Attachment A - 5.14.26 EDA Subcommittee Minutes.pdf

Phoenix City Council 
Economic Development and the Arts (EDA) Subcommittee 
Summary Minutes 
Thursday, May 14, 2025 
City Council Chambers 
200 W. Jefferson St. 
Phoenix, Arizona. 
Subcommittee Members Present 
 Subcommittee Members Absent    
Councilwoman Ann O’Brien, Chair       
Councilwoman Debra Stark 
Councilman Kevin Robinson 
Councilwoman Laura Pastor, joined meeting at 10:05 a.m. 
CALL TO ORDER 
Chairwoman O’Brien called the Economic Development and the Arts Subcommittee to 
order at 10:00 a.m. with Councilwoman Stark, and Councilman Robinson present. 
Councilwoman Pastor joined the meeting at 10:05 a.m. 
CALL TO THE PUBLIC 
None. 
MINUTES OF MEETINGS 
1. Minutes of the Economic Development and the Arts Subcommittee Meeting
Councilman Robinson made a motion to approve the minutes of the April 8, 2026,
Economic Development and the Arts Subcommittee meeting. Councilwoman O’Brien
seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 3-0.
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION 
2. Annual Public Art Plan
Deputy City Manager Frank McCune, Interim Arts and Culture Director Carrie Brown, 
and Interim Deputy Arts and Culture Director Catina Crum presented this item.  
Ms. Brown mentioned the percent for art funds that help financially support art 
throughout the City and the work done to create the Annual Public Art Plan.  
Ms. Crum spoke about art projects located throughout the City and highlighted the 
Environmental Excellence Award that was received by one of the shade art projects. 
ATTACHMENT A

Councilwoman Stark highlighted the art room at Alice Cooper’s The Rock Teen Center. 
Councilwoman Stark asked if there is an opportunity to partner with schools to do an art 
project such as a mural. 
Ms. Brown confirmed that there are opportunities for partnerships for art projects with 
the City. 
Councilwoman Stark offered to connect the Office of Arts and Culture with the school. 
Councilwoman Pastor highlighted the Environmental Excellence Award that the City 
received for the Sombra art piece. Councilwoman Pastor mentioned shade and heat 
mitigation as an important aspect for the art shade structures. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked what steps are taken to get community input. 
Ms. Brown shared that the community is engaged through surveys and public meetings 
throughout the various phases of art projects. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked how stakeholders are identified for engagement with the art 
projects. 
Ms. Brown shared the Office of Arts and Culture identifies stakeholders with the help of 
City Council Offices, the Office of Arts and Culture’s grants and community 
engagement, Neighborhood Associations, and Village Planning Committees.  
Chairwoman O’Brien suggested engaging with community alliances and community 
block watch groups as well to ensure residents near the art are involved. Chairwoman 
O’Brien highlighted the various art projects shown in the presentation and the 
importance of having art throughout the community. 
Councilwoman Pastor made a motion to approve the item. Councilwoman Stark 
seconded the motion. 
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION 
3. Phoenix Economic Overview and Update: Part 4 – State of Downtown Phoenix 
Community and Economic Development Director Ryan Touhill and Deputy Community 
and Economic Development Director Xandon Keating presented this item. 
Mr. Touhill highlighted various areas that attract people to downtown Phoenix, such as 
dining, nightlife, sports, major events, and conventions. Mr. Touhill provided a 
comparison of downtown Phoenix in 2010 compared to today, including the increase in 
median income, which he shared highlights the positive impact.  
Mr. Keating spoke about the main drivers of downtown Phoenix growth, such as the 
Arizona State University campus, Light Rail and other transit connectivity, residential

growth, the Phoenix Bioscience Core, and entertainment and amenities. Mr. Keating 
discussed how these factors have made downtown Phoenix a civic, cultural, and 
economic hub. 
Mr. Touhill highlighted that the success of downtown Phoenix is a collaborative effort 
between various City departments and other external organizations. 
Chairwoman O’Brien thanked staff for the presentation. 
Councilwoman Stark highlighted the Downtown Strategic Plan that Downtown Phoenix, 
Inc. has been working on and asked for an update in a future subcommittee meeting on 
the Downtown Strategic Plan. 
Councilman Robinson asked who the biggest employer in downtown Phoenix is. 
Mr. Touhill answered that staff would work on getting an answer. 
Councilman Robinson noted that in the past, the largest employer was Valley National 
Bank. 
Councilwoman Stark suggested perhaps the City of Phoenix or Maricopa County is the 
largest employer in downtown Phoenix. 
Chairwoman O’Brien agreed that perhaps City of Phoenix or Maricopa County may be 
the largest employer in the downtown area. 
Mr. Touhill confirmed that he would work on getting an answer. 
Chairwoman O’Brien requested information on the largest public and private employer 
in downtown. 
Councilman Robinson also asked how many Black-owned businesses there are in 
downtown Phoenix. 
Mr. Touhill noted the information is not tracked in the City’s licensing process; however, 
the information may be found through other sources. 
Councilman Robinson noted that there are many successful Black-owned businesses in 
downtown Phoenix and shared that other cities in the metro area have asked how the 
City has done this. 
Councilwoman Pastor noted that even with current residential growth, there is still 
further need for residential growth in the City, especially in downtown Phoenix. 
Councilwoman Pastor asked for more information on residential growth. 
Mr. Keating confirmed there is additional need for downtown residential growth. Mr. 
Keating shared there is interest from developers to continue building more residential

units, however, developers also like to ensure that units are filled. Mr. Keating noted the 
importance of growing the residential base to support additional amenities and 
businesses, such as retail stores and other services. 
Councilwoman Pastor noted the City needs to keep up with the demand for residential 
units to support the Downtown Entertainment District and Downtown Strategic Plan.  
Councilwoman Pastor noted the importance of the Downtown Strategic Plan for moving 
towards the future and helping with downtown Phoenix as an entertainment district.  
Chairwoman O’Brien asked if the Clean and Green team are volunteers or City 
employees. 
Mr. Keating shared that the Clean and Green team are Downtown Phoenix, Inc. 
employees that focus on keeping downtown Phoenix clean and inviting, such as caring 
for trees and shrubs in the right-of-way. 
Chairwoman O’Brien highlighted the concerted effort to keep downtown Phoenix 
beautiful. Chairwoman O’Brien asked about future challenges and opportunities for 
downtown Phoenix. 
Mr. Touhill answered that future opportunities and challenges include a variety of 
different types of residential units in downtown. Mr. Touhill shared the number of hotel 
rooms is also of importance to the Convention Center and Visit Phoenix. Mr. Touhill 
highlighted a recent project to transform an office building to residential units. Mr. Touhill 
mentioned the importance of adding to, or enhancing, amenities such as venues. 
Chairwoman O’Brien highlighted the importance of transforming downtown Phoenix and 
the success of National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Women’s Final Four. 
Councilwoman Pastor asked about the diversity of small minority-owned businesses in 
downtown Phoenix. 
Mr. Touhill confirmed that staff could explore the diversity of businesses. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked if additional information could be voluntarily collected from 
businesses about whether they are minority-owned or other information. 
Mr. Keating clarified that the City does not track business licenses, but can get 
information from other databases and Downtown Phoenix, Inc. 
Councilwoman Pastor suggested that staff work with the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of 
Commerce, Asian Chamber of Commerce, and Black Chamber of Commerce to get 
data. 
 
CALL TO THE PUBLIC  
None.

FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 
Councilwoman Stark asked for an update on the Downtown Strategic Plan in 
September or October. 
 
Councilwoman Pastor also asked for an update on the Downtown Strategic Plan and to 
hear a little bit about the Entertainment District at a high-level. 
 
ADJOURNMENT 
Chairwoman O’Brien adjourned the meeting at 10:56 a.m. 
 
Respectfully submitted, 
 
Cecilia Alcantar 
Management Fellow