A Happy New Year to All The City Council got right to work with the approval of a new park, a commitment to ensure General Plan 2035 reflects community values and priorities, and the reinstatement of the mask mandate.
Keep Caring in 2021 Warm thank you to all that joined my challenge and donated to Scottsdale Cares in 2020. Together we raised $156,000 to support Scottsdale neighbors in need. Let's keep it up in 2021. Please remember to check the box on your City utility bill and donate $1 or more every month. Or donate online. Together we can have a huge impact. Learn more here.
Parking Efficiency: A Path to More Parks
The 2019 Bond package includes over $20 million for downtown parking garages. Scottsdale's parking needs are very seasonal and parking efficiency must come first. Today, there are public and private parking garages that are empty during the weekends and church lots empty during the week.
Establishing parking agreements with private entities will boost their bottom lines while saving tax payers money. The City also has underused public parking garages in great locations but hidden for aesthetic reasons. Better signage can do the trick here.
Savings from parking efficiency will enable the City to go underground for additional parking needs while creating space for parks. I've got my eye on the City-owned Rose Garden. A park on this canal parcel will attract more people to the area, protect views, and be enjoyed all year.
Photo credit: Chris Loomis
Protecting Soleri Plaza
For the cost of a ribbon and a pair of scissors, Scottsdale's beautiful and historically significant Soleri Plaza can be designated a park. Proposed by Mayor Dave Ortega, I look forward to voting in favor of the designation at an upcoming meeting. The designation will help ensure this public jewel is never privatized.
DC Ranch Park: Creating Another Crown Jewel
According to Aristotle, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts". Such is the case for plans that are transforming Scottsdale's Bell corridor which includes the newly approved DC Ranch Park. Kudos to staff for this big picture proposal and the incredible insight and work of local residents.
The corridor will include an impressive entry to West World with added open space and 40-acres of sports fields irrigated with recycled water that gravity will help bring south from DC Ranch Park's featured lake. All of which will be interconnected with public paths, trees, and open space and the McDowell Mountains will serve as the backdrop. This crown jewel will bring in more tourism dollars and create year round recreational opportunities for all of us. Coming soon: January 2022.
A Bend in the Road to Save Trees
A recent infill development for 2 homes necessitated the paving of a previously unused road alignment. Neighbors came to the City asking that the mature trees along the alignment be saved. Including a beautiful ironwood tree.
A week ago, we met onsite and the developer's engineer proposed a curve in the road that will protect some of the mature trees and staff approved. The saguaro and many smaller trees will be boxed and replanted onsite. A good solution for all including wildlife.
Development Tip The City has an interactive map that makes searching and learning about development proposals easy. Community input, as noted above, improves outcomes. Check out the map here.
“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”
― Martin Luther King, Jr.
In Honor of MLK, the City celebrated diversity with a tree planting which I enjoyed with colleagues Mayor Ortega and Councilmembers Durham and Janik.