CityNorth: We’re Giving Away $97 Million for This?

Peggy Neely will NEVER be elected Mayor of Phoenix. As a trusted representative of District 2 she violated her fiduciary obligation to her electors. She has "sold out" to commercial interests like Westcor. She has a clear conflict of interest by having Paul Gilbert, a zoning attorney for Westcor on her campaign staff helping to raise money for her failed bid for Mayor. As head of Transportation for the City of Phoenix as a City Council member, Peggy Neely gerrymandered Sonoran Blvd, a road that was supposed to link the new 303-loop east to Route 51. Upon information and belief she was paid off by Westcor with the help of attorney Paul Gilbert to not only change the name of Sonoran Blvd but to actually build the road so that it aligns with Westcor's property in Northern Phoenix and NOT Route 303. This, of course, enhances the value of Westcor's 80 acre commercial parcel of property. Why is this important? Because now motorists who are traveling on the new extension of 303 won't be able to travel east of I-17 to get to Route 51. Peggy Neely for political purposes "broke" the loop and has caused motorists irreparable harm. Not only that but because of her blind ambition to become Mayor, the road Peggy Neely is building, the NEW Sonoran Blvd., will dead end in a Phoenix residential community causing massive traffic and confusion for NOT only the local residents but for the folks who will be traveling WEST from North Scottsdale, Cave Creek Road area, and Carefree who think they are going to I-17 or 303. They will dead end at the intersection of North Valley Parkway and the NEW Neely Sonoran Blvd. This is called the Road To Nowhere. However, there a simple solution, build the Road To Somewhere. The Road To Somewhere is where the road was originally supposed to be built. This road is ONE mile south of the Neely-Westcor Freeway and perfectly aligns with the new Route 303. In fact, there is funding for this road and not for the Neely-Westcor Road. I am President of the Sonoran Citizens Improvement Association. My name is Clif Freedman. See www.sornorancitizens.com

What Sarah does not realize is that the $97 million thing does not even kick in until CN builds more than 1 million square feet of retail, and that will not happen until the department stores are built. So, Sarah, your entire pathetic sales tax went to the city, not half. In addition, the deal is for half the taxes for 11 years 3 months or the $97 million, whichever comes first. so Eric's comment is right. I dont mind opposing this subsidy, but I do mind when it is opposed without the facts.

"Despite the fact that it's a 30-minute drive from anything remotely urban" I laughed pretty hard at that statement and knew the tone of the article from then on out. I found it interesting how there was no mention of the um... largest (in AZ) 950 room JW Marriott just a quarter mile North of City North. Tell me how the people renting segways are going to make it down to anywhere else but City North and The District? And yes we will still mention the tourists that will choose to walk across the street as well or also take the provided transportation courtesy of the hotel. Also lacking was the mention of the current population of 6,000 (My family of 4 included) people and projected 50,000 residents that will call the 5,700 acre development called Desert Ridge home, oh wait.. I am supposed to be making a one sided argument so my point was to mention only how the guests from the JW would be spending what they otherwise wouldn't be spending at too far away shops...) As someone who frequents Press coffee at least twice a week for meetings (and it's an Americano not a Latte for me FYI) and then taking my wife and 2 daughters to Mojo Frozen yogurt every Saturday, an event that wouldn't happen if it was not there. I would be curious to know how long the $97m is projected to take for fulfillment and then take the total sales tax revenue for Phoenix in that time frame 2,3 5 years... and compare it as a percentage lost. Maybe that's asking too much from the writer who seems to like to fill an article with arbitrary fluff (quote above... lattes... etc..) and not actually take the time to compose an insightful opinion. Let's instead hype and fluff a number like $97,000,000 for an eye catching headline.

Great article, I love the idea of all the efforts by writers and media that show the negative consistency we all need right now. HARD TIMES, POOR PLANNING, DOWN MARKET, BAD PLACE TO SHOP AND SPENDING NEEDLESS MONEY!!! When is someone going to actually write something positive, like CityNorth will be a great place in the future, and we SHOULD SUPPORT the "LOCALLY" owned business located in a this shopping center WHO DO pay taxes. But nevermind all that, let someone like this continue to ride the high road and use CityNorth as a copout for the lack of success or talent he or she has had. If I had that much talent in writing, I'd be sure to use it where it actually made a postive difference. But who am....just a tax payer hoping to retire at a decent age.

Richard, I don't know what "business" you are talking about... Is the city the business? Because that flies in the face of what government is supposed to be.

Your argument that the City will get the money back and then some is absurd because I've seen nothing to indicate an increased net gain. More likely (as was stated in the article) this revenue will come from a decrease in sales at other area shopping centers and an increase in overall population in the Northeast Valley.

The idea that subsidy helped the community here is idiotic. Moreover it hurts other valley businesses who are not competing on a level field because they didn't get a subsidy for their business.

If the city really just needed to get rid of $90M, then they should have just decreased taxes a fraction of a penny so that revenue decrased by that amount. Anyone who has taken Econ 101 will tell you that the net impact would be the same or better by offering the sales tax revenue to everyone instead of just one company.

Wow, I love to read journalists who have no concept of business. She must have appeared nude at her interview for New Times instead of investing in a business suit for the interview.

That's what the $97-million is for the city. Over 20 years, the city will get that back double.

Now, tell me what you got for that $700-billion the government is giving away in bailouts, plus the trillions for "incentive" checks, auto bailouts, etc.? Maybe the writer should be writing stories about what happens when the government prints money for these projects. It's called inflation, and it is worse than having cancer.

As they said about Germany after WWII, soon in the U.S. you'll need a wheel-barrow to buy a loaf of bread. Imagine a $35 loaf of bread, and you're still making $28,000 per year! The bailout money of $700-billion will put a gallon of gas near $10 in five years, same $28,000 in salary.

Yet the city makes a WISE investment, and everyone jumps all over it - everyone who is so sheet arse dumb they write columns in a rag read by.... (or work for the Goldwater Institute) and have no concept of business.

"Buy locally" = support Chicago? Genius!

I'm no fan of CityNorth, but this article overlooks one major argument the Gordon administration has made in defense of the deal: That having a parking garage instead of surface lots frees up more land for retail development, resulting in increased sales tax revenue. It's a weak argument, especially since the economic meltdown will make it hard to lease the space already developed, but it should have been acknowledged in any critique of the arrangement.

You summed it up with this, "At CityNorth, the parking lot is empty � and the stores aren't much better." And Gordon's head is empty as well. Do you actually think he could PASS a freshman economics course?

I believe that they also asserted that this losing project would create jobs. Then they cut the city bus services. So we have poor city dwellers taking two hours (to and from) to get to a minimum wage job. Might as well stay on welfare.

Sarah, put this in the "Debit" column along with the $1.5 billion doller "Light Snail" loss.