02 June 2020

Remote Mesa City Council Study Session Mon 01 July 2020 THE MYSTERY SITE THEY CAN'T TALK ABOUT

DOWNTOWN MESA REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY





NOTE: THERE'S WAY TOO MANY "CURVE BALLS", UNDER-HANDED TRICKS, AND PRESSURE TO PUSH THIS THROUGH . . . Details are way too vague even after two levels of questionable review.
What are they trying to hide or slide through?

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*7 Discuss, receive public comment, and take action on the following ordinances
Item *7-a
Note: a proposal from one developer, The Opus Group, has forced this issue, based on phased investments. 

What is Jeff McVay careful not to say...

See this > Loopnet image 
File #:20-0512   
Type:OrdinanceStatus:Agenda Ready
In control:City Council
On agenda:5/18/2020
Title:Amending Chapter 58 of Title 11, the Zoning Ordinance, of the Mesa City Code to remove the limitation that certain land uses in the T5MS Transect Zone are not allowed on the ground floor and to allow certain Land Uses in the T5MS Transect Zone to occupy up to fifty percent of the ground floor if the development meets specific criteria. (Citywide) Staff Recommendation: Approval P&Z Board Recommendation: Approval (Vote: 7-0)
Attachments:1. Presentation,
2. Council Report,
3. Ordinance,
4. Minutes
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MINUTES OF THE APRIL 22, 2020 PLANNING & ZONING MEETING
Link to 06:14 meeting (No comment cards)
Planning & Zoning Meeting - 4/22/202062 views1 month ago
In addition there was a Public Hearing in front of the Board of Adjustment, whose appointed members have been approving more than a few deviations from existing city codes - steps to get this through the official processes
 

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ADD TO QUEUE

 *6-a Amendments to Chapter 58 of Title 11, the Zoning Ordinance, of the Mesa City Code to remove the limitation that certain land uses in the T5MS Transect Zone are not allowed on the ground floor and to allow certain Land Uses in the T5MS Transect Zone to occupy up to fifty percent of the ground floor if the development meets specific criteria. (Citywide). 
Planner: Jennifer Gniffke Staff Recommendation: Approval Boardmember Sylvia Allen made a motion to approve amendments to Mesa City Code, Title 11, Mesa Zoning Ordinance, Chapters 58 of Title 11, the Zoning Ordinance, of the Mesa City Code to remove the limitation that certain land uses in the T5MS Transect Zone are not allowed on the ground floor and to allow certain Land Uses in the T5MS Transect Zone to occupy up to fifty percent of the ground floor if the development meets specific criteria. 
The motion was seconded by Vice Chair Astle. Vote: 7-0 
Upon tabulation of vote, it showed: AYES – Dahlke, Astle, Sarkissian, Boyle, Allen, Crockett and Villanueva-Saucedo NAYS – None
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SEE THIS POST FROM LAST YEAR

07 July 2019

Development Services Gets A Do-Over, A New Director + An Audit

Here's just one Do-Over in the City of Mesa's Office of Development Services that received some findings, recommendations, and review for just one of six item on last week's Mesa City Council Study Session:
Approved Minutes Audit, Finance and Enterprise Committee 
Meeting Mon 01 July 2019 
This meeting was done and over within 33 minutes . . . 
Chairperson Duff called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.
There were no items from citizens present.
Without objection, the meeting adjourned at 4:33 p.m.
Remarkable. But then again, it's more like what some people say is "business-as-usual" here in the city of Mesa, home to more than 500,000 people who don't seem to participate in their own government.
4 audits were not completed.
review provides limited assurance on an organization's financial statements. ... This “does it make sense” analysis is useful when the organization needs some assurance about their financial statements, but not the higher level of assurance provided by an audit
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Mesa got a new Planning Director at the end of last year when John Wesley retired.
New Planning Director for City of Mesa: Nana (Kusi) Appiah 
Grammar Usage Note: In Ghana, among the Akan people, particularly the Akyem, Ashanti and Akuapim peoples, The word Nana is used as the title of a monarch to signify their status. . . "King _______"
It's not a first name, as used in many re-postings in a press release from the City of Mesa News Room that was repeated in the Rose Law Group Reporter back in October 2018.
The word Nana has other meanings also. In  informal British - a silly person; a fool (often as a general term of abuse). In Jewish families, Nana is grandmother.
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BLOGGER NOTE: 
These are the three locations where the new Planning Director worked as a city planner before being hired here in Mesa: any reasonable and curious person might ask what in these very different areas from Mesa in most respects, catapulted Kusi Appiah to get hired here as the Planning & Services Director?
  • Adams County, Colorado
  • Denton, Texas
  • Polk County, Florida
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CREDENTIALS from this reference: 
http://sydex.net/page284550 
Education:
1998 – 2002
Bachelor of Science, Land Economy 
Kwame Nkrumah' University of Science and Technology, Kumasi  (Ghana) 
2004 – 2006
MCRP, Community and Regional Planning 
Iowa State University
2010 – 2014
Ph.D, Public Affairs> The University of Texas at Dallas   
2015 – 2015
Certificate (short-course)
Executive Education: Driving Government Performance
Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government
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Citizen Participation in Change Efforts
Appiah marchTo produce effective change in a government agency, all stakeholders must be actively involved. . .
More Citizen Participation in Public Agency Change Efforts
According to Sherry Arnestienpublic participation in an agency’s change effort is embedded in the U.S. Constitution. Advocates of citizen participation claim that social acceptance of public policy correlates with the perception of fairness and public involvement in the decision-making process. 


A solution for issues concerning the public that is devoid of citizen participation is unlikely to be effective

In addition to the benefits of involving the public in agency decision-making, such inclusion promotes the democratic orientation of a community and helps improve public trust for the agency.

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