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An Interesting Series of E-mails

We received the following from Tom Mitchell who lives in Dove Valley Estates and thought you might find it interesting - especially since many of you may wonder sometimes if anyone is paying attention to us. Our take on the meeting with Phil Gordon on 8/30/03 was positive and we will definitely want to take him up on his offer to visit after he takes office!

I forwarded my earlier Peggy Neely e-mail to Phil Gordon and got this response.

 Tom Mitchell

 ----- Original Message -----

From: Phil Gordon

To: tom.mitchell

Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2003 10:59 PM

Subject: RE: Dove Valley Ranch Re-zoning Attempt

 dear tom

i had a good meeting with some of your neighbors and began to learn alittle of the facts.  i pledge to keep an open mind and open office to you and your neighbors as the process moves foward...if it moves foward.

i think your friends were happy with my approach and willingness to roll up my sleeves with your group ....hope i'll be invited out when i'm mayor

 ----- Original Message -----

From: Tom Mitchell
Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2003 8:56 PM
To: info@philgordon.org
Subject: Fw: Dove Valley Ranch Re-zoning Attempt

Mr. Gordon, I am a homeowner in the north Valley who is opposed to an attempt by Jack Londen and his development partners to re-zone five parcels of land in the Dove Valley Ranch sub-division.  I believe a number of people from the Dove Valley Coalition to which I belong met with you this past Saturday night at the Tatum Ranch Golf Club to state our opposition.  Attached is an e-mail I sent to Councilwoman Peggy Neely two weeks ago in which I unequivocally stated my reasons for opposing the re-zoning.  We don't need another strip mall in the middle of a lovely residential area.  I hope you keep these sentiments in mind should you become Mayor of Phoenix.

Respectfully,

Thomas P. Mitchell

 ----- Original Message -----

From: Tom Mitchell

To: peggy.neely@phoenix.gov

Cc: david.richert@phoenix.gov ; donna.m.stevens@phoenix.gov ; skip.rimsza@phoenix.gov

Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2003 3:52 PM

Subject: Dove Valley Ranch Re-zoning Attempt

 Councilwoman Neely:

 Let me add my voice to the growing number of homeowners who are strongly opposed to the efforts of Jack Londen, Lou Talarico, Larry Lazarus, et al (hereafter referred to as "the developers") to re-zone five parcels of land located in the Dove Valley Ranch (DVR) sub-division in the north Valley.  

I am a homeowner in the small sub-divison of 84 homes called The Estates at Dove Valley (DVE) that is adjacent to Dove Valley Ranch.  I am someone who will be most affected by what the developers want to do since the back of my home directly faces the 6.5 acre parcel (referred to as parcel M by them) on which they want to build a retail and office center.  According to Mr. Talarico, this retail center will contain things like a nail salon, hair salon, day care center, dry cleaner, coffee shop, etc. along with two two-story garden office buildings (my home will be in a direct line due south with one of them).  This parcel is currently zoned R1-18 PRD; the developers are seeking C1 zoning.  Moreover, they will seek an exemption to allow them to intrude into the scenic corridor of Cave Creek Rd. for their parking lot.

I and my fellow homeowners in The Estates at Dove Valley and Dove Valley Ranch want to see parcel M remain R1-18 PRD.  We are also strongly opposed to the developers' attempts to re-zone parcels C, D, E and Q located in the interior of DVR on Black Mountain Pkwy and Rancho Paloma Dr.   

 I ask you to consider what is currently going on in the 3.5 miles or so of Cave Creek Rd starting at its intersection with Carefree Hwy, approximately 1.2 miles north of DVR/DVE, and its intersection with Tatum Blvd, approximately 2.3 miles south of DVR/DVE.  At the Carefree Hwy intersection, a new commercial zone is rising; the newly-constructed Eckerd's Drug Store on the northwest corner is currently in the midst of its grand opening.  Less than a mile to the west on Carefree Hwy sit a brand new Home Depot, Fry's Super Center and a host of smaller businesses such as Starbuck's, Pizza Hut, Subway, Saba's Leather, etc. 

 At Cave Creek Rd's intersection with Lone Mountain Rd just 1.1 miles south of DVR/DVE another new commercial zone has sprung up.  There the Lone Mountain Landing Shopping Center opened earlier this year; it contains a day care center, nail salon, dry cleaner and eventually an Osco Drug Store.  Across Cave Creek Rd sit a Burger King, Texaco station, a small office building and now the facilities of Allstate Self Storage with its ugly, tacky, bright yellow backlit sign with red and black letters (how did this ever get approved?) polluting the night sky with its garish yellow glow more appropriate for Las Vegas, Times Square or Van Buren St downtown. 

A scant quarter mile further south is the abomination-under-construction known as Tuscany Village whose buildings are designed in a faux Italian villa/palazzo style totally incongruous and out of place in our Sonoran Desert (how did this ever get approved anyway?). 

Finally, there is the ever-growing commercial center at Cave Creek Rd and Tatum Blvd with three gas stations, Safeway, Jack-in-the-Box, Domino's Pizza, Blockbuster, Pizza Hut, Subway, Washington Mutual, Super Cuts, and a host of other small businesses.  Fry's has erected a sign indicating it will build a new Super Center just to the south of the Walgreen's on the east side of Cave Creek Rd. and rumors abound that Wal-Mart is interested in a site on the west side to the south of the Circle-K. 

The section of Cave Creek Rd where DVR and DVE are located, between the Lone Mountain Rd commercial center to the south and the Carefree Hwy commercail center to the north, is still relatively unspoiled.  With the exception of the Desert Foothills Gardens Cactus Nursery about half a mile to the north of DVR/DVE (actually pleasing to the eye with its hundreds of golden barrel cactus fronting on Cave Creek Rd), there are no commercial operations in existence.  One church currently exists with two more on the drawing boards (churches are OK!).  So, that stretch of road is primarily residential, part of the Cave Creek Rd scenic corridor which the City Council seems inclined to allow to disappear.  Do we, the homeowners of DVR and DVE really need another nail salon, dry cleaner, pizza parlor, day care center, etc. in our midst?  Those that do exist already are not that far away.  Well, Ms Neely, the answer is a resounding NO!  NO!  NO!  NO!  NO!   

Much of Phoenix is already a characterless, dreary, ugly wasteland with ubiquitous Circle-K's, Mobil Super Pumpers, strip malls, fast food joints, car dealerships, Wal-Marts, Safeways, etc., ad nauseum  Indeed, when relatives and friends come to visit from the East Coast and California, they invariably comment on the city's ugliness on their drive from Sky Harbor.  And when they see Bell  Rd and its extension into Scottsdale, Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, they are incredulous at the visual pollution, noise and general ugliness.  But when they get to where I live, they soften their negative stance on Phoenix a bit:  "Ah-ha", they say about DVE, DVR and the immediate area, "now this is lovely.  Can you keep it that way?". 

As a member of the Dove Valley Coalition, I was present at the special meeting of the Dove Valley Ranch Homeowners' Association this past Wednesday night in Desert Willow Elementary School.  In my estimation well over 300 people showed up from both sub-divisions; many people had to stand.  Check with your aide, Perry Baker.  He was there and can no doubt attest to the extremely hostile reception given to the developers' plans by the homeowners.

I urge you to support our opposition to the Dove Valley Ranch re-zoning.  JUST SAY NO! 

Respectfully,

Thomas P. Mitchell