Maurice Jones, LISC CEO and President, at #LISCLeads

Published on Nov 16, 2016
At the 2016 National Leadership Conference in Houston, TX, our CEO and President, Maurice Jones, lays out his policy agenda.

Another Curious Delay In UpLoad > Special City Council Meeting - 1/7/2016

Not published until yesterday, November 16, 2016
Details about Able Engineering and Textron merger by Lee Benson. An action item for addendum to the leasing arrangements with the City where City Manager Chris Brady provides some clarification of details but apparently doesn't know how the addendum will affect the city's balance sheet. District 1 Dave Richins asks questions about "financial guarantees" made in the deal three ago ...Shea Joachim is the project manager in Mesa OED providing some background at the urging of the mayor
Published November 16,2016

Why The Delay in Publishing City Council Meeting - 10/6/2014?

Suits-and-ties today! ...
And lotsa time for foot opps
Published on November 16, 2016
Running time: 25:08
Views: 2

Planning & Zoning November 16, 2016

Please notice there is a complete reading of the Consent Agenda, with some confusion about what items that are taken out, as well as the order of the reading.
If you are interested in reading and downloading the agenda for this meeting you have to go the city's meetings calendar
Items taken off include 16-233, -234 and 3d, 4a, and 5b
Blue cards are acknowledged with comments made by neighbors for input to plans, some concerns about privacy and traffic volumes on a 16-lot 2-stories duplex site and questions about developer and investor intentions to rent or sell units @ $225,000 that would possibly tend to hold down surrounding property values
One member [Tim Boyle ] recuses himself on this discussion
Views: 4
Time: 39:24

MINUTES OF MEETING Meeting Minutes Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing
Wednesday November 16, 2016 @ 4:00pm


3Take action on the following zoning cases:

Page 1City of Mesa
November 16, 2016Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing Meeting Minutes

*3-a PZ 16230 Z16-051 District 5. 3400 to 3500 block of North Greenfield Road (east side) and 4400 block of East Virginia Street (north side).  Located south of Loop 202 on the east side of Greenfield Road.  (7.77 ± acres).  Site Plan Review.  This request will allow an industrial warehouse/manufacturing building.
Dustin Chisum, Deutsch Architecture Group, applicant;
Scott Jackson, Colebank Family Ltd Partnership & Inter-Coastal Electronics, Inc. (PLN2016-00671) 
Staff Planner:   Kim Steadman
Staff Recommendation:    Approval with Conditions 
Approved (Vote: 7-0)

COUNCIL DISTRICT: District 5 OWNER: Colebank Family Ltd Partnership & Inter-Coastal Electronics, Inc. – Scott Jackson APPLICANT: Deutsch Architecture Group – Dustin Chisum STAFF PLANNER: Kim Steadman 
PROJECT DESCRIPTION/REQUEST This is a request for site plan review for an 84,405 square-foot light industrial building on 7.77 acres located at the southeast corner of Greenfield Rd. and the Loop 202 within the Falcon Field Sub Area.  This will be the first phase of a two-building industrial development. Phase 1 will provide all required site development, such as parking and retention. for the first building.  A drive aisle connecting the Phase I site southward to Virginia St. runs to the east of Phase II site.  The entire site already has GI zoning, and Site Plan Review is required because the project fronts an arterial.  
NEIGHBORHOOD PARTICIPATION The applicant’s citizen participation plan included mailings to property owners within 1,000 feet of the property as well as homeowner associations within one half mile of the site, and a neighborhood meeting.  The meeting was held September 27th at the Mesa Library, Red Mountain Branch.  The applicant reports that there were no attendants, and that they have not been contacted regarding this project.  A notification of the hearing date was also sent to property owners within 500 feet of the property.  
To date, Planning Staff has not received any phone calls, emails or other inquiries from neighbors on this request.  No citizens addressed this item during the Design Review Board discussion on October 11, 2016. 
CONFORMANCE WITH THE MESA 2040 GENERAL PLAN This property falls within the Character Type of “Employment” as identified by the Mesa 2040 General Plan.  The proposed industrial building conforms to the Plan’s intent for employment-focused uses.  The site and building design follow the Form and Guidelines for such developments.  In addition to consideration of the character area designated by the General Plan, the Innovative Jobs section of the General Plan identified the Falcon Field area one the community’s locations for quality employment centers.  This site is also located within the Falcon Field Sub-Area Plan (per Figure 5-1 of the Plan) and meets its requirements for contemporary or progressive style with clean lines and articulated geometrical forms, innovative design, quality materials and use of color. 
CONCLUSION: The proposed project complies with the intent of the General Plan, the development standards of the Falcon Field Sub Area, and the Zoning Ordinance. Establishing this building type at this key location facilitates attraction of new employers to this section of Mesa where turnkey buildings are in limited supply.  Staff recommends approval with the following conditions: 
CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL: 1. Compliance with the development as described in the project narrative and as shown on the site plan, elevations and landscape plan. 2. Compliance with all City development codes and regulations. 3. Signs (detached and attached) require separate approval & permit for locations, size, & quantity. 4. Compliance with Subdivision Regulations. 5. Compliance with Design Review approval DR16-009 for architectural and landscaping design. 6. Compliance with all requirements of the Airport Overflight District including the following:  a. Written notice be provided to future tenants, and acknowledgement received that the project is within 2 miles of Mesa Falcon Field Airport.  b. Owner shall grant an Avigation Easement and Release to the City, pertaining to Mesa Falcon Field Airport that will be prepared and recorded by the City (concurrently with the recordation of the final land split or prior to the issuance of a building permit).  c. Noise attenuation measures are to be incorporated into the design and construction of the buildings to achieve a noise level reduction of 25 db.   
G:\P&Z Case folders\Z16\Z16-051 Tru Stop - N Greenfield\PACKET\03 Z16-051 PZ Staff Report.docx


*3-b PZ 16229 Z16-052 District 6. 3700 block of South Power Road (east side). Located south of Elliot Road on the east side of Power Road.  (2.55 ± acres).  Site Plan Review; Special Use Permit.  This request will allow a swim school with outdoor activity area with a swimming pool. David Tait, EVO Swim School, applicant; PEF Trust, owner. (PLN2016-00669) 
Staff Planner:   Lesley Davis
Staff Recommendation:    Approval with Conditions
Approved (Vote: 7-0)

*3-c PZ 16232 Z16-053 District 1. 1353 East McKellips Road.  Located east of Stapley Road on the south side of McKellips Road (1.06 ± acres).  Site Plan Review; Special Use Permit.  This request will allow development of a restaurant with a drive-thru and outdoor eating area. Bill Cantieri, Piazza Restaurant Consulting, applicant; Richard Dobrusin, Dobrusin Investements, LLC., owner. (PLN2016-00677) 
Staff Planner:   Wahid Alam
Staff Recommendation:    Approval with Conditions 
Approved (Vote: 7-0)

Page 2City of Mesa
November 16, 2016Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing Meeting Minutes

*3-d PZ 16233 Z16-055 District 6. 6800 block of East Main Street (south side) and 0 to 100 block of South Power Road (east side). Located south of Main Street on the east side of Power Road. (1.0 ± acres). Site Plan Review.  This request will allow development of a restaurant with drive-thru. George G. Lance, L2 Architects, applicant; Richard Riordan, Phoenix Dobson LLC, owner. (PLN2016-00576). 
Staff Planner:   Kim Steadman
Staff Recommendation:    Approval with Conditions 
Approved (Vote: 7-0)

Page 3City of Mesa
November 16, 2016Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing Meeting Minutes
Discuss and make a recommendation to the City Council on the following zoning cases:
4
4-a PZ 16234 Z16-054 District 1. 2200 block of East University Drive (north side). Located east of Gilbert Road on the north side of University Drive. (2.11 ± acres).  Rezoning from RS-6 to RM-2-BIZ; Site Plan Review.  This request will allow for attached single residence development. Doug Sweeney, Brighton Companies, LLC., applicant; David K. Stephens Trust, owner. (PLN2016-00683)  
Staff Planner:   Tom Ellsworth
Staff Recommendation:    Approval with Conditions 
Approved (Vote: 6-0-1, Boardmember Boyle Recused Due to a Conflict of Interest)

5Discuss and take action on the following preliminary plats:

*5-a PZ 16235 "Andys Frozen Custard.  District 1. 1353 East McKellips Road.  Located east of Stapley Road on the south side of McKellips Road (1.06 ± acres).  Preliminary Plat.  This request will allow development of a restaurant with a drive-thru and outdoor eating area. (Companion Case to Z16-053) (Associated with Item 3-c.)  (PLN2016-00677).  
Staff Planner:  Wahid Alam
Staff Recommendation: 
Approval with Conditions Approved
 (Vote: 7-0)
5-b PZ 16236 "Mission Park. District 1. 2200 block of East University Drive (north side).  Located east of Gilbert Road on the north side of University Drive. (2.11 ± acres).  Preliminary Plat.  This request will allow for attached single residence development. (Companion Case to Z16-054) (Associated with Item 4-a) (PLN2016-00683)
Staff Planner:  Tom Ellsworth
Staff Recommendation:  Approval with Conditions
Approved (Vote: 6-0-1, Boardmember Boyle Recused Due to a Conflict of Interest)

Page 4City of Mesa
November 16, 2016Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing Meeting Minutes

*5-c PZ 16237 Trustop Manufacturing. District 5. 3400 to 3500 block of North Greenfield Road (east side) and 4400 block of East Virginia Street (north side).  Located south of Loop 202 on the east side of Greenfield Road.  (7.77 ± acres).  Preliminary Plat.  This request will allow an industrial warehouse/manufacturing building. (Companion Case to Z16-051) (Associated with Item 3-a) (PLN2016-00671) 
Staff Planner:   Kim Steadman
Staff Recommendation:    Approval with Conditions

Never Mind "Fake News" How'z About News Spoon-Fed to Mainstream Media Reporters?

Case in Point: a recent article by Shelley Ridenour that appeared in The East Valley Tribune on November 14, 2016 just days after Mesa voters overwhelmingly rejected a bogus tax increase ballot question cleverly titled Yes1Mesa by VOTING NO. [see link below about 'Local Cronyism']
Maybe it's not the public responsibility for a responsible journalist to dig into the reasons for a surprising defeat or ask why taxpayers think it's a bad idea going in the wrong direction with a hefty $200Million Dollars++ price tag, but reporter Ms. Ridenour, shown in the image to the left from her Twitter account, likes to get nearly all her news stories spoon-fed to her in narratives provided by Mesa City Hall.

The article starts off like this: "Tuesday’s decision by Mesa voters to not approve a sales tax to pay for new fire stations and more fire and police services and employees means city leaders will have to find creative ways to do those things. . . " Say What? Those "things"
Mesa voters and taxpayers turned out to give a big thumbs-down to a tricky $500,000-privately funded Public Relations campaign that was admittedly a MAJOR SCREW-UP.
Those hard-to-find behind-the-scenes jockeying to benefit their own personal profits in public holdings for real estate, apparently eluded Ms. Ridenour or she chose to ignore them 
She uses as one of her contact sources Interim Fire Chief Mary Cameli who is quoted as saying, "Because the city’s population has grown quickly, the city has gotten behind in expanding fire and medical services, . . " using exactly the phrase proffered by Mesa City City Manager Chris Brady who's now been in office for over ten years ....Gotten behind?

Question: Why didn't Mesa City Manager Chris Brady exercise some forward-thinking years ago when brilliant minds in the city manager's office and planning/zoning approved huge real estate developments in those areas? They didn't think that developers of single-family-home in master-planned communities should pay the costs of required services in nearby locations for police and fire/medical? A charter school corporation like EdKey can spend $35 Million to acquire land for a school, but the City of Mesa did not budget for "those things" ten years ago??
[image @ right, Chris Brady striking a pose from his bully pulpit preaching to the choir]
If Mesa ' has gotten behind ' then the City Manager is accountable for that, along with all six Mesa City Council who usually unanimously rubber-stamp whatever he wants. In the ten years in office Chris Brady has been contract-employed here he's earned over $2,000,000 in salary and benefits. Not bad for a guy who says that Mesa ' has gotten behind ' on his watch.

Ever in denial about his shortcomings or "challenges" or undisclosed family and business connections who might have enriched themselves tapping into a treasure trove of taxpayer-financed $200 Million ++ Bond debt, Mayor John Giles once again tries to SLOW-JAM the entire narrative behind voter rejection by saying,  ". . . city officials need to determine Plan B for funding the departments. With three new City Council members just elected, he expects those discussions to begin in January.

Giles recognizes that voters on Tuesday said they are concerned about the economy and don’t want to pay more taxes. . . " Conveniently not recognizing or acknowledging the tainted political gimmick he and his "highly-influential friends" financed to the tune of over $500,000 for double-dipping dabbling in real estate speculation while holding public office here in Mesa, here in the Arizona State Capitol, spearheaded by Congressman Matt Salmon dba influence-peddler who used the same public relations company Summit Consulting Group with clients mostly in Utah and Arizona, including Senator Jeff Flake.

Too bad the dirty $500,000 PR trick  - financed by the FOG [Friends of Giles] and registered as a political action committee or PAC at the location of his own private personal injury/accident law offices on 2nd Street - turned into A MAJOR SCREW-UP.
Giles calls himself "non-partisan" but gave $600 of his own money for political action to benefit his "highly-influential" friends in their ownership interests for speculation in real estate downtown?

When someone who is elected by public trust to a public office where he's supposed to represent the public interests [voters VOTED NO] and at the some time engages in paying for a PR trick that double-dips dabbling in real estate speculation that's a conflict of interest
Simply put Mr. Mayor you can't have both.
Perhaps someone might point you in the right direction?
So why did you knowingly financially support a tax increase, at the same time getting quoted that people don't like tax increases in a conservative city like Mesa. Conflict of interest?

 Near the end of her report a brief mention is made to note that "The defeat of the measure also means four planned buildings to house an Arizona State University campus in the heart of downtown Mesa won’t be constructed. . . ASU officials declined to comment on any downtown project, . . "

Ms. Ridenour goes on to add that "Giles is a supporter of increased educational attainment for Mesa residents to make the city more attractive to employers. . . "
In data provided by Ballotpedia college graduation rates here in Mesa are as low 25% in spite of the lip-service support from the mayor

Not noted by Ms. Ridenour is that two local branches of out-of-state universities- Benedictine and Wilkes- have struggled to enroll students even with incentives from the city for favorable leasing terms on vacant or under-used buildings owned by the city. According to reports at public meetings BenU only reached their goal of 500-student enrollments [unclear whether part-time or full-time or online] with what they said was a 40% increase this year.
Contact Shelley Ridenour at 480-898-6533 or sridenour@evtrib.com.

Readers of this blog can find Shelley Ridenour on Twitter >>    here 

Related Content:
How Local Cronyism Hurts America's Cities
September 28, 2016
by Nolan Gray 
It's worth a good read to help readers of this blog begin to understand the political give-and-take so evident to some here in The New Urban Downtown Mesa:
" . . . You eventually secured the deal with the fancy representative and your city issues a few million in bonds to fund the road, water, and sewage upgrades. It’s scary, particularly given that your city is already in rough financial shape, but that’s okay because it will all pay off. A shiny new Big Box location opens in your city and everyone is happy. A few chain restaurants and shops come to town to fill out the new infrastructure and you now have a bona fide stroad. A multinational manufacturing company catches word that your town is “pro-business” and arranges to open a facility in your town in exchange for some free land and infrastructure upgrades. Looking at the books, it makes you a little uncomfortable, but that’s okay; everyone loves the giant new roads and shiny new development. Your town’s mayor is praised for “turning the town around” and is even elected to Congress.
The shine quickly starts to wear off . . . "                                     

Mesa Gateway to Canada: New Low-fare Service Starting in December

Just now from Phoenix Business Journal

BREAKING: Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport lands first international flight

Nov 16, 2016, 9:30am MST Updated Nov 16, 2016, 10:18am MST
The East Valley regional airport landed a deal with NewLeaf Travel Co. to offer flights to Canada. Three weekly nonstop flights will be available to Calgary, . .
Read more >> Phx Biz Journal

 

Here's a map of routes inside Canada

Go online for more information:
NewLeaf Travel to offer Calgary flights by December
Global News Canada

Mesa Voters Say NO to The Wrong Direction Mayor John Giles & His Friends Want to Take Our City

In spite of a bogus $500 Million Dollar Public Relations Fiasco that blew up in their faces, financed by a political action committee registered on the premises at his own private Personal Injury/Accident Attorney law offices, Giles & Dickson,  John Giles and his 'highly-influential" friends - referred to here as the FOG [Friends of Giles] - have been forced to back down, stopped in their tracks by the resounding sentiment of taxpayers who are now actively engaged to go against 'special interest' groups that have dominated city government for generations. 
Revolving-Door Congressman Matt Salmon, now hired by ASU as a lobbyist and 'influence-peddler', simply failed big time using the Summit Consulting Group that was paid over $400,00 for a self-described major screw-up that took all of them to the panic point . . . even more 'dirty money' was raised but that didn't have to get disclosed.

One way out of this big mess here in the New Urban Downtown Mesa is to run in another direction pointed out in the animated sign to the right for those that choose both to 'double-dip' holding public office at the same time dabbling in private real estate speculation here in downtown.
You simply cannot have it both ways.
That risky game has gone on far too long here between highly-influential people" - elected or employed inside City Hall - and their friends, family and undisclosed business connections.

Case in point with last week's General Election results where the Yes1Mesa ballot question was rejected by voters and taxpayers.
Here's a convenient line-up of some of the players in the cast of characters inThe FOG in the image to the left.
Starting at the left side is termed-out District 2 Mesa City Council member Alex Finter who's been in office for eight years and who previously held Mayor's office in the usual game of musical chairs played-out by the Political Machine.
He endorsed and ran the political campaign for Shelly Allen, former long-time employed bureaucrat inside the Office of Economic Development, who was defeated by popular vote to succeed the incumbent Alex Finter.

The winner in District 2 is Jeremy Whittaker, a political independent with a strong entrepreneurial record founding his own start-up company and small business development initiatives. 
Against all odds and thousands of dollars poured into his opponent's political campaign by outside-the-district contributions from firefighter and police unions and other special interests with dirty money, he won the run-off contest with a smart and well-informed strategy to overcome obstacles from the local cadre of cronies playing the same-old same-old game of tired old-time politics. Fresh thinking and new talent.

Second from the left is Jerry Lewis, longtime friend of Mayor John Giles, who was immediately endorsed by Giles on the same day he made the announcement stating his intentions to get elected to the Mesa Council for District 3. He received a joint endorsement from ex-mayor Scott Smith at the same time.
The product again of the generations-old political machine here, he was also defeated by community activist  Ryan Winkle, who was all over the placein his district practically all the time and everywhere using social media and his personal charisma to good advantage.
He beat Jerry Lewis by an overwhelming majority in the primary election, largely attributable to his positive actions in the community and taking the time to engage his constituents.
 

Readers of this blog can look into who the others members of the FOG are . . . it might linger and hold onto the ground for a while but sooner or later we will need to clear the air and work together moving our city forward.