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
The Value of Working Together – Scottsdale and PV Come Together for Law Enforcement Agreement
Coordinations between city governments can be rare and difficult to come by. Politics are fraught with fragile egos and the desire to go for wins instead of true collaboration. For our local communities, we should consider ourselves lucky that we have mature adults at the helm. Recently Scottsdale and Paradise Valley came together to forge an agreement, dictating that Scottsdale … 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
Cracking Down in Old Town
Photo Credit: YourValley.net Due to a recent uptick in violent and gun-related crime in Old Town Scottsdale, the Scottsdale Police Department recently released new proposed rules aimed at attempting to reverse this crime increase. The problem stems from past attempts to tackle crime inside of and around nightclubs after the 2013 stabbing death of an Old Town bouncer. Attempts to … 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
Guest Editorial: Opposing a Retail Liquor Store in the Entertainment District
By Tammy Caputi Last week I requested that Case 38-LL-2021 (Old Town Scottsdale Liquor License) be moved off of the Consent Agenda and placed on the Regular Agenda for discussion and a motion. I have no issue with the applicant or the building use, I have a problem with the location for this use. A retail liquor store in this … Read More