WHY A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH?

Citizens of North Scottsdale and the surrounding area are all too familiar with the site of a freshly bulldozed tract of land. When that land happens to be in your own neighborhood, it's that much more painful if there was no indication of the plans for the site.

While we all must accept responsibility for the welfare of our own neighborhoods, skillful manipulation of the zoning and notification system is common. Unless one happens to notice a small sign festooned with small print 'notifying' the local citizenry of proposed changes in the assumed land use, it is quite possible to come upon a freshly flattened stretch of desert within yards of your house. JOIN NOW!

If you reside in Scottsdale and wish to stay current on proposed zoning changes, a good resource is the city web site zoning fact sheet. To get there, click here.

SOME CURRENT PROJECTS AND CONCERNS

SIGNS, POLES AND SHEDS AT PIMA & HAPPY VALLEY ROAD
We have received a number of inquiries from our members and others about the signs and other material along Pima Road north of the La Mirada shopping complex to Happy Valley Road . Here is what we know about the property and the signs, etc.

Who owns the property?
The property is owned by Happy Peak, Inc. and controlled by a Henry V. Becker, Sr. who lives at 9643 E. Vereda Solana, Scottsdale , 85255.

How is the property zoned?
It is zoned for residential use and was zoned this way when Mr. Becker bought it at a state land auction almost ten years ago. The zoning permits one home on each 5 acre lot that is similar to contiguous land to the east. The City's General Plan approved two years ago by Scottsdale voters classified the property as a rural residential neighborhood like the surrounding residentially zoned parcels to the east, west and north of the Becker parcel. Pima Road is a City designated Scenic Drive.

Why is the owner angry with COPP and the City?
We can only surmise that he believes that COPP and the City staff stand in the way of his publicly stated objective to rezone the property to permit commercial uses and a senior care facility. We believe there is ample commercial use on the four corners of Pinnacle Peak and Pima to service the immediate neighborhood. We agree with the City's General Plan and residential zoning designation for the Becker parcel and are not opposed to residential development of the property as zoned or some reasonable plan for individual home sites compatible with the surrounding area.

We can only speculate why Mr. Becker feels poorly about the City because he has not made an official application for rezoning that would determine if a use other than residential would be appropriate. That is the established and legal way to decide the question, which would allow surrounding residents to voice their opinion at public hearings before the Planning Commission and then to the City Council for a final determination. For reasons best known to him, Mr. Becker has not filed with the City for a rezoning or General Plan amendment.

What has the City done about the signs and other material at the Pima and Happy Valley intersection?
According to the City Attorney's office, when Mr. Becker had placed truck trailers festooned with toilet bowls plus the cowboy poles and painted sheds, the City took Mr. Becker to court alleging that those objects were in violation of city codes. The court ruled in favor of the city on all of these items and subsequently the trailer and toilet bowls were removed. However, Mr. Becker appealed the lower court ruling on the poles and sheds and that is still an outstanding matter before the appeals court and why they are still in place.

The signs are another matter and as long as Mr. Becker does not violate the city's sign ordinance we assume they will be allowed to stand as an expression of free speech, no matter how distasteful they may be to area residents or the general public.

If you have not already done so, join COPP now! Then encourage your friends to do the same.