In Honor of Martin Luther King Jr. "A Goal without a Plan, is Just a Wish," ASU Coach Edwards ASU Football Coach Herm Edwards served as the inspiring keynote speaker at Scottsdale's 26th Annual MLK Jr. "Living the Dream" dinner. He shared a simple yet profound message: "A goal without a plan, is just a wish." This is a message that will serve me well personally and at City Hall. The City Has a Plan The City of Scottsdale has a plan that must guide Council decisions pertaining to growth and development. Scottsdale's General Plan, approved by voters in 2001, was co-written by and for Scottsdale residents. State law requires a voter approved General Plan (GP) every 10 years. However, it has been almost 20 years in Scottsdale. This year, I will work to change that as we embark on a General Plan update with an emphasis on community input and priorities. The 2001 General Plan must be upheld by the City Council today. In addition to the GP, current zoning is an important factor in development decisions. Zoning changes should be considered only when an applicant demonstrates quantifiable public good, community support, and a justifiable need. Thus my concerns with the Fiesta Ranch development proposal that will be voted on by City Council on Tuesday night. More below. Fiesta Ranch: Concerns over Consequences & Costs ** A Development Alert ** https://solangeforscottsdale.com/ This Tuesday (tomorrow), the City Council will vote on a substantial up-zoning proposal in Scottsdale’s remote and rural area near Rio Verde called, Fiesta Ranch. (Contact: CityCouncil@ScottsdaleAZ.gov) The eastern portion of the Dynamite-Rio Verde corridor is home to large ranches, big washes that flood, and little water the rest of the year. Homeowners east of the City border rely on limited groundwater or pay to truck water to their homes. The area is also critical wildlife habitat connecting the north and south part of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the Tonto National Forest, and the Verde River. The Fiesta Ranch proposal chops a beautiful, country parcel into 227 suburban homes almost doubling the current zoning of 116 homes. I believe this development will have tragic consequences on Scottsdale’s quality of life, wildlife, and the Preserve. The development will bring hundreds of cars in an area that is a critical wildlife crossing. Adding the density may place insurmountable pressure on the City to build a road through our McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Scottsdale resident’s pocketbooks will take a hit, too. Developing density in this far flung area will exacerbate perpetual maintenance costs that the City is already struggling to cover. Servicing remote areas with police, fire, and sanitation services cost municipalities far more than central locations yet all residents pay the bill. Infrastructure maintenance is another safety and cost concern. A 2019 audit, found that the City’s Public Works department was not sufficiently keeping up with routine maintenance which led to the costly failure of two bridges. Fiesta Ranch will increase infrastructure without providing funding to maintain it. Based on my interpretation of the General Plan (GP), Fiesta Ranch is a major amendment and should require a super majority (five votes) for approval. I also worry that approving the requested zoning opens up the possibility that a future developer can get approval for an even greater number of homes on this fragile land. For these reasons, it seems that a vote for Fiesta Ranch is a vote against Scottsdale. (Published in the Scottsdale Independent (https://www.yourvalley.net/scottsdale-independent/stories/whitehead-fiesta-ranch-produces-costs-up-zoning-consequences-if-approved-by-scottsdale,132354?fbclid=IwAR1x8BpEpOQyRA64o3oPRKiPOMXMnnKQoLF89DI2olfY5WYFgdW_ng_xWRA) ) HAPPY 2020 TO ALL!
