Welcome to the Newly Renamed Loop 202 Blog (or not)

It's Loop 202 all the time! Get your Loop 202 news here! Hot off the presses!

Again, our proposed freeway is in the news. Two articles published today in the AZ Republic highlight the most recent plan proposed by MAG to get this freeway back on track:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2009/08/03/20090803ar-smfreeway0804.html

and

http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/2009/08/03/20090803ar-freeway0805.html

The first article is geared toward the more general "Phoenix" audience, whereas the second one focuses more specifically on the Ahwatukee perspective. As such, I think you'll see that the first article is slightly more informative about the overall process that has taken place thus far, i.e. the city has made a recommendation to MAG, which will then vote to pass the plans on to ADOT for finalization; this is moving forward. The second article panders to its audience, as do the quotes included in it, so I thought it deserved my treatment.

First, DiCiccio and his political opponents are either misguided (and I don't think this is it), or they are misdirecting their constituents' attention by claiming that the city has had little or no say in these matters. To the contrary, I think our friends in District 7 and on city staff deserve a huge thank you for helping this dying plan rise again out of the ashes. As I reported last month, our city's transportation department moved forward with a street plan that was made to accommodate the north-south section of freeway through Laveen. Furthermore, the city resolved that it supported the Laveen alignment and passed along instructions to MAG and ADOT to "expedite" their plans (backtrack here). Yes, DiCiccio's council seat is up for grabs, thus making this a hot topic; but the primary reason that this is in the news again is thanks to Wylie Bearup in our Street Transportation Department, Ruben Gallego, and Councilman Nowakowski.

Second, Tim Tait of ADOT notes that the freeway is "not a done deal." It is not, this is true.... But it is now working it's way through the process and is perhaps one of ADOT's best candidates for future federal stimulus funds (remember all that talk about money for roads and bridges?). It is also a great cause for the city of Phoenix to rally in support of revenue potential from all the retail tax and professional business development that will assuredly follow the freeway. I can't help but compliment Mr. Tait for his carefully selected words, but let's prove him wrong about a current lack of certainty by helping to steamroll this directive through MAG and ADOT as fast as possible.

Third, Eric Anderson of MAG is hardly quoted or even acknowledged in these articles, but I must say that I have learned a great deal about the mechanics of our freeway plans from him and Tim Tait throughout this process. Remember, he's the staff guy who must work out all the details on behalf of our political representatives at MAG, so I will look to him for news of future progress on this topic, and then refocus my efforts on ADOT.

Many have inquired as to what we as a community can do right now to have our voices heard. Well, as noted, the ball is in the hands of MAG..... and let's not forget the minor impact of Sal Diciccio's campaign on the politics of this issue. While it appears that he has mostly stepped aside to let the freeway happen, he still cannot allow the city's MAG representation to emerge too strongly in favor of the Ahwatukee alignment, no matter where it lies. This is the reason, I think, that we have divided the Ahwatukee and Laveen portions of the freeway for most planning discussions. So we need to express strong unified support for at least the Laveen alignment prior to the October meeting.

I will post more details as soon as I can get them, but please help do the same. Contact your MAG representatives (see list here) and let them know that you want your voice heard by contacting the Director of Communications, Kelly Taft, at ktaft@mag.maricopa.gov. Get a spot on the next meeting agenda to discuss the Loop 202 freeway, or choose from any of the following discussion topics:

• Necessary local route AND bypass.
• Necessary for Laveen's commercial growth.
• Laveen and Desert Ridge are Phoenix's two most promising growth areas.
• It's already taken almost 30 years........
• Residents of Ahwatukee and Laveen benefit from proposed hospital.
• Laveen general plan rivals Scottsdale; freeway further enhances quality of life.
• Improved South Mountain park access.
• Any other reasons I may have missed that are important to you.

Federal Transportation Stimulus Dollars

Here's a link to the federal government's tracking of all stimulus money going toward transportation projects: http://arra-gis.dot.gov/

If you are, like me, primarily concerned about our planned freeway in Laveen, you will likely notice that it isn't listed on this site. Loop 202 funds will likely flow someday, but we need to keep reminding ADOT and MAG that this needs to happen now rather than later.

News about Our Newest Apartment Re-Zoning

While searching for commercial properties in Laveen today, I uncovered this listing for the entire Sun West mixed-use development: http://listing.loopnet.com/16196817.

Remember, this is the development group that made all kinds of concessions to improve the quality/image of their project in order to receive approval for re-zoning and a general plan amendment (to drastically increase density). In their appeals to the LCRD, City Planning Office, and City Council, Sun West repeatedly mentioned a high-end apartment community. Yes, this apartment complex would accomplish the extraordinary and charge above average rents in a declining residential market! They would buck the trend toward $700 average rents in the Phoenix market--and without a strong nearby employment base.

Remember also that I called into question the developer's investment strategy here and here. I've since toned down my concern about the suitability of this site for apartments, but remain concerned about the developer's investment model. As noted toward the end of the real estate listing referenced above, the developer is currently seeking HUD Section 221D4 financing to complete the project. While this is intended for projects aimed at moderate income residents, I still fear that Sun West will fail in this attempt given the still-distressed housing market.

Here are my specific hang-ups for such a project (just bear with me):

• Senior and handicap-focused housing are both difficult with more than one floor, without including elevators. This project is 3-stories and has no elevators. Therefore, it won't likely be restricted to either of these uses (which I would favor--except for the illogical location).
• Foreclosed single-family homes are selling for under $100,000, which means that they can be profitably rented out for less than the 2008 average apartment lease rates. This is a tough sell to banks that are already sour on residential and commercial uses, if your projections for an apartment community are significantly higher.
• My guess is that Sun West bought the property from our school district for less than the $333,000 per acre in its current list price (anyone care to check the tax records to verify?). Their holding costs have not been much yet, which means that they are likely better off selling to the highest bidder.
• Knowing nothing about Sun West's current financial well-being, I question whether they need to raise capital--thus leading to a distressed sale situation--because of a high debt load (common story for developers right now).
• The best financial outcome for any developer holding an entitled apartment site within walking distance of Wal-Mart and other neighborhood sevices, and on a bus line, is for the developer to target the lower end of the affordable housing segment. And that's exactly what I think Sun West or the future buyer will do.
  

I still feel strongly that, if this project moves forward, it will target Section-8 renters and others benefiting from such programs. While these people most certainly require affordable housing, we must remember that this use is quite different from what has consistently been promised for this specific site. Meanwhile, our general plan is designed to focus the necessary resources on a long-term basis toward the future village core, near where the freeway will someday intersect with Baseline Road. This project still strikes me as poor long-term planning for that reason alone.

New Domain Name

As I spoke with one of our local shopping center brokers yesterday and tried to refer him to this site for reference, he rightfully commented that this was an awfully clumsy address to deliver over the phone. So I thought I should do something about it. Now let me amaze you with this new trick I learned: www.ourlifeinlaveen.com. That's right! I'm now what my grandmother would refer to as internet savvy. So please feel free to pass along this simplified url to your friends and neighbors, and I'll keep posting away.

Laveen Farmers Market

I have put this request out to the "Laveen, Arizona" facebook group, so I thought I should do the same here. Is anyone interested in planning a farmers market for our community? If so, please email me at ptbrennan@gmail.com (or contact me via facebook). If we can start by sometime this fall, I will promise to do my part in organizing most of it--but we still need a committee in place.

Stay Tuned for More 202 News

Here's a comment Ben left on my last post about retail:

Just found this article on the 202 moving forward. May be old news but just published today:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/2009/06/27/20090627ahwatukeefreeway-ON.html

I thought it was a timely article and a timely observation from Ben. My guess is that we will see significant progress over the course of this summer. And I know that Tom Trush has been following Loop 202 developments on behalf of South Mountain District News; so keep tuned there and at the AZ Republic for further news.

Not only do I continue to argue that this WILL happen for the reasons cited in my last 202 article, but the summers in AZ are a great time for political deal making; and it appears that the deals are being made (not to mention ADOT has gotten better in the PR arena). Plus, I find it interesting that Harry Mitchell and Ed Pastor have both weighed in on the subject. They will hopefully provide the federal spending that can make our Loop 202 a reality.

As we continue to see signs of resuscitation for our freeway, I will definitely try to stay "in the loop" (yes, I put quotes around it--very clever indeed). Please do the same, and let me know if you catch anything that I fail to mention here. Thanks again to Ben for the contribution.

A Wee Bit O Retail News

Did you notice that the shopping center at 35th and Baseline now looks nicely landscaped, and there's a new broker's sign in front of the property? That's right, apparently the owner (bank?) realized that it can't continue to sit empty, or else they will have a deteriorating piece of junk on their hands.

Now, let's see if we can get any momentum in the commercial lease market. Hint: it isn't going to happen as long as properties like the one at 51st/Southern keep trying to convince the world that their lower traffic locations are worth $22 psf. The guys over at 27th and Baseline have the right idea in starting negotiations at $14.

So on to the bright side, let's commence the discussion of what kinds of businesses would be appropriate for 35th/Baseline. A craft store? Sporting goods? Trader Joe's or similar? Restaurants? Yoga studio? These are a few of the ideas I gleaned from past posts. Please feel free to take it from here, and keep in mind that this is a neighborhood location, meaning that most major retailers who normally locate near malls and such won't be interested. But that's okay; we can still use a few more neighborhood-oriented businesses here.