Sunday, January 12, 2020

Mesa City Council Wants To Make A New Deal with City Creek Reserve - SAY NO!

This has been public information for more than a month:
City Creek Center in Salt Lake City Under Scrutiny by The Feds In An IRS Tax Fraud Filing Case
An investigation in The Washington Post
Mormon Church has misled members on $100 billion tax-exempt investment fund, whistleblower alleges

By Jon Swaine ,  Douglas MacMillan and Michelle Boorstein

 "A former investment manager alleges in a whistleblower complaint to the Internal Revenue Service that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has amassed about $100 billion in accounts intended for charitable purposes, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Washington Post. "
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"The confidential document, received by the IRS on Nov. 21, accuses church leaders of misleading members — and possibly breaching federal tax rules — by stockpiling their surplus donations instead of using them for charitable works. It also accuses church leaders of using the tax-exempt donations to prop up a pair of businesses..."
The complaint provides a window into the closely held finances of one of the nation’s most visible religious organizations, based in Salt Lake City.
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It details a church fortune far exceeding past estimates and encompassing stocks, bonds and cash.
Based on internal accounting documents from February 2018, the complaint estimates the portfolio has grown in value from $12 billion in 1997, when Ensign was formed, to about $100 billion today
 
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RELATED CONTENT ON THIS BLOG:
From 30 September 2018
Real Estate & For-Profit Religion: The Massive Mormon Make-Over of Downtown Mesa
Redevelopment Plans Announced for Area Near Mesa Arizona Temple
We are so blessed!
Just another one of those 'Revelations', published today by  East Valley Tribune staff writer Jim Walsh who's getting ahead of his stories published by The Times Media Group for local consumption, framing them with a battle between "historic preservation can't beat progress" and "revitalizing" downtown Mesa.
Now he's revealing Phase 2 in the Mesa LDS Temple-area, where for-profit investment affiliates own more than 70 properties - they essentially "own the neighborhood" so we won't see any neighbors objecting. . . 
Blogger Note1: Writer Jim Walsh provides no links to the statement by CCRI Spokesman Dale Bills that he uses in the reporting and he doesn't name the CCRI 'affiliates' who own the land increasing the original Phase 1 of 4.6 acres to the 8.2 acres in Phase 2.
Blogger Note 2: Scroll down below in related content to see the sources of the announcements and revelations about earlier plans - Question: Is this really what Mesa needs? 


TIME FOR A REACTION?
Or cross your fingers behind your back and hope no one notices?
Blogger Note: It's very clear from statements made by Matt Baldwin, real estate development director for City Creek Reserve (CCRI)), an investment affiliate of the Church.
We’ve been planning this project for years, . .We’ve talked with city and county government leaders, city planning staff and other local developers
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INSERT
"The Revelation". . . and the next act  
"Posterity Fulfils The Promise To Lock-Down Another Corner of The Kingdom" 
What's Next?
A Disruption in that Vision Thing . . .
The for-profit arm of the of the Mormon Church has not disclosed any financial details, terms or deals, but it looks like they can break-ground on this faster than other unsolicited developer proposals that want to take-over downtown. 
Who's the head of Public Affairs for the Mesa Mormon LDS Temple??
 - Roc Arnett.


All kinds of characters walking across the stage here - some familiar and some new: 
< Here's the leadership of a group called The East Valley Partnership (missing Roc Arnett)
On the left is former Mesa City Manager Mike Hutchinson who's got a new job.
In the center is Denny Barney, incoming president replacing Roc Arnett on the East Valley Partnership who's on the Board of Supervisors of Maricopa County and a major principal in Arcus Private Capital Solutions
On the right John Lewis outgoing EVP president, former mayor Gilbert who resigned to go on a LDS mission to Cambodia.

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20 May 2019

Selling-Off Water Rights To Pay-Off Major League Debt

More than 5 years ago, this LAND DEAL was one of the largest in Mesa's history. We didn't know more about it then.
Mesa Seals $135 Million Land Deal
Posted on
by Kristian Seemeyer
When people talk, listen completely.
Most people never listen.
- Ernest Hemingway
The "land deal" land sale proceeds will boost the City’s Economic Investment Fund, financing in part projects such as: Sloan Park, The Cubs new Spring Training facility  and the so-called then "Higher Education Initiative". We're talking 11,400 acres, folks!
The vast tracts of land were know back then as The Mesa Water Farm.
Read more ....this is where you find it > Click or Tap Here 
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The Saints Have A Plan:
THIS IS WHAT THAT $135M LAND DEAL - OR LAND SWINDLE OR STEAL?? - FOR THEIR VISION ON THE 11,447 ACRES THAT WERE ONCE THE MESA WATER FARM ...Nice buy: $135M 11,400+ ACRES
Watch where this story goes and note that the buyer in  2012, a company in Scottsdale, is now called Saints Holdings Company. They agreed to buy the land in three 5-year phases.
Let's do some numbers first: a recent city auction for 132 acres, without water rights, went for $21.1M (that's $5M above the appraised price) . . .or $159,848 per acre.
"According to Natalie Lewis, assistant to city manager Chris Brady, and also lead negotiator on the deal, Mesa purchased the land in 1985 for more than $29 million for its water rights to create a water farm. Eventually, the city found more cost-effective means to provide the city water. OH REALLY? DID THEY?
The city expected it would take 20 years or more to sell the land. But two years ago, PLH approached the city with interest in purchasing the land in phases over five years.

 

 
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What Intelligence was That ....again?

U.S. Strike on Iranian Commander in Yemen the Night of Suleimani’s Assassination Killed the Wrong Man
On the night the U.S. assassinated Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani by drone strike, the U.S. launched a similar operation to kill a top Iranian commander in Yemen, a U.S. official told The Intercept.
The operation was aimed at killing Abdul Reza Shahlai, the commander of the Yemen division of Iran’s elite Quds Force, near the Yemeni capital Sana’a. Shahlai survived, but a lower-level Quds Force operative was killed, and Shahlai went into hiding, the official said. . .
The strike was first reported by the Washington Post. The White House referred The Intercept to the Department of Defense, which did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication
 
us-state-dept-1578689622
Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook addresses reporters at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5, 2019, offering $15 million for information related to Abdul Reza Shahlai. Photo: Freddie Everett/U.S. State Department
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Congress has not authorized U.S. military action against Iran, so members are likely to question the legal basis for a strike against Shahlai. Congress did, however, recently pass a bipartisan resolution directing President Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from “hostilities” in Yemen. Trump vetoed the resolution, but it marked a clear desire on the part of Congress to end American support for Saudi-led operations in the country.
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Following the strike on Suleimani, the U.S. sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council, saying that the U.S. had “undertaken certain actions in the exercises of its inherent right of self-defense,” and that the actions “include” the operation to kill Suleimani, leaving open the possibility that the U.S. conducted other strikes that night.
Wait! Before you go on about your day, ask yourself:
How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadn’t done it?
Consider what the world of media would look like without The Intercept.
Who would hold party elites accountable to the values they proclaim to have?
How many covert wars, miscarriages of justice, and dystopian technologies would remain hidden if our reporters weren’t on the beat?
The kind of reporting we do is essential to democracy, but it is not easy, cheap, or profitable.
The Intercept is an independent nonprofit news outlet. We don’t have ads, so we depend on our members — 35,000 and counting — to help us hold the powerful to account. Joining is simple and doesn’t need to cost a lot:
You can become a sustaining member for as little as $3 or $5 a month.
That’s all it takes to support the journalism you rely on.Become a Member 
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Media Stooges > Iran News Pundits

Video Upload from The Intercept >
https://theintercept.com/2020/01/10/iran-pundits-defense-industry/
Full Disclosure: News Pundits’ Hidden Arms Industry Ties
Video by  
Premiered Jan 10, 2020
Views: 12,955+ at time of upload to this blog
A loud chorus of voices appeared in the media to celebrate President Donald Trump’s decision to assassinate Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a move that has sparked renewed tension in the Middle East, a new deployment of U.S. forces, and predictions of increased military spending.
Many of the pundits who appeared on national television or were quoted in major publications to praise the president’s actions have undisclosed ties to the defense industry — the only domestic industry that stands to gain from increased violence.

Read the full story from The Intercept's Lee Fang here:
https://theintercept.com/2020/01/06/i...
 
 
January 10 2020, 10:52 a.
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For-Profit Religion & The Church > Mesa is A Satellite of Salt Lake City

"All of us are very familiar with the non-profit side of the Church with the buildings of Temples, churches, and the missionary program, but most are not familiar with the LDS Church for-profit companies. . .
Many might be surprised to know that the LDS church is the largest non-governmental land owner in the US.
It is not unusual for the Church to buy land. It normally does so through its primary corporate entity, the Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . .
the Church builds more square footage in United States than Walmart."
Source: BARE RECORD OF TRUTH
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"For the LDS market, I had an idea for a new variation of the game. I would call it Mormonolopy. . .
"In a recent fireside at our stake, a Church employee spoke and shared with us that the Church builds more square footage in United States than Walmart. I don't know what the Church's exact square footage is, but as of January 31, 2014,  Walmart  has built almost 1 billion square feet. ( 723,385,669 square feet to be exact) stats 
Last week,  Suburban Land Reserve (one of the real estate arms of the Church) met with the City Council to propose a preliminary Planned Unit Development (PUD) in Herriman.  The LDS Church owns 300 acres in Herriman approximately at 6801 W 11800 South.  and hopes to get approval to subdivide the land into 2,549 home building lots. (Minutes to the City Council Mtg.)

A few years ago, "The Mormon Church has purchased a major chunk of undeveloped property in overbuilt Maricopa from two major home builders.
Property Reserve Inc., a real-estate holding company owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, paid home builders Fulton Homes Corp. and Shea Homes for Active Adults a combined $72 million in October for about 1,900 acres of virgin land in the Pinal County city, 35 miles south of Phoenix." LDS Purchases Maricopa land from builders in Arizona
While a developing land to subdivide into home lots is one thing, when I learned that the Church has land with plans to develop an entire new city, I was really surprised . . ."
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Related Content on this blog:

12 May 2019

A Flash-Back to June 10, 2018: Coulda, Woulda . . . It's A Done Deal

Massive Mesa Mormon Temple Make-Over Plan could transform downtown Mesa- East Valley Tribune Report by Jim Walsh reproduced by Rose Law Group Reporter 
"An extensive renovation of the iconic Mesa Arizona Temple has the potential of becoming a catalyst for the transformation of the city’s downtown. Using Pioneer Park* and the revamped Temple as its anchor, that transformation could attract an unparalleled revival, said Maricopa County Supervisor and East Valley Partnership President Denny Barney.
Iconic figure from Monopoly
“We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in private investment down there,’’ Barney said. “I think this will be a catalyst for future investment. . . " 
RIGHT DENNY! . . . but we'll never know since no financial details were ever revealed.

* Blogger Footnote: The original Parks Bond budget approved figure for the renovation of Pioneer Park was $5.9 Million dollars that somehow doubled to $12 Million$ while the eastward Gilbert Road Extension of Valley Metro Light Rail Service was in-progress. One public report stated that the architect for the temple's redevelopment area 'worked with' planners, possibly for the underground installation of city-owned utilities infrastructure.
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Reporter Jim Walsh frames his take on the story like this: (it is) . . . " a classic confrontation between neighborhood revitalization and historic preservation with a landmark of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the center. . . " It's way more than that!
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Here's this report in The Salt Lake Tribune June 7, 2018
THIS WEEK IN MORMON LAND: Plans for 'City Creek South' Unveiled
(Courtesy Intellectual Reserve Inc.) Plans have been announced to redevelop 4.5 acres of land near the Mesa Arizona Temple. This rendering offers a southeast view of the mixed-use community.
City Creek South? You could call it City Creek South or City Creek Lite.
By David Noyce  ·  Published: 3 days ago Updated: 2 days ago
The real estate investment arm of the LDS Church has announced plans to erect a new mixed-use development near the faith’s Mesa Temple, which is being renovated.
The Utah-based church completed a similar — albeit much larger — project in the heart of Salt Lake City with its City Creek Center.
The Mesa makeover, covering 4.5 acres along a light rail line, would include 12,500 square feet of ground-floor shops, 240 apartments, 12 town homes, 70,000 square feet of landscaped open space and underground parking.
“We’ve been planning this project for years,” Matt Baldwin, real estate development director for City Creek Reserve, said in a news release.
 “We’ve talked with city and county government leaders, city planning staff and other local developers. We want to enhance and beautify this block, but we also want to make sure what we’re proposing is what downtown Mesa needs.”
Blogger Note: Did they talk with or get any input from the public??? NOPE.
It is, according to a former Mesa city manager.
“What CCRI has envisioned is exactly right for downtown Mesa right now,” Mike Hutchinson states in the release. “… This project will bring renewed vitality to this key block on Main Street.”and in June last year:
Scope of Mormon Temple-area project in Mesa to be doubled 
"City Creek Reserve is planning to nearly double the size of the redevelopment project west of downtown Mesa’s iconic temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
City Creek Reserve, the church’s real estate division of the church, will expand the redevelopment project from the original 4.5 acres to 8.2 acres, according to spokesman Dale Bills.
 “City Creek Reserve is expanding its mixed-use, transit-oriented redevelopment at Mesa and Main to include additional residences. New townhomes and single-family homes will be constructed on land already owned by CCRI affiliates, increasing the total number of redeveloped acres from 4.5 to 8.2,’’ Bills said in a statement. . . "
As reported on this blog earlier with an image of bulldozing at the site for Residences On Main & Mesa, ". . . Construction has already begun on the project, which Bills said is aimed at creating “a neighborhood with diverse residential unit sizes, comfortably scaled buildings, Mesa-authentic architecture, and landscaped streets and gardens. . . The expanded project was not unanticipated by Mesa preservation officials, who always suspected that there might be a Phase II added to the project. They noted that the church owns additional property south of the original project’s boundary.
Carl Duke, City Creek Reserve’s vice president, is scheduled to brief the Mesa Historic Preservation Board on Tuesday about his plans to demolish the seven historic homes covered by the original demolition permits requested by the company earlier this year, and discuss six additional homes that would be demolished as part of Phase II.




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Salt Lake City Temple - Epicenter for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Officially "De-Commissioned"

Posted by at
2020.01.08 - THE SLC TEMPLE: THE REMOVAL FROM THE FOUNDATION
The Salt Lake City Temple is now closed until as early as 2024.
This week, dozens and dozens of moving trucks began hauling away all of the furniture, historical items, artwork, light fixtures, stain glass windows and sacred items


Once everything has been hauled off, the demolition of many of the buildings around the Temple will begin . . .
. . . in the April 2109 conference, President Nelson announced that the Temple will close for 4 years for major seismic and structural renovations to help the building withstand a large earthquake. According to Brent Roberts, the church’s director of special projects, this will require placing hundreds of shock absorbers between the ground and the building’s footings and foundations. “It actually will now be the foundation of the temple, so when the earth moves, the base isolation system takes all that movement."
"It actually will now be the foundation of the temple, so when the earth moves, the base isolation system takes all that movement,"  
 
So in other words, the original foundation that the Temple was build on will now be replaced by a "base isolation system". Essentially the building is no longer on rock, a steadfast and firm foundation, but on rollers that can move back and forth depending on the movement of the world."
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Water: The Most Precious Commodity Here In The Desert...Who's Metering The Usage??

Duh!
The problem is that the amount of water pumped by farmers and cities and the amount replenished by storm runoff isn't known.
That's because the state doesn't require farms and other users to meter or otherwise measure their use and there are poor recharge numbers
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Report from the Associated Press:
PHOENIX (AP) — Republican and Democratic Leaders of the Arizona House are again eyeing the state's water supply as a major issue for the coming legislative session that starts next week.
Let's be very clear
“If we’re not measuring, if we’re not metering, then we cannot say that there’s plenty of water,” she said.
“I think we’re being very, very reckless with the sustainability of water for future generations.”
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Arizona's water supply a major issue for legislative session
AP January 09, 2020 at 3:11 pm
By BOB CHRISTIE
GOP House Speaker Rusty Bowers and Democratic Minority Leader Charlene Fernandez both highlighted overpumping in the state's rural areas as a major issue when lawmakers return to work on Monday.
Rusty Bowers:
“I’m not putting up any red whistles or skyrockets without knowing what the real situation is, . . "

“I am very concerned about overdrafting,” Bowers said in a Wednesday interview. But he said he doesn't have enough facts to propose legislation just yet.

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The West Is Trading Water for Cash. The Water Is Running Out
Desert farmers along the Colorado River are striking lucrative deals with big cities. But not everyone comes out a winner. 
By Luke McGrath Bloomberg.com    
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For the big deal to spend $200,000,000 of Mesa taxpayers' money in a Field of Schemes to finance Sloan Park,  a stadium here in Mesa for the Billionaire-Ricketts Family, owners of the Chicago Cub's sport franchise, City Manager Chris Brady held up a defiant fist when questioned over the terms of pay-off of the public debt obligations. He was joined by former mayor Scott Smith . . .
city assets would be sold-off:
Water-Rights on 11,444 acres of land.
Brady justified that by stating that the city had 'plenty of water' in August 2019.
Now the story has changed
Let's crack open this latter-day charade
City envisions a $66M pipe as a lifeline to SE Mesa 
Jim Walsh's Story/East Valley Tribune
DUH? Hard to believe city officials are using that same old play-book
"This is just an illustration. We have no idea where the alignment is,’’
----- Jake West, Mesa’s water resources director, said
 
“We’re just in the beginning of an alignment study to make it as successful and economically done as possible.’’
 
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SAY WHAT?
Nov 12  
Pinal County has plenty of water for the next 100 years.
We just need to prioritize demand
Opinion: An alarming prediction about Pinal County facing a water shortage is a myth that’s based on outdated assumptions and incomplete data.
By Jordan Rose and Tom Galvin,
opinion contributors | azcentral"Mark Twain once wrote of his difficulty with math by ascribing a quote about the flexible power of numbers to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli,
“There are three kinds of lies:
lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
Farmers, developers, landowners, residents and elected officials in Pinal County are now empathetic with Twain because we are trying to dispel a growing notion that “Pinal County is out of groundwater.”
The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) is working on revising a model based on outdated assumptions and incomplete data that have perpetuated the myth that Pinal County is facing a water shortage. In fact, Pinal County has plenty of water for today, tomorrow and 100 years from now.
Farmers and cities are good stewards
The agricultural and municipal sectors rely on substantial and robust aquifers and are responsible stewards of water for today’s needs and for future demand."
READ ON: 
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21 October 2019
The Latter-Day Charades For Mesa City Manager Chris Brady: Water-Boy
14 years into his job as the City of Mesa's Chief Executive Officer, we're getting some new revelations for what's next: ENVISION A PIPE
“It’s our next pocket of water,’’
City Manager Chris Brady said.
“It’s going to be our lifeline for the future expansion of southeast Mesa.’’
carry water for (someone)
1. To serve, assist, or perform menial or difficult tasks for some person, group, or organization
What does a deceitful person carry in one hand while carrying water in the other?
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