By Solange Whitehead Scottsdale’s allure was built on exceptional design standards, world-class amenities, and an expansive amount of protected open space. However, Scottsdale’s current general plan is decades old and is no longer protecting us. General Plan 2035 was written with input from hundreds of residents and tackles today’s issues. On development, General Plan 2035 creates a “Scottsdale premium” that … Read More
Guest Editorial: I Cannot Support the General Plan
By Larry Kush During my many years of service on the Scottsdale Planning Commission, there were several meetings where city staff updated us on the progress of the revised general plan and asked us for our comments. City Planning Staff put in untold hours of work on this plan, holding several meetings with stake holders (citizens) to explain the plan … Read More
Guest Editorial: The 2035 General Plan Looks Backward, not Forward
By Tim Stratton Ballots will soon arrive seeking approval of the 2035 General Plan. People are asking me, “Why should I support something I have heard so little about?” That’s a great question. Why haven’t voters heard more on the 2035 General Plan? What is hiding in this 296 page document that most people will never read? Maybe the answer … Read More
Guest Editorial: Why You Should Vote YES on Scottsdale General Plan 2035
By Councilmember Solange Whitehead Scottsdale, let’s get this job done! On October 6th, ballots for Scottsdale’s General Plan (GP) will be mailed to voters. I am enthusiastically endorsing a YES vote to ratify General Plan 2035 and protect all that we love about Scottsdale. Scottsdale’s General Plan 2035 has been a collaboration between the City and the residents. Working side-by-side … Read More
Scottsdale General Plan 2035 is Coming to Your Ballot. Why Should You Vote Yes?
While Scottsdale governance has generally been befitting of our world class status, one way that it has fallen below expectations is their lack of ratification of a general plan in the recent past. These plans, which are supposed to be updated and ratified by the voters every 10 years, had not been updated in two decades. That will change with … Read More
Sobriety Not Silly
As others have observed, not all residential project proposals are made equal. Year after year, overly ambitious developers attempt to cajole planning commissions and city councils all over the country, including in Scottsdale, trying to convince them of the sometimes dubious merits of the projects they’re championing. On the flip side of that, many developers do the right thing. And … Read More
Guest Editorial: General Plan 2035 Primer: Part 1 “Origins”
By Scottsdale Vice Mayor Betty Janik The citizens of Scottsdale will be asked to vote on a new General Plan this November. It is a mail-in only vote. Ballots will be sent out in early October to registered voters. The goal of the General Plan (GP) is to guide the development of Scottsdale over the next decade to realize the … Read More
Scottsdale’s Impact Of Activism
While Scottsdale has always had an engaged electorate, what happened in 2018 supercharged it. The ramifications are now becoming clearer, importantly and insightfully. Three years ago about this time the “Desert Discovery Center” proposed for the Gateway in the city’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve was on its way to a landslide defeat at the ballot box. Years of wrangling … Read More
Guest Editorial: Old Town Becomes a Battle Zone
By Alexander Lomax One of the first real battles of David Ortega’s time as Mayor has now come, and to the surprise of few, it comes in the form of development disagreements. Ortega campaigned strongly on the message of quality growth, a message that numerous city council candidates also pursued in their successful campaigns. Recently … Read More
A Liquor-Fueled Fight: Old Town Liquor Store Voted Down by City Council
In a unanimous 7-0 vote last week, the Scottsdale City Council voted down the application by liquor store owner and operator Samir Yono in his attempt to bring a liquor store to Old Town. This follows the defeated attempt to bring a marijuana dispensary to Old Town, further cementing the preservation of Old Town as a place to play, not … Read More