Student-built house on auction block / P. 16
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NEWS................................... 9 Scottsdale to give parking requirements a second look
Where to go for a Lush-ous burger P. 32
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Sunday, July 7, 2019
City backs off $3M condo deal – for now BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor
H
ours before a Scottsdale City Council meeting on July 2, city staff pulled a controversial item from consideration that would have seen the city shell out close to $3 million to pave the way for the proposed Museum Square project. A Progress report June 30 on the proposed deal triggered a wave of public backlash on social media, with many residents urging council members to vote no on the purchase.
The Council was set to consider purchasing a ground-level commercial unit at the Gateway at Main Street Plaza condominium complex for $2.25 million. The unit — which would also need $700,000 in renovations, according to the city — would house of�ices for Scottsdale’s Museum of the West displaced by the future Museum Square development. As a condition of the purchase, the condo’s home owners association agreed to vacate a deed restriction limiting building heights in the area to 60 feet, paving the
way for Museum Square, which includes a 150-foot hotel on land the developer is in the process of purchasing from the city. The deed restriction covers 405,000 square feet of city-owned land, and it is unclear how much of the 180,000 square feet the city agreed to sell is included within that area. The city of�icially sent out notice of the removal on July 2 at 1:40 p.m — just over three hours before the scheduled Council meeting.
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One of city’s most in�luential �ire�ighters retiring
BUSINESS ..................... 26 Closed Sip shop to rise as something new
ARTS ................................ 30 An artistic celebration of the moon landing's 50th
NEIGHBORS .........................16 BUSINESS ............................. 22
OPINION ..............................24
ARTS ..................................... 25 FOOD & DRINK................... 27 CLASSIFIEDS .......................29
BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor
U
nlike many people who �ind themselves �ighting �ires for a living, Tim Cooper did not dream of being a �ire�ighter growing up. He only stumbled into the profession as a young man after deciding to look for a position that paid better than his job as a karate instructor. Before being hired, he recalled, “I’d only been in one �ire station my entire life as a little kid.” Fast forward four decades and Captain Tim Cooper is retiring after a decorated career with Scottsdale Fire Department and its predecessor, Rural/Metro. “Tim is considered the godfather of special operations in Scottsdale,” said Special Operations Division Chief Joseph Early. “He was the driving force behind the formation of our Technical Rescue Team and through his leadership, our technicians are the best in the business. He has inspired countless
Andrew Bloom REALTOR®, Senior Partner Andrew@BVOLuxury.com VOTED #1 SCOTTSDALE REAL ESTATE TEAM FOR 2018
Scottsdale Fire Captain Tim Cooper retired in June after a 45-year career serving Scottsdale with Scottsdale Fire Department and its predecessor Rural/Metro. (Scottsdale Fire Department)
�ire�ighters.” So, how did a 20-something karate instructor from Phoenix end up as one of
Scottsdale’s most in�luential �ire�ighters? Cooper, who earned his black belt in 1973, was running a chain of karate schools in the 1970s when two of his students, both �ire�ighters, told him he would make a good �ire�ighter. “And then one day, I was tired of teaching karate and there was a test coming up for Rural/Metro in Scottsdale,” Cooper said. “I said, ‘You know, I’ll try it.’” Rural/Metro hired Cooper in April 1974 and he remained with the company until he was hired by the city when Scottsdale created its own �ire department in 2005. Scottsdale was a much different place when Cooper started out. In 1980, the city’s population numbered 88,364 people — compared to over 250,000 today. It was also a time of northward expansion for the city, which went from covering 88.6 square miles in 1980 to its current size of 184.5 square miles by 1990. The �ire department — then run by the
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