The art mecca of .... El Mirage?!?

The PBJ reports that the town of El Mirage—population 25,000 or so, tucked in on US 60 between Sun City and, um, Sun City West—wants to be an “urban arts hub”:

The city of El Mirage has a very “un-Phoenix” vision for its future — cut more from the cloth of Santa Fe, N.M., and Portland than the Valley’s sprawling suburbia.

El Mirage voters in November will consider a long-term plan to transform the West Valley city into a transit-oriented, environmentally friendly arts hub. Officials also want to cut the city’s carbon footprint by half over the next several decades and create parcels for organic and urban gardens.

The El Mirage City Council approved the plan earlier this month.

The plan is a very long term one; one key part is the establishment of a commuter railway rail station at Grand Avenue and Thunderbird, envisioned as part of a decade-distant commuter line running to Wickenberg.

The arts part?

El Mirage already is doing some things outlined in the plan, such as trying to attract artists and creative businesses via zoning changes that allow for live-work studios, and hooking them up with federal stimulus help such as weatherization grants and energy-efficiency tax breaks.