Happy Monday morning to COGS e-Newsletter Readers: Yes, Mayor Lane failed to use the same cue cards when speaking to the residents Thursday night. WHO requested that residents lose their quiet no-parking street to bar parking? (see the story below)
Then there is yet another Cultural Council request for more taxpayer dollars. And more kudos to one city administrator who works tirelessly for Bus 510/514 ridership solutions.
ARE YOU COMING THIS WEDNESDAY EVENING???—The first All City Council Candidates’ Forum will be hosted by COGS. Be in your Granite Reef Senior Center chair by 6:30 pm for a dynamic evening of audience questions and candidate answers. See our full list of June to October forums on our website http://www.cogsaz.net
MAYOR LANE ON THE HOT SEAT? We announced a neighborhood meeting held last Thursday regarding the Traffic Department “proposal” to remove a center lane from 75th Street north of Indian School to 6th Avenue (Entertainment District) and to add curbside/parallel parking for 40 cars. [These are two residential blocks with no commercial on either side. The upscale Marquessa and San Marin residential complexes occupy the eastern and western sides. A church day school play yard backs to 75th Street.]
The tone of the meeting quickly changed with the first question from Councilman Littlefield, “WHO requested this?” The staff response was a weak, “We’ve been looking at this for more than a year.”
The neighbors were not buying that. Tempers flared as they were repeatedly told that there was no connection with the parking needs of the Entertainment District to their immediate north.
One resident described complex damage to exterior lights and their fountain from the “pedestrian drunks” and that increased vandalism plus 2 to 3 am curbside patron noise would be a serious impact on their residential area.
The manager of San Marin supported the parking with the claim that during the winter his guests could use the curbside parking—to this a Marquessa gentleman responded, “You lock your 75th Street entry gate and don’t use 75th Street now.”
For the past year council action has approved nightclubs/bars with insufficient parking. The physically-there parking spaces as required are phantom spaces by “in lieu fees” or “shared parking” or “trading spaces”—nearby residents such as those on 75th Street will suffer the consequences.
Mayor Lane showed up half way through the meeting and finished the session cajoling the neighbors that (1) this is only something we are looking at/considering (2) it is not a done deal (3) we won’t do anything that would be a negative impact.(4) no, the [entertainment district owners] didn’t request this—it is just traffic planning that we do on a regular basis. NEXT MORNING: Reporter Ed Gately covers this with the following quotes from the Mayor—totally different from his statements the night before:
“After receiving input from businesses located along the street, the city will initiate the project, which includes removing the center left-turn lane north of the intersection [75th and Indian School] and creating a two-way street with parallel parking on either side”, said Mayor Jim Lane (see the attachment for the full newspaper interview)
ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT UPDATE: No, still no move in the Advanced Planning Department to declare this a specific district as has been done with the Arts District, 5th Avenue Shops, Old Town and 6th Ave/Stetson District.
If it were a designated district then appropriate land use planning, ordinances and policies would guide it to be more compatible to its surrounding residential and small office areas. It also could become a positive marketing tool for the Entertainment Association. Now some members market themselves on the internet as being in “Old Town Scottsdale”—which of course, they are not.
All of Mr. Yari’s Triyar projects have been approved– Industry East and Industry West Apartments with projected 320 units and the Beach Club and its surrounding bars to open in 2013. Investment by a developer is risky particularly in a concentrated area with heavy competition and a fickle clientele. So what is Mr. Yari’s vision for the area? This from the Arizona Republic interview.
CASINOS HERE? One of our COGS members asked if the nightclub and bar owners will seek a casino. We then learned that there is a movement now for signatures to legalize gambling statewide. She states,.”Initiative petition to legalize gambling statewide needs 172,809 signatures by July 5 to be placed on the November ballot.”
MORE OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS will be allocated at the June 19th, City Council meeting: Tune in to Channel 11 at 5 pm this Tuesday night to watch the City Council meeting if you are interested in where your tax dollars go (Agenda items 13-26, 27A, 28-31).
CULTURAL COUNCIL increased APPROPRIATION REQUEST–appropriate? Quoted from Scottsdale Trails:
…some very basic questions about HOW the Cultural Council spends over $4 million of OUR tax dollars every year (more than half their budget), and what the taxpayers get in return. As a reminder, the Cultural Council IS a private business. The Cultural Council occupies for NO RENT a recently remodeled ($20 million from the taxpayers) state-of-the art Center for Performing Arts (SCPA) and Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) that are OWNED by the taxpayers.
Not only that, they charge admission to those facilities and they keep all of the money. That’s right, NONE of the money returns to the taxpayers who fund this operation.
This arrangement is facilitated through a “management services agreement” (MSA) that the Cultural Council “won” without benefit of a public bid. That’s right; this is a “no-bid” contract in direct contravention of Scottsdale’s City Procurement Code (i.e., THE LAW of city contracting). Not only is it a no-bid contract, it is a 20-YEAR no-bid contract. Multi-year contracts are also contrary to the procurement code.”
Supporters for the Cultural Council have been sent a form letter to sign with this additional comment in the middle of that form—“[INCLUDE PERSONAL STATEMENT ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE SCC AND/OR ITS OPERATING DIVISIONS. ADDITIONAL FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT THE SCC ARE ATTACHED].” Will the city council be impressed or will they count the responses as “one”? That is what the Chairman of the Planning Commission does with form letters from the public.
KUDOS to Transit Manager, Madeline Clemann: COGS has kept you informed of changes to BUS 510 that serviced downtown riders who work in the government complex at 19th Ave and Washington and all points in between. We have handicap/wheelchair riders who could not be properly accommodated with the elimination of this route and the lack of nearby Park n Ride locations. Madeline Clemann, Transit Manager, (480 312 2732 or mobile 480 993 4793) has worked tirelessly toward solutions. See the attached Park n Ride map plus the information listed below.
The following park and ride locations have been confirmed and will be signed by the start of service on July 23, 2012.
1) Papago Plaza, please park in the spaces facing onto McDowell Road adjacent to the eastbound bus stop on McDowell.
2) Scottsdale Community College, park in the marked spaces in the south east part of the parking lot at the Chaparral Road edge.
3) Scottsdale Ranch Park on Via Linda, park in the spaces closest to the pedestrian bridge and adjacent to the relocated bus stop.
Here are important changes as it enters the interior of Scottsdale:
From SCC the route enters Loop 101 from Chaparral and continues to McDowell Rd…..The Route exits onto McDowell and stops are provided at: Granite Reef; Hayden; Miller; Scottsdale Rd.; 68th St; 64th St; and 52nd St….he Route enters Loop 202 from 52nd Street and continues the same pattern of streets and stops as the previous Route 510
TWO PUBLIC INPUT OPEN HOUSE MEETINGS: Today, Monday, June 18th from 5 to 7 pm Pomeroy Arabians International 11309 E. Arabian Park Drive are requested a conditional use permit for the 5 acre lot that is currently zoned for residential. Contact Alex 480 361 0404 with questions/comments.
7777 E. Princess Blvd property request to change the site plan for case 5 ZN 2006. The new plan would have 52 for sale townhouses of 2400 sq ft approx size each. The 2007 approved plan had 111 units. This plan includes 2 car garages, private balconies and “contemporary”architecture. The meeting is at Appaloosa library 7377 E Silverstone Drive (Scottsdale Rd north of the 101) Contact Keith Niederer city staff, 480 312 2953 with questions/comments. New case number is 271 PA 2012.
Hope to see you this Wednesday evening at the All-City Council Candidates’ Forum 6:30 pm to 9 pm in the Granite Reef Senior Center (NW corner of McDowell Rd and Granite Reef in room 1—auditorium)
for the COGS Board of Directors, Sonnie Kirtley, Chair
e-mail: cogsaz@cox.net or website http://www.cogsaz.net
cellular 602 717 3886 anytime