Ray Stern from Phoenix New Times recently published a very in-depth article on the former Coyote Bay Night Club, which I suppose was part of one dimwitted plan to “redevelop” McDowell Road a few years ago.
Various persons associated with CBNC were charged with, “…102 felony counts alleging fraud, money laundering, hiding the true owners of the businesses, and operating an illegal enterprise.” Most ultimately got off with little more than a slap on the wrist.
But there’s still a lesson here that apparently the City of Scottsdale planning folks, Mayor Lane, and the Chamber Caucus on the City Council have not yet learned.
We are “redeveloping” the bar district in Downtown Scottsdale with conditional use permits and amended development standards to attract throngs of dubious patrons.
In the process we are eroding the quality of life for neighboring residents, even though the City Treasurer has empirically debunked the notion that tax revenue from the new bar district pays the city more than the cost of additional public safety requirements.
Will history repeat itself?