Issuu

Chaplik snubs school help / P. 4

Civic Center cost overruns / P. 6

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Scottsdale district system supporters aim for ballot BY J. GRABER Progress Staff Writer

BUSINESS. ................. 24 She brings high-end beauty to Old Town.

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NEIGHBORS.......................................... 23 BUSINESS............................................... 24 OPINION................................................. 28 ARTS............................................29 FOOD............................................ 31 CLASSIFIEDS...............................33

Sunday, February 20, 2022

he perennial issue of districting in Scottsdale is dead again as far as City Council is concerned but it could become very much alive for voters this November. Although Council on a 5-2 vote Feb. 15

Housing crisis threatens us all, economist warns

instructed city staff not to look into the issue any further, the 3-2-One Scottsdale Political Action Committee intends to try getting an initiative on the Nov. 8 ballot. “Yes, we most certainly plan on going out and obtaining the signatures required to it put to a vote by the people Scottsdale,” said 3-2-One Scottsdale President Paul Simonson.

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The committee will have its work cut out for them, though: The PAC will need to get 27,244 signatures to city clerk Ben Lane’s office by early July to give him time to certify them. Scottsdale has had at-large council members since it incorporated 1951

see DISTRICTS page 10

BY CECILIA CHAN Tribune Staff Writer

cottsdale and the rest of the Phoenix Metro area must build their way out of the current housing deficit or face economic catastrophe down the road, a noted Valley economist is warning local officials. The housing shortage is just not dire in Arizona but throughout the country, economist Elliott Pollack told Gilbert Town Council as part of a presentation he is giving to a wide group of municipal bodies in the Valley, with Scottsdale expected to be scheduled soon. “Affordability is falling but it’s about to plummet,” Pollack said. “There’s virtually no vacancy

see HOUSING page 16

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CITY NEWS

An edition of the East Valley Tribune Scottsdale Progress is published every Sunday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Scottsdale. To find out where you can pick up a free copy of Scottsdale Progress, please visit www.Scottsdale.org. CONTACT INFORMATION Main number 480-898-6500 | Advertising 480-898-5624 Circulation service 480-898-5641 Scottsdale Progress 1990 W. Broadway Road Tempe, AZ 85282 Publisher Steve T. Strickbine Vice President Michael Hiatt ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Display Advertising 480-898-6309 Classifieds/Inside Sales Elaine Cota | 480-898-7926 | ecota@scottsdale.org TJ Higgins | 480-898-5902 | tjhiggins@scottsdale.org Advertising Office Manager Kathy Sgambelluri | 480-898-6500 | ksgambelluri@timespublications.com Director of National Advertising Zac Reynolds | 480-898-5603 | zac@scottsdale.org NEWS DEPARTMENT Executive Editor Paul Maryniak | 480-898-5647 | pmaryniak@scottsdale.org Staff Writers Alex Gallagher | 843-696-6442 | agallagher@timespublications.com John Graber | 480-898-5682 | jgraber@timespublications.com Photographers Dave Minton | dminton@timespublications.com Design Veronica Thurman | vthurman@scottsdale.org Production Coordinator Courtney Oldham | 480-898-5617 | production@scottsdale.org Circulation Director Aaron Kolodny | 480-898-5641 | customercare@scottsdale.org Scottsdale Progress is distributed by AZ Integrated Media, a circulation service company owned by Times Media Group. The public is permitted one copy per reader. For further information regarding the circulation of this publication or others in the Times Media Group family of publications, please contact AZ Integrated Media at circ@azintegratedmedia.com or 480-898-5641. For circulation services please contact Aaron Kolodny at aaron@azintegratedmedia.com

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

Scottsdale lawmaker opposed lifting school spend cap BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

cottsdale Rep. Joseph Chaplik was one of 14 Republicans who voted against a bill to waive the expenditure cap that is stopping Arizona public schools from spending all the money they already have for this fiscal year. Despite his opposition to the bill last week, the House’s bipartisan 45-14 approval of the measure means it’s up to the Senate to spare school districts across Arizona from making cuts in their current budget totaling more than $1.1 billion. Senate President Karen Fann, RPrescott, said she has yet to line up the necessary votes in her own chamber and unless senators act by March 1, the House vote won’t matter – and schools will be barred from spending cash they already have and need to finish the school year. Retaining the cap would force Scottsdale Unified School District to cut $27 million in spending for this year. SUSD Chief Financial Officer Shannon Crosier told the Governing Board earlier this month that the district would essentially spend down its reserves to keep school open, but that would leave the future looking very bleak because “$27 million is not something I can make up in just one year.” “The impact of this is not just for this year or next year. That’s something that is going to affect us down the road,” Crosier said. To cover the gap for the remainder of this year, the district would spend down $15 million in projected carryforward money; $4 million typically used for computers, books and buses; $4 million in cash accounts and $4 million in new hiring funds. “It is important to note that this is not a revenue problem: the money is available and has been appropriated by the Legislature,” the district stated in a letter to parents. “Rather, it is a product of an archaic constitutional provision, coupled with the convergence of two other shifts impacting the formula’s calculation – the significant loss of enrollment during the first full year of the pandemic and the inclusion of Prop. 301 funding in the overall calculation.” The House vote occurred with all

Democrats in favor. None of the 14 Republicans who opposed the move explained their decisions. Nor did any respond to requests after the vote by Capitol Media Services for comment. One champions of the bill was Rep. Jennifer Pawlik, D-Chandler, who told colleagues there was no reason for them to refuse the one-time waiver. “The override is a temporary fix that will allow schools to spend the money they have already been allocated,’’ she said. “They have not done anything wrong,’’ Pawlik continued. “And they certainly have not overspent their budgets.’’ Instead, it simply recognizes – as has the Legislature at least twice before – that the aggregate expenditure limit approved by voters in 1980 needs to be waived in certain circumstances. House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, echoed the sentiment that the action should have been routine. “Every year or other there’s some issue that is politicized,’’ he said. “No one ever said that the schools were doing something wrong.’’ The delay in acting, Bowers said, was to make sure that the waiver did not affect other issues, like the fate of Proposition 208, a voter-approved measure that sought to raise more than $800 million for K-12 education through a surcharge on the incomes of the most wealthy. In an earlier ruling the Arizona Supreme Court said the funds cannot be collected if they would force schools to exceed the expenditure cap. Bowers noted, though, that issue is about the 2022-2023 school year; Tuesday’s vote is about the current school year. That leaves it to Fann to line up the votes in the Senate. And she declined to tell Capitol Media Services how many votes she is short. But, even counting her own support, she needs at least six of the remaining 15 Republicans to go along. That’s because it takes a two-thirds vote of both chambers even for a oneyear waiver of the expenditure cap. And there currently are only 13 Democrats in the Senate, what with Sen. Juan Mendez, D-Tucson, not having

Scottsdale Rep. Joseph Chaplik voted against lifting the crippling spending cap on schools, which would have a major impact in Scottsdale Unified School District. (Special to the Progress)

been present since the beginning of the session as he chose to stay home and avoid the possibility of infecting his newborn child. The limit was imposed by voters in 1980 as part of a multi-pronged effort to curb government spending. It set a baseline of total K-12 expenses, with annual adjustments for both inflation and student growth. That growth figure, however, is based on attendance in the prior school year. And the COVID outbreak resulted in many students not attending classes. Complicating matters is a 0.6-cent sales tax first approved by voters in 2000 to supplement teacher salaries. The original 20-year measure put those revenues outside the expenditure cap. But when lawmakers approved an extension through 2041 they did not include the same exemption. That action alone amounts to more than $600 million of the excess. Education officials have said the failure of lawmakers to waive the limit by March 1 means each and every school district will need to trim about 16% of what they budgeted for the entire school year. The cuts will need to be made in just three months, a move that could result in having to lay off teachers and consolidate classes.

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

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In�lation, other factors driving up Civic Center cost BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

hen the cost of the Civic Center was first estimated in 2018 and later approved in the 2019 bond election, planners inadvertently missed some expenses that, along with inflation, are now driving up the total cost of the redo. The initial $27.3 million budget did not account for the aging infrastructure beneath the Civic Center discovered only after construction began. Nor was the cost of lighting and audio/visual equipment factoredn into the project. Inflation also has been a driving force in the escalation of the total Civic Center renovation cost as prices for construction materials were rising well before the project broke ground in late 2021. All of that has driven the total project cost up by $5.7 million, according to a briefing that City Treasurer Sonia Andrews gave City Council earlier this month. “We have a few different things that we’re dealing with specifically on the Civic Center project,” said City of Scottsdale spokeswoman Erin Walsh. “The first is the overall increase in the cost of construction that is being experienced in our region.” In the past year, construction costs have increased 19.2% nationally and 17.4% in Phoenix, according to a Mortensen report obtained by the Progress. The cost of some construction materials has soared in the last 18 months. For example, the price of steel rose 215% between March 2020 and last July, according to analysts. The project includes a steel performing arts venue in the plaza center. Scottsdale Public Works Director Dan Worth said that once shovels hit the ground of the nearly 50-year-old Civic Center, Wworkers also quickly discovered an outdated infrastructure. “The cost of the planning and design was a little bit underestimated,” Walsh said. “The Civic Center was built in the 70s and one of the main reasons for this project is to modernize the infrastructure to make the area ‘event ready. When you are dealing with aging and old infrastructure, you have to make adjustments on what you can find.” Also driving up the project’s overall cost is the price of lighting and audio/visual equipment – which Walsh says was never

“I know the city manager has many interests competing for that money,” Worth said. The project is also still on track to be completed by January. “Right now, we’re still on track to be done by January 2023 and two of our three phases have already been approved by city council to move forward,” Walsh said. “There’s no reason we won’t be able to deliver the project on time.” The project is also still expected to contain all of its key elements like two The Civic Center renovation project is now estimated to run $5.7 million over its original $27.5 million grand stages for perforbudget. (Special to the Progress) mances, free public wi-fi, a children’s garden and botanical garden and updated artworks. Walsh also said that once the project is completed, it will end up saving the city money. “We’re doing a lot of amazing things that will end up saving money like saving millions of gallons of water,” According to the project’s fact sheet, reduction in turf lawn and replacement with low-water use, drip irrigated plant materials, will result in a net savings of almost 4 million gallons of water per year. Furthermore, the elimination of the west entry water feature, the east bowl water feature and the reduction in the lagoon footprint will save an additional 1,875,000 gallons per year. When shovels broke ground on the Civic Center in October of 2021, it became apIt all adds up to 5.875 million gallons of parent that the center was going working with aging infrastructure and would cost water savings per year, the equivalent of more than originally budgeted in the 2019 bond election. (Special to the Progress) approximate use by 125 households in a part of the initial budget. “The cost of lightyear. ing and audio/visual equipment was never Despite the craziness that has ensued “Right now, we’re still in the scope of the project during the budsince the project broke ground, there is still on track to be done by geting phase,” he said. a measurable amount excitement about Although the project is running over the project’s promise. January 2023 and two budget, Worth said he is looking at several project has been years in the makof our three phases have ing“This proposals to offset the higher costs. and it will be worth the wait,” Walsh already been approved “One is the proceeds from real estate said. “The design of this was driven by our sales,” Worth said. “You approved the sale by City Council to move citizens and that initial outreach process. of the old fire station on McDowell Road, “When this opens in January 2023, it’s forward.” that’s $2 million that’s going to come to going to change the way that people access the city. We have the museum square land and view Scottsdale Civic Center from the sale. That is due to close within a couple of believe that it will.” West Entry and how it connects to OldGeneral Fund balances could also be Town and all the way through.” weeks. That’s another $20 million roughly if that closes and we have every reason to used to make up that difference as well. Info: Scottsdaleaz.gov

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

Republican Senate OKs voucher expansion BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

tate senators voted Wednesday to make more taxpayer dollars available to more parents to send their children to private and parochial schools. The 16-12 vote came over the objections of Democrats, who said SB 1657 is built on the fallacy that the vast expansion of the voucher program is designed to help students from poor families. They pointed out that much of what is proposed by Sen. Paul Boyer, R-Glendale, has no income caps. Boyer acknowledged that the measure would grant automatic vouchers to children of first responders and first-line health care workers. And it would also make vouchers available to any student living in the boundaries of a Title I school – those serving a large percentage of lowincome children – regardless of their own financial status. Still, he said, it would provide a “lifeline’’ to students in schools that are not meeting the needs of students.

But Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales, D-Tucson, said that ignores the fact that even many students who come from poor families really won’t be able to take advantage of the $7,000 vouchers and not just because the tuition at many private schools is higher than that. Gonzales said those in rural areas simply don’t have the option of a nearby private school. Then there’s the transportation issue. “This doesn’t work for families that are working two jobs, sometimes three jobs, just to keep food on the table and a roof over their families’ head,’’ Gonzales said, parents who lack the time to drive a child to a private or parochial school. “They can’t just hop on a city bus,’’ added Sen. Martin Quezada, D-Glendale. And then there’s the fact that these private schools need not take all applicants. “Eligibility does not equate to the ability to use it,’’ he said. More to the point, Quezada said, the “choice’’ in this program is not for parents but for the schools who get to pick and choose who to admit. “It’s not our kids with disabilities, it’s

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not our kids with discipline issues, it’s not our kids that are behind in their classes,’’ Quezada said. “They’re going to pick the kids that are easier and cheaper to educate and so that will raise their scores and make them look like a high-performing school.’’ But Sen. Vince Leach, R-Tucson, said the opposition to making more vouchers available ignores what already is happening. “Parents are not walking away from public schools,’’ he said. “They are absolutely running.’’ He said that’s why already existing law provides vouchers for students attending schools that are rated D or F. Foes of the measure argued the solution is spending the money to fix schools with low academic achievement. But Leach said that often is fought as school boards call it an issue of “local control.’’ Ultimately, he said, there’s nothing wrong with the state providing funds so parents have more choices. Quezada said Leach’s arguments undermine the need for more vouchers. “If it’s happening already, why do we BEFORE

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

DISTRICTS from front

He said it also increased an individual member’s efficiency since he or she could spend more time with a smaller area of the city rather than traveling from one end of Scottsdale to the other. And decreasing costs to run for council is important when it takes $200,000 to $300,000 to run a successful campaign, he said. Janik said the city has nothing to lose by putting a proposed charter amendment creating three districts (north, central and south – each containing about about 80,000 residents) on the November ballot. “To me, the most important thing about Scottsdale is everybody needs to feel equally represented and based on my experience, in the southern part of Scottsdale in more recent conversations I feel that part of the city believes (it is under represented). And historically when you go back I think that’s kind of proven. “I liken it in comparison to a jury. A jury is supposed to represent all of the people, not just certain parts … So for me, I think this could be a unifying theme for the city and we are going to listen to every district. We are going to listen to their voices. There is equal representation for all of them.” Councilman Tom Durham said it is easy for council members to reach all parts of the city because of the freeway. “During my campaign, I spent large amounts of my time in the southern end of the city because I didn’t know what was going on there as well,” Durham said. He pointed to the short-term rental issue as an indicator of how council members who do not live in south Scottsdale can tackle an issue that mostly affects that area. He also pointed to the city council’s recent approval of the Greenbelt 88 development in the Lucky shopping plaza near the intersection of Hayden and Osborn roads as evidence Council does not ignore issues in south Scottsdale. “At the recent open house on that issue, every member of the council and the mayor were there so no one is neglecting any part of the city,” he said. He also shot down exaggerated estimates of the cost to run for city council.

with a population of about 2,000 living within an area of less than a square mile. With a population of almost 250,000 people in 184.4 square miles today, some feel the city has outgrown that system. Scottsdale is currently the second largest city in Arizona with an at-large council system. The state’s three largest cities – Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa – all use a district system along with Glendale, which has a slightly smaller population than Scottsdale. Both Chandler and Scottsdale, the state’s fourth and fifth largest cities, respectively, use at-large systems. The topic of districts has been coming up periodically for years. The city explored a six-district system, with the mayor elected at large, in 2003 and formed a citizens task force to research the topic. The in-depth report compared Scottsdale to similarly-sized cities across the country and found that of 48 “comparably sized cities” nationwide, only nine — or 19 percent – had at-large systems. The proposition went on the ballot in 2004 but failed with just 39 percent of voters supporting it. Then-Mayor Jim Lane brought the idea of three districts to Council in 2016 but the idea died there. The two dissenting votes Tuesday in support of further staff research were cast by Mayor David Ortega and Councilwoman Betty Janik. Ortega pointed out that no council members live south of Indian Bend Road except for him. He likened the city council to a jury: “If this were a map of jurors in a court system … and for 10 or 12 years no juror was selected from area one, it would not fly as a jury of your peers.” He pointed out that in the 2014 council election, 33% of possible votes were not cast. That number was 46% in 2016, 38% in 2018 and 32% in 2020. “Either people could not relate to somebody in their area, (or) they hadn’t got the message of who they were,” Ortega said. “You know what, that’s, in my opinion, a failure of the at-large system.” He said the at large system makes it easier for big developers with deep pockets to come to Scottsdale and get

Scottsdale’s population has grown since its incorporation as a city and adoption of an at-large council system. (City of Scottsdale)

This is one way that Scottsdale could be divioded into three districts with about the same number of people in each, according to city staff. (City of Scottsdale)

whatever they want. “One of the biggest problems of this at large system is the developers come in and they divide us into growth and no growth,” Ortega said. “No, we have revitalization, we have blight, we have security, we have so many other issues, but the big money goes for ‘Are you a

pro-growth or a no-growth?’ That’s really not what the city is about. The city is much more complex.” He also noted the 2003 task force found a district system would lead to greater local accountability, lessen costs to run for a council seat and make it less intimidating for people to run.

see DISTRICTS page 12

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

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CITY NEWS

DISTRICTS from page 10

“Several people have criticized the amounts spent on campaigns, saying it takes up to $290,000 to run for city council. Well I’m sitting here as evidence that you don’t need $290,000. I think I spent about $50,000.” He also noted under-voting can occur within districts. “If you’re in a district of 80,000 people there’s a good possibility you might not know either or both of the candidates … Not voting for somebody is also part of democracy,” he said. Durham then made a motion to direct staff not to investigate the issue any further, but withdrew it so all his colleagues had a chance to speak. Councilwoman Kathy Littlefied said, “I do not believe that creating districts is in the best interest of Scottsdale. Two thousand years ago the Romans said it best and most succinctly, divide and conquer. They used this ploy and it worked like a charm over and over. Developers know this strategy. “I am a native of Scottsdale,” she continued. “I went to Scottsdale schools and have lived in all parts of the city:

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

north, south and now central. In my eight years on the council I have worked hard to represent our gorgeous, beautiful city and to have a citywide focus. Other cities throughout the state and country have used districts and it usually worked to the detriment of every city involved. In order to get projects passed in each district, council members have to barter, ‘I’ll vote for yours if you vote for mine.’” She pointed to the approval of the Greenbelt 88 project as a source of the frustration people in south Scottsdale have with Council. “In fact, I share them, but dividing Scottsdale into smaller parts is not the answer,” she said. Littlefield and Ortega cast the two votes against Greenbelt. Coucilwoman Solange Whitehead said a person’s residence doesn’t define whether or not they can represent voters. “I think its whether or not that person has demonstrated to the voters they understand the residents of Scottsdale and they care about their constituency and they have the skill and competency to represent the various Scottsdale residents. I am concerned

that geography does not equate to representation.” She added that having four members on Council able to affect a neighborhood without accountability to the people who live there is disconcerting. “As Councilman Durham said, I don’t see a groundswell interest for this particular cause,” she said. The petition by 3-2-One Scottsdale that sparked the debate only contained 15 signatures. Whitehead also said it’s not the cost of campaigns that keep people from running so much as it is the pay. Whitehead, Littlefield and councilwoman Linda Milhaven make $18,000 per year as councilmembers. Janik, Durham and vice Mayor Caputi make $31,000. Ortega makes $51,000 as mayor. “It’s not a living wage,” Whitehead said. School board members, meanwhile, receive no stipend. Milhaven tried to prevent the discussion all together by moving to direct council not to proceed with the idea just as the meeting began, but that move was shot down 4-3,with Durham, Janik, Ortega and Whitehead voting

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against it. “There are times we need to listen and there are times we need to have an informed opinion and I think as council members, this is one of those times we need to have an informed opinion,” MIlhaven said. “If we think something is a bad idea, we need to say it’s a bad idea and encourage folks to not move forward.” She added, “I think we have talked about money, but if money made a difference, we would have a different mayor.” Caputi reiterated Milhaven’s comments about telling people to only vote for one candidate “is actually a very strategic move. Democrats, Republicans and everyone in between tell their voters this. We all know this, we all utilize that strategy, so to pretend you don’t know what an under vote is seems incredibly naive to me.” She also said, “The population of Scottsdale has only grown 10 percent over the last 10 years. We were the slowest growing city of any in the valley over the last 10 years … So this idea of sort of excluding population that needs more representatives, the facts just don’t bear that out.”

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CITY NEWS

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Not all council members earn the same amount BY J. GRABER Progress Staff Writer

erving on Scottsdale City Council may be a thankless job with long and odd hours, listening to unhappy and angry people and coming up with creative solutions to problems you didn’t create – but it is just that, a job. Council members get paid a salary for their service on top of several reimbursements for things like a telephone and Internet. Not all council members get paid the same, though. Council approved a pay increase in 2019 but since they could not give themselves a raise, anyone still serving on that council at that time still gets paid at the lower rate. For instance, Councilwomen Kathy Littlefield, Linda Milhaven and Solange Whitehead all get paid at the lower rate – $18,000 per year – because they were on council when the increase was passed. If Littlefield and Whitehead get re-elected this year, they will begin receiving the higher rate of $31,020 in 2023. Milhaven is termed

out and cannot run again. Council members are allowed three consecutive four-year terms. Vice Mayor Tammy Caputi and members Tom Durham and Betty Janik took office in 2021 and are paid at the higher rate of $31,020 a year. The mayor’s office also got a raise in 2019, so Mayor David Ortega gets paid $51,000 per year. But that’s not all they get for their service. Council members on the old pay scale – Littlefield, Milhaven and Whitehead – also get a flat fee of $5,400 per year as a vehicle reimbursement. On top of that, they also eligible for a technology reimbursement for their phones and Internet service, which comes to $1,140 a year. That means Littlefield, who takes both reimbursements, receives a total $24,540 per year. Milhaven and Whitehead do take the vehicle reimbursement but do not take the technology reimbursement, so their total compensation is $23,400 per year. “I already have internet, why would I charge the city if I already have it person-

ally?” Milhaven siad. “I have my own phone. Why would I charge the city when I already have a phone?” Janik, Durham and Caputi do not get the flat-fee car allowance. Instead they were reimbursed 56 cents per mile last year, though that number has increased to 58.5 cents per mile for 2022. Durham turned in the most miles for reimbursement at 1,394 miles for $780.64 for the first half of the year, city records show. Durham filed a mileage request for the second half of the year for more miles but that was not available at press time. “I do a lot of driving going down to city hall and meeting with people,” Durham said. Janik was reimbursed for 1,374.8 miles, which translates into $769.89 On top of that, Janik also takes the technology reimbursement making her total compensation $32,875. Caputi, on the other hand, did not report any mileage for reimbursement last year and does not take the technology reimbursement. That means her total reimbursement for last year was $31,020. “I believe in public service and my

commitment,” Caputi said. “I work for the citizens and I don’t want to take extra money from the tax payers for serving my community. Ortega does take advantage of the mileage reimbursement but not the technology grant. In 2021, Ortega submitted 364.8 miles for reimbursement, which comes to $204.29. He was also reimbursed $2,372.80 for a trip to New York City to attend the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative Convention. That brings Ortega’s total compensation for 2021 to $53,305. “I participated in the 2021-22 BloombergHarvard Mayors Leadership Initiative (Class 5),” Ortega said, noting that 38 mayors were selected worldwide – including 22 in the U.S. The program was in-person in New York City last September and virtual. “Part of the Bloomberg-Harvard Initiative includes the possibility of Harvard team of experts to (hold) sessions in Scottsdale. I requested and won a Bloomberg-Harvard team to moderate a tract subject collaboration: homelessness and affordable housing.” The city hosted the team last week, one of only four in the country, Ortega said.

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CITY NEWS

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HOUSING from front

or available units. Supply has not kept paced with demand and our success as a community in attracting jobs and people has not been matched by a sufficient increase in the housing supply for those new employees and a continued shortage of housing is going to drive up costs and threaten economic development efforts. “Virtually nobody is going to get a free pass on not having to deal with this.” Pollack belongs to Home Arizona, a group comprising former politicians and industry insiders that is trying to get the word out on the supply-demand crisis confronting the region. The group analyzed housing in 11 Valley municipalities –including Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and Scottsdale – and came up with a series of alarming statistics. “The first decade of this century, we overbuilt in both single-family homes and apartments,” Pollack said. “The second decade of this century we way underbuilt and we are now at a situation where the vacancy rates for both single-family housing and for apartments are as low as they have ever been.” For the first decade, the Greater Phoenix area saw 487,000 new housing units while that number fell to 240,000 units in the second decade of this century. At the same time, 880,000 new residents will be moving here this decade. “Phoenix employment is growing rapidly not only as we re-employ people who were laid off during the pandemic but all the economic development agencies in the Valley have done an extremely good job and there are lot of very large manufacturers and home offices and the number of companies

Economist Elliott Pollack and his team analyzed 11 Valley cities' average home prices and rents to show what groups of employees could afford in 2020 and 2021. Fewer groups could afford those average prices last year and Pollack said it will be worse this year. (Courtesy Elliott D. Pollack)

relocating here is essentially greater than I’ve ever seen,” Pollack said. “So, employment growth is going to be high and that’s going to bring a lot of new employees. Population growth will be just under 20 percent but that is close to 90,000 new people a year.” And, demographically the largest adult cohort worldwide is millennials, 27-32 years old, who are now in their prime home-buying age, Pollack said. “On top of that there is a lot of other pentup demand,” Pollack said. “Oddly enough

Total population in the Valley is expected to bring 880,000 new residents this decade. (Courtesy Elliott D. Pollack & Company)

there are more people living with mommy and daddy who are 18-29 – literally more than any other time than the end of the Great Depression in 1940. “Sooner or later their parents are going to kick them out of the house and they are going to have to basically create their own housing unit. That is even more demand on top of everything else.” The housing supply can’t keep up with the demand. “You are down to about a 23-day supply,” Pollack said. “If any of you have friends or

kids who are out buying a house, you know what it’s like. That is down from a 70-day supply normally.” And, if buyers are looking for a house priced $350,000 and lower, there’s only a 10-day supply, according to Pollack. “In addition, you know most homebuilders, when they build a subdivision have homes that people can move into right away,” he said. “Well, 18 months ago there were 1,600 of those. You are now down to

see HOUSING page 17

The current shortage in homes and rental units is shrinking the availability of housing. This chart shows what home prices and rent would be if the shortage could be addressed and what they are likely to become if it is not. (Courtesy Elliott D. Pollack & Company)

CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

HOUSING from page 16

500 of those, so there is essentially very little supply.” He said shrinking affordability threatens to price once-secure wage earners priced out of homes and apartments. “They’ll buy less expensive smaller homes,” Pollack said. “At some point, they will have to stay in rental units and that keeps on going down. And then people on the bottom really have nowhere to go and that’s going to be a big issue.” He pointed out that in 2015, 73% of the families in the Phoenix area could afford a median-priced home. Today, that affordability has dropped to 51% and “it’s going to be somewhere at 45% by the end of this year.” That assumes average mortgage interest rates won’t rise above 3.5%. Affordability will shrink further still if the rate increases to 4%, Pollack said. He said based on data crunched out to 2025, less than 30% of people would be able to afford a median-price home. “That is something that Phoenix has never faced before because it has always been an affordable market relative to our competition,” he said. “Housing prices since 2000 has gone up roughly 188% in Phoenix.” For those renting, the apartment inventory also is low and becoming less affordable. “If you want to basically dig your way out of the hole, a shortage, to get vacancy rate in apartments back to the historic norm you need an additional 15,000 apartments on top of what you need for your annual population flows,” Pollack said. “So, you’ll need probably about 16,000 apartment units for the next five years to get things back to normal.” Right now, there will probably be about 14,000 new apartment units opening this year, he said. “There’s more than that in the pipeline but we don’t have the labor to build them,” he added. “So, we’re behind the eight ball. We are not getting to the point we need to be at.” Area rents have shot up 29.5% over last year and single-family resales increased by 28.5%, according to Pollack. A person will need to earn $72,680 a year to afford a median-priced apartment rental by the end of 2025, Pollack predicted. “If you keep on getting these rapid rate increases because of the supply-demand imbalance, you are going to need $90,000,” he said. “It’s going to be a real problem.”

This chart shows the continuing gap between the number of apartments needed in the Valley and the number that are or are projected to be available. (Courtesy Elliott D. Pollack & Company)

And that leads to the question of where will the people needed to run a community live – nurses, cops, firefighters, teachers, chefs, the guy who works for Circle K, according to Pollack. He presented a chart that showed none of those groups of workers could even afford to buy a home in Gilbert in 2020 and those on a nursing or police salary could only afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment in town while firefighters, high-school teachers and chefs can only afford a onebedroom apartment. The others such as middle-school and elementary-school teachers, construction workers and retail workers could afford neither in Gilbert. Move forward a year to 2021 and the picture is bleaker: only nurses and police officers able to afford to rent a two-bedroom

Valley economist Elliott D. Pollack is speaking about the Valley’s housing crisis and is slated to make presentations to municipal councils over the coming months. (YouTube)

and all the others priced out of living in Gilbert. “Your essential workers along with people coming in earning those salaries in other jobs and private-sector jobs are just going to have difficulties,” he said. “And this is a reality you are going to have to face over the next several years.” Pollack emphasized that in the current shortage, all types of housing in all price levels and all income levels are needed. “We are at the bottom of the norm of affordability at the moment,” Pollack said. “We’re about to fall off a cliff in terms of affordability. It becomes very difficult especially as interest rates go up. “There is not a group that is being spared difficulty right now. Obviously, it hurts worst at the bottom because you have fewer and fewer choices.” If housing stock remains low, Pollack said municipalities can expect to see families doubling up, millennials and Gen Z generations trying to live with their parents or face homelessness. “And, it’s a very bad economic-development picture because affordable housing is one of the things that’s always made us a draw,” Pollack said. “There’s going to be upward pressure on wages and city budgets and slower growth for the economy as a whole – which means less real-income growth and that’s what bothers me most.” He reiterated what municipalities such as Gilbert could do to address the problem – build more housing units of all types across all ranges of income. “Normally you’d need 20,000 to 25,000 for-sale units and about 15,000 rental units, you’d need another 2,000 to 25,000 new home inventory and you need some re-

placements,” he said. “But, basically we have to build in total to get out of this thing over the next five years almost 42,000 housing units a year that’s total housing units.” He said meeting that need is made more difficult with labor shortages and supply chain issues. “I know the Gilbert team makes every effort as shorthanded as they are to work with our developers and have encouraged higher density in commercial areas,” Mayor Brigette Peterson said. “And we allow for accessory dwelling units and other factors.” She added that the Town a few years ago created a new zoning category called multifamily high to allow for additional height and density for multifamily projects. “We have seen multifamily developments coming to our community with about 5,000 multifamily units planned that are not yet developed,” she said. Vice Mayor Aimee Yentes asked how to frame the issue to residents in the community who don’t believe that it’s an issue. “How would you explain it in a way that makes them want to care and I say it like that because the other side of the coin is people have a motivation to protect the values of their home,” Yentes said. “And so they see kind of the ability to close as…a good thing.” Housing developments and especially apartment projects in town often attract opponents who complain about density, traffic and potential impact to their property values. It’s a difficult situation because those people who are anti growth make a lot of noise, Pollack responded. “The question is are there people on the other end who don’t make noise who will now start to make noise to help you understand that most people don’t want their city to have reduced levels of real income,” he said. “They want jobs, they want places for their kids to live and you are not going to get any of that unless you do some things that maybe in a perfect world you would not do but the world is not prefect. "The reality is not everybody is up here in income and even those people are going to be living down here because it’s so expensive for a house that they used to afford and if you wait for the trouble to occur, if you wait for the homelessness, if you wait for companies not locating here because housing was too expensive that time it’s too late. Take a look at California.”

CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

Violent crime increase higher in Arizona than nation BY EMILY SACIA Cronkite News

ASHINGTON – Violent crime rates in Arizona rose faster and remained higher than the national rate in recent years, according to the latest data from the FBI. Violent crime – which includes murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault – rose 4.6% in the U.S. between 2019 and 2020, to a rate of 398.5 crimes per 100,000 people in 2020. The rate in Arizona climbed 8.6% to 484.8 per 100,000 in the same period, according to data from the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer. To address that surge, lawmakers on Wednesday called for action on a bipartisan bill that would allocate $100 million a year for the next decade to support police agencies and increase assistance to victims and their families, which Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Sedona, called a “step in the right direction.” “We cannot afford to disinvest, we have to continue to invest in our officers in our society,” said O’Halleran, a former Chicago police officer. “Because

when we invest in training, and support of our officers, we invest in the community and the safety of those within our community.” O’Halleran joined other House members and representatives of police organizations on Capitol Hill to push for the Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods ACT, which aims to improve clearance rates for homicides and other shootings. The VICTIM Act would require the Justice Department to administer a grant program for local police agencies that would allow departments to hire and retain police officers – particularly homicide detectives – provide training and equipment. It calls for officers to be trained to address the needs of victims and their families, and it requires sufficient funding and staffing for victim services, including relocation, counseling, funeral expenses, lost wages and more. Andy Edmiston, director of government affairs for the National Association of Police Organizations, said the funding is needed to help underfunded depart-

ments battle the surge in violent crime. “Homicide rates has jumped nearly 40%,” Edmiston said. “Police departments across the country are fighting to contain this increase in violent crime but they are understaffed, under-resourced and struggling to hire and retain good, qualified officers.” Sgt. Hector Encinas, spokesperson for the Tempe Police Department, said he is not familiar with specifics of the bill, but that “any type of support, financially or otherwise is good, it helps us do our job.” “What’s today’s issues may not be next year’s issues, but if there’s money and training available … we can respond much more effectively,” Encinas said. The FBI data has drawbacks: Not every police department in the country – or the state – provides information to the voluntary Uniform Crime Reporting system, and the FBI attempts to fill in blanks for those which do not. But the report has the advantage of building on decades of data from across the country. According to the FBI, the national rate of 398.5 violent crimes for every 100,000

Americans in 2020 was the most since 2010, when the rate stood at 404.5. Arizona’s 2020 rate of 484.8 violent crimes per 100,000 was the second-highest for the state in that decade, exceeded only by 2017’s rate of 505.7 crimes. 2020 was the last full year for which data are available from the FBI. The bipartisan bill has 30 co-sponsors, including O’Halleran and Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Phoenix. Its backers bristled when asked whether the bill clashes with the belief by some that Democrats are more interested in defunding the police than directing funds their way. “When we talk to communities, particularly those in some of the most highcrime areas, they will say, ‘No, we don’t want to defund the police, we want to fund the police,’” said Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., and lead sponsor of the bill. “We don’t want to see less police, we want to see more police.” That was echoed by Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., who said that if “you take a survey among the Democratic Congress members, most people are not saying defund the police.”

and midpoint of the school year. “The unfortunate news is that there’s no new news,” said Justin Wing, former president of the association. “The trend is pretty consistent. About 25% of teacher openings going into the year and in the middle of the year, remain unfilled.” As of January, 31% of teacher positions in the surveyed districts remained vacant, the survey said, and 47.7% of teacher positions were filled by individuals who did not meet standard teacher requirements. Wing said Arizona has some of the largest class sizes in the nation and some of the lowest funding, which forces teachers to take on additional roles at their schools. “They are the teachers, they are the counselors and they are the social workers,” he said. “Past couple of years during COVID, they are the safety and health officials for their classroom. They are wearing a lot of hats, where if funding was appropriate, we could provide more support to the teachers so they don’t have to wear as many hats.”

Wing attributed the shortage in teachers to low teacher pay and the decline in standard certified teachers as well as a decision to return to college for another degree. Wing also said that many schools use their pool of substitute teachers to fill in job vacancies, limiting the number of available substitutes for teacher absences. According to the survey, 671 vacancies in the surveyed schools were filled by long-term substitutes. Diana Diaz-Harrison, founder and executive director of the Arizona Autism Charter School, said COVID-19 has caused schools to further struggle with the teacher shortage. “I think it made a lot of people kind of operate in a fear-driven way,” she said. “Also, many people chose to not engage in work and there were a lot of opportunities not to engage in the workforce and not engage in school. I think that was very detrimental.” Diaz-Harrison said her school reopened after a short pandemic-induced closure in June 2020 and has found creative al-

ternatives to recruit teachers during the shortage. “We have sought teachers from around the country and around the world so that we are not short staffed,” she said. In addition to recruiting teachers from other states and countries, she said, Arizona Autism Charter School also has sponsored teacher visas and is applying for a teacher self-certification program so it can certify individuals through training at its own school. With 78.7% of teacher positions remaining vacant or being filled by individuals who do not meet the standard requirements, according to the survey, Dick said that solving the teacher shortage issue should be a priority. “In light of this critical teacher shortage, state lawmakers and leaders must reprioritize efforts to ensure that every Arizona classroom has a highly qualified educator working with our students, and those teachers stay in the classroom,” Dick said.

Teacher shortage continues confronting state BY ERYKA FORQUER Cronkite News

n Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association’s annual survey shows at least 6,347 positions are vacant in the current school year. As of January, nearly 2,000 teacher positions remained vacant, and 944 teachers have resigned since the start of the school year, according to the survey of 143 school districts and charter schools. “Today’s release of ASPAA’s survey results are startlingly, but not altogether surprising,” said Morgan Dick, spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Education. “Arizona classrooms have faced a critical teacher shortage for years, and like many issues of inequities and underfunding, COVID-19 has impacted our educator workforce.” Over the past six years, the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association has collected data from school districts and charter schools at the beginning

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

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Developer’s poll supports 285-unit 92 Ironwood BY J. GRABER Progress Staff Writer

majority of respondents to a poll commissioner by the developer showed support for a 285-apartment complex in two, three and four story buildings known as 92 Ironwood near the intersection 92nd Street and Shea Boulevard. Poll results show 69.2% of the 300 people polled say they support the project and 25.3% oppose it. Another 2.7% were undecided and 2.5% were neutral, while 0.3% did not respond. The survey results mirror those of a previous open house held by the owner/developer at the site on Jan. 12 in which 57 of those attending supported the project while 17 did not, said developer Jim Riggs. “The results of this poll seem to dispel the myth that Scottsdale residents are strongly opposed to every new residential development,” said George Khalaf, president of Data Orbital, which conducted the survey. “Instead, they are selective, as the results demonstrate. “The poll is clear that Scottsdale residents understand the importance of having those who serve the community, live in the community. The results show, at least in this case, the vocal minority which can drive public discussion, is not representative of Scottsdale voters as a whole.” Scottsdale City Council will consider rezoning the site for the project at its Tuesday, Feb. 22 meeting. “Since they just passed the Greenbelt 88, it’s inevitable they will rezone this,” said Susan Wood, who leads a grassroots organization called Protect Scottsdale, which opposes the 92 Ironwood project. Protect Scottsdale also opposes the 9400 Shea project, which called for 219 apartments in four-story buildings on a 3.6-acre site adjacent to the 92 Ironwood project. The 9400 Shea project was pulled in October from the council’s agenda with no continuance date, meaning the project must start back at the Planning Commission stage for approval. Developer Harmel and Kaplan promised to

The 285-unit 92 Ironwood apartment project will go before Scottsdale City Council Tuesday with a rezoning request. (Special to the Progress)

bring it back at some point in the future. Wood said her organization is not just a “noisy minority.” “I think we had 400 emails to Council the last time this came up,” Wood said. She said so few people opposed the project at the open house because they did not know about it and she questioned the efficacy of the way the poll was conducted. “They are leading questions,” Wood said. “They say there’s no housing and there’s a housing shortage, what do you think?” The poll asked the following question: “Adjacent to a shopping center near 92nd and Shea that includes a Chompie’s, Sprouts, and Honor Health’s North Scottsdale hospital is a seven-acre lot with an empty field and empty office buildings. The owner is proposing to replace this with 285 new apartment units. The $95 million complex would include discounts for firefighters, nurses, police officers, and teachers and even include one free unit for a police officer. The heights for the new project would not be increased from what current zoning allows, remaining at 3 and 4 stories. The plan has been endorsed by Honor Health, the shopping center next door and the Arizona Nurse’s Association, among others. No residents living within 2,000 feet of the site oppose the plan. In general, would you say

that this plan for the property is a good idea, or bad idea?” The project wouldn’t be ready for renters for two years after it is approved by Council, so rents have not been established but there would be a 10 percent discount firefighters, nurses, police officers, and teachers. There would also be a 10 percent discount for anybody who works within a mile of the project, Riggs said. “Businesses need customers, there hasn’t been any housing built there in like forever,” said Kurt Jones, an attorney representing Riggs. Riggs said he is not surprised by the poll’s outcome, stating, “We’ve met with hundreds of people and they all support this project.” Riggs added that 92 Ironwood would result in 24,000 fewer cars per week than a medical office. The poll also asked whether respondents believed all development in the city should be halted: “In general, would you say that Scottsdale should reject all new residential projects to stop more people from moving into the city or that the City Council should approve some projects but not all in order to help ease the housing price crisis and allow some of those who want to live in Scottsdale to do so?” About 70% of respondents felt Council should approve some residen-

tial projects. Only 22.2% felt the city should stop all residential projects. The remainder were either undecided, neutral, or declined to answer the question. And 11.9% felt strongly about a desire to stop all residential development. “That 12% tend to dominate discussions,” said Jason Rose, a public relations specialist the firm Rose and Allyn, which was hired to secure public support for the project. The city Planning Commission narrowly voted to recommend the rezone by a 4-3 vote last September. Rose said he understands people’s apprehensions about more apartment buildings in South Scottsdale but the location of 92 Ironwood makes it “a different beast.” “It’s revitalization and it should be evaluated that way,” he said. The poll also asked respondents what they thought of the general direction of the city and about Mayor David Ortega’s and several council members’ leadership. It found 60.2% felt the city is moving in the right direction, 23.5% felt Scottsdale is moving in the wrong direction, 15% were undecided and 1.3% declined to respond to the question. When asked about Ortega’s leadership, 31% had a favorable view, 18.8% had an unfavorable view while 50.1% were neutral. Other results were: Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield: 17.9% positive, 14.3% unfavorable and 67.8% neutral; Councilwoman Solange Whitehead: 10.7% favorable, 8.6 % unfavorable and 80.7% neutral; Councilman Tom Durham: 7.3% favorable, 10.1% unfavorable and 82.6% neutral. Vice Mayor Tammy Caputi: 8.8% favorable, 12.9% unfavorable and 78.3% neutral. Of those surveyed, 42% were Republican, 28% were Democrat, 29% were Independent or unaffiliated, 1% was listed as other. Approximately 20% of those surveyed were 18-34 years old, 12% were 35-44, 15% were 45-54, 19% were 5564 and 34% were 65 and over.

CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

Scottsdale tourism adds ‘inclusive’ to brand BY J. GRABER Progress Staff Writer

he Scottsdale brand carries a certain panache, conjuring adjectives like “luxurious” and “opulent.” But it also has a stigma attached to it, said Experience Scottsdale Spokeswoman Stephanie Pressler. Adjectives like “rich” and “white” are often also associated with the brand. And that can have very real consequences. A meeting group almost pulled out of holding its event at a local resort recently because some employees raised concern over the city’s lack of diversity. It took a lot of fast talking about things like the city anti-discrimination ordinance with protections for the LGBTQ+ community and other protected classes that City Council passed unanimously, and the resort was able to keep the reservation. The Experience Scottsdale tourism agency has been working for two years now to try and break that stigma. It all started with the death of George Floyd and the protests that ensued, including the notorious riot around Scottsdale Fashion Center. “It’s a passion point for a lot of people on our staff,” Pressler said. So, the tourism agency formed an Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Advocacy committee and hired Koran Hardimon with Ginkgo Consulting to help change the messaging to be more inclusive to people of all abilities, backgrounds and sexual orientations. Case in point: the agency’s new 60-second commercial starts with two older ladies driving a dune buggy, then cuts to an Asian woman dancing with a gentleman at a local bar and includes scenes of an African-American family at the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park and two young ladies of color holding hands at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. The agency has done other things as well, such as creating an accessibility tool that does things like list which trails in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve are ADA accessible and engaged travel writers who target the LGBTQ+ community. It’s also expanded it’s business connections to include the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, OneCommu-

“It’s an important business decision,” Pressler said. Experience Scottsdale isn’t alone in this paradigm shift. “These changes are happening across the national travel and tourism industry,” Pressler said. “Just recently, the U.S. Travel Association released its policy agenda for 2022, and diversity, equity and inclusion is one of its five key areas of focus.” The U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Diversity This is a scene from Experience Scottsdale’s latest Matters partnered up last commercial, which emphasizes the city’s inclusiveness. December to strengthen (Experience Scottsdale) the association’s focus on nity and the National Blacks in Travel & issues related to diversity, Tourism organization equity and inclusion (DEI) and provide “It’s more than just putting a picture on greater access to Tourism Diversity Matthe website,” Pressler said. “It’s more than ters’ subject matter expertise, research just putting a post up on social media.” and resources. It’s about a fundamental shift in thinkTourism Diversity Matters was founded ing about the community the agency in 2021 to address blind spots in ethnic serves. disparities within the tourism and events

industry while providing industry leaders with resources and tactics to develop more effective DEI strategies to engage, recruit and retain a diverse workforce. A written statement about the merger states, the U.S. Travel Association “is committed to having a vital role in affecting lasting change and supporting the development of industry wide DEI plans. “The partnership will be key to advancing workforce development issues and federal policy initiatives that support travel’s recovery.” U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes stated, “The U.S. Travel Association has a clear vision to help the travel sector achieve a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive industry for all. “Travel is an industry that recognizes and celebrates diversity by bringing ideas and perspectives to the forefront to broadens the visitor experience. We also aim to build a more inclusive workforce that better represents our country’s diverse population as the travel industry continues to rebuild.”

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Canines might like being in these doghouses BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

hey come in a variety of shapes and styles, from American rustic to European contemporary. And come Friday, Feb. 25, 16 unique, handcrafted doghouses will be auctioned as the annual Design for Dogs event bene�iting the Arizona Animal Welfare League returns for its eighth year to the Facings of America Showroom in Scottsdale. The one-of-a-kind fundraiser features 16 pet palaces that teams began working on in October as they vie for best of show honors – and help a worthy cause. Proceeds aid the Arizona Animal Welfare League in caring for thousands of homeless animals and also fund its lowcost programs like low-cost vaccines, community clinic and rural rescue efforts. “Design for Dogs is a one-of-a-kind fundraising event and the unique aspect of this event is that it is a doghouse design and build competition along with the fundraising event,” said league spokeswoman Kimberly Vermillion. “You’ll get to bid on these unique dog houses that top creative talent in our local community have built while enjoying food, cocktails, cuddle with adoptable dogs and puppies and enter for raf�le prizes.” This year is also likely to be the most competitive, as previous competitions have drawn 10 to 15 teams that will be judged by designer Peter Deise, radio host “Lady La” and tile designer Feras Irikat. “It’s de�initely a little competitive with the best in show and since the dog houses are up for bid, there is some competition to see which one will sell for the most money,” Vermillion said. “We’re excited to see which house wins best in show and our attendees are excited to purchase them as well.” Each “paw-villion” will be unique and Vermillion believes there will be some-

One of the doghouses that will be auctioned has an exterior motif that its resident likely will ﬁnd attractive. (Courtesy Arizona Animal Welfare League)

This dog felt only a regal pose would match the luxurious look of this house. (Courtesy Arizona Animal Welfare League)

thing for everyone to envision taking home. “All of the homes are very unique and there is no theme that the artists had to follow,” she said. “What’s nice is that everyone who is attending the event has different tastes and styles so they may be able to �ind one that �its perfectly in their backyard or in their home?” Vermillion also hopes this event will help drive home the league’s mission.

“The Arizona Animal Welfare League has been around for 50 years and is Arizona’s largest and oldest no-kill shelter,” she said. “We help over 4,000 cats and dogs every year �ind their forever homes and we also partner with a lot of smaller rescues throughout the state to help them with resources to help them make room at their shelter so they can bring in more animals within their community.” The Arizona Animal Welfare League also

hopes to raise at least $25,000 so that the nonpro�it can continue its efforts in aiding other shelters around the state and be better equipped for a potential in�lux of animals to its shelter. “As a nonpro�it, we solely rely on the generosity of our community,” Vermillion said. “We are seeing with the increase in rent and evictions that there could be an increase in the number of animals coming into our shelters because people are losing their homes.” This will also help the organization’s to vaccinate animals that may have fallen behind on getting shots over the past two years. “A lot of animal shelters have seen an increase in infectious diseases because animals have not been vaccinated,” Vermillion said. “We’re trying to work with our community to make sure that they have the resources and the connections to get their pets the vaccines they need and the care they need.” Overall, Vermillion is excited to have this event back and is hopeful for a successful evening. “I hope that when people attend this event that they have a good time, receive a lot of puppy kisses and learn more about Arizona Animal Welfare League and �ind ways to support our organization and get involved,” she said.

If You Go

What: Arizona Animal Welfare League and Facings of Arizona Design for Dogs event When: 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25 Where: Facings of Arizona Showroom, 16421 N. 90th St., Scottsdale. Cost: $55 for a general admission ticket or $100 for two Info: bit.ly/3oEwKkn

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Sistr Studios a one-stop shop for beauty BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

hen Bryanna Casey relocated from New York to the Valley a decade ago, she had a vision for creating a creative space for beauty studio artists. As a former makeup artist who worked in film and television as well as a producer for Fashion Week in New York, London, Milan and Paris, Casey had grown familiar with how agencies had created studios for hair, makeup and photography and was shocked when she did not see anything similar anywhere in the metro area. And so, Casey recalled, “I wanted to create a team of artists that could offer services, which is where I started this agency.” “With the companies and clients that

Bryanna Casey feels she has achieved her vision for a high-end studio with her opening of Sistr in Old Town. (Special to the Progress)

we worked with, people began asking for specialty services for themselves so I figured, ‘Why not make them in-house and create a full-service salon?’” Casey said. “Out here, people are always particularly looking for hair and makeup combined.” Casey also found a good niche for her artists: “We really focused on starting in the bridal aspect of things because that industry is so big out here and with the explosion of social media, we started to dabble in photography.” Casey in August leased a space on the corner of Third Avenue and Marshall way in

August, which she describes as the perfect central location. “I feel like no matter where you go within the Phoenix Metropolitan area, Old Town is quite central for everybody,” she said. Her next step was developing a name that paid homage to her family and also felt inviting to clients. “I am one of four siblings – two sisters and a brother – and I always value the relationship one has with their sister, so the name felt organic but I wanted to make it unique I dropped the ‘E,’” Casey said. “Sistr Studios flows nicely off the tongue and it has that message for me. My sisters have had such an impact on my life, decision making and perspective which I felt was a nice way to keep family in what I am doing.”

see SISTR page 26

2 hotels change hands with big plans afoot PROGRESS NEWS STAFF

wo hotels have recently changed hands and one of them is due to be converted into an apartment building while the other is slated for an upgrade. The Scottsdale-based investment firm Sterling Real Estate Partners recently acquired Suites on Scottsdale in an offmarket transaction with plans to convert the hotel into market-rate apartments while Florida-based Driftwood Capital bought the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch with plans for a multi-million-dollar renovation. Originally built in 1996, the 114-room extended stay Suites at Scottsdale, at the corner of Scottsdale and Mountain View roads, will be transformed into a luxury, 85-unit apartment community – the sec-

Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch is scheduled for a multi-million-dollar renovation by its new owner, Driftwood Capital of Florida. (Special to the Progress)

ond Sterling adaptive reuse project. “The location of this property could not be better. There are not many corner locations at prominent intersections on Scottsdale Road,” said David Zeff, President of Sterling Real Estate Partners. “We are excited about the value proposition. We will be delivering essentially new product at a significant discount to replacement cost.” This is also Sterling’s fifth acquisition in the last six months, totaling more than $60 million. Sterling had the Suites at Scottsdale under contract since December 2020 while it processed a change in use from hospitality to residential. “We took a risk during COVID and are delivering value to our partners,” Zeff

see HOTELS page 26

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

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Her next was designing the space’s interior and said her main focus was creating a place that “would not look like any other photo studio, salon or anything that you would see around here.” She gives kudos to her design partner, Kaitlyn Wolfe, for helping her to stay on track for a February soft opening. “Anybody can come here and feel comfortable,” she said. “We’re super welcoming to all styles and techniques. Anything that clients are looking for can be found here.” She feels the studio’s high-end ambiance matches the level of professionalism offered by the artists and their services. “My goal is to offer a high-end luxury experience that is all encompassing,” Casey said. “I felt that the level I want to provide for clients ties into the overall feel of life in Scottsdale.” Casey also made it a point to only sell items in the studio that are created by friends she made during her tenure with Fashion Week. “As far as the items we offer for retail, I wanted to incorporate a lot of my relationships from fashion week,” she said. “I

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022 Bryanna Casey feels Sistr’s ambiance is welcoming and reﬂective of the beauty artists who work there. (Special to Progress)

didn’t want to carry brands for the sake of carrying brands, so all of the lines that

HOTELS �� page 24

said, adding development will begin this summer with completion estimated for early next year. The conversion will consist of modifying the existing structure to conform to Scottsdale building codes and will include 54 one-bedroom units, 29 twobedroom and two three-bedroom with the units ranging in Plans also call for new balconies for every unit, enhanced curb appeal and new amenities such as a large conference room with workspace-style offices, state-of-the-art indoor/outdoor fitness center, yoga studio, movie theater, dog park with pet washing station, resort style pool, automated package locker delivery system, smart access system, and more. “We have designed this community to meet the desires of the high-quality tenant we know this location will attract,” said Lea Ann Scofield, Sterling’s director of asset management. Meanwhile, Driftwood Capital, a vertically integrated commercial real estate firm, has big plans for the Scottsdale Re-

I carry here come from assistants of mine from Fashion Week and who started their

sort at McCormick Ranch, a sprawling, hacienda-style resort with 326 guestrooms on 16 acres. Built in 1976 as the first true conference center resort in the country, the AAA Four-Diamond resort is located next to two 18-hole championship golf courses and boasts 90,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor meeting and event space, two outdoor swimming pools, a spa and fitness center, three food and beverage outlets, and an on-site UPS store. Driftwood said it will convert the hotel to a Curio Collection by Hilton, which the hotel chain describes as “a global upscale brand of one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts handpicked for their distinct character.” Plans also call for new food and beverage concepts, a complete revamp of the resort-style pool, and a new and expanded spa and fitness center. “The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch presented Driftwood with a rare opportunity to acquire a one-of-a-kind, institutional-quality hotel in one of the country’s top tourist markets,” said Johannah Rodriguez, managing director

own hair brands.” “All of the products are focused on hair health by being organic, clean products,” Casey said. “These are high-end brands that are doing this in a way that their carbon footprint is smaller on the environment, which is very important to people now.” Now that the shop has opened likely will be filled by the end of the month, Casey has ambitious plans for the future. One of her short-term ideas is to host pop-up art galleries to attract the local arts crowd. “I’ve always been in the industry of arts so I would like to eventually do pop-up galleries in the studio and incorporate all aspects of artists in Scottsdale,” she said. “I felt like because it is so art focused in this area that this is a perfect area to have a concept like this in.” And she’d like to expand her concept. “If this is successful, I would love to take this concept and expand it to multiple locations,” she said. “This is a concept that could really succeed because it is so unique. My goal is to have this one be successful enough to open a second location or multiple locations for that matter.” Information: sistrstudios.com of acquisitions with Driftwood Capital. “This property gives our team a ‘blank canvas’ on which to project our longterm vision for a four-star Sonoran resort offering an upscale retreat for the leisure traveler and unrivaled facilities and services for the group/business traveler as well.” Driftwood CEO Carlos Rodriguez Sr., added, “Scottsdale’s demand drivers – the year-round warm temperatures, elite corporate business community, and growing population – all factored into why this was an appealing offering. “Ultimately,” Rodriquez continued, “we saw an opportunity to acquire a truly unique hotel asset with considerable upside potential, located in one of the most desirable pockets of one of the top real estate markets in the country. This met all our rigorous investment criteria, and we’re delighted to take the next steps in realizing this property’s true potential.” Renovations of the hotel will begin this year with transforming all guest-facing areas of the hotel, including all guest rooms in the McCormick Building and The Stillman Building, which has not been renovated since 2003.

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

OPINION

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Council asleep at the wheel on district system BY SUSAN KLAPP Progress Guest Writer

cottsdale City Council decided 5-2 for no further discussion on a possible change to voting districts in Scottsdale. Nearly two decades ago, the issue of voting districts was discussed at length by a citizens’ task force, appointed by Council, charged to �ind agreement on a possible districts system and to make a recommendation to Council. I was a task force member, and everyone appointed took the job very seriously. We mistakenly thought that the Council wanted carefully researched and vetted information and an independent decision. We found out that many council members felt threatened and gave lip service to the issue. Incumbent of�icials elected at large rarely call for a more representative system. As we began the months-long study process, we were in�luenced by certain council members and city staff who did not want a

Letters

Council ignores water shortage with big projects’ OK Does it really make sense to continue to permit, rezone, and give the go ahead for continuing large and larger new residential developments, as we are warned of the water shortage/crisis facing us? We are told of these shortages and potential rationing coming soon. Is the stance of the majority of our City Council doing the right thing? Is their pro large development stance responsible governmental action? Are they planning ahead for our children and our children's children? Arizona’s now facing a water crisis that could dry up rural areas all over the state and confront the Valley with a crip-

district system. They spread fear and misinformation and when about 90% of task force members recommended a change to voting districts, one council member orchestrated a minority opinion to be inserted into the �inal report. An in�luential voting block of residents in north Scottsdale conducted a successful email campaign a few weeks before the election to mislead voters about district voting. The northern group’s opposition was about losing power over a number of council members and protecting the status quo. Predictably, some of the same people who were against the idea in 2003-2004 are speaking out again with some of the same unfounded talking points they used before. Have we learned nothing in all these years? Over the two decades, a number of people who opposed districts when it appeared on the ballot now admit they were wrong. They now understand why the federal government, state government, county government and cities have moved to district sys-

pling water shortage in the coming decades, according to a recently completed study by the Center for Colorado River Studies. Alan Dulaney, a retired city of Peoria administrator with three decades of experience in Arizona water policy. "predicted that if the Colorado River levels prompt a Tier 2 shortage, cities across Arizona will likely limit how many people are using water stations dedicated for their taxpayers." As the demand for development in the Arizona desert intensi�ies, and the climate gets hotter and drier, there's less water for everybody. And almost nobody knows how much water is left in the aquifer beneath the Rio Verde Foothills, which sits in hard mountain rock formations. That aquifer does not retain water in the ground as easily as more sponge-like rock formations in other communities across Maricopa County. I ask Councilwoman Janik, does reducing the number of apartments from 238 to

tems to ensure equitable representation. Scottsdale is one of the largest cities in the country without district representation. The status quo of an at-large block voting system is outdated and ready for reform. Running for of�ice city-wide in Scottsdale is too expensive, takes too much time away from candidates’ lives, and results in the higher income and/ or retired resident or one with already established name ID as the most likely person to actually decide to run for of�ice. The low or moderate-income or unknown candidate cannot compete for a council seat under the current rules. For 19 years, I have never wavered in my support for a true district system in Scottsdale – the mayor elected throughout the city and the rest of the council members elected in geographical districts. An attempt was made to add the district question to City Charter in 2010, but the majority of the council at the time did not support the change. More recently an idea was �loated at the Council level for a hybrid

228, which is 4% really make a difference in the grand scheme of considerations for approval? Does Councilman Durham have greater insight into the critical water issue than the "water experts," as he stated, "We are not in danger of running out of water in the near future" Maybe the word "near" is the operative word here. 3. Each of these above-mentioned Council people were elected very much based on their pledge of lower and responsible development, Are we seeing that with their voting record so far? 4. Councilwoman Caputi feels the city's water supply could absorb the extra residents. Again, maybe the operative word here is "could" and I would add: what is her insight into that? It seemingly contradicts the long-term view of "water experts." Where and when does it stop? 5. If the General Plan lists high density at 25 units per acre, why and how does the

voting district system – four at-large members including the mayor and three district members. This idea made the district council members the minority, and I can’t think of anyone who would want to be a district council member under these conditions. There is not one hybrid system in the country that relegates the district members to the minority, centering the power among the at-large members. Council is asleep at the wheel and the majority does not understand that because they rejected any further discussion on the issue, the citizens could rise up, write their own ballot language, and collect signatures to place a question on the ballot. Perhaps Council members have already forgotten about the huge success of the Preserve citizens’ initiative in 2018 and the unsuccessful campaign from some Council members to get voters to reject the ballot question. Suzanne Klapp is a former three-term Scottsdale City Council member.

Council approve 34 units per acre for this project? Should they not be held accountable in seemingly defying the GP, which they heavily endorsed? Might this be the �irst of more votes in de�iance of the General Plan they campaigned for? 6. Props to Councilwoman Little�ield and Mayor Ortega for being the sole dissenting votes, the former citing water as her major reason for dissenting, in addition to density and increased traf�ic, and the latter because of a water shortage, and it "exceeds the density limit that we should live by.” 7. As citizens of this city, and voters in council elections, we must express our thoughts, our preferences, our outrage at not being heard, via the ballot box. We thought we had done just that in 2020, but seemingly many voters were deceived. In nine months, we will have our next opportunity to be heard, hopefully we will do a better job of that in November. -Jim Bloch

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Artist’s personal life inspires 2nd exhibit BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

he artist featured in a newly opened exhibition, titled “Beverly McInver: Full Circle,” at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art inspired the creation of a second exhibit that highlights the talents of people with intellectual and development disabilities. Scottsdale Arts Learning and Innovation wanted to explore an aspect of McIver’s personal life: she is the caregiver for her older sister Renee, an adult with I/DD. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts partnered with the Scottsdale Training and Rehabilitation Services (STARS) and The Opportunity Tree to curate “What Makes Me Me,” an exhibition of poems, paintings, acrylics, collages and ceramics created by individuals with I/DD. “It was a natural thing to do because at Scottsdale Arts Learning and Innovation, we promote what is going on at SMoCA,”

People with intellectual and development disabilities created their own works of art that are on display at the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts. (David Minton/Progress Staff Photographer)

said Laura Hales, curator of learning and innovation at Scottsdale Arts Learning and Innovation. “We saw this as an opportunity to shine a light on that aspect of Beverly McIver. In a sense, all of these artworks in the gallery are inspired by Renee.” Members of STARS and The Opportunity Tree were broken into small groups and worked in three workshops. “We worked with professional artists who led the workshops for this and they were all really wonderful at adapting the projects so that everybody in the room could do them well,” Hales said. “We had accessibility in mind because even within that group there were different levels of accessibility that needed to be addressed.” What came next fulfilled a need that oftentimes is glossed over for individuals with I/DD. “It’s self-advocacy and it is a powerful communication,” Hales said. “During one of

see STAR page 30

Mavrix marks 2nd year with specials, gratitude BY KATY SPRINGER Progress Contributor

veryone likes a good underdog story. And the story of Mavrix in Scottsdale certainly fits the bill. The entertainment hub opened at the Pavilions at Talking Stick Shopping Center on March 7, 2020 and got off to a great start, posting high guest counts and earning top customer reviews. But the venue was forced to close its doors just 10 days later amid COVID-19. “It was an awful day,” said Scott Sanders, owner of Octane Entertainment, the company that owns and operates Mavrix and Octane Raceway next door. “Beyond the disappointment and financial devastation of shutting down a business we had

Scott Nelson is the chef for Mavrix, which survived the pandemic and is now seeing business return to pre-VOVID levels. (Progress file photo)

worked so hard to build, we were forced to lay off many of our employees. That was the worst part.” Two years later, Mavrix is hardly recognizable, its transformation from a shuttered building to a booming business complete. Now, the company is planning a big celebration to mark its second anniversary: From Thursday, Feb. 24-March 4, Mavrix has a series of guest offers – such as $2 bowling, $2 laser tag and daily specials including $15 xs on Mondays and half-price arcade games on Wednesdays. The anniversary is a milestone moment. “We just have so much to be grateful for,” said Sanders.

see MAVRIX page 30

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

STAR �� page 29

the workshops, one woman who didn’t talk at all in the beginning was positively chatty toward the end of it as she became more comfortable and started enjoying herself. I could see that she had gained an increased sense of herself, which was the primary goal of the exhibition.” The exhibition offers a look into the interests and hobbies of the creators. “In the work, they communicate who they are as individuals,” Hales said. “They’re making their own decisions. They’re talking about themselves and what their interests and hobbies are.” Not only did creating the artworks aid members of STARS and The Opportunity Tree in expressing themselves, one workshop helped the artists keep their memory sharp. “In the poetry workshop, it was really interesting because it was customized for adults with I/DD and memory loss,” Hales said. “This is a growing issue because people who have I/DD are living longer and they have an over 50% higher chance of getting Alzheimer’s.” “As the curator for this gallery, I always try to steer away from a student show where it looks like the same assignment,” Hales said. “I wanted a varied look to the gallery that kept the number of participants in each of

MAVRIX �� page 29

Mavrix, which was closed for nine weeks during the shutdown, reopened on May 22, 2020. With 50,000 square feet that includes 22 bowling lanes, 95 arcade games, laser tag, billiards tables and a scratch kitchen, The Trophy Room Grill, can accommodate for 150 guests. But for months, the guest counts were nowhere close. “It was a ghost town,” said JP Mullan, chief operating officer of Mavrix. “In keeping with local guidelines, we had planned to reduce our occupancy to 50%. It turned out that wasn’t necessary, as we never got close to being half-full.” The next several months were challenging. Mullan and his staff, much reduced from the 150-person team that opened Mavrix, fought hard to drum up business. “We had this incredible entertainment center that we were dying to show off,” said Mullan. “We knew that once people experienced Mavrix, word would spread like wildfire. We could see it and we were

Artist Beverly McIver's work is on display at Scottsdale Museum for Contemporary Art. (Special to the Progress)

the workshops small so we have better results for everybody.” Hales could not have been happier with the results and the platform that the exhibition has given to a population that is often forgotten. “There are three important things that

committed to making it happen.” Despite Mavrix’s rough start, Mullan and his team worked every angle to build the business, never letting up on their marketing efforts to get people through the door – and honing their operations to ensure a positive guest experience. “We were so meticulous in our hiring and training,” said Mullan. “We wanted to provide Ritz-Carlton-level guest service. We also continued to invest in our facilities and in excellent food and beverage.” They also worked diligently to increase safety and sanitization to ensure guests felt good about spending time there. “This meant transforming every single customer contact point to be as safe as possible while still giving people a temporary escape from the challenges of COVID,” said Sanders. By early 2021, Mavrix had started its COVID-19 recovery, growing revenue from January to July by more than 54% and continuing its run by earning “Best Sports Bar” and “Best Entertainment Center” accolades. Mavrix had made a name for it-

this show tries to do,” she said. “It’s a platform for self-advocacy, it allows this population to express themselves and it allows people to get to know this community better. We all know younger folks who have I/DD but we don’t know the older folks because they live in group homes or with self, not only for its bowling and games, but also as a top spot for corporate teambuilders, parties and sporting events. “We were so busy on Super Bowl Sunday and throughout Spring Training and March Madness,” Mullan said. “We have dozens of 4K televisions broadcasting the games throughout our facility, but we also have a 5,000 square-foot patio with a huge Jumbotron. The weather was perfect, and the patio was a great option for guests who wanted to enjoy a party atmosphere while taking precautions for COVID.” Today, Mavrix is achieving the benchmarks established pre-pandemic. These include metrics for volume and revenue, but also hiring, menu expansion and facility upgrades. “We hired a top-notch general manager, Dallas Henderson, and an extremely talented chef, Scott Nelson,” said Mullan. “We’re about to unveil a new menu with made-from-scratch entrees like chimichurri ribeye and Baja chicken pasta. We’re finally achieving that dream.”

their parents and they’re a bit forgotten in society.” Hales hopes that people experience Beverly McIver: Full Circle and “What Makes Me Me” together to gain a full understanding of I/DD and how art works as a form of self-advocacy. “This has raised some awareness about this community along with Beverly McIver herself,” she said. “When people go into SMoCA to see the exhibition and they see the paintings that relate to Beverly and Renee’s relationship, they’ll have some more interest and understanding while looking at those.” The “What Makes Me Me” exhibition will remain on display at the Center for the Performing Arts through May 4; an opening reception will be held at the center on Tuesday Feb. 22, at 11 a.m. “Beverly McInver: Full Circle” will remain at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art until Sept. 4. Reception What: Opening reception for “What Makes Me Me.” When: 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22. Where: Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St. Cost: Free. Tickets: scottsdaleartslearning.org

The secret to Mavrix’s success? Beyond the staff’s efforts to deliver a quality guest experience, they have prioritized community giving from the very beginning – even when times were tough. This has included fundraisers, toy and food drives, silent auction donations and an ongoing effort to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Indeed, Mavrix’s anniversary event will include a fundraising component for the organization. “I have a personal connection to the MS Society and have always dreamed of being able to make a difference for the organization,” said Sanders. “The work they do is so important and desperately needed.” In addition, the venue just installed 15 new arcade games, part of a strategic plan to keep the guest experience fresh and up to date. Said Mullan, “Since we’re locally owned and operated, we have complete autonomy to make investments like these to make Mavrix the best.” Information: mavrix.com.

FOOD & DRINK

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

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Spinato’s new eatery here a prototype BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

pinato’s Pizzeria is launching its next wave of innovative restaurants in a city the brand is already familiar with. The newest location, located off of Loop 101 and Via De Ventura in Scottsdale, is a 4,650-square-foot restaurant space that accommodates 160 dining patrons indoors and outdoors, a copper bar that pays homage to Spinato’s original location, an open kitchen and an outdoor pickup window. “Scottsdale is where everyone wants to be and that’s where we want to re-begin the next generation of growth. We’re excited to be there,” Spinato President/CEO Anthony Spinato said. The new Scottsdale venue is a prototype for the pizza company’s future eateries as a new generation of family ownership aims to differentiate them from their existing locations. “It’s really exciting for my wife, sister and brother-in-law since we are second generation owners that are starting to build on our vision to make each Spinato’s unique to the demographic and the environment that it’s in,” Spinato said. “This has been really fun and this has been the next step from our Tempe location that we built in 2018. Every time guests come in, they will see more differences than similarities from each location we build rolling forward.” The location of the new restaurant is an ideal space for the Spinato family as they believe it re�lects the surrounding community. “With McCormick Ranch being the immediate demographic in the area, I feel like this is a connection to the area in the sense that a lot of things are being re-done, leveled or remodeled,” Spinato said, explaining: “We believe that this is attractive in the sense that this is a date-night place but also

a family place and McCormick Ranch has a lot of families but a lot of parents who want to go out for a date night.” The area also holds much promise. “When this area landed on our radar was when I really started to understand what was going on in that entertainment dis- Anthony Spinato is president/CEO of Spinato’s trict,” Spinato said. Pizzeria, a popular and growing chain that has “With the planning, opened its sixth Valley location. (Special to the Progress) the growth and the estimated 9.1 million tourists that will that his staff is treating cuscome to that area every year, it became a tomers like they would a great opportunity for branding.” guest at a family dinner. While Spinato saw this as a fantastic op“The way that we would portunity to introduce visitors to the tastes take care of people at our that Spinato’s Pizzeria has to offer, he also house is the way we take care saw a grand opportunity to put Arizona on of our restaurant guests,” Spi- Spinato’s new Scottsdale location aims to be a protothe map for dining destinations. nato said. “Everyone knows type for its future locations. (Special to the Progress) “People don’t know what they’re walking what it’s like to go over to closed all major holidays, anniversary gifts, into as a tourist when they walk into a Spi- that big family dinner and nato’s, so we try to overwhelm them with once we give employees that visual, we al- referral bonuses, along with a free family an amazing experience that they would low them to do that in a way that they’re style meal for every shift worked and a 25 percent employee discount. never imagine they would get in pizza in comfortable doing so.” Spinato’s Pizzeria is currently hiring kitchArizona,” he said. “We want to be a catalyst A major way Spinato ensures that his to making Arizona a memorable destina- employees are treating guests like family is en staff members at its newest location. While Spinato is still looking to �ill open tion for food and culture.” by taking care of his employees as if they positions, he is most excited to see how his No matter what customers order, from are part of the Spinato family. Big Boss Wings to the baked spaghetti “The guest experience is never going to latest location is received by customers, escalzone to founder Ken Spinato’s favor- exceed the employee experience,” he said. pecially ones who frequent the chain’s sisite “Over a Cheeser,” the family makes it a “I want our guests to have an unforgettable ter location in North Scottsdale off Frank priority that staff understands whatever experience but our staff has to feel that way Lloyd Wright Boulevard. “For both locations being relatively close items are printed on an order ticket are from us.” items that customers consider to be their Full time employees receive health in- to one another, they won’t cannibalize one favorite foods. surance for and all employees are eligible another or compete with each other since “For us, it comes back to make sure that for vision and dental insurance, employee the North Scottsdale Location is a neighwe can deliver on our promise,” Spinato reimbursements for tuition, gym and child- borhood place whereas The Block location said. “Everything we look at is that if a cus- care, a 401K with a company match, paid serves the neighborhood, businesses and tomer is ordering it, it’s their favorite.” vacation and sick time, paid time off for the place to attract tourists,” he said. Information: spinatospizzeria.com Spinato also makes it a point to ensure volunteering with their favorite nonpro�it,

FOOD & DRINK

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Planning Commission of the City of Scottsdale, Arizona, will hold a public hearing on March 9, 2022, at 5:00 P.M in the City Hall Kiva, 3939 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, Arizona. Planning Commission meetings are televised on Cox Cable Channel 11 and streamed online at ScottsdaleAZ.gov (search “live stream”) to allow the public to virtually attend, participate telephonically, and listen/view the meeting in progress. Instructions on the meeting forum, how to participate, and how to provide Public Comments will be provided on the posted agenda. 58-UP-1985#2 (TPC Use Permit Expansion (Sportsbook)) Request by owner for an amendment to the existing TPC Conditional Use Permit to extend the Golf Course and Accessory Uses for a new sportsbook restaurant/clubhouse with approximately +/- 12,815 square feet of restaurant/clubhouse area, on a 2.5-acre site with Open Space (OS) zoning, located at southeast corner of N. Greenway-Hayden Loop and E. Bell Road. Staff contact person is Chris Walsh/Meredith Tessier, 480-312-4211. Applicant contact person is Jordan Rose, (480) 505-3939. 9-ZN-2021 (Palo on 75th) Request by owner for approval of a zoning district map amendment from Service Residential, Downtown Overlay (S-R DO) to Downtown/Downtown Multiple Use, Type 2, Downtown Overlay (D/DMU-2 DO) to allow for a new multi-family development consisting of 5 units on a +/- 0.20-acre site located at 3961 N. 75th Street. Staff contact person is Greg Bloemberg, 480-312-4306. Applicant contact person is Lauren Proper Potter, (480) 921-2800. For additional information visit our web site at www.scottsdaleaz.gov search "Scottsdale Planning Case Files" or in your URL search bar you can type in https://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/bldg resources/Cases/ A COPY OF A FULL AGENDA, INCLUDING ITEMS CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS IS AVAILABLE AT LEAST 24 HOURS PRIOR TO THE MEETING AT THE FOLLOWING: Online at: http://www.ScottsdaleAZ.gov/ Boards/planning-commission

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Across: 2. My girlfriend, and any female fox 3. I’m related to dogs, but since the iris of my eye is vertical, I have excellent hearing, I climb trees and I have retractable claws, I am also a bit like a _____. 4. Although my tail is called this, you can’t use it on your hair. Down: 1. I eat meat but also eat some plants. 3. My babies, bear babies and Chicago baseball players are called these.

Fox pun: I wonder what pheasant tastes like? I hope it isn’t grouse.

ANSWERS - Across: 2. Vixen, 3. Cat, 4.Brush Down: 1. Omnivore, 3. Cubs BONUS: Den

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 20, 2022

ANDREW BLOOM, HOUSING EXPERT CEO AND FOUNDER OF T E BVO LUXURY GROU Keller WIlliams Northeast Realty: Lu0ury Division Voted #1 Scottsdale Real Estate Team 2018: 2019 2020 Andrew Bloom is the CEO and co-Founder of BVO LUXURY GROU at Keller Williams Ari2ona Realty. Collectively Keller Williams Ari2ona Realty sold over 1.7 billion in 2020 and Year to date Keller Williams Internationally has sold 27:000 homes over 1M. KW continues to e0pand globally and remains the number one real estate company in the world as ranked by Realtrends. The BVO Lu0ury Group is now in it’s 3rd generation: now being run by Austin Bloom who just is a recent graduate of Scottsdale Leadership. BVO Lu0ury Group was voted Maricopa County’s #1 Real Estate Team of the year in 2018: 2019: and 2020. The team has grown significantly to make 2021 the best year ever serving our clients right here in Scottsdale.

DID WE HIT THE PEAK? NOW WHAT? Top 3 factors affecting the market. 1. Inventory Shortages have caused buyer fatigue. 2. Bidding on multiple houses has caused buyer e0haustion 3. Discount commissions on both the buyer side and seller side have resulted in more transactional fall out. E0perience matters most in this market;

TOP 3 reasons to SELL your home NOW!!! This is the best time we have to get you the highest price possible 1. Stay nimble. Get ahead of any downturn the market takes. We are already seeing days on market increase as well as price reductions. 2. You never lose money taking chips off the table. We’ve had a great market for over 10 years. Equity in your home may mean now might be the best time to cash out and sit on the sidelines. 3. Downsize or upsize. Sure why not. Interest rates are low. Inventory is low. Only serious buyers are buying. The market is not as competitive today for buyers or sellers. There is a nice balance in today’s market. Take advantage of the equilibrium in the market after the fren2y. The pendulum is near a stand still (but for how long)? “Anyone who dreams of an uncommon life eventually discovers there is no choice but to seek an uncommon approach to living it.” - Gary Keller, The ONE Thing

Call Today!! (480) 400-1985 | BVOLuxury.com