The benefits are clear. And they are not limited to impacts within the scope of the project itself. By driving Spokane’s status as a Tier 1 city in Internet connectivity, combined with the new vibrancy in the University District and the spinout of successful startups into the broader community, the fully-implemented Phoenix Project will lay the groundwork to:

• Increase office occupancy rates downtown and near the eMAN fiber-optic loop around the city.
• Fill up other retail, industrial, and commercial space as startups expand.
• Create jobs for students at area universities.
• Create opportunities for faculty and staff to become involved or even found their own startups.
• Increase sales at other local enterprises, including manufacturing, entertainment, lodging, and support services.
• Improve returns for owners of office and commercial space.
• Lower data storage and distribution costs.
• Increase regional Internet accessibility.
• Increase the attractiveness of the region for large-scale, data-intensive industries of the future.
• Increase jobs at all pay scales.
• Increase the average wage.
• Decrease poverty as more jobs become available.
• Decrease homelessness as more people earn livable wages and can afford housing.