"Thomas Jefferson said a democracy is dependent on an informed citizenry. I don't care whether it sounds corny or not. It's the truth." -Jim Lehrer
Carefree Truth
Issue #916, April 26, 2021
In conversations with the consultant who created the Village Center Master Plan, known as the Baker Study, Mr. Prokopek found it was intended to be the backbone to a formal Redevelopment Plan if the Town chose to designate a formal redevelopment area. ASRS Article 36 Chapter 8 lays out the rules and benefits provided by a Town's designation of a Redevelopment Area. The Town, through Resolution, can declare an area in need of redevelopment through the meeting of the slum or blight requirements. Once declared, the Town must create a Redevelopment Plan. Creation of a Redevelopment Commission is optional. Carefree would more likely depend on the Economic Development Advisory Group that was recently formed, the Planning & Zoning Commission, and the Council. The Plan must be approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission and by the Council. Once established, the Town can take advantage of the various tools provided for redevelopment.
The Town must meet at least one of the following tests, per statute:
Inadequate or defective street layout
Faulty layout
Unsanitary or unsafe conditions
Diversity of ownership
Tax or special assessment deficiency
Obsolete platting
Existence of conditions that endanger life or property by fire and other causes
The issues shown in blue apply to Carefree. These were inherited from Maricopa County, before Carefree's incorporation in 1984. Redevelopment Areas are used for housing rehabilitation and/or commercial revitalization. The designation does not harm surrounding property values and typically increases property values as revitalization occurs. What devalues property is neglect. A Redevelopment Area would allow Carefree to address revitalization in a comprehensive manner.
With a Redevelopment Plan, Carefree can put a Real Estate strategy together. The Town can buy, hold, clear, lease, and sell property, including the use of eminent domain, in accordance with the Plan. It can create private/public partnerships. It can access Development Block Grant Funds (DBGF) for infrastructure and programs involving disability (ADA) and crosswalk safety issues. It allows for a wide array of financing tools including the ability to issue bonds that do not count against bonding capacity. The Town can create CC&Rs and design guidelines for specific projects. It provides Budget and Expenditure flexibility.
Property owners within the Designation Area must be notified 3 weeks prior to the formation of the Area. Mr. Prokopek had already been informally reaching out to the property owners and had spoken to about 50-60% of them. He had received no push back to date, but formal notification would be given.
A Redevelopment Plan would include:
Statement of Boundaries
Existing land use maps and conditions
Proposed land use plan
Standards for post redevelopment population density, land coverage and building intensities
Proposed changes to zoning, street layout, building codes and Ordinances
Statement of site improvements and additional public utilities to support new uses
Statement of estimated costs for redevelopment projects
Statement for proposed redevelopment funding
https://vimeo.com/535291083
The boundary would include the Town Center as well as the north and east sides of Cave Creek Road and the west side of Tom Darlington Drive as they relate to pedestrian access to the adjacent neighborhoods. It would also include the Mariachi Plaza and the warehouse spaces there that house Carefree's facilities. This is a great opportunity to fold this area into the Town Center. It is a very powerful tool and Mr. Prokopek wanted everyone to understand how it works.
The Town must meet at least one of the following tests, per statute:
Inadequate or defective street layout
Faulty layout
Unsanitary or unsafe conditions
Diversity of ownership
Tax or special assessment deficiency
Obsolete platting
Existence of conditions that endanger life or property by fire and other causes
The issues shown in blue apply to Carefree. These were inherited from Maricopa County, before Carefree's incorporation in 1984. Redevelopment Areas are used for housing rehabilitation and/or commercial revitalization. The designation does not harm surrounding property values and typically increases property values as revitalization occurs. What devalues property is neglect. A Redevelopment Area would allow Carefree to address revitalization in a comprehensive manner.
With a Redevelopment Plan, Carefree can put a Real Estate strategy together. The Town can buy, hold, clear, lease, and sell property, including the use of eminent domain, in accordance with the Plan. It can create private/public partnerships. It can access Development Block Grant Funds (DBGF) for infrastructure and programs involving disability (ADA) and crosswalk safety issues. It allows for a wide array of financing tools including the ability to issue bonds that do not count against bonding capacity. The Town can create CC&Rs and design guidelines for specific projects. It provides Budget and Expenditure flexibility.
Property owners within the Designation Area must be notified 3 weeks prior to the formation of the Area. Mr. Prokopek had already been informally reaching out to the property owners and had spoken to about 50-60% of them. He had received no push back to date, but formal notification would be given.
A Redevelopment Plan would include:
Statement of Boundaries
Existing land use maps and conditions
Proposed land use plan
Standards for post redevelopment population density, land coverage and building intensities
Proposed changes to zoning, street layout, building codes and Ordinances
Statement of site improvements and additional public utilities to support new uses
Statement of estimated costs for redevelopment projects
Statement for proposed redevelopment funding
https://vimeo.com/535291083
The boundary would include the Town Center as well as the north and east sides of Cave Creek Road and the west side of Tom Darlington Drive as they relate to pedestrian access to the adjacent neighborhoods. It would also include the Mariachi Plaza and the warehouse spaces there that house Carefree's facilities. This is a great opportunity to fold this area into the Town Center. It is a very powerful tool and Mr. Prokopek wanted everyone to understand how it works.
Councilman Stephen Hatcher asked if there were specific areas that were targeted in this Redevelopment Plan. He said it seemed like an excellent tool to revitalize areas immediate to the downtown that have been dead for a while. Carefree doesn't have the control that gives the ability to tailor development and integrate it with the future business model. He was very excited about this proposed process.
Mr. Prokopek replied that the "higher and best use" areas such as 100 Easy Street, a key visual to the town, and the Shell station on the corner, would be prioritized. He meant nothing against the owners or the uses. Those have been there for a very long time. But people drive by them and notice that they are underwhelming. How does the Mariachi Plaza integrate with the warehouse area behind it? Maybe that is an area for a municipal complex. The Town already has uses over there. This opens the door to many possibilities.
Investors with a vision have more confidence in areas that have tools to for them to implement their vision. Bruce Raskin did a great job revitalizing Spanish Village, but he could have done so much more if the ground adjacent to Cave Creek Road could have been added to expand it. There is a vision of what Spanish Village could be, but there is currently no way for the Town to get involved in that process. Other similar examples exist in the downtown area. "We need to start thinking outside of the box, and we can establish those things as we go through the process of the Redevelopment Plan itself and start updating and reevaluating."
Mayor Les Peterson complimented Mr. Prokopek for doing an excellent job of showing the Council what is possible and laying out the most reasonable path forward. There is a lot of work ahead. Mr. Prokopek's suggested next step is a joint meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Council that would also include the Economic Development Advisory Committee.
Councilman Tony Geiger pointed out that in the future there will be a $12 billion chip plant and a huge tech center to the west of us at I-17 and Carefree Highway. To the east of us, towards Pima Road, in Scottsdale thousands of houses are planned. We have to get better control of our destiny. Carefree will be a premier area that people will want to visit. We have a great opportunity. "The quicker we can get ahead of it, the better we'll be served."
Mr. Hatcher asked what level of confidence Mr. Prokopek had in the ability to successfully implement this by defining a redevelopment area, and being able to get legal control and access to properties that hamstring the Town because the owners won't improve buildings and/or develop empty lots. "Is this the arrow we have all been looking for?" Mr. Prokopek responded that this is not a silver bullet but it allows the Town to step in and fix deficiencies. Carefree could plug gaps and include infrastructure pieces. If there is an opportunity in the future to obtain and hold onto a piece of property, and package that with an adjacent property owner, it allows the Town to package deals. It allows much more flexibility to work with existing property owners.
Mayor Peterson suggested that each of the Council members sit down with Mr. Prokopek in the next month to go over this. "Tell us how we can help."
Councilwoman Cheryl Kroyer said it was a lot to present, but gave the Council a lot of good ideas and is sending the Council in a direction not previously contemplated. "So, it looks like a great start."
https://vimeo.com/535293240
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Copyrighted
Visit our website at www.carefreetruth2.com If you know anyone who would like to be added to the Carefree Truth email list, please have them contact me. Feel free to share Carefree Truth with others on your list.
Visit www.carefreeazbusinesses.com to see more info about businesses in Carefree. Please support our merchants.
Mr. Prokopek replied that the "higher and best use" areas such as 100 Easy Street, a key visual to the town, and the Shell station on the corner, would be prioritized. He meant nothing against the owners or the uses. Those have been there for a very long time. But people drive by them and notice that they are underwhelming. How does the Mariachi Plaza integrate with the warehouse area behind it? Maybe that is an area for a municipal complex. The Town already has uses over there. This opens the door to many possibilities.
Investors with a vision have more confidence in areas that have tools to for them to implement their vision. Bruce Raskin did a great job revitalizing Spanish Village, but he could have done so much more if the ground adjacent to Cave Creek Road could have been added to expand it. There is a vision of what Spanish Village could be, but there is currently no way for the Town to get involved in that process. Other similar examples exist in the downtown area. "We need to start thinking outside of the box, and we can establish those things as we go through the process of the Redevelopment Plan itself and start updating and reevaluating."
Mayor Les Peterson complimented Mr. Prokopek for doing an excellent job of showing the Council what is possible and laying out the most reasonable path forward. There is a lot of work ahead. Mr. Prokopek's suggested next step is a joint meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Council that would also include the Economic Development Advisory Committee.
Councilman Tony Geiger pointed out that in the future there will be a $12 billion chip plant and a huge tech center to the west of us at I-17 and Carefree Highway. To the east of us, towards Pima Road, in Scottsdale thousands of houses are planned. We have to get better control of our destiny. Carefree will be a premier area that people will want to visit. We have a great opportunity. "The quicker we can get ahead of it, the better we'll be served."
Mr. Hatcher asked what level of confidence Mr. Prokopek had in the ability to successfully implement this by defining a redevelopment area, and being able to get legal control and access to properties that hamstring the Town because the owners won't improve buildings and/or develop empty lots. "Is this the arrow we have all been looking for?" Mr. Prokopek responded that this is not a silver bullet but it allows the Town to step in and fix deficiencies. Carefree could plug gaps and include infrastructure pieces. If there is an opportunity in the future to obtain and hold onto a piece of property, and package that with an adjacent property owner, it allows the Town to package deals. It allows much more flexibility to work with existing property owners.
Mayor Peterson suggested that each of the Council members sit down with Mr. Prokopek in the next month to go over this. "Tell us how we can help."
Councilwoman Cheryl Kroyer said it was a lot to present, but gave the Council a lot of good ideas and is sending the Council in a direction not previously contemplated. "So, it looks like a great start."
https://vimeo.com/535293240
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Copyrighted
Visit our website at www.carefreetruth2.com If you know anyone who would like to be added to the Carefree Truth email list, please have them contact me. Feel free to share Carefree Truth with others on your list.
Visit www.carefreeazbusinesses.com to see more info about businesses in Carefree. Please support our merchants.