East Mesa was as poorly planned as West Mesa, if not more so. We've already got vacant, run down buildings, code violations, empty dirt lots, and more and we don't even have age to blame for these things.

The Desert Uplands area is nice, and the Power Knowledge Corridor is very promising, but there is still a large population living between these two areas. It is time for the city to appoint a task force to examine the problems faced by the central corridor portion of East Mesa. This task force needs to then address these problems with the help of residents and landowners in this area.

We don't have to wait until the area East of Gilbert Road between University and Broadway ends up looking like Fiesta Village before we act. A small expenditure now can avoid a repeat of the tens of millions of dollars not being poured in the Fiesta, Riverview, and Downtown areas.

So, let's show that we've learned a thing or two from our mistakes, and start analyzing and addressing this area now. It is sad that we have a plan for "revitalizing" one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country, but no plan for taking care of the dying areas that aren't thriving.