that we go through to make sure that these projects are done with the community and done in a responsible manner. Um we also have Marty Z from Valley Metro, who will talk from a regional perspective, who will give us information that really shows what we've seen around our light rail system from a regional perspective and some of the benefits that we've been able to observe. And then finally, we have Eric Johnson from our community economic development department that will give specifics for the city of Phoenix. Um, is really dive into some of those details of projects that we've seen, some of the results that we've seen from this investment that we've done throughout the valley, and then also some of the critical opportunities that we have identified to help us to continue to grow our economic development footprint around our light rail system. And with that, I will hand over to Josh Bonari. Thank you, Marcus.

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