Jackson Street Entertainment District Hits a Political Nerve

This afternoon, the City of Phoenix Planning and Zoning Committee has a scheduled hearing on the establishment, through rezoning, of the controversial Jackson Street Entertainment District -- ground zero for those five new Bernie Kantak restaurants I mentioned yesterday. And it looks like a protest is in the works, too. I found...

By Michele Laudig

June 10, 2009

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This afternoon, the City of Phoenix Planning and Zoning Committee has a scheduled hearing on the establishment, through rezoning, of the controversial Jackson Street Entertainment District -- ground zero for those five new Bernie Kantak restaurants I mentioned yesterday.

And it looks like a protest is in the works, too. I found the link on Twitter.

It seems like there would be a lot of support for a mixed-use development like this, but as with CityScape a few years ago, there's plenty of skepticism as well. The fact that Jackson Street Entertainment District will be located in the Warehouse District -- where there are a number of historically significant early 20th century buildings -- makes it all the more sensitive. (However, a staff report from the Planning Department notes that this project will preserve the historical character of the Warehouse District.)

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