Developers want to silence nearly all train horns on a stretch of tracks on the southern end of Downtown Phoenix. The proposed quiet zone would impact Union Pacific trains that travel along Harrison Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Street. Several developers have built condos in the area and other plans to build more condominiums and hotels are underway.

Train engineers honk their horns at each railroad crossing in Phoenix. In quiet zones, train operators use horns less often. A temporary quiet zone may cost as little as $250,000 but would face a years review by the Federal Railroad Administration. A permanent quiet zone could cost up to $4.5 million but many of the recommended improvements are probably already in place, substantially reducing the price tag. The city has already contributed $150,000 toward the project, and several businesses have raised about $100,000 so far.

Developers have big plans for the neighborhood. W Developments, the firm that built the Summit at Copper Square, is involved in the proposed Jackson Street Entertainment District for the area. CityScape, a $900 million RED Development project, is expected to include hotels and dwellings. The Luhr’s building will one day be a hotel

UrbanLiving360 - Downtown Phoenix Lofts, High-rises, and Unique Condominiums

The light rail line keeps on growin’! Work will begin soon on another 3.2-miles starting just south of Bethany Home Road stretching north on 19th Avenue to Dunlap Avenue. It will connect to the 20-mile Metro light-rail line, which will start running in late December. Utility relocation starts this fall with the first track probably to be installed in late 2009 on a project scheduled for completion by 2012.

To clear a path for this light rail section, in May 2007 Phoenix began to buy homes. So far 38 residential properties have been purchased at a price of $7.4 million. The city is buying four remaining residential properties but more could be added as the light-rail design for the route is completed

City officials say 15,135 residents live within a half-mile of the northwest extension, with 6,855 housing units in the area, and this will allow many north-central Phoenix residents to more easily travel downtown and as far as Tempe and Mesa. The Metro light rail will run south from Bethany Home Road, wind its way through central Phoenix and downtown and go east on Washington Street to Tempe and Mesa.