Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect year for light rail's debut in Mesa. The city welcomed light rail in 2008.

Valley Metro is evaluating whether light rail, rapid transit bus or a modern streetcar could be implemented in Mesa's Fiesta District.

The area is anchored by the 38-year-old Fiesta Mall, which has lost most major stores.

Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix welcomed light rail in 2008. A 1.9-mile extension down Main Street to Gilbert Road is under construction.

The two-year study, called an "alternatives analysis," began this summer and is slated to conclude in summer 2019. The project is budgeted for $900,000 and will involve community outreach and study of the area around Fiesta Mall, Banner Desert Medical Center and Mesa Community College.

'It takes many years to build a project like this'

Officials are considering several types of transit, including:

Light rail, a higher-speed but the most costly alternative — $80 to $130 million per mile, according to Valley Metro. It would cost an average of $3.83 per passenger to operate. Light rail can hold up to 200 people per car, with up to three cars connected.

Bus rapid transit, which would cost $10 million to $40 million per mile and an average of $2.34 per passenger to operate. While this is the cheapest option, it's also the lowest capacity, holding 90 people per bus.

Streetcar, with a $40 million to $70 million price tag and an average cost of $2.95 per passenger. About 160 people could fit in a modern streetcar.

This is the beginning of what could likely be a long process, according to Jodi Sorrell, Mesa's transportation director.

"It takes many years to build a project like this," she said. "When we did our first extension in Central Mesa down Main Street, it was eight years of planning, but another probably 15 years to get it in a sales-tax initiative."

This year, Valley Metro will define the purpose and the need for high-capacity transit in the area. During the next two years, officials will examine the options and recommend a preferred one.

Hope that development will revive area

Terry Gruver, a community outreach coordinator with Valley Metro, said they will consider an array of factors, particularly the public's needs in the Fiesta District.

"We’re trying to understand some specific things from people: Where do they live and work, and where do they travel to and from and where do they see transportation needs?" she said.

Gruver and her team are still looking for feedback on the project. Residents are encouraged to go online to learn more.

There's hope that the Fiesta District, anchored by the long-struggling Fiesta Mall, will come back to life with recent redevelopment.

Dimension Financial & Realty Investments Inc. recently bought the mall for $6.72 million. The developer said they want to transform the 380,000-square-foot property into a campus for for-profit and community schools.

Though closures of big-box stores such as Best Buy spelled doom to locals, others have seen the shuttering of holdout stores in the area as opportunity for redevelopment.

Gilbert Road light-rail construction

Construction on a 1.9-mile light-rail extension to Gilbert Road kicked off in October 2016. The new segment will include two stations down Main Street starting at Mesa Drive and ending at Gilbert Road.

Sorrell said the project is coming along, currently in the below-ground construction stage. After the first of the year, the project should move to above-ground construction, resembling more of a rail project.

That project is scheduled to be completed in spring 2019.

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