26 August 2015

Here in Sub-Urb Mesa: Arizona Prepares for its First-Ever Green Apartment Community??

Hip-hip Hooray! . . . [or is it??]
NOT in the new urban downtown Mesa, but in "suburban sprawl" on the east side of Power Road just north of McKellips near Red Mountain in the 202 Loop.
Sounded so confused with all its claims, and then digging into stuff, it got even more confusing
The 5.30-acre site abuts the Red Mountain campus of Mesa Community College and is the northern neighbor of a charter school called the Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center.

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QUESTION: What's the take-away here?
ANSWER: Nice headline, but beware of press releases
Go to this link to read about Verde Dimora, with an excerpt after the link
 http://www.multihousingnews.com/news/kauffman-aims-for-first-sustainable-multifamily-community-in-arizona/1004126485.html

That's an astounding claim in the headline from the press release published in MultiHousing News on August 25, 2015 from a mid-market new home builder that follows the usual suburban planning patterns.

In an earlier press release for July 11, 2015 the new development was only called "sustainable/multi-family"  adding a sustainable preschool [compared to what? an unsustainable preschool?] and also incorporating a Veteran Center! and, hmmm a firepit and a dog-washing station! 
Link here for more details: Kauffman Development and Allison-Shelton proudly announce… Verde Dimora Apartment Homes! Verde Dimora/July 2015



Mesa, Ariz.—Kauffman Real Estate and Development is developing the Verde Dimora Apartments, a multifamily community in Mesa, Ariz., which aims to be the first sustainable multifamily community of its kind in the state.
Did that headline just change from "first ever green apartment community???"
Does the image to the image of Verde Dimora look any different from the hundreds of other 3-story suburban constructions you see everywhere? And it's been more than three years to start this after getting approval? 
The wording in the press release is clumsy and vague to say the least - take a look:
“Verde Dimora Apartment Homes offers sensible, development and construction techniques that improve the development’s economic viability while providing broad-based economic and community benefits,” Dan Kauffman, principal of Kauffman Real Estate and Development, told MHN. “ . . Verde Dimora will offer incentives to residents not to have a car and will allow the use of bicycles provided by the developer during the resident’s lease terms. There will be secured and enclosed bicycle storage areas on each floor, including bicycle workstations.By Keith Loria, Contributing Editor/August 25, 2015
Digging into the history of this development, two articles written by Gary Nelson pop-up, one beginning like this opening paragraph:
"A controversial apartment complex in northeast Mesa won unanimous City Council approval this week despite neighbors' objections, a legal protest and misgivings by council members themselves . . . The Planning and Zoning Board voted 4-0 against the complex in March, largely because of concerns over parking . . . 87 out of 89 neighbors signed a petition against the project when asked to do so. . . . Council members were not enthused about the project, but noted that it comports with Mesa's voter-approved general plan and said Kauffman himself would bear the consequences of the complex flops. . . "I do like this project," Councilman Dave Richins said. "I think it's got all the right elements in entirely the wrong location."
By that, he meant that the site is probably more suited to suburban-style apartments than the "sustainable" urban model Kauffman proposed.
Read more http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2012/04/24/20120424housing-okd-despite-neighbor-complaints.html#ixzz3kECRd5Sw

The City Council voted unanimously Monday, Arpril 23, 2012 - more than three years ago - to introduce a zoning ordinance to accommodate Verde Dimora apartments

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2012/04/02/20120402ne-mesa-apartments-proposal-moves-ahead.html#ixzz3kED9h42U



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