Sunday, July 01, 2018

The Intersection of For-Profit LDS Church - Real Estate & City of Mesa Government @ Planning & Zoning Meeting Wed 20 June 2018

The item getting more attention in the media is a 6-acre redevelopment around the LDS Temple on Main Street by one tentacle - not just an arm! - of the for-profit sector of the Mormon Church with property owned by the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 
There's a far bigger land deal going on in the expansion for the New Zion and exploitation of two more real estate holdings at Eastmark on some 3,000+ acres that the City of Mesa purchased on the former General Motors Providing Grounds . . . 
Here's some background written by Gary Nelson 

GM ends its operations at Mesa test track 
by Gary Nelson - Jun. 12, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
. . . there was an eastward-rolling tsunami of suburban sprawl. As early as the mid-'90s, developers were coveting GM's land and surrounding areas near the former Williams Air Force Base, now Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, for new housing projects. . . In 2004, GM sold the southern portion to Phoenix businessman William Levine. Two years later, the northern 5 square miles was sold to Scottsdale-based DMB Associates for $265 million.Featured in the article: Roc Arnett and Jack Sellers, a Chandler councilman at that time
Read more >>  AZ Central Archives
 
DMB pursues Mesa subdivision projectJanuary 11, 2012
Article by Gary Nelson
. . . A zoning plan approved by Mesa for the property in 2008 allows up to 15,000 dwelling units of various kinds. Dea McDonald, DMB’s vice president for development, said the time had arrived to start building them. . . Eastmark is expected to evolve over the next three or four decades into a dense urban center closely tied to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Eventually, there could be high-rise business districts fronting the airport along Ellsworth Road. . . Macdonald says he expects DMB and “multiple” developers to close escrow in June, and that Mesa also will approve plans for their subdivisions about that time. McDonald said he cannot reveal the builders’ names until deals are finalized.

Mesa to Annex Two Chunks of Former GM Desert Proving Ground




Two items - 5-d with 52 acres - and (Item 5-e) are not getting a lot of attention:
ITEM 5-e PRELIMINARY PLAT 130-acre 
Applicant: Eric Tune, Brookfield DMB
Owners:
DMB Mesa Proving Grounds, LLC
Queen Creek Unified School District
Eastmark Multi-Family, LLC
Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints   
File #: PZ 18091   
Type: PZ Preliminary Plat Status: Agenda Ready
In control: Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing
On agenda: 6/20/2018
Title: “Eastmark Commercial” (District 6)
The 9200 to 9700 blocks of East Ray Road (north side) and the 4900 to 5100 blocks of South Ellsworth Road (east side). 
Located on the northeast corner of Ellsworth and Ray Roads.
(130± acres). Preliminary Plat. Eric Tune, Brookfield DMB, applicant; DMB Mesa Proving Grounds, LLC, Queen Creek Unified School District, Eastmark Multi-Family, LLC, and Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, owners. (ZON18-00435) 
 Planner: Lesley Davis 
 Staff Recommendation: Approval with conditions
Attachments: 1. Vicinity Map, 2. Staff Report, 3. Narrative, 4. Preliminary Plat
_______________________________________________________________________________
ITEM 5-d
File #: PZ 18090   

Type: PZ Preliminary Plat Status: Agenda Ready


In control: Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing
On agenda: 6/20/2018

Title: “Eastmark DU5 Parcels 5-1 and 5-2”. (District 6).
The 3800 to 4000 blocks of South Everton Terrace (west side) and the 3800 to 4000 blocks of South Eastmark Parkway (east side). Located south of Elliot Road and west of Signal Butte Road.
(52± acres).
Preliminary Plat. 
Eric Tune, Brookfield DMB, applicant;
Owners: DMB Mesa Proving Grounds, LLC, and
MECP 1 MESA 1, LLC, owners.
(ZON18-00436)                      
Planner: Lesley Davis 
 Staff Recommendation: Approval with conditions
_______________________________________________________________________
PLEASE NOTE: The entire agenda - 23 Items - can be found in this listing of meeting details in addition to the link to view the streaming meeting's video. The one inserted above is the upload to YouTube.
Meeting Name: Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing Agenda status: Final
Meeting date/time: 6/20/2018 4:00 PM Minutes status: Draft  
Meeting location: Council Chambers - Upper Level
Published agenda: Agenda Agenda Published minutes: Minutes Minutes  
Meeting video:  
Attachments: 23
SOURCE: Council, Committee and Board Research Center

_________________________________________________________________________
HEADS UP: Item 4-e + 5-c
File #: PZ 18086   
Type: PZ Zoning - Discuss and Recommend Status: Agenda Ready
In control: Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing
On agenda: 6/20/2018
Title: ZON18-00375  District 4. The 0 block of South Mesa Drive (east side), the 400 block of East Main Street (south side), the 0 block of South Udall (both sides) and the 0 block of South LeSueur (west side).
Located at the southeast corner of Main Street and Mesa Drive. (6± acres).
Rezone
> 4± acres from T5MS and T4NF to T5MSF; and
> 2± acres from T4NF-HD and T4N-HD to T5MSF-HD.
This request will allow for a mixed-use development.
City Creek Reserve, Inc, applicant;
Land Equity Investors LLC and Presiding Bishop of the Church of LDS, owner. 
(Companion case to preliminary plat “Mesa Temple Redevelopment”, associated with item *5-c) 
 Planner: Tom Ellsworth 
 Staff Recommendation: Approval with conditions
Attachments: 1. Vicinity Map, 2. Staff Report, 3. Transect Plan, 4. Conceptual Development Plan, 5. Other Exhibits, 6. Conceptual Elevations, 7. Narrative, 8. Citizen Participation Plan, 9. Citizen Participation Report 
 
 ________________________________________________________________________________
Item 5-c
File #: PZ 18089   
Type: PZ Preliminary Plat Status: Agenda Ready
In control: Planning and Zoning Board - Public Hearing
On agenda: 6/20/2018
Title: “Mesa Temple Redevelopment” District 4. The 0 block of South Mesa Drive (east side), the 400 block of East Main Street (south side), the 0 block of South Udall (both sides) and the 0 block of South LeSueur (west side).
Located at the southeast corner of Main Street and Mesa Drive.
(6± acres).  
City Creek Reserve, Inc, applicant;
Land Equity Investors LLC and Presiding Bishop of the Church of LDS, owner. 
(Companion case to ZON18-00375, associated with item *4-e) Planner: Tom Ellsworth 
Staff Recommendation: Approval with conditions
 
                                 		1. Vicinity Map, 2. Staff Report, 3. Narrative, 4. Survey of Existing Lots, 5. Preliminary Plat 






 
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Flashback 10 Years Ago: Sheriif Joe's SWAT Team & Posse Raid Mesa City Hall

Above and beyond the call of duty - just about ten years in October. Arpaio is in an election campaign to take over the seat of Senator Jeff Flake. Former Mayor Scott Smith, who resigned to wage an unsuccessful campaign to be Governor of Arizona, got a consolation prize to be President/CEO of Valley Metro. . . . O yeah, Everything Under The Sun
Image result for Arpaio raid Mesa City Hall
Mesa mayor rips Arpaio on city buildings raid | News ...
East Valley Tribune
________________________________________________________________________
Arpaio raids Mesa City Hall; mayor outraged
Mayor outraged by sweep for illegal migrantsby Gary Nelson, Michael Kiefer and JJ Hensley - Oct. 17, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
" . . . Predawn raid Arpaio said the raid was set up after a sheriff's undercover detective infiltrated the cleaning business, claiming to be an undocumented immigrant, and was schooled by a manager in how to obtain false identification that would get him past federal identification verification software.
About 30 deputies and 30 volunteer posse members in bulletproof vests and carrying semi-automatic weapons prepared for the operation in Pioneer Park across from the Mormon Temple shortly after midnight. . . Mayor Scott Smith, who appeared distraught as he spoke with reporters, said he also took great offense that City Hall was targeted.
"The citizens of Mesa, Arizona, this is their City Hall. (It) was, in my belief, violated by another government agency. I don't believe that's proper . . . and I believe that also crosses the line as to what law enforcement should do," he said. . .
Questions denied
Arpaio denied questions about whether the raid was politically motivated or that it was timed to deflect attention from a videotape that surfaced Wednesday depicting the brutal death of an inmate at a county jail, which his office runs. The inmate's family has filed intent to sue the county.
Joining Arpaio in an afternoon press conference, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said the cleaning company had been under investigation for months. When asked why Mesa police could not handle the case, Arpaio said, "It's my jurisdiction, too. You seem to forget."
Then he suggested that there was something in the Mesa police "culture" that "they do not want to enforce the immigration laws."
Smith denied that, saying Mesa police cooperate routinely with other law agencies. Smith said he's not trying to pick a fight with Arpaio and hopes to meet with the sheriff to talk about how the city and county can cooperate in the future.
History of discord
Thursday's raid is the latest in several immigration-related incidents this year involving the Sheriff's Office and the Valley's second-largest city.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Photo by TheRagBlog.
The July 20th issue of The New Yorker paints a detailed portrait of Maricopa County, Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio—and it is not a pretty picture. The profile of “Sheriff Joe” that emerges from the story by journalist William Finnegan is that of a man obsessed with publicity and self-promotion, who has a deep streak of sadism and little regard for the U.S. Constitution, civil rights, actual crime-fighting, or protecting the safety of the public he ostensibly serves. While Arpaio persists in his personal crusade against unauthorized immigrants, serious crimes go unsolved, emergency-response times climb, and the rights of native-born Americans and immigrants alike are routinely trampled in the process. The most remarkable aspect of this story is that Arpaio is still legally permitted to carry a badge and a gun after more than a decade and a half of egregiously abusing his power
_________________________________________________________________________________


 
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Saturday, June 30, 2018

Phoenix-Mesa Metro Area Rises To #5 For Dangerous DeGraded Clean Air Violations Year-After-Year-After-Year


 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The last official results were published a few days ago during HIGH POLLUTION Alerts and Advisories from the Arizona Department of Air Quality.
ADEQ is a regulatory agency whose goal is to ensure federal clean air standards are achieved and maintained for the residents and visitors of Maricopa County. 
While the department states it "follows air quality standards set forth by the federal Clean Air Act", the facts and evidence do not support that claim: Maricopa County has a long record of non-compliance with the Clean Air Act ... they're blaming high pollution on the weather when the sources are on the ground with emissions from automobiles and industrial processes and dust in the air from construction.
From April-October it's gonna be a longer-than-normal ozone season 

29 May 2015

HIGH POLLUTION ADVISORY FOR OZONE TODAY + A "Longer-Than-Normal" Ozone Season

Press Release:
ADEQ is issuing a High Pollution Advisory (HPA) for ozone for the Phoenix metropolitan area for Friday, May 29, 2015 PHOENIX (May 28, 2015) – The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is issuing a High Pollution Advisory (HPA) for ozone for the Phoenix metropolitan area for Friday, May 29, 2015 . . . and a longer-than-normal ozone season.
Longer-than-normal? Ya mean the new normal when we accept extended periods of air contamination and don't do enough to reduce the sources of breathing unhealthy are?
NOTE: High Pollution Advisory (HPA): Notifies the public that the level of an air pollutant is expected to exceed the federal health standard.Ground-level ozone pollution is harmful to lungs and can trigger asthma. Children are at the greatest risk from ozone because their lungs are still developing, they are most likely to be active outdoors and they are more likely than adults to have asthma. Adults with asthma or other lung diseases and older adults are also sensitive to ozone.Although there are higher-risk groups, all county residents can be affected by ground-level ozone. 
_______________________________________________________________

13 June 2016

Scorching Excessive Heat, Wildfires & Monsoon Season + Another Ozone High Pollution Alert

Once again the air we breathe is unhealthy. Maricopa County has been in violation for years exceeding federal clean air standards - instead of reducing the causes, we the public are forced to deal with symptoms, asked to do things that are minimal compared to what the major sources of air contamination . . .  but let's build more suburban sprawl, let's build more highways and infrastructure that's car-dominated, let's build, finance and buy more cars with internal-combustion engines
 20 October 2017

Pollution: Deadlier Than War, Disaster and Hunger

Here in Arizona yet another alert/ADVISORY for HIGH POLLUTION:  [adding a Blogger's Note] when the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality creates a haze around the issue while the patterns of housing, job locations and commuter-driven car culture create more endless suburbia on top of commercial transportation relying in toxic emissions from fossil fuels . . .  We need to SPEAK UP, folks!  
"Pollution kills at least nine million people and costs trillions of dollars every year, according to the most comprehensive global analysis to date, which warns the crisis 'threatens the continuing survival of human societies,'" The Guardian writes of the study, released by The Lancet medical journal:
  • "Toxic air, water, soils and workplaces are responsible for the diseases that kill one in every six people around the world."
  • "The deaths attributed to pollution are triple those from AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined."
  • "The vast majority of the pollution deaths occur in poorer nations and in some, such as India, Chad and Madagascar, pollution causes a quarter of all deaths. The international researchers said this burden is a hugely expensive drag on developing economies."

24 June 2018

Say What? CLEAN AIR MAKE MORE: Here's A Gesture

Let the Desert speak if people here in Maricopa County and people here in Mesa don't raise their raise their voices to hold the ADEQ accountable for contaminated, dirty, unhealthy air that is A RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH.
Where we live is in chronic recurring violations of EPA federal clean air standards.
Who's protecting the environment? 
Just like local government - YOU NEED TO GET ACTIVE
Other locales and other cities can do it, while here in Arizona exposure to unhealthy air appears to be "the cost-of-doing business". . .More emails in the inbox- another two this morning - one about today and another about tomorrow . . .
 
________________________________________________________________________
CONTACTS: 
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) provides a daily forecast for air quality and issues HPAs or health watches when these conditions exist. Please visit azdeq.gov/environ/air/ozone/ensemble.pdf or call (602) 771-2367 for tomorrow’s forecast or https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/AZDEQ/subscriber/new to receive air quality forecasts via email and/or text message.
CONTACT: Caroline Oppleman – (602) 540-8072 cell 
Here's all the double-talk
The Maricopa County Air Quality Department (MCAQD) is a regulatory agency whose goal is to ensure federal clean air standards are achieved and maintained for the residents and visitors of Maricopa County. How are they doin'???The department is governed by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and follows air quality standards set forth by the federal Clean Air Act. The department offers air quality information and resources on its Clean Air Make More website: cleanairmakemore.com.
CONTACT: Bob Huhn – (602) 506-6713 desk/ (602) 526-7307 cell
_________________________________________________________________________    










Pollution places sufferers at risk for premature death and other serious conditions including lung cancer, asthma attacks, cardiovascular damage and developmental and reproductive risks.









 
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Sun Devil-Style MakeOver for Downtown Mesa . . . Nah Nix That


Hey Andi Blodgett, This isn't cool! You may be a "columnist" but this blog has written-off the phony mess of a shiny new ASU Campus in downtown for more than a couple of years. And, yes I noticed you are part of the spoon-fed news stream
gaming voters here in Mesa . . . another Opinion piece, with a disclaimer, put out by the ASU State Press: 
Opinion: ASU will breathe new life into downtown Mesa
Downtown Mesa will benefit from a Sun Devil-style makeover
By Andi Blodgett | 5 hours ago
Reads like some kind of wish-fulfilment fantasy: Game on!
This is in NO WAY NEWS - here in The Ozone where fresh air is a rare thing in this distressed community that's qualified as an "Opportunity Zone" in Trump's Tax Credit Job Act. That's a hard act to follow after the political stunt two years by Mayor John Giles to sell taxpayers going into more debt to radically transform downtown into an ASU campus. Taxpayers rejected it. 
Blodgett's tricky attempt to tweak it all again just plain smells like too much Sparky-shit:
"You might have already written off the news of a shiny new campus in downtown Mesa, if you even noticed. I mean, why wouldn’t you? ASU is always looking for ways to expand its empire in the Valley, so it’s not surprising. But stop right there . . . " Yes, please just stop
" ASU's empire in the Valley?
Andi Blodgett goes on : "this addition is actually pretty cool, and I’ll tell you why. . . "
Here's WHY IT'S NOT COOL ...because someone like you has a conflict-of-interest, using a guy named Pinholster who is employed by ASU's Herberger Institute, to initiate another bogus scheme to re-package the hit on taxpayers - it's just one more NOTHING BURGER. Let ASU pay for its empire. 
Here's how the ASU State Press Columnist frames the story shifting to using economic development with no cost/benefit analysis from any independent third party:  
"According to Jacob Pinholster, dean of policy and initiatives at the Herberger Institute, the original plan on the 2016 ballot was focused on the performing arts and cultural amenity. This time around, the focus has shifted to economic development, part of that being the new building will be included in downtown Mesa’s Innovation District.
“The programs we’re putting into this building and the facilities that we’re building we expect to be a draw to technology companies in particular,” Pinholster said. “We see a lot of opportunities for collaboration for workforce development and for providing the types of engagement and amenity for folks interested in technology. And the programs that will find a home there really will be the perfect draw for tech companies. We should expect to see programs for subjects such as gaming, virtual reality, animation and film and media production, the last especially with high prospects to thrive.  
"This is going to be one of the best academic film and media production facilities in the country, if not the best,”
Pinholster said.
“I know that it’s going to be an attractive place for people who are interested in doing research with virtual reality, augmented reality, who are interested in visualization technologies.”
WHAT'S THE REALITY HERE? ASU's campus in Tempe devoured downtown there. Students are transients. This is a scheme to drive speculation for a real estate boom.
"From the looks of it, this plan has serious potential to benefit our University and downtown Mesa. Just as ASU moving into downtown Phoenix brought new life to the area, we can expect to see a similar result. All the while, these programs will be getting quite the upgrade.“The benefits to the University are having an incredibly cutting-edge facility for our students to work in,” Pinholster said. “That is a place where we can all come together from all these different disciplines, if all goes well, to solve real-world problems and to really expand on ASU’s charter of taking responsibility for being an active participant of the communities that we serve.”
AND WHAT ABOUT PUBLIC BENEFITS?
And as aforementioned, Mesa should see positive economic growth and development from this expansion.
It’s a win-win.
As exciting as the plan is, it’ll be a little while before anyone sees the benefits. The building is slated to be ready for students at the beginning of the fall semester in 2021, and even then, it won’t technically be a campus.
The Arizona Board of Regents has specific requirements of what is considered a campus. Since students in programs there will have to complete their general credits elsewhere, like the Tempe Campus, for now, it’s called the downtown Mesa location. Plus, we shouldn’t expect to see any residential halls right away.
However, Pinholster said the intergovernmental agreement that was signed by the University and the city of Mesa does lay out options for additional buildings later on. With that being said, this could really just be a starting point for a bigger and brighter Sun Devil future in downtown Mesa, and it should be worth the wait."
- END OF BLODGETT'S COLUMN -
__________________________________________________
IMHO: Bad Press + Bad Idea

Reach the columnist at amblodge@asu.edu
or follow @AndiBlodgett on Twitter.
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.

http://www.statepress.com/article/2018/06/spopinion-asu-will-breathe-new-life-into-downtown-mesa
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Friday, June 29, 2018

Jonathan Pie Having A Royal Potty-Mouth Rant On The Roof > LISTEN UP


Published on Jun 29, 2018
Views: 45,2224
The Trouble with Identity Politics
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Wednesday, June 27, 2018

HPA: DANGER & PUBLIC HEALTH RISK In The Air > That's Right 110+ Days Here In Maricopa County Violate Federal Clean Air Standards

Here's an image of ADEQ administrator getting a $5 Million Dollar grant ....what's he gonna do with it ?
Does this sound familiar to every reader of this blog? Here's just one post out of many published here. Who ya gonna call? Call Mesa City Hall to start - there's someone who earns a good salary, and then call ADEQ ....
Where's the Leadership for Clean Air here in The Valley of The Sun? 
The current head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, says He'll look into it . . .
23 April 2018
HIGH POLLUTION ADVISORY: Ozone, Ozone + More Ozone!
OK, Who's getting really outraged ??
Phoenix and Maricopa County are REPEAT OFFENDERS Year after year after year
> among the most Polluted in the U.S.
> #8. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 
Where's the Leadership for Clean Air here in The Valley of The Sun? 
Pollution places sufferers at risk for premature death and other serious conditions including lung cancer, asthma attacks, cardiovascular damage and developmental and reproductive risks.
About 133 million Americans — just more than four out of 10 — live with unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the group of lung health advocates that finds itself lobbying Congress and the Trump administration’s EPA to maintain the Clean Air Act.
Lung Association president and CEO Harold Wimmer placed blame on rising long-run temperatures due to climate change. Smog forms on warm, sunny days and is made worse by the chemicals from vehicle exhaust and from power plant and industrial smokestacks. Warmer temperatures make ozone more likely to form.Pollution places sufferers at risk for premature death and other serious conditions including lung cancer, asthma attacks, cardiovascular damage and developmental and reproductive risks.

Story image for trouble in the air from KJZZ
New Report Has Bad News For Phoenix-Area Air Quality
KJZZ-2 hours ago
That's among the findings in a report released today from Environment Arizona called “Trouble in the Air.” With The Show to talk about it is ...
 
Trouble in the Air: Americans' health at risk
Environment America-9 hours ago
For the report, Trouble in the Air: Millions of Americans Breathe Polluted Air, the authors reviewed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ...
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Award For Excellence > Good Will Goes Online

Like they say "No Gain Without The Pain" - but this feels O so good and O so great.
Image result for goodwill online
Your MesaZona blogger once had a friend who used to swear up-and-down she would never get caught shopping in one of the many neighborhood Goodwill Industries 'Thrift Shops' here in Arizona.
Story image for goodwill online from KJZZ
Growing Pains As Goodwill Arizona Moves Online
KJZZ-10 hours ago
They often call themselves “Goodwill Fanatics,” and there are hundreds of online groups for these fans to share treasure hunting tips
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BEA News: Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by State, 3rd Quarter 2025

  BEA News: Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by S...