Detail is intentional. Firefighters have
immediate access to washing machines and
showers, two sets of turnout so they
always have a clean set available
and ventilated gear rooms to keep
contaminants contained. Even the
flooring, the ventilation systems, and
the separations between living quarters
and apparatus bays are designed to
reduce exposure. All of these features
matter. They matter to our members who
appreciate the support by this city, by
the department, and by the community. In
a few minutes, Gerald from Pearlman
Architects will talk will share more
about the specific design features that
make this station one of the safest and
most innovative in the country. But
before I close, I want to thank everyone
here today, our city leaders, our
partners, our firefighters, and the
community. Fire Station 74 represents
collaboration, innovation, and
commitment.
But most importantly, it represents our
promise to you that when you call, we
will be there ready, trained, and
equipped to serve. Thank you.
[applause]
[cheering]
» Uh good morning everybody. It's a
pleasure to be here today. I drove up
from Tucson. We had our state convention
there and the I10 was shut down for a
bit. So, I'm a little late, but happy to
be here. Uh, first want to take thank
the mayor, Councilman Robinson, uh, Ed
Zurker, the city manager, Councilwoman
Pastor, thank you to senior staff, and,
uh, most importantly, thank you to the
community for allowing us, partnering
with us to make this happen today.
And also want to thank the firefighters.
This fire station is going to save
lives.
Somebody that otherwise wouldn't be here
without this being built is going to
benefit from this. Uh I had the pleasure
of working at Battalion SE 7 which is at
fire station 43 on 40th Street in
Chandler Boulevard. We used to have a
decent amount of mountain rescues at
this mountain just just uh west of here.
Back then, unfortunately, the highly
trained people that uh Chief Duran was
speaking about had to come from the city
of Chandler to assist on those rescues.
Now, your Phoenix firefighters will be
able to do the job that they're paid to
do and protect the community.
Uh we've had a lot of progress these
last few years with getting fire
stations built, getting more members to
serve your community or our community, I
should say, cuz we all live and work in
this city. Uh and I want to say thank
you to you guys for that. Thank you to
senior staff and again, most
importantly, thanks for the community
for voting
uh and and putting good uh good
politicians in place to allow us to to
build what we got coming. Um, local 493
appreciates all the partnership. We love
our community, love our fire department,
and appreciate everybody. Have a
wonderful day. [applause]
Good morning and welcome. Uh first and
foremost, welcome to the community
members and to our distinguished guests.
It's a pleasure uh to be able to speak
in front of you today. Um it's it's hard
for me to imagine being here today. Uh
as a as a kid who grew up in the Awatuki
foothills and moved here 43 years ago,
this was definitely not on my bingo
card. Uh and I had more hair when I had
my visions then. Um, I want to start out
by thanking uh the city of Phoenix,
Sylvio, Haimey, and Kyle. Thank you for
being amazing partners through this this
delivery. Uh, this is an absolutely
beautiful facility and and we're excited
to deliver it. Thank you to Gerald at
Pearlman Architects. He's been an
absolutely wonderful partner to work
with and collaborate with um in
delivering this absolutely beautiful
facility uh to our our family members at
the city of Phoenix. I want to
especially thank uh the team at BFL,
Ducks, Jake and Shawn who really uh
really stepped up to deliver uh this
grand opening in in in such a beautiful
fashion. Um the fire department, I'm I'm
excited for you folks to have this
beautiful new facility and just want to
say welcome home. Thank you very much
for this opportunity and including us.
Uh and congratulations.
[applause]
Finally, I'd like to welcome the
president of Pearlman Architects of
Arizona, whose partnership over the
years has been invaluable, Gerald Adams.
[applause]
» All right, for uh good morning and for
one day, I I guess I'll clarify. I'm not
the president, but it's an honor to be
here. It's an honor to be working on
these projects. Uh my job is a director.
All right. And so our job is to bring
this facility to life. We talk to the
the people, the community, the
firefighters, all of our engineers, and
I'm going to start by saying thank you.
It's an honor. Um we're always honored.
We don't take these for granted. We we
look forward to working with these every
year and every every possible chance we
get to work on a fire station. Um
whenever you think of a fire station, I
think three things come to mind.
Commitment, dedication, and service. And
I think this fire station slow idolizes
that particular message. The commitment
from the city and the leadership in the
community to put this fire station on
this site to make this happen for this
community is huge. The dedication all
the men and women it took to build to
design to construct this facility to be
supported for the service for the
firefighters that are going to serve
this community for the next 50 to 75
years. So in a nutshell, this is about
commitment, dedication, and service.
Now, I get the honor to tell you a
little bit about what's in the station,
how it's designed, the sustainability
and the technology. This station has
been built once before. In an effort to
try to keep cost down, we rebought the
station back to life, put it in this
neighborhood, but we update it for the
modern technology that we need in this
station. And that has to do with the
decontamination. Everybody's talked
about hot zone. We have red zones,
yellow zones, and green zones. And as
you tour the facility this afternoon or
a little bit, you'll see signs. And each
of those signs represent a different
color. Those colors represent the areas
of closed contamination, minimum
contamination, and clean zones. And so
what we're trying to do is educate
everybody, the firefighters, and every
visitor here when in a particular zone,
not to carry the the carcinogen
exposures from one zone to another. We
want to keep our firefighters healthy,
happy, and able to preserve their health
so that they can take care of all of us
when we need it. So, there's a lot that
goes on behind the scenes. Just real
quickly, this building is very energy
efficient. It looks like a block
building. It's really not. It's a block
veneer over an ICF building, which means
we have an R48
envelope on this building, which is off
the charts. Most people's homes are like
R20 to R30. So, we're saving cost every
single day this operation. We're saving
cost of taxpayer dollars to run this
facility. And fire stations are big.
They use a lot of power, a lot of water.
Our goal is to reduce all of that by
these these things that we're doing. A
lot of the systems now are automatically
turning off, turning on. We're lowflow
water. We're doing a lot of
sustainability. So these all these
walls, roofs, overhead. This building is
very comfortable right now. It's end of
May and we're comfortable in this room.
Um so as you tour the rest of the
building, you'll you'll see that the
alerting I think there's five and a half
miles of cable I believe in this
building that's buried behind the walls.
And you notice a lot of these walls are
cleanable. They'll spray them down.
They'll keep all the carcinogen
exposures off. We'll start at the scene
or the firefighters will start at the
scene. We want to bring them back to the
station as clean as possible. Again, on
behalf of Proman Architects, our entire
design team, there's a lot of our
consultants here that helped us make
this a reality today. Thank you for your
time, your energy, and your commitment,
and it's an honor to work on these, and
we look forward to the next one. Thank
you.
[applause]
All right, that concludes our formal
remarks for this morning. I'd like to
thank everybody for joining us. We are
going to ask our distinguished guests to
join us for the ceremonial ribbon
cutting. For everyone else that's here
today, please stay and enjoy this
beautiful facility.
» [music]
» Kayla Kuren is a passionate advocate for
urban forestry whose work is
transforming neighborhoods across
Phoenix. She co-developed the city's
first equity focused tree planting
grants, including Canopy for Kids and
the innovative community canopy program,
initiatives that in just 18 months have
planted more than 4,100 trees in areas
with the greatest need. Her leadership
also helped secure a remarkable [music]
$10 million US Forest Service grant,
doubling the city's annual tree planting
pace and advancing environmental
justice. Kayla is a [music] certified
arborist and Spanish speaker, allowing
her to connect personally with thousands
of residents as she educates, supports,
and empowers them. Whether reviewing
site photos, hosting neighborhood
events, or delivering tree care kits,
Kayla builds trust, answers every
question, and creates positive
experiences that keep residents engaged.
Her work strengthens [music]
communities, expands shade, and
redefineses what it means to serve both
people and the planet. We're so proud
that she won. She is great [music] with
people. She uh spends a lot of time on
the phone with the public and she's so
kind [music] to them. So proud of you,
Kayla, and we know you're going to excel
[music] at everything you do.
Nicholas Bleo has made a remarkable
impact on how the city manages its
telecommunications. Through sharp
analysis and collaboration across
departments, Nicholas identified
inefficiencies and created a new
quarterly review system that brought
accountability and clarity to mobile
line usage. His efforts led [music] to a
9% reduction in monthly costs and nearly
$1 million in annual savings by removing
thousands of unused lines. [music] He
also negotiated more competitive mobile
plans, adding another $100,000 in yearly
savings, all while improving device
tracking and [music] ensuring every line
is properly assigned. Nicholas's
thoughtful, datadriven approach has
strengthened operations citywide and set
a new standard for fiscal responsibility
and innovation. He's an exceptional team
player. He goes over and beyond with all
his duties. He steps in when there's
vacancies. He doesn't just do the
minimum. He's a great [music] coach to
his team. He's great with all the
vendors. The vendors really enjoy
working with him. [music]
He's enthusiastic about his job. He
brings tons of passion. Great employee
to work with.
The housing support and relocation team
took on a challenge rooted in something
far deeper than logistics. When Mville
Parkway Terrace underwent full
rehabilitation,
103 senior and disabled residents were
asked to leave the place they considered
their safe and familiar home. For many,
this meant confronting mobility
barriers, medical needs, and an
overwhelming fear of losing stability.
That is why the team's work mattered so
profoundly. They responded with
extraordinary empathy, calling residents
daily, sometimes late into the evening,
simply to reassure that they weren't
alone. They protected medications,
oxygen equipment, pets, and personal
belongings. They kept essential services
running, and they handd delivered
paperwork to reduce stress. Housing
placements were chosen thoughtfully to
keep residents close to their doctors,
groceries, and community ties. And when
residents returned, the team stayed
beside them, making sure every
homecoming felt safe. Their compassion
resulted in zero escalated complaints
and countless moments of heartfelt
gratitude
>> after the renovation. When the seniors
» after the renovation. When the seniors
came back, they were amazed of what they
were coming back to. Newly renovated
apartment that they could call home. And
I want to congratulate the team for
doing such a great job relocating our
residents, taking the time, the care
[music] that was needed to make this
project a success.
In just [music] her probationary year,
Megan Mullen delivered achievements that
would challenge even a seasoned
professional. She coordinated the roll
out of 2,000 smartphones [music] across
police precincts, ensuring specialized
access and smooth transitions for units
with unique needs. She then played
[music] a key role in the citywide
Windows 11 migration, supporting more
than 5,400 police department computers
and even coordinating an overnight
upgrade of 1,000 devices, contributing
to a 96% [music]
completion rate and significant cost
avoidance. Megan also supported the
launch of the new records management
system, streamlining [music] complex
vendor processes with automation. Her
adaptability, technical skill, and
determination strengthened
infrastructure, saved city funds, and
improved public safety operations, all
in her first year.
>> Megan's demonstrated a strong leadership
» Megan's demonstrated a strong leadership
since the moment she got to the
department. She's not only motivated
members of her own team, but members of
staff [music] across all parts of the IT
bureau. I'm looking forward to all the
future projects that Megan will be
overseeing and running. Megan,
congratulations on this well-deserved
award.
» While on duty near 42nd Avenue, Arnold
Gracia witnessed a young child run into
[music] traffic, visibly terrified.
Without hesitation, he safely stopped
the vehicle, blocked traffic, [music]
and reached the child, who ran into his
arms for safety. Arnold protected him on
the sidewalk, coordinated with
bystanders, [music] and contacted police
to ensure the boy received immediate
help. He remained with him until
officers arrived and later learned the
child had been missing for several
weeks. When the child's mother asked to
meet him, Arnold humbly declined, saying
he simply had done what any [music]
responsible person would do. His quick
action, calm presence, and compassion
made a profound difference in a moment
of crisis.
>> And you know, it's just part of Arnold's
» And you know, it's just part of Arnold's
character. He he's a he's that fatherly,
strong, you know, uh person. and he know
you know when that I'm sure that kid
didn't feel any safer any other person
in the world. He's a big old bear. I'm
proud to be able to that I was nominated
him for the award [music] and that he
received it. I couldn't see it going to
a better person.
[music]
>> Clayton Freed recognized a critical
» Clayton Freed recognized a critical
challenge in recruiting engineers and
saw an opportunity to build something
transformative. [music]
Drawing on his past experience, Clayton
led the creation of the water services
[music] rotational engineer
apprenticeship program, one of the first
state registered [music] programs of its
kind. He conducted deep research,
coordinated with HR and operations,
[music] and designed a 4-year program to
prepare the next generation of
engineers. The program [music]
successfully launched with four
apprentices selected from over 50
applicants. Clayton also helped meet
immediate workload needs by training
[music] contracted project managers,
boosting the department's workforce
pipeline. His vision, persistence,
[music] and collaboration created a
sustainable path for future engineers
and set a model for other departments to
follow.
>> Not only is Clayton Free a fantastic
» Not only is Clayton Free a fantastic
[music] engineer, but he saw a problem.
He saw a challenge, something that is
very difficult, not only for the water
services department, for the rest of the
[music] city as well. So Clayton, thank
you very much. Great job on finding a
solution that will not only help the
water department, but it'll also help
the city of Phoenix in the future.
» The Phoenix Community Court team is
transforming lives by meeting people
experiencing homelessness with dignity,
compassion, [music] and unwavering
support. Bringing together the office of
homeless solutions, the municipal court,
the prosecutor's office, and the public
defender, the team helps individuals
break the cycle of repeated arrests
related to survival needs. They connect
participants with shelter, treatment,
health care, employment services, and
long-term case management, ensuring
every person is seen and supported.
Since its launch, [music] the court has
worked with nearly 700 participants with
180 graduates already [music] achieving
stability and hope. Their work restores
trust, builds confidence, and
strengthens the entire community through
patience, perseverance, and humanity. I
would like to say to my team how proud I
am to be a part of this, of everything
that you're doing, showing an
unparalleled [music] commitment to our
mission, to our vision, and to
alleviating the suffering of those
people most in need in our community.
I'm very proud of you, [music] and you
should be proud of yourselves.
Lexi Van Heron has advanced Sky Harbor's
global connectivity in extraordinary
[music] ways. Serving as the airport's
sole air service representative, she
secured the first non-stop flights to
Asia with Starlux [music] Airlines and
China Airlines, an achievement requiring
extensive strategic planning, high level
coordination, and international
engagement. These new [music] routes are
projected to generate over $170 million
annually. Lexi also brought the
prestigious Cranky Network Forum to
Phoenix, [music]
drawing record airline participation and
elevating the city's global visibility.
Her strong airline partnerships
delivered measurable results, including
expanded [music] service with Air France
and the restoration of daily flights to
Mexico City. Lexi's leadership,
communication, and innovation position
Sky Harbor as a worldclass aviation
gateway. So, it really just goes to show
that Lexi's commitment [music] and
passion to be able to deliver air
service to our community that we were
able to get [music] not just one but two
Asian carriers. She really does live
that vision that we have to welcome the
world to Phoenix and she [music] is the
one that helps us be able to deliver on
that message.
The revenue collections team delivered
an extraordinary year of financial
stewardship, recovering more than $23
million in delinquent balances, a nearly
180% increase over the previous year.
Their improved Dunning letter process
alone generated almost $19 million and
strengthened communication with
customers. They also developed a new
citywide collections policy, improved
account accuracy, [music] and expanded
the use of aging schedules to help
departments respond proactively.
Additional achievements included
bankruptcy claim processing, lean
management, improved liquor license
review procedures, and detailed
reconciliation of hazardous materials
accounts. Through teamwork, [music]
strategic thinking, and datadriven
improvements, the revenue collections
team strengthened the city's long-term
fiscal health.
>> Laura, Marco, Jude, Nate, thank you for
» Laura, Marco, Jude, Nate, thank you for
[music] your continued dedication and
your commitment to excellence. These
achievements reflect so much more than
numbers. It demonstrates exactly what
can [music] happen when a team is
committed to continued process
improvements and a commitment to [music]
financial excellence. Congratulations.
» Phoenix Fire Chief Danny Guile has led
support services through a year of major
improvements that strengthen safety,
accountability, and financial
stewardship by introducing letters of
intent for fire apparatus purchases. He
protected the city from escalating costs
and secured savings estimated at $2
million.
He redesigned the boot procurement
process, creating a voucher system that
saves a4 million dollars annually,
allowing reinvestment into uniform
upgrades for sworn members. Chief Guile
also rebuilt the department's equipment
tracking system, enabling [music]
real-time accountability and projecting
more than half a million dollars in
annual oversight improvements. His
thoughtful member focused leadership
continues to enhance operations and
support every firefighter in the
department. Chief Guile oversees our
support services division. In his time
there, he's done an absolutely
remarkable job. Chief Guile continues to
look for opportunities [music] to uh
create cost savings and better
efficiencies within the Phoenix Fire
Department and he's very deserving of
this award.
When a fire caused severe damage [music]
to critical systems at the 91st Avenue
Wastewater Treatment Plant, the unified
recovery team [music] sprang into action
with extraordinary skill and
determination.
Instrumentation and controls
specialists, user tech staff, and
electrical crews work [music] side by
side to assess damage, restore power,
and rebuild the systems that allow
operators to monitor and manage [music]
this essential regional facility. They
repurposed fiber lines, installed
temporary [music] controls,
reestablished electrical feeds, and
brought vital equipment back online
[music] within days, restoring service
that supports multiple cities and even
the [music] Palo Verde nuclear power
plant. Their creativity, teamwork, and
long hours [music]
turned a major emergency into a rapid,
coordinated recovery. This team's
dedication protected public health and
ensured uninterrupted [music]
wastewater treatment for the entire
region.
>> And all this happened within three or
» And all this happened within three or
four days was was really outstanding. It
really highlighted the talent, the sense
of ownership and just the work ethic
that the city of Phoenix has at the
staff here at 91st Avenue. It really
exemplifies employee [music] excellence,
not just for the city of Phoenix, but
also for the surrounding municipalities.
Jacob Leachchetta is known throughout
the city as a leader who brings [music]
out the best in people. When the IT
project management office faced burnout
[music] and low morale, Jacob listened
closely to staff and rebuilt operations
with empathy and structure. The new
procedures [music] he developed improved
efficiency by 68% and restored
confidence across the team. Jacob is
also widely recognized [music] as a
mentor who never gives up on anyone,
providing guidance, support, and
encouragement through both professional
and personal challenges. He empowers
project managers, creates opportunities
for staff to lead, and inspires
innovation at every level. His approach
to leadership has [music] strengthened
the organization, and shaped future
generations of city leaders.
>> Jacob [music] is extremely caring. He
» Jacob [music] is extremely caring. He
has an ability to recognize when people
feel uncomfortable and he reaches out
[music] and he brings them into the
virtual fold so to speak of caring
[music] and he helps people to see that
they really are important and not just
see it but they begin to feel it thanks
to Jacob.
After being launched by the Office of
Emergency Management just [music] two
years ago, the Bleeding Control
Initiative team has quickly brought
life-saving skills directly into the
community. By adapting the national stop
thebleleed program, the team trained
hundreds [music] of city employees and
community members to act confidently in
emergencies. They installed bleeding
control stations in key facilities,
expanded public training sessions across
every council district, and secured
creative funding that stretched
resources while maximizing impact. Their
efforts have already proven critical,
most notably when trained library staff
used a bleeding control kit to stabilize
a shooting victim until EMS arrived.
Through collaboration across six
departments, more than 4,500 hours of
work, and a passion for public safety,
this team is building a safer, more
prepared Phoenix.
>> We didn't have a budget for instructors.
» We didn't have a budget for instructors.
We didn't have a budget for labors to
put up stations. Um, we didn't have a
budget for space.
And this team came together and we saw
for all those things. When you talk
about collaboration, working together
across city departments,
this team, we did that. [music]
» For more than 20 years, Jeremy Le has
helped shape the city of Phoenix,
guiding [music] the growth of districts,
destinations, and some of the city's
most ambitious civic projects. His
career spans community and economic
development, law, the Phoenix Convention
Center, and the office of the city
engineer. experience that has made him a
trusted steward of major city assets.
Most recently, Jeremy completed the $190
million renovation of a 27story tower
into the new Phoenix Police
Headquarters, redefining the footprint
of public safety downtown. He now leads
[music] progress on the citywide geo
bond program, helping deliver critical
investments across Phoenix. Previously,
Jeremy oversaw the $240 million
reimagining of the downtown arena, the
Mortgage Matchup Center, modernizing the
home of the Phoenix [music] Suns and
Mercury. He also facilitated the sale of
the Sheridan Phoenix downtown, Arizona's
largest hotel, strengthening a
cornerstone of the city's hospitality
portfolio. Jeremy has negotiated and
overseen major real estate deals across
sports and tourism, including multiple
MLB spring training complexes. Jeremy's
mark on the city of Phoenix can be seen
wherever people go, and we're forever
grateful for his dedication to making
Phoenix a great place to live, work, and
visit.
» Hello everybody.
>> I am an occupational therapist.
» I am an occupational therapist.
Occupational therapy [music] is a
profession not a lot of people know
about unless you or a family member or
loved one has worked with an OT
directly. I've been an OT for over
[music] 10 years. I currently work in
the Paradise Valley Unified School
District in the learning for
independence program. So I work [music]
with students kindergarten through 22
years old with moderate to severe
physical and cognitive disabilities.
When [music] I teach my OT students, I'm
like, it's not a disability. It's a
different ability. We have to figure out
the different [music] way that they can
get this done. We are going to have a
fun day today with the learning for
independence program. It's a lot of
hands-on life [music] skills. So, what I
try to incorporate is creative job
skills and [music] job readiness skills.
Today, we are going to be working as
Costco employees. They will be [music]
prepping and handing out samples.
They'll be working on their fine motor
skills, their social interaction skills,
and just [music] overall problem
solving, motor planning, what it would
take to have a job after high school.
It's not always about what you have, but
what you give. I put [music] a smile on
these kids' face. They are motivated.
They remember, oh, Miss Kelly did this
really fun thing with us and go home and
tell their parents, [music] it doesn't
matter your disability. It's who you are
inside that really is what's most
important. Occupational therapy is such
[music] a selfless profession. I'm never
doing it for me. I'm doing it for the
students I [music] work with. I'm doing
it for the families that I work with,
educating them, providing them the
opportunities that they might not have
without the education or the knowledge
that I know. I'm just so thankful. I'm
just so shocked that I won this award.
To be recognized is such a big honor.
It's such a collaborative [music] um
profession that I work with teachers, I
work with physical therapists, vision
and hearing [music] specialists, that
all of these collaborators have one
common goal of helping children succeed.
[music] That it's such an honor that I
got recognized, but the individuals that
I work with [music] deserve the
recognition. It just betters the lives
of our future and just deserves to be
recognized.
I didn't know a lifetime achievement
award. Okay, that's taking me back a
little bit. Okay.
Um
I don't think anyone in the nonprofit
world does this for accolades. We do it
because of our mission and what we're
trying to do for the community. I got
involved with the Foundation for Blind
Children when my son was born. Uh, Max
was three months when his doctor said
something's wrong with his eyes. And the
last thing the doctor told us to do is
to call the Foundation for Blind
Children and called them and they showed
up on our doorstep the next day and from
that moment on we were a part of
Foundation for Blind Children. My wife
and I got on the board. Once I was on
the board, our CEO retired [music] and I
looked at my wife and I said, "I think
this is what I'm supposed to be doing."
and I sold my company [music] and came
to work here and that was 17 years ago.
We've built this into the largest
braille library in the country. We built
this from the largest preschool in the
country. Uh we serve blind and visually
impaired people of all ages from the day
they're born the day they leave us. Our
oldest client right now is 101 years
old. We are [music] overcoming major
chronic problems. We didn't have enough
teachers, so we built a teachers program
with ASU. We didn't have a low vision
clinic, so we built a low vision clinic.
We needed more classroom space, so we
built a new school. Whatever the
obstacle is, we will [music] overcome
it. And that's what we teach our
students. Vision loss is not the end of
the world. It's just a different world.
The Foundation for Blind Children really
gives parents that hope and give those
students, those children that hope that
they could do anything. And we've proven
it over and over again. They do
everything. We took eight blind [music]
students to the top of Mount Kilimaro
19,340
ft. We set four world records. We had
the longest blind group, largest blind
group ever. We had the first blinded US
vet to reach the top, first person with
albvinism to reach the top. And my son
was the youngest blind climber ever
reached the top and still is. That's my
favorite part about my job. I get to
tell the story over and over and over
again, and it inspires people to do
bigger and better things.
I love the foundation for blind
children. I love our students. I love
our families. I truly believe [music]
that
doing right for them
completes me, makes me who I am. When
the mayor's office recognizes you for
what we do every day, it's pretty
special. I know that over my lifetime,
I've done some special things. I've seen
some kids do some special things. I've
led some [music] kids in the top of
mountains, across oceans, and
um I didn't do it for the accolades, but
I did it for the kids. And but it's
always nice when the mayor [music]
recognizes you.
What a wonderful day it is to be here as
we welcome China Airlines with the first
ever non-stop service from Taipei to
Phoenix, Arizona. What a great day it
is.
» [music]
» It was an honor to be on that inaugural
flight from Taipei, Taiwan to Phoenix.
It is indicative of what I know is a
tremendous partnership that is really
going to propel this region, the
relationship between the two countries.
This new route is more than just
connection between two cities. It's a
bridge between two dynamic regions. The
economic impact of this year round
service is expected to exceed $100
million on an annual basis. Passenger
traffic between Phoenix and Taipei has
surged by more than 400% since 2019,
highlighting the growing demand for this
connection. We are thrilled to welcome
travelers from the Silicon Island to the
Silicon Desert. The future is bright and
this is just the beginning.
This flight is not only about tourism.
It's about forging more collaboration uh
in our industries, in our technologies,
in our exchanges, in education and in
all fronts.
[cheering and applause]
>> We truly believe in this city potential
» We truly believe in this city potential
and uh look forward to building even
stronger partnership together in here.
The milestone is possible because of
your dedication.
you had the confidence to make sure that
this day happened and I just want to
thank you and the entire China Airlines
team for allowing us to make that today
possible.
» [music]
[music]
» Good morning. Thank you for attending
today's meeting. If you could please
find your seats, we will begin in one
minute.
Good afternoon. It is July 1st. Welcome
to Phoenix City Council Chambers. We are
celebrating many things uh with today.
If you came in from the north, you may
have seen the America 250 bus, which is
one of the ways our city will mark our
country's 250th anniversary. We are also
celebrating our deputy city manager,
Amber, who this will be her final
meeting with us, and she's served our
city in so many different roles,
including steering our budget process.
So, Amber, thank you and congratulations
on your retirement.
We'll begin today with an invocation
from police chaplain Harry Ston.
Madame Mayor, honorable council members,
ladies and gentlemen, my prayer today is
based upon Psalm 144:es 3 and 4 that
reads, "Lord, what is a human that you
care for him? A son of man that you
think of him? A human is like a breath.
His days are like a passing shadow." Let
us pray.
Oh father, I want to start by thanking
you for each person here who sits upon
this council.
Oh Lord, while we acknowledge our
frailties, we know from your word that
you have raised them up for this time
and purpose.
So Father, we beseech that you grant
them peace as they carry the heavy
burden of leadership.
Father, give them unity even as you,
your son, and the Holy Spirit are
united.
Let them guide our city with a level of
compassion and understanding that can
only be attributed to your hand.
And give them the strength to endure
that they may finish well and bring
goodness to our community.
Amen. [clears throat]
» Thank you so much, Chaplain Ston.
Councilman Wearing, would you lead us in
the pledge of allegiance?
Thank you, Councilman Wearing.
I'll now call the formal meeting to
order. Will the clerk call the role?
>> Councilwoman Waldo,
» Councilwoman Waldo,
>> here.
» here.
>> Councilwoman Hernandez here.
» Councilwoman Hernandez here.
Councilwoman O'Brien here.
>> Councilwoman Pastor here.
» Councilwoman Pastor here.
>> Councilman Robinson
» Councilman Robinson
>> here. Councilwoman Stark
» here. Councilwoman Stark
>> here.
» here.
>> Councilman Wearing.
» Councilman Wearing.
>> Vice Mayor Hajj Washington
» Vice Mayor Hajj Washington
>> here.
» here.
>> Mayor Ggo
» Mayor Ggo
>> here.
» here.
>> Mario Barahas and Elsie Darte are with
» Mario Barahas and Elsie Darte are with
us to provide Spanish interpretation.
Mario, would you introduce yourself?
>> Yes, mayor. Thank you. Good uh good
» Yes, mayor. Thank you. Good uh good
morning. Uh my name is Marioas. I'll be
working uh with Elizart Spanish
interpreters.
I'll now take a moment to introduce
ourselves to our Spanish speaking
audience.
facilit.
Thank you, mayor.
>> Thank you so much. Will the city clerk
» Thank you so much. Will the city clerk
read the 24-hour paragraph?
>> The titles of the following ordinance
» The titles of the following ordinance
and resolution numbers on the agenda
were available to the public at least 24
hours prior to this council meeting and
therefore may be read by title or agenda
item only. Ordinances number G7525
through 7532S
53065 through 53089
and resolutions 22388
through 22390.
>> Will the city attorney explain public
» Will the city attorney explain public
comments?
>> Yes. Thank you, mayor. Members of the
» Yes. Thank you, mayor. Members of the
public may speak for up to two minutes
to comment on agenda items. Comments
must be related to the agenda item and
the action being considered by the
council. General comments that go beyond
the scope of the agenda item should be
made during citizen comment session at
the end of the agenda. The city council
and staff cannot discuss or comment on
matters related to pending
investigations, claims, or litigation.
Additionally, any member of the public
who appears before the council in their
capacity as a lobbyist must, as required
by Phoenix City Code, disclose this fact
before addressing the council. The city
code states that speakers must express
their comments respectfully and
courteously. Use of profane language
threats or personal attacks on members
of the public, council members, or staff
are not allowed. Such comments are
disruptive and unrelated to the
council's business. Any person who
violates these rules may lose their
opportunity to speak further and could
be asked to leave. Thank you, mayor.
>> Thank you so much. Item number one is
» Thank you so much. Item number one is
the for is formal meeting minutes.
Councilwoman Gordado, do you have a
motion on item one?
>> Motion to approve item one.
» Motion to approve item one.
>> Second.
» Second.
>> Motion and a second. All those in favor
» Motion and a second. All those in favor
say I.
>> I.
» I.
>> Any opposed? I
» Any opposed? I
>> passes unanimously. Item number two, we
» passes unanimously. Item number two, we
have a great group of commissioners for
boards and commissions. Vice Mayor, do
we have a motion?
>> Motion to approve the mayor, the revised
» Motion to approve the mayor, the revised
mayor and city council boards and
commission nominations. Second.
>> We have a motion and a second.
» We have a motion and a second.
>> Roll call.
» Roll call.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Ernnandez,
» Ernnandez,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> O'Brien,
» O'Brien,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Pastor,
» Pastor,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Robinson,
» Robinson,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Stark,
» Stark,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Wearing,
» Wearing,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hudge Washington,
» Hudge Washington,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Figo,
» Figo,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Passes 90.
» Passes 90.
>> Congratulations to our new commissioners
» Congratulations to our new commissioners
on your unanimous approval. We'll ask
you to come forward for a swearing in
ceremony.
Congratulations.
Please raise your right hand. I state
your name. Ians
>> do solemnly swear
» do solemnly swear
>> do solemnly swear
» do solemnly swear
>> that I will support the Constitution of
» that I will support the Constitution of
the United States
>> that I will support the Constitution of
» that I will support the Constitution of
the United States
>> and the Constitution and laws
» and the Constitution and laws
>> and the Constitution and laws
» and the Constitution and laws
>> of the State of Arizona
» of the State of Arizona
>> of the State of Arizona
» of the State of Arizona
>> that I will bear true faith
» that I will bear true faith
>> that I will bear true faith
» that I will bear true faith
>> and allegiance to the same
» and allegiance to the same
>> and allegiance to the same
» and allegiance to the same
>> and defend them against all enemies
» and defend them against all enemies
>> and defend them against all enemies,
» and defend them against all enemies,
>> foreign and domestic.
» foreign and domestic.
>> foreign and domestic.
» foreign and domestic.
>> And that I will faithfully and
» And that I will faithfully and
impartially I faithfully
>> discharge the duties of the office of
» discharge the duties of the office of
>> discharge the duties of the office of
» discharge the duties of the office of
>> state your office
» state your office
>> commission
» according to the best of my ability
>> according to the best of my ability.
» according to the best of my ability.
>> So help me God.
» So help me God.
>> So help me God.
» So help me God.
>> Congratulations. Thank you for
» Congratulations. Thank you for
continuing to serve our city.
Or you can shake the hands.
Thank you so much to our boards and
commissions members. Such an important
role in the city of Phoenix. We next
move on to appointments of municipal
court judges. And we have two today.
Vice Mayor motion to approve the
swearing in of Judge Laura E. Lori and
Judge Tina Solomon as Phoenix Municipal
Court judges.
>> Second.
» Second.
>> Have a motion and a second. Roll call.
» Have a motion and a second. Roll call.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Hernandez,
» Hernandez,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> O'Brien,
» O'Brien,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Pastor,
» Pastor,
>> yes. Yes.
» yes. Yes.
>> Robinson,
» Robinson,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Stark,
» Stark,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Wearing,
» Wearing,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hodgej Washington,
» Hodgej Washington,
>> yes. FGO,
» yes. FGO,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Passes 90. Both judges are longtime city
» Passes 90. Both judges are longtime city
of Phoenix public servants and we are
excited to unanimously approve their
swearing in. Today we'll conduct two
separate ceremonies. We'll begin with
Judge Lowry and then we will do a second
ceremony for Judge Solomon.
Thank you. And do you want to introduce
who are with us? This is my son Nick
Lowry, his wife, and my daughter-in-law,
Lauren Lowry. And in two weeks, it'll be
my first grandchild, London Lowry.
Huge congratulations to the whole
family. I state your name.
>> I, Laura Lowry,
» I, Laura Lowry,
>> do solemnly swear
» do solemnly swear
>> do solemnly swear
» do solemnly swear
>> that I will support the Constitution of
» that I will support the Constitution of
the United States
>> that I will support the Constitution of
» that I will support the Constitution of
the United States
>> and the Constitution and laws of the
» and the Constitution and laws of the
State of Arizona
>> and the Constitution and laws of the
» and the Constitution and laws of the
state of Arizona.
>> That I will bear true faith and
» That I will bear true faith and
allegiance to the same.
>> That I will bear true faith and
» That I will bear true faith and
allegiance to the same
>> and defend them against all enemies.
» and defend them against all enemies.
>> and defend them against all enemies,
» and defend them against all enemies,
>> foreign and domestic.
» foreign and domestic.
>> foreign and domestic. and that I will
» foreign and domestic. and that I will
faithfully and impartially
>> And that I will faithfully and
» And that I will faithfully and
impartially
>> discharge the duties of Phoenix
» discharge the duties of Phoenix
Municipal Court Judge
>> discharge the duties of Phoenix
» discharge the duties of Phoenix
Municipal Court Judge
>> according to the best of my ability.
» according to the best of my ability.
>> according to the best of my ability.
» according to the best of my ability.
>> So help me God.
» So help me God.
>> So help me God.
» So help me God.
>> Congratulations. Thank you for your
» Congratulations. Thank you for your
service.
>> Thank you so much.
We'll let the city council congratulate
Judge Lowry and then we will conduct the
swearing in ceremony for Judge Solomon.
» Ready? Okay.
Okay, it's fine. Thank you.
>> Please raise your right hand. I state
» Please raise your right hand. I state
your name.
>> I, Tina Solomon,
» I, Tina Solomon,
>> do solemnly swear
» do solemnly swear
>> do solemnly swear
» do solemnly swear
>> that I will support the Constitution of
» that I will support the Constitution of
the United States
>> that I will support the Constitution of
» that I will support the Constitution of
the United States
>> and the Constitution and laws of the
» and the Constitution and laws of the
State of Arizona
>> and the Constitution and the laws of the
» and the Constitution and the laws of the
state of Arizona.
>> That I will bear true faith and
» That I will bear true faith and
allegiance to the same.
>> That I will bear true faith and
» That I will bear true faith and
allegiance to the same.
>> and defend them against all enemies.
» and defend them against all enemies.
>> and defend and defend them against all
» and defend and defend them against all
enemies.
>> Foreign and domestic. forward and
» Foreign and domestic. forward and
domestic.
>> And that I will faithfully and
» And that I will faithfully and
impartially
>> And that I will faithfully and
» And that I will faithfully and
impartially
>> discharge the duties of Phoenix
» discharge the duties of Phoenix
Municipal Court Judge
>> discharge the duties of Phoenix
» discharge the duties of Phoenix
Municipal Court Judge
>> according to the best of my ability.
» according to the best of my ability.
>> according to the best of my ability.
» according to the best of my ability.
>> So help me God.
» So help me God.
>> So help me God.
» So help me God.
>> Thank you for stepping up for our city.
Thank you so much to our municipal court
judges. We have one of the best
municipal court systems in the country
and they keep innovating and trying to
serve our community even more
effectively. We next go on to the liquor
license bingo and offtrack betting
applications portion of our agenda. The
Phoenix City Council serves an advisory
role to the state of Arizona on liquor
licenses. Vice Mayor, do we have a
motion?
>> Motion to approve items 4 through 36,
» Motion to approve items 4 through 36,
except items 35 and 36.
>> Second.
» Second.
>> We have a motion and a second. All those
» We have a motion and a second. All those
in favor, please say I.
>> I. Any oppose? Nay.
» I. Any oppose? Nay.
>> Passes unanimously. We next go to item
» Passes unanimously. We next go to item
35.
Item 35 is Garden of Eden Grill. This is
in district two. Uh we do have uh one
speaker on that. Councilman Wearing,
should we hear from the speaker or do
>> Yes, please.
» Yes, please.
>> All right. Uh
» All right. Uh
>> Alliance Zawadi, if you could please
» Alliance Zawadi, if you could please
come forward.
You may begin when you're ready.
» Thank you so much. Um,
I want to say that um
some of u the report from police is
incorrect. Um one is that he uh the
police said there's a stage in the
restaurant but that's incorrect. There's
no stage anymore. That was for the
previous owner. There's no stage in in
the restaurant right now.
Okay. Another one he said that uh
the sign outside it says private party
and uh live entertainment but there's
not I have a proof of uh how the outside
sign look like right now. So there's no
uh live entertainment.
Uh also he say about the neighbors being
complaining about the noise. Uh also
that's incorrect. I have uh 11 business
neighbors the sign or the papers for me
saying that I never have a problem with
any noises or anything. So I have all
the proof of it.
Also he say about um me not making like
the restaurant is now making 40% of the
sale of the food. That's also incorrect.
I have all the proof of uh like all the
sales
with me right now. So I have it and I
send it to him via text message and um
also email.
He also mentioned about
» You can finish the thought.
>> Okay. He also mentioned about um about
» Okay. He also mentioned about um about
uh May 30 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11
11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11
11 11 11 11 11 1150. They say the police
uh saying that I have party at the
restaurant also. That's incorrect. It
was my brother graduation dinner. So
they eat after they I cook the buffet
for them. They eat after they they eat.
I crossed the restaurant around 11:30.
So, they went outside. What happened
outside? I didn't know what's happened
outside.
>> Wonderful. Thank you so much for letting
» Wonderful. Thank you so much for letting
us have that person important
information. Uh,
>> mayor, may we have a response from
» mayor, may we have a response from
police and the clerk?
» Yeah, if you don't mind, I kind of go
through a few things with that. So, uh,
there was some changes made to the
property. Um, and again, good morning,
mayor and council members. Um I guess
introduce myself. So I'm Jeremy
Campbell. I'm a community action officer
out of Black Mountain precinct um where
Guardian Grill is at. So um we do stand
by the disapproval um Phoenix Police
Department and Gardinina Grill. Um an
inspection there is also further stuff
that um
brings issues. Um there is color
changing lights in the inside and there
is still music equipment in the stands
uh with huge speakers inside. Um the
neighboring businesses did identify
concerns about the changes made to the
interior of the restaurant um as it
appears more like a banquet hall and a
club. Um the application is for a series
12 license which is bonafideed
restaurant like a casual eery or dining
um where primary sales for food is at
least 40% not a club. Um the diagram
submitted with application did not match
match excuse me the on-site visit. Uh
the limited food which is in the fridge
is nothing that appears to match what is
listed on the menu at the location and
this minimal food could not even support
a restaurant. Um when looking in the
fridges the menu outside shows
Mediterranean food and the applicant
stated is Ethiopian cuisine which was
submitted with the application. [snorts]
Uh the neighboring business is advised
they usually leave about 8 to 8:30 at
night and the business is never open
when she identified that she is open
from Wednesday to Sunday from 2:00 p.m.
to 11:00 p.m. [clears throat] Um since
the applica application was submitted uh
there has been several police calls
regarding Garden of Eden uh grill
[clears throat] uh one of which was a
large gathering um which Alliance speaks
of with individuals outside and this was
after midnight. officers responded,
spoke to individuals, and they
identified, uh, that there was a party
at the venue, uh, which is not supposed
to be a venue. There's also been
multiple alarm calls, uh, to neighboring
businesses, and when the officers
arrived, there's loud music coming from
Garden Eden and Grow, which has been at
1:00 in the morning. Um, so, mayor and
council members, I just like to say, um,
this is a few of the reasons the Phoenix
Police Department does recommend
disapproval based on the above findings.
The applicant has not shown that she is
capable, qualified, or reliable to hold
a liquor license. In addition, based on
the recent calls for service, which is
of great concern, I expressed by
neighbors, the establishment does not
meet the requirements of a series 12
liquor license and the community will
not substantially be served by the
issuance of this license. Thank you, ma.
Mayor, council members,
>> thank you so much. Councilman Wearing,
» thank you so much. Councilman Wearing,
>> I'm ready to make a motion. Mayor, I
» I'm ready to make a motion. Mayor, I
move to disapprove.
>> Second.
» Second.
We have a motion and a second. And do
Kristen, do we need the whole reason for
disapproval?
>> Uh, thank you, mayor. Only if the
» Uh, thank you, mayor. Only if the
council requires us.
>> Great.
» Great.
>> All right. Roll call.
» Yes.
>> Hernandez,
» Hernandez,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> O'Brien,
» O'Brien,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Pastor,
» Pastor,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Robinson,
» Robinson,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Stark,
» Stark,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Wearing,
» Wearing,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hodge Washington,
» Hodge Washington,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Passes 90. [clears throat]
» Passes 90. [clears throat]
Thank you. Item 36 is Sky Market. It is
in district 3. We do not have anyone
registered to speak on this item.
Councilwoman Stark.
>> Yes. I'm prepared to make a motion. I
» Yes. I'm prepared to make a motion. I
recommend that we disprove this liquor
license uh for two reasons. First, we've
had neighborhood protest. And secondly,
the applicant has not resolved the
pending City of Phoenix building and
zoning requirements.
>> Second.
» Second.
>> We have a motion and a second. Roll
» We have a motion and a second. Roll
call.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Hernandez,
» Hernandez,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> O'Brien,
» O'Brien,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Pastor,
» Pastor,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Robinson,
» Robinson,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Stark,
» Stark,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Wearing,
» Wearing,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Haj Washington,
» Haj Washington,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> GGO,
» GGO,
>> yes. passes 90.
» yes. passes 90.
>> All right, that concludes the liquor
» All right, that concludes the liquor
license portion of our agenda. City
clerk, are we ready for ordinances,
resolutions, new business, planning, and
zoning?
>> Yes, mayor.
» Yes, mayor.
>> Vice Mayor, motion to approve item.
» Vice Mayor, motion to approve item.
Motion to approve items 37 through 91
except for the following items 51, 52,
60, 65, 75, 77, 89, 90, and 91. Noting
that item 48 is as revised, item 83 is
withdrawn, item 89 has additional
information. And can the clerk confirm
are there any other items that should be
excluded for in-person public comments?
>> Mayor, Vice Mayor, no other items to
» Mayor, Vice Mayor, no other items to
exclude at this time.
>> Second.
» Second.
>> Have a motion and a second. Roll call.
» Have a motion and a second. Roll call.
>> Ward,
» Ward,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hernandez,
» Hernandez,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> O'Brien,
» O'Brien,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Pastor,
» Pastor,
>> yes. Robinson,
» yes. Robinson,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Stark,
» Stark,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Wearing,
» Wearing,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hodgej Washington,
» Hodgej Washington,
>> yes. GGO,
» yes. GGO,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Passes 90.
Next is item 51, which is a public
hearing on the adoption of the property
tax levy for 2026 2027 fiscal year.
We'll open the public hearing. We have
one member of the public to testify.
Elizabeth Venal.
» I'm not going to say anything that
exciting, but I support this property
tax because I support the need to
generate revenues from the city of
Phoenix through its programs.
» Thank you so much, Elizabeth. You've
long advocated for general fund funding
for fighting homelessness, and this is a
big year for that. uh property tax levy.
The property tax will notch down in the
property tax rate. So a small decrease
in the property tax rate.
Close the public hearing. The next item
is a related item which is the adoption
of the property tax levy for the 2026 27
fiscal year. Vice Mayor motion. Motion
to adopt the property tax levy for the
2026 2027 fiscal year.
>> Second.
» Second.
>> We have a motion and a second. Roll
» We have a motion and a second. Roll
call. Ward,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Ernnandez,
» Ernnandez,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> O'Brien,
» O'Brien,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Pastor,
» Pastor,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Robinson,
» Robinson,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Stark,
» Stark,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Wearing,
» Wearing,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hodge Washington,
» Hodge Washington,
>> yes. Viego,
» yes. Viego,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Passes 90. Wonderful. This concludes our
» Passes 90. Wonderful. This concludes our
budget process. Thank you to everyone
who worked on it and a special thank you
to Amber on your your last budget
process. Appreciate it.
want a sec. Frank wants a second round
of applause.
It's worth a budget that invests in
public safety, child care, helping our
most vulnerable. So, worth worth
celebrating. And thank you, Amber, for
your work on it. We next go to item 65,
Cactus Park Architectural Services.
Nope.
>> 60.
» 60.
>> 60. I don't see that up there. 60. All
» 60. I don't see that up there. 60. All
right. 60.
Uh, item 60 by Vice Mayor. Motion to
approve item 60.
>> Second.
» Second.
>> We have a motion a second. Counciloman
» We have a motion a second. Counciloman
Hernandez.
>> Thank you so much, Mayor. Um, just want
» Thank you so much, Mayor. Um, just want
to start by thanking the Arts and
Culture Department for all of their
amazing work and just have a couple of
questions.
Thank you so much. Um, my first question
is, how is the city measuring the impact
of these investments on neighborhood
pride, economic activity, or community
well-being?
>> Mayor and council, I have Carrie Brown,
» Mayor and council, I have Carrie Brown,
interim uh, arts and culture director,
answer the question.
>> Great. Mayor, members of council,
» Great. Mayor, members of council,
council member Hernandez. Uh we use a
number of different tools to measure
impact including online surveys, focus
groups, um individual conversations that
we have when we're out in the community
presenting to community groups. Um but
through our work on the Sombra
experiments and shade project, we really
kind of elevated our efforts um based on
some of the grant requirements. So, with
those lessons learned, we've been um
implemented those into our public art
program, including an assessment that we
do at the beginning of each project
where we're looking at um the best ways
to engage the community, where is their
input most needed, um what does that
followup look like, how and when they're
engaging with the artist. Um and that
evaluation also includes um dollars
spent. So, we know that the majority of
our budgets are spent locally, even when
artists are from out of town. Um but
again through that SRA project we were
able to look more closely at some of the
local businesses that participate in our
um celebration events. So we're seeing
that broader picture there. And then
lastly um I'll mention that when we have
our older projects that might have been
in the community for 15 20 years and
they need refurbishment we will also
reach out to the community then. Um
especially if the project needs to be
altered or removed for some reason we
definitely want that feedback. So that's
another way we can kind of assess the
impact of the projects in those
communities through that work.
>> Thank you so much for just that detailed
» Thank you so much for just that detailed
explanation. Um and then just my next
question, as we integrate public um art
into like heat mitigation projects, um
are we prioritizing neighborhoods that
have some of the highest vulnerability
um and the least existing shade?
>> Mayor, members of council, and council
» Mayor, members of council, and council
member Hernandez, yes. Um and I'll
mention the summer project again. We did
work really closely with the heat office
to identify some park locations. There
were other factors that kind of went
into the decision-m but that was where
we started. We also um worked with them
on another project that was permanent
where they identified locations and then
we participated in the design of the
shade structures. So we're definitely
using that data to inform our
decision-making. Of course there's other
things that come into play like can we
dig in this ground? Is it you know in
the right of way? things that we have to
consider, but we definitely start with
looking at that data and lean on our
partners in the heat office to help us
determine best locations.
>> Thank you so much for that. And the
» Thank you so much for that. And the
Sombra was amaz the Sombra project was
amazing. Got to partake in that. Um, but
no, thank you so much for that. I'm just
really glad to see that we're continuing
to move on making more investments in
art here in Phoenix. Um, I'd like to
highlight one specific component with
the within the arts and cultures
proposed public art plan, which is the
Rio reimagined. Um, Rio is a central fe
feature to uh my districts as it cuts
through the heart of Estustrala and into
the tulles parts of the district. Um, I
am proud that some of the artwork
featured at the Rio uh will elevate Odo
ODM community's relationship with the
river. This is a powerful statement and
I'm proud to support it. I also want to
quickly um speak on item 61 which I know
was in the consensus agenda uh but it is
connected to arts and culture and I
learned from you you and your staff uh
that the panelist's response to the
recommended 138 applications
uh is that the caliber of arts and
culture organizations and projects has
grown to be especially outstanding um
transparent data driven and community
embedded work. So, I think that just
speaks in in and of itself. So, really
thank you, Carrie, the entire arts and
culture department for all the
astounding work that you bring um and
the high quality of work that you bring
into D7 and across the city. So, uh
really happy to support this today.
Thank you so much, Mayor.
>> Thank you. Roll call
» Thank you. Roll call
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hernandez,
» Hernandez,
>> yes. O'Brien,
» yes. O'Brien,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Pastor,
» Pastor,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Robinson,
» Robinson,
>> yes. Stark,
» yes. Stark,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Wearing,
» Wearing,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hodgej Washington,
» Hodgej Washington,
>> yes. Diego,
» yes. Diego,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Passes 90.
» Passes 90.
>> Item 65 is the Cactus Park precinct
» Item 65 is the Cactus Park precinct
architectural services.
Do we have a motion?
>> Motion to approve item 65.
» Motion to approve item 65.
>> Second. Councilman [clears throat]
» Second. Councilman [clears throat]
O'Brien.
>> Thank you, Mayor. As one of the council
» Thank you, Mayor. As one of the council
members who represents the Cactus Park
precinct, I'm especially pleased to
support this item. To say that this
project is long overdue is certainly an
understatement. The current precinct was
built before women were even allowed to
serve as Phoenix police officers, and
there are still ashtrays in the
bathrooms. The new precinct at 31st
Avenue in Thunderberg will provide
modern, functional spaces and updated
technology. Our officers deserve
facilities that reflect the
professionalism and dedication they
bring to the job every day. This
investment demonstrates that we value
their service and want to ensure they
have the tools to succeed. Just as
importantly, residents deserve a
precinct that can keep pace with growth
and support the high level of public
safety services they expect. The new
campus will create a welcoming space for
community meetings and strengthen the
relationship between residents and the
police department. I'm excited that the
former Fry Electronics, an iconic store
for many residents, will be transformed
from a vacant retail site into a major
public safety asset. The new precinct
will take up more than 8 acres with the
remaining four acres to be used for a
future fire station. I want to thank the
voters who approved the 2023 bond
program. Their support makes projects
like this possible and helps build the
infrastructure we need. I appreciate
everyone's work to bring us to this
point and look forward to seeing it move
forward. Thank you, mayor.
>> Thank you, Councilwoman, and thank you
» Thank you, Councilwoman, and thank you
to our voters who supported general
obligation bonds to be able to make this
improvement and so many others in our
city. When you vote, it really does
matter.
>> Roll call.
» Roll call.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Hernandez,
» Hernandez,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> O'Brien,
» O'Brien,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Pastor,
» Pastor,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Robinson,
» Robinson,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Stark,
» Stark,
>> yes. Wearing
» yes. Wearing
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hodgej Washington.
» Hodgej Washington.
>> Yes. VGO.
» Yes. VGO.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Passes 90.
» Passes 90.
>> We next move to item 75 which is water
» We next move to item 75 which is water
service department mutual aid agreement.
Vice mayor.
>> Motion.
» Motion.
>> Motion to approve item 75.
» Motion to approve item 75.
>> Second.
» Second.
>> We have a motion and a second.
» We have a motion and a second.
This is a really important partnership
that will allow us to work with other
communities to make sure we secure our
water supply. As Phoenix and communities
across Arizona feed significant cuts to
our Colorado River resources, we need
increased flexibility, water sharing
options, and options to encourage
creative conservation projects. Phoenix
takes seriously our leadership role in
the state and the region. And I'm proud
that our team has played a key role in
delivering this new mutual aid framework
known as the secure water Arizona
program or swap. It will help
communities who find themselves in
emerging situ situations by providing a
clear pathway to access resources from
communities who have the ability to help
all through completely voluntary
transactions that respect the unique
needs of every community. SWAP also
provides a framework to incentivize
creative conservation projects, allowing
communities to support conservation
efforts in other parts of the state and
to acquire some of the water saved. SWAP
creates a mutual support framework as we
all face significant cuts to our
Colorado River supplies. It's a
practical program that will allow our
state the flexibility to weather the
uncertainties in the Colorado River
basin and it reflects our commitment to
one another. We've particularly heard
from some other cities who want to know
if Phoenix might be able to partner with
them through a very uncertain time. It's
a real point of pride for me that we're
moving this item forward and that we can
be good partners. I'll next turn to Vice
Mayor Haj Washington. Thank you so much,
Mayor. As the city's representative on
Ammo, I too wanted to take a moment to
highlight the mutual aid agreement as an
important solution in our collective
effort to as we are facing uh the
challenges that we are facing regarding
the Colorado River water supply. I am
proud of the work that we as a city are
doing to ensure that our 100-year water
supply remains intact even with some
uncertainty from the Colorado River. As
we prepare for potential water resources
cuts from the central Arizona project,
we must and we continue to be innovative
in our approach and work with our
partners throughout the region to
provide real solutions to this very real
challenge ahead of us. As mentioned,
these agreements will create a emergency
reserve of water to help address
potential shortage. It will also help
establish a reduction offset program and
lastly provide an opportunity to work
with partners on new water transactions
making us more nimble in our approach to
this issue. I also would like to take a
moment to thank our water services and
water resource team. Brandy Kelso's
leadership gives me confidence in our
water and wastewater services and Max
Wilson as her water resource advisor has
done an excellent job in keeping the
council updated and involved in the
critical water negotiations. Just last
week, Max presented the mutual aid
agreements to the members of Ammoa and
did a great job explaining to our
regional partners the importance of this
solution. Lastly, I would be remiss if I
did not again emphasize to the other
communities that rely on the central
Arizona project to join us in these
agreements. These agreements are a
testament to our continued effort to
ensure that residents in our beautiful
desert city will have continued access
to water and our willingness to
collaborate with willing partners. So
this is a step forward not just for the
city but for the region as a whole. So
thank you mayor.
>> Thank you so much vice mayor. Roll call.
» Thank you so much vice mayor. Roll call.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Hernandez.
» Hernandez.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> O'Brien.
» O'Brien.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Pastor.
» Pastor.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Robinson.
» Robinson.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Stark.
» Stark.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Wearing.
» Wearing.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Hodge Washington.
» Hodge Washington.
>> Yes. VGO.
» Yes. VGO.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Passes 90.
» Passes 90.
Item 77 is next, which is the
abandonment of eel easement for Thistle
Landing Drive.
We do have several members of the
public. Do you want to hear them first?
All right. Uh we'll go
first to
Alex Johnson
and Alex will be followed
by Kathy Monk.
All right. Morning council and Mayor Ggo
for holding this meeting.
>> Could you move the microphone up or
» Could you move the microphone up or
>> right here? Great.
» right here? Great.
>> Thank you.
» Thank you.
>> Um I've been a Phoenix resident almost
» Um I've been a Phoenix resident almost
my entire life. Um I've lived in
multiple districts and now I'm a
homeowner in district 6 in Awatuki. Um
which is often a forgotten part of
Phoenix. Um, first and foremost, I
object any future permits or zoning
plans for this data center in my
neighborhood until our um questions as a
community have been answered. It is my
understanding that we have given answer
or questions to the planning department
and our council and our mayor mayor uh
at the end of April which has been two
months. We've not heard anything since
then. It is also our understanding that
this land is not zoned properly. And
it's also ironic that tomorrow we
celebrate one year of the city council
putting red tape around data centers
which thank you for doing so. Um feels a
little bit reactive but I understand
that this has taken us all by storm. Um
but that being said uh that initiative
has not been applied to our project and
has not been applied to other projects
that are being uh especially waved into
development. As the planning and
development news release a year ago said
they understand that data centers have
negative impacts on neighborhoods. It is
recorded. It is proven there are
communities all over the country, all
over the world that are being impacted
by these. I have a one and a
halfyear-old at home and [clears throat]
um I work from home and I want Awatuki
to be my home. It's my wife's home. It's
her family's home and a data center has
no business being in our neighborhood.
It is 300 ft from a friend of mine
backyard. The city has expedited
construction by allowing uh the
developers extended hours. They yet to
respond to our concerns. This is waking
up families in our neighborhoods. It's
already a disturbance. That being said,
the infrasound hasn't started. The
pollution hasn't started. There are
plenty of environmental reasons to stop
this project, which the city has also
failed to complete. Noise, ground,
pollution, etc. And they refuse to
answer to us, the residents of Aatuki,
and the taxpayers. So, um I would just
like to object and suggest that you guys
consider um what is happening in our
community before we move forward
granting these developers any more um
rights to development until you hear
from us. So, thank you.
>> Thank you so much. Uh Kathy is next,
» Thank you so much. Uh Kathy is next,
followed by Taylor.
Do we have anyone online? No one online.
So, we don't have any additional
speakers on this one. All right. Well,
then uh we'll turn to Councilman
Robinson.
Ta
>> Taylor. Okay. Wonderful. Uh just for uh
» Taylor. Okay. Wonderful. Uh just for uh
background in in the future, we have two
lists, one for virtual and one for in
person. And so we if you register for
virtual, we check you to see if you're
logged in online and then called from
that. Uh so easier to register for in
person so we know where to look. Taylor,
floor is yours.
>> Thank you. Uh good morning. My name is
» Thank you. Uh good morning. My name is
Taylor Twitchell. I am with the Awatuki
Community Alliance a 501c3 we have
formed this spring in response to this
data center that is being built in our
community. I'm seeking today on item 77
the abandonment of the drainage easement
on the water line easement of the
thistle landing drive. We recognize this
item presents as routine. We are asking
that it not be treated that way. The
easement abandonment supports a 257
megawatt data center campus, five
buildings, nearly a million square feet
of land just hundreds of feet from
daycare, surrounding homes, schools,
churches, and a senior care facility. An
independent acoustic study submitted to
the city in April found that the
facility as designed is predicted to
exceed Phoenix own 55 dibel noise
standard. No noise review appears
anywhere in the city's 31 permit
findings for this project. A
peer-reviewed ASU study published this
year found data centers raise the
downward temperatures up to 2.2 degrees
C. This facility is larger than any of
the facilities that were studied in that
study. We also want to flag the broader
process. This project was approved in
2024 through stipulation modification
described to the public at that time as
a quiet user and a technology center.
3 weeks later, it was renamed and the
developer's own attorney described it in
writing to the city as a data center. On
April 27th, we submitted 31 written
questions to the planning and
development. The only response response
we've received is confirmation that
they've received it. We have received no
answers to our questions of substance.
Each item that moves this project
forward, including the drainage
easement, narrows the window for the
city to require studies its own
ordinances contemplates. We're asking
the council to hold this item at this
time. I would also like to speak
directly to my council member uh
Councilman Robinson. We have reached out
to you several times to attend our
meetings. We meet bi-weekly. We have
heard no response to that. You have come
out and you have said that there is no
legal standing to stop this data center.
However, here we are voting today and we
ask you that you hold this finding at
this time. Thank you.
>> Thank you. And is Kathy in person? We
» Thank you. And is Kathy in person? We
had a Kathy registered to speak not
here. Okay,
Councilman Robinson.
>> Thank you, Mayor. [clears throat] First
» Thank you, Mayor. [clears throat] First
of all, if I could, I'd like to go to uh
Mr. Victor Derek. Um Josh, could you
speak to the the issue that was raised
by I think Mr. Johnson with regard to
the property not being zoned properly?
» Mayor, Councilman Robinson, members of
the council, the property is zoned
Commerce Park, uh General Commerce Park.
It's been zoned that way for uh several
years. Uh I the reference may be in fact
uh to the the issue that the city
council approved a regulatory framework
regarding data centers that was approved
just last year about a year ago. There
was a provision in that ordinance that
said if a property had secured
preliminary site plan approval prior to
the adoption of that ordinance, the
ordin that that property wouldn't be
subject uh to the new standards. that
that that is the case for this property.
So, it is it is a allowed use on the
site and it is it does not is not
required to adhere to the new standards
because it had preliminary site plan
approval prior to council's adoption of
the ordinance last year.
>> Okay. Thank you very much. And also I I
» Okay. Thank you very much. And also I I
see Mr. Nick Wood in the audience, the
zoning attorney for the property. Mr.
Wood, could you take the um podium for a
couple quick questions, please?
Mayor, members of the council, Nick
Woods, Snelling Woman, one East
Washington Street, and I represent
Menllo.
>> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Wood for being
» Okay. Thank you, Mr. Wood for being
here. Could you um again, um Josh just
explained or gave an explanation about
the zoning for the particular area and
some other things were said, I think
Miss Twitchell, with regard to the noise
and a host of other things. Can you talk
about the mitigation that your client is
going to be required to follow through
with through our planning department as
they move further into the building of
this particular facility?
>> Sure. Mayor, Council Member Robinson.
» Sure. Mayor, Council Member Robinson.
Um, as you know, you heard Josh say,
this was approved, the zoning was
approved decades ago. Um we did an
amendment back in 2024 to permit uh the
data centers. It's a combination data
center and office. Um basically much of
the mitigation includes uh setbacks um
and the fact that the property is
actually significantly below grade.
There's a lot of uh landscaping and
other things around it. Um but the
buildings themselves are set back I
think almost 200 to 300 ft.
>> Okay. Can you also explain the efforts
» Okay. Can you also explain the efforts
you went through with regard to
contacting neighbors and what efforts
you put in that particular area?
>> Sure. U Mayor, Council Member Robinson,
» Sure. U Mayor, Council Member Robinson,
um we had an outreach team that
basically knocked on a thousand doors in
the area, uh connected with over 400 and
we had several hundred letters of
support.
>> Okay. Thank you very much.
Nick, may I actually ask you a question?
Mr. Wood, one more question if you don't
mind. So, we at the city have been
asking data centers to be good neighbors
and data centers have done things like
we had a community that wanted a park
where they built a park. Others have
wanted some local community support.
What What is Menllo's commitment to the
Awatuki community?
>> Uh, mayor, we included a park. Uh, in
» Uh, mayor, we included a park. Uh, in
fact, we work with the community to
design the park. It's a couple of acres.
It includes some pickle ball courts and
some other things. We'll maintain it.
Um, it won't be at the cost of the city
and it'll be open to the public.
>> Thank you.
» Thank you, mayor. Thank you, Mr. Woods.
You know, I want to begin by
acknowledging the concerns from the
residents. We have heard you. Um, I
understand it. We're still um having
discussions with segments of the
community, not all of them. Clearly,
you're shaking your head, Miss
Twitchell. I know there's a couple
groups that let us know usually a day
before their meeting. I have not been
able to make those meetings. If I'm
given a little bit of notice, I will be
there. And I'm personally spoken with
several community meetings and our
office will continue to have those
conversations and we're also working to
schedule broader meetings over the
summer to give everyone an opportunity
to voice or for their voices to be
heard. Now, the action before us today
is not an approval of the data center
itself. The property owner already has a
zoning entitlements to build a data
center. And that approval came many
years ago. As Mr. Wood just said, this
item is, albeit doesn't appear that way
to some, a minor administrative
function. The abandonment of the
existing drainage easement was approved
on September 16th, 2025.
This step does not
expand, accelerate, or alter the data
center project. It simply addresses a
technical requirement tied to the site's
layout. One year ago, as the mayor
mentioned, the council recognized
community concerns about data centers
and took action by creating a data
center ordinance. As part of that
process, we had to establish an
applicability period, a clear line that
defined which projects
which projects the new regulations would
govern. After careful legal legal
guidance, discussion, and consideration,
council determined that the ordinance
would not apply to developments that
already had preliminary site approval at
that time. Mr. Nick, Mr. would um
mention that that it was some time ago
that they were given approval for that
particular site. This particular
development is one of two sites that
already had preliminary site approval
before the ordinance was adopted. This
was an inter this is this was an
intentional boundary set by the council
to ensure the ordinances was legal and
sound and enforcable.
Approving this item does not diminish or
dismiss the concerns of the community.
Our office will continue to listen,
meet, and work collaboratively with
residents throughout the summer and
beyond. With that context and
recognizing both the administrative
nature of this item, I move to approve
item 77, adopt the and adopt the related
resolution. Thank you, mayor, for the
time.
>> Second.
» Second.
>> We have a motion and a second. and and
» We have a motion and a second. and and
to our neighbors just want to speak to
you. I understand this is frustrating.
There was an article that came out in
the Wall Street Journal this month that
said Phoenix is mecca for data centers.
It's not the word I would have chosen
and it's not our goal. We've been
working very hard on reforms. When we m
moved this data center permit through,
it was leading in the nation. We got
deep criticism from the data center
industry that we went way too fast and
that we did not take into account the
business needs. But we passed it
unanimously because we thought it was
very important. The number of data
centers in this community
makes us one of the epicenters in the
world. The greater Phoenix area has one
of the highest concentrations of data
centers anywhere. Part of that is the
tax incentives.
In my state of the city, I pushed very
hard that data centers should pay the
same tax rate as our small businesses.
These are some of the wealthiest
companies in our country and in the
world. It is good news that the state of
Arizona on a bipartisan basis passed a
budget with a three-year moratorium on
the most generous of the tax incentives,
but there are data centers that will
still get it in our community.
We have a lot of work to do on reform
and we are working very hard. Uh, I've
spent a lot of time working with mayors
all over the world, frankly, who are all
facing this issue. This industry is
expanding at an unprecedented rate.
We're working very hard to be as
responsible as we can, but we have more
than $700 million in threatened
litigation from data centers. So, we're
trying to navigate the best we can. We
want to be prudent stewards of City of
Phoenix tax dollars.
The counciloman and I just spoke about
our water challenges. We want to make
sure we're using the highest our water
for the highest and best uses in
Arizona. We are building power plants
that will use groundwater to power data
centers. That's a real conversation we
need to keep having and we are trying
very hard at the city of Phoenix to be
at the forefront
and and we're committed to continuing to
do this. I know this is frustrating, but
we got to do it within Arizona's
parameters that they have set for us and
and we have to work with the state
legislature and continue to make changes
so that we can protect the health and
safety of our community. So, thank you
for being here. I know it's been
frustrating. Believe me, I spent a lot
of time on this and I'm also very
frustrated. Anyone want to make
additional comments?
>> Vice Mayor, thank you, [clears throat]
» Vice Mayor, thank you, [clears throat]
mayor. I I just wanted to echo that some
of the mayor's sentiment as well as
Councilman Robinson's sentiment. I know
this probably does not feel like a
victory, but I can tell you one thing I
know about Councilman Robinson. He's a
man of his word and if he said he's
going to continue to engage with you, I
trust that he will. And I will ask if
anything, can we also ask the planning
department to respond to the 31
questions because I do think that's
important. I do think that our
residents, this is not an easy issue. We
see this issue popping up on the
national level and there's a lot of
uncertainty regarding data centers and
their place in residents in residential
neighborhoods. Um, but as mentioned, we
uh we are bound by what the law provides
for us and our own ordinance that we
provided. But I will say I actually want
to just kind of echo what Councilman
Robinson said to the developers and de
developers attorney on this. Please
continue to engage our community.
Continue to engage the residents. show
them that it is possible for us to work
collaboratively on this and hear their
concerns and move the issue forward. We
can't undo the process at this juncture,
but we can make sure that the process
works for both the uh the developer and
the residents in that area. So, thank
you, mayor, for the opportunity.
>> Thank you. Roll call.
» Thank you. Roll call.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Hernandez,
» Hernandez,
>> no.
» no.
>> O'Brien,
» O'Brien,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Pastor, yes.
» Pastor, yes.
>> Robinson,
» Robinson,
>> yes. Stark,
» yes. Stark,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Wearing,
» Wearing,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hodgej Washington,
» Hodgej Washington,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> VGO,
» VGO,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Passes 81.
» Passes 81.
>> All right. We next move to yet another
» All right. We next move to yet another
data center. 89. Authorization to grant
5C data centers a binding waiver of
enforcement of the special permit
provisions for data centers. Uh we do
have testimony on this one as well. So,
we'll begin there. Uh, we'll begin with
Mike, followed by Luis, and then Alex.
Good morning, mayor, uh, council members
and cities. My name is Mike Mariciano.
I'm here on behalf of Hypert USA. I'm
the president company headquartered
Phoenix.
We've been here for about 15 17 years.
Uh now
we are proud to support 5C data centers
as a technology reseller and partner of
the Phoenix01.
We strongly support this project. We
believe it represents the type of
investment that helps Phoenix move
forward. The Phoenix project is not
simply a data center. It is a modern and
digital
in infrastructure that supports the AI
future. cloud computing and advanced
manufacturing, education, healthcare,
government services, and b business
innovation. The project can bring
meaningful benefits to Phoenix and the
Encanto neighborhood. It will help
revitalize an area of the city that is
well positioned for new investment while
we also create long-term opportunities
for local businesses, skilled workers,
and service providers. From a hypertext
perspective, this project will directly
support the creation of an additional 30
to 50 jobs in support of this data
center and they're highpaying jobs. That
means they're engineers, uh, high paid
technicians, no knock center employees.
And this will help us scale um to a
level that we've never been at before.
And the community uh around us, it will
support the restaurants. It will support
bringing home great money to their
families, so on and so forth. In
addition to those direct roles, a
project of this scale creates broader
benefits through construction,
electrical, mechanical trade, security,
facility management, logistics,
maintenance, and local supplier
relationships.
Hypert will play a role in all these uh
projects and servicing this data center.
We're looking forward
Thank you.
>> Thank you.
» Thank you.
Luis is next, followed by Alex.
» Hi, my name is Luis. Um, I've been a
long-term resident from Phoenix and I've
been looking over this data center for a
while. I went to the boys and girls
community um, meeting that they had two
weeks ago and they made some I really
think this will benefit the community
because they made great points about
the water system. It's actually a closed
loop. They use this I did some research
myself. They use this system with glycol
which actually they use less water than
the other data centers in the whole
valley. So I really think it it will
benefit the residents on Palm Lane and
also the security. um there's a lot of
um homeless people in that area and I
think the security that brings it with
the data center will actually benefit
all of us around. So yeah,
» thank you. And do you um tell us you
work in a a service provider for the
data center industry?
>> No, no, I'm just a a a resident.
» No, no, I'm just a a a resident.
>> Wonderful. So you live near the near
» Wonderful. So you live near the near
data center. Thank you so much for
taking the time to testify. We really
appreciate that.
>> Thank you.
» Thank you.
>> Alex is next,
followed by Thomas.
» Me again. Um
my understanding that this uh developer
is seeking a special waiver for the city
to allow them to build here. Um and it's
my understanding, again, I may be
incorrect, city documents are very
difficult to read and understand. uh but
that this data center company is
claiming fair market value property
loss. Everybody in your neighborhood
Luis will also lose uh property loss
values as well. It is recorded and
common amongst nations across or cities
across our nation that property values
decrease by a minimum of 20%. Again,
it's all speculative, but so is the um
the the dollar figures that the data
centers are bringing to your table. Um,
I'd like people who live in Phoenix to
understand what data centers do to our
environment and the health um, risks of
it. Cognitive and learning impairments
in children, my daughter, your daughter,
your grandchildren, arterial
hypertension, increased risk of heart
attack, strokes, the weakening of heart
tissue from infrasound. That's a cool
one. Migraines, insomnia, vertigo, high
blood pressure, anxiety, fluid in ears,
and elevated cancer risk. That is what
everybody who supports data centers is
comfortable with in their neighborhood.
Industrial-grade pollution,
industrial-grade sound, diesel fumes
because the industry is lacking the
infrastructure to build them properly.
So they'll be using diesel powered
generators to fire up all of their
servers. As a small business owner, as
somebody who works in the creative
field, it is um not uh unbeknownst to me
that I benefit from data. I do. Um, also
for my business, I buy solid state
drives and the data center boom has
created a product that was once $300 for
me, $1,400.
That is problematic. The health issues
are worse. Economic growth should not
happen at the expense of our health or
the property values. And our city
council and de development uh department
needs to seriously consider that.
» Thank you, Thomas.
Hello. Uh, good afternoon, mayor and
council members. My name is Tom Branch.
I serve as a director of the Aluki
Community Alliance, and I want to speak
briefly on item 89 and a fairness
question it raises. The waiver before
you today locks in real recorded
protections for the neighbors of the 5C
site. specific decibel limits day and
night, equipment setbacks, generator and
hazmat disclosure, fire department
pre-planning. That's a meaningful
improvement over having no enforceable
standard at all. And I think it's a
reasonable model. My question is about
consistency.
A separate data center proposed at
Thistle Landing in Awatuki is being
treated as exempt from the 2025
ordinance because its permits predated.
But based on public records I've
reviewed, that project's site plan is
still an active correction. Its plat is
unrecorded and its easement abandonments
haven't been completed. It isn't finally
entitled
in the way that a true vested project
would be. I'd ask the council and staff
to consider if an older project's
approvals are still open, shouldn't its
neighbors get the same floor of
protection you're establishing here
today?
I'd welcome the opportunity to share a
documentation with staff on this point.
Thank you for your time.
» Thank you so much. I believe that is all
our speakers on this item. So, uh, we
will next turn to city council. And I
understand we have an a representative
for the applicant on this item. If you
could come forward, that would be great.
Thanks so much. Uh there was a gentleman
who testified earlier about 30 to 50
jobs. How many jobs long-term will be
created on site
>> uh over the mayor council
» uh over the mayor council
>> post construction?
» post construction?
>> Mayor council Jason Morris with you
» Mayor council Jason Morris with you
Morris Ball on behalf of the applicant.
Uh thanks for the opportunity on this
one. In terms of job creation, uh 30 to
50 is the range long-term. Uh that
wasn't just a short-term number.
>> Wonderful. And those will be on site.
» Wonderful. And those will be on site.
They're direct employment at the site.
>> That is correct.
» That is correct.
>> Wonderful. Thank you so much. The state
» Wonderful. Thank you so much. The state
of Arizona has I think starting today a
moratorum on a very generous sales tax
incentive. Uh will your client be paying
the traditional sales tax rate or using
the sales tax incentive?
Mayor, council members, I did not. First
of all, it's my understanding that the
property owner is the one that has to
apply uh for that use. I I'm not aware
of whether the property owner applied
for the tax credit before today. Um
given the state of this and what's
occurred on this, and if you don't mind,
I'm going to give a little bit of
background so that we understand really
what's occurred on this site. This this
was a 2024 application by 5C for this
site. At at the time they were actually
working in conjunction with both uh
regional economic development and local
economic development for the reuse of an
existing building. It's a very small
site frankly as far as data centers go.
This is a 7 acre site. Uh the amount of
power is is considerably less just by
way of scale. The last item on the
agenda that you just considered was I
believe 275 megawws. We heard this is a
20 megawatt site. Uh this is a a 7 acre
site versus I think the the last one was
roughly almost a full section almost a
40 acre site. So this is a small infill
more importantly an adaptive reuse. uh
this building exists and uh when 5C
initially moved forward, they went to
planning and they went to economic
development. They made sure that the
path was clear, actually went to APS,
paid out a significant money uh amount
of money in order to get the planning
and and power done. But then they paused
uh and were actually working with new
tenants for the building. During that
time, unbeknownst to them, uh the city
of Phoenix passed a a a very holistic
data center ordinance that was referred
to earlier. And that data center
ordinance, as we recognize, has
essentially made data centers uh uh in
terms of land use at least
inappropriate in any district that does
not have special permit. This is one of
the last sites I believe that will come
before you in this manner. Uh because
anything else is going to be a new data
center entitlement.
Based upon what we've seen and heard and
what we understand and the city's
concerns, that's not likely to happen.
So this site has been left over and we
are now re-engaging because of the
existing ordinance through the waiver
process. uh but given their existing
zoning, the adaptive reuse of the
building, and I'll just for what it's
worth point out that this building since
it's been vacant uh over the last 2
years has been broken into 13 times. Uh
this is really an attempt to put a
viable small use into an existing
building uh without disrupting the
neighborhood. So, I'm sorry that's a
very long answer to a question that I'm
not sure was answered, but I just want
wanted to allow the council to
understand the site.
>> Wonderful. It's important history. One
» Wonderful. It's important history. One
of the things that I understand is
positive about this site is you will not
need to bring in any new electric
transmission, the existing grid
capacity.
>> Mayor, council members, that's correct.
» Mayor, council members, that's correct.
We are bringing in two we are
essentially extending underground to
existing lines from a uh substation.
>> So it won't disrupt any of the neighbors
» So it won't disrupt any of the neighbors
in terms
>> that's correct. It's it's entirely
» that's correct. It's it's entirely
through the industrial property. Okay. I
think that makes it a in some ways a
better site. But one concern I do have
is there's residential on on two sites.
As you know early in my time as mayor,
Phoenix firefighters responded to a
lithium battery fire.
Uh some firefighters from a neighboring
city were pretty severely injured at
that fire and so the fire code has
changed.
When there is a lithium battery, we will
now let the fire burn out, which could
be a week of a fire burning.
That is a use that I have some concern
right next to residential.
To me, it seems more appropriate with
diesel generators and lithium batteries
to be in an industrial
area if there could be a fire. And it
certainly doesn't help that it seems
like this this project will not pay the
full sales tax rate of it's that its
neighboring businesses will pay. So,
help me understand with the lithium
battery and the diesel why we should put
that right up against residential.
>> Uh, mayor and council members, I I
» Uh, mayor and council members, I I
appreciate your concern and it's
warranted. Uh I was aware and that
certainly was brought forward during the
data center conversation when the
ordinance was passed last year. In this
instance, we're not talking about
bringing a new industrial use. In fact,
unlike most of the other data centers
that have created new buildings, this
building has had all of the nomclature
of industrial use. Meaning this over its
lifetime has been a manufacturing
facility that has used chemicals. It has
been a storage facility of flammable
materials. This is not bringing in this
application or in in fact that's not
application. This waiver is not bringing
any new use to this area. It was zoned
A1. It will still remain an A1 site and
it is in as as you pointed out this
transitional area where on two sides
there are residences and on two sides
there are industrial intense industrial
uses with similar attributes.
>> Thank you. We are trying to push these
» Thank you. We are trying to push these
data center operators to give back to
our communities. This data center is
going to do some small things. Will you
tell us about those? Uh, mayor and
council, thanks for that opportunity as
well. Uh, frankly, we're constrained by
size. As you mentioned, some of the
other users, some of the other data
centers, the newer, larger data center
opportunities have also had land where
they can offer either a pocket park as
was the case in the last uh, or as
you're aware, soccer fields or other
amenities. This being a 7acre site with
an existing building, it is essentially
building and parking. So, we've looked
for other opportunities at the
neighborhood meeting. Uh, one of the
questions that was asked, I believe, by
the council member is what does the
community want to see, specifically the
residential community for this site? And
there was a request for enhanced
landscaping, larger mature trees, a
mural for the area. There was talk of uh
whether it would be appropriate to keep
this in a a gated landscape setting and
what that would look like, whether it
would be secure, whether there were
cameras, uh 24-hour personnel, that type
of thing. Those were the major concerns.
Beyond that, in terms of community
outreach, the applicant, I'm sorry, I'm
so used to using that term, uh 5C in
this instance, the the request for
claim,
has agreed to do a uh a fund for the
community that the community would have
access to and would work in conjunction
with the city and the community to make
sure there were funds available for
things that were important to the
community.
>> Thank you. And how many folks attended
» Thank you. And how many folks attended
the community meeting? Uh I believe it
was and I'm going to give you all of the
numbers that have been given to me.
There were over 400 homes I think 410
homes invited. Uh there were 148 where
there was actual interaction with the
neighbors and of that probably less than
20 attended the meeting.
>> Okay. I had heard four. Does that seem
» Okay. I had heard four. Does that seem
possible? I
>> I was not at that meeting.
» I was not at that meeting.
>> It's actually
it was six.
Okay, thank you. All right, that is all
of my questions. Does anyone have any
additional questions?
>> Wonderful. Thank you so much.
» Wonderful. Thank you so much.
>> Thank you.
» Right.
>> This would not be my favorite site for a
» This would not be my favorite site for a
data center. It does have residential on
two sides, but uh we did have
a press release go out saying that uh
the regional economic development folks
and councilwoman were excited about that
which makes it a little bit more
complicated as well and it is
complicated with the timing but I'm
speaking to the industry. I really hope
that you will look for locations in
industrial land and not immediately
adjacent to residential. Counciloman
Pastor.
» Yes. Um, all of us have the same
concerns. Um, in particular, we all have
the same concerns of the mayor. Uh, this
area is in an industrial area. It's an
A1 and and what these neighborhoods are
surrounded in an by an industrial park.
So, I believe um and I'm going to go
back and look at some history. uh that
probably originated as an industrial
park and then uh homes were built around
it. Um, and it's unfortunate uh we're at
the space that we're at right now. as
the mayor the mayor is correct that
there was an article where I do have a
quote stated and it does talk about uh
bringing jobs and it talks about uh the
data center in a in a space uh where at
that time because it's an industrial
center where is appropriate um and in
the data center space we all have uh
entered in uh wanting data centers when
I entered uh there was a big uh push for
wanting data centers and then uh as we
moved and evolved we realize what is the
impact it has in our community. Um this
item is a was entered and in placed in
2024.
Uh there is a letter stating that a data
center can be built here. uh we passed
the the regulatory pieces in 2025 and
this is one of one um that is in the
bubble or limbo that uh is now being
presented.
I I I move the approve item 89 per the
memo uh dated July 1, 2026.
That is my motion.
>> Second. We have a motion and a second.
» Second. We have a motion and a second.
>> Roll call.
» Roll call.
>> Yes. Anonymous.
» Yes. Anonymous.
>> No.
» No.
>> O'Brien,
» O'Brien,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Has
» Has
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Robinson,
» Robinson,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Stark,
» Stark,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Wearing,
» Wearing,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hodgej Washington, I'd like to explain
» Hodgej Washington, I'd like to explain
my vote first. Um, I I too share the
concerns given the proximity to
residential, but it's rare that we see
neighbors come forward and speak in
favor of the data centers. And while I
want I want to respect their position.
Um also it's not I was not present at
the neighborhood outreach and I will
defer to the councilman's uh who
represents a district um where this is
where this is placed. So I will vote
yes.
>> GGO.
» GGO.
>> Yes. Passes 81.
» Yes. Passes 81.
>> Next we go to item 90. A resoning
» Next we go to item 90. A resoning
application at the southwest corner of
56th Street and Ranger Drive.
>> Mayor, may I make a suggestion?
» Mayor, may I make a suggestion?
>> Please. Uh may we hear from the people
» Please. Uh may we hear from the people
petitioning
against
first?
>> Perfect. Uh we'll open the public
» Perfect. Uh we'll open the public
hearing and
uh welcome the group that Councilman
Wearing suggested and I understand they
do have a PowerPoint.
» Are we doing five minute PowerPoint?
>> I don't think they have a PowerPoint.
» I don't think they have a PowerPoint.
>> Okay.
» Okay.
>> Yeah. So five minutes is fine. Yep.
» Yeah. So five minutes is fine. Yep.
They're not in. Yes, but there's no
PowerPoint.
>> Wonderful. If we could get five minutes
» Wonderful. If we could get five minutes
for this presentation. Thank you.
>> Fortunately, I did have PowerPoint I
» Fortunately, I did have PowerPoint I
submitted. I'm not sure.
>> Oh, sorry. I saw somebody nodding no, so
» Oh, sorry. I saw somebody nodding no, so
apologize. I guess there is a
PowerPoint.
>> Oh,
okay. All right. I'm Doug Miller. I'm a
resident in the Desert Ridge area that
backs up against the wildfire wild fire
wildfire golf course. And right now,
Ranger Drive is my only access point to
get to my house from Tatum Boulevard.
All right. All right. So, I just wanted
to give a little context of what was
originally proposed. Um, Cayanian just
put bought the property at the southwest
corner and Ranger Road was supposed to
connect to 56 during that construction.
Um, that construction and that roadway
was identified in the Desert Ridge
specific plan and the street
classification map for the last couple
decades. Um it's also consistent with
the approved traffic impact analysis and
during that um construction that cost
would be on the developer itself.
Thanks.
The new addendum states that the road
will no longer go through and it'll be a
a culde-sac that will be temporary. So
it's not being removed from the plan
itself. It's just being another
temporary uh postponement of the
construction and the connection. So
unfortunately that shifts back the
financial responsibility to the city as
a capital improvements project
and I've have I have attended uh two of
the three planning meetings and listen
to uh the public input as well and I
want to kind of step back a little bit
and just look at the community as a
whole. Um, I pulled this map from the
the MAG Northeast Valley Transportation
Study and it just kind of highlights
what the current traffic conditions are
now. There's a lot of uh public input
that that states there's an
overabundance of traffic right now and
it's it's building. Uh, Tatum right now
carries over 30,000 vehicles and does
have a lot of backup at the 101. But you
also look at some of these other
callouts where um people have made
comments uh specifically to the Ranger
Road at 56. There's one that says there
should be connected to provide multiple
access points to reduce congestion. Um
there's other access points on Deer
Valley and 64th
Tatum um Deer Valley and 40th and it
just basically I want to portray how uh
the traffic is building right now,
right? We're getting a lot of
investment. There's a lot going on. Uh
the the Cardinals facility going on
along Scottsdale Road. The land at Deer
Valley and 40th was also just purchased
for uh residential. So there is more
growth happening and we're already kind
of seeing some implications of traffic
issues.
So I wanted to zoom in a little bit
closer. Um Ranger Drive right now is
seeing about 2,800 cars per day. And
this data is coming from Placer AI who
uses Interex for their their traffic
data. And I wanted to just kind of
understand um what the other similar
connector roads currently do. So
Pathfinder is a similar laid uh laid out
road that has similar uh widths, bike
lanes, and setbacks. They're doing a
little over 3,000. Marriott Drives doing
a little over 3,000. and Trailblazer
Drive is doing a little over 2,000. So,
it we're still in range. Um, I put this
together because there was a lot of
comments saying if you open this road,
you're going to create a major arterial
cut through. Um, this would suggest it
does not do that. So,
that was just uh
trying to trying to support it being
more more data driven than specul
speculative.
Um, so I'll just wrap it up with fiscal
responsibility, right? That road has
been planned for a couple decades now.
It's in the general plan and it was
there for the developer to complete when
that land was purchased. Um, growth pays
for growth. You're going to invest. I'm
all for the investment. Um, but I think
we should require them to also connect
those roads as planned versus
versus turn around and put it back on
the taxpayers as a capital improvements
project. All right. Thank you.
>> Thank you so much.
» Thank you so much.
>> Uh, Councilman, do we want to hear from
» Uh, Councilman, do we want to hear from
the applicant or we do have three folks
online and and then additional speakers
in person?
>> Uh, let's do additional speakers who are
» Uh, let's do additional speakers who are
against.
>> Okay.
» Okay.
>> Okay.
» Okay.
>> All right. 90. We should have Barry.
» All right. 90. We should have Barry.
>> And I have a Neil Peterson who signed up
» And I have a Neil Peterson who signed up
after my list was printed. So I don't
know if he's against or in favor, but
Neil will go to you next.
>> Neil's in favor.
» Neil's in favor.
>> Okay. And then the other two who are
» Okay. And then the other two who are
here are in favor. And then online, we
do have
>> three virtual speakers in support.
» three virtual speakers in support.
>> I'm sorry, Barry is against. So he would
» I'm sorry, Barry is against. So he would
be now.
>> All right. Uh so Doug Miller and Barry
» All right. Uh so Doug Miller and Barry
are two opposed. Okay. So Barry, the
floor is yours.
Sorry for the confusion there.
» Thank you, mayor and council members for
the opportunity to speak. I'm Barry
Goldfarb and I've lived in the valley
for 50 years and I appreciate the work
you do to make Phoenix a great city. I'm
here today to speak about the connection
of Ranger Road to 56th Street in Desert
Ridge. I have served on Desert Ridge
Community Association board for about 12
years and currently serve as one of the
officers. Desert Ridge specific plan
expect um expects to have approximately
50,000 residents with 19,000 homes and
30,000 jobs. Yet unlike most of Phoenix,
our community does not have the typical
onem grid of east, west, and north south
arterial roads. That limited road
network already creates congestion and
will only become worse as the growth
continues and zoning changes increase
density as this application.
Today, just over half of the planned
homes have been built. In addition,
[clears throat] more than 2,000
apartment units are under construction
are currently being leased. Major
commercial developments, including the
new Trader Joe's and Sprouts
Marketplace, are both located at or near
56th Street in Deer Valley, and both are
slated to open very soon.
Maricopa Association of Government in
their Northeast Valley Transportation
Study has stated that even after Loop
101 was widened to its full buildout, it
continues to experience severe
congestion on a regular basis. The east
west ranger extension connects Tatum
Boulevard to 56th Street has long been
part of the area's transation plan.
Residents who chose to live near the
planned road extension knew or should
have known that the road was planned.
Delaying the project to the benefit of
small number of nearby residents will
negatively affect thousands of current
and future residents, employee
employees, and commuters. I respectfully
ask that you reject the recommendation
before you delay the rager road
extension and allow this important
transportation project and move forward
as planned to help with the severe
traffic we are already encountering.
Thank you for your time and
consideration.
>> Thank you. So we do have two in person
» Thank you. So we do have two in person
in support and three online. Uh one us
to speak if necessary.
>> Uh why don't you go with the people who
» Uh why don't you go with the people who
want to speak who are in support. Okay.
>> Um and then
» Um and then
I the applicant if necessary.
>> Okay. I have uh Brandy in person to
» Okay. I have uh Brandy in person to
speak in support.
We have the attorney for the applicant
and then we'll go to virtual to Albert
first.
» Uh thank you for the opportunity to
speak today. My name is Brandy Stab and
I'm the resort manager at the JDM
Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa.
Um, I attended both the two village
planning meetings and a planning and
zoning meeting prior to this meeting.
The turnout was robust from the
community. Um, they all oppose the
extension of Ranger Drive. Um, I would
say that the resort appreciates the
developers willingness to revisit the
original plan and come forward with a
revised approach as it pertains to
Ranger Road and 56th Street. The
cultisac design at the end of Ranger
paired with a small park uh for the
community is a thoughtful solution that
avoids creating a direct connection to
56th Street and better aligns with the
character and width of that road. From
our perspective, this is a positive step
forward and one we can support. Uh the
portion of Ranger Road um that we're
talking about is used regularly not only
by nearby residents and local community,
but also by golfers, resort associates,
and golf operations, including beverage
cart and golf cart crossings. If in the
future Ranger was drive was to be open
to 56th Street, the road would become a
major thoroughfare, introducing a
serious hazard to 36,000 golfers
annually, golf course associates and
maintenance staff, and residents who
currently pass over Ranger. We would ask
that Ranger is not extended and if in
the future Ranger is open to 56th
Street, we would ask that plans would
include provisions for the safety of
these individuals and that the cost of
the road would be considered with
tunnels uh and not uh toward the resort.
Uh really our goal here is to create
safety. Um when you look at Marriott
Drive currently, which comes around the
resort, um someone noted how many uh
people drive on that road daily. I can
tell you it's very very significant. The
speeds that happen on that road uh
create a danger to those even walking on
the sidewalks and that's two lanes on
each side which this road going through
a community doesn't have the ability to
have based on size. Thank you for your
time.
>> Thank you so much. We'll go next to
» Thank you so much. We'll go next to
Albert and followed by Claudia.
Hi
>> there. My name is El Karina. I'd like to
» there. My name is El Karina. I'd like to
thank you for the opportunity to address
this council. I am the initiator of one
of the 546 signatures of the petition
opposing the proposed extension at
Ranger Road. The concern is
straightforward. Connecting Ranger Road
to 56th Street will increase
non-resident cut through traffic in our
neighborhood, creating safety risks and
challenging the character of our
community from a quiet residential
neighborhood into a pass through route.
When our neighborhood was developed, the
Desert Ridge Pacific Plan adopted on
July 18th, 1980 uh 1990 made a clear
commitment that local streets would loop
through residential areas and discourage
through traffic. Specifically, the plan
states the local streets will loop
through traffic uh will loop through
residential areas created in
neighborhood character. No shortcuts
between arterial speed neighborhoods
will be found, discouraging any traffic
other than local. Many homeowners can
purchase their home relying on that
commitment, and we believe it should be
honored today. The city's own
neighborhood policy also recognizes that
strong, healthy neighborhoods are
essential to Phoenix's quality of life,
and that preserving neighborhood
character benefits the city as a whole.
Policy states, "Do healthy neighborhoods
are critical to the long-term vitality
and success of Phoenix and to the
quality of life of its residents." I
also want to make it clear that many
residents, including myself, are not
opposed to the new Toro housing
development. In fact, many of us have
signed statements supporting the
building. Residents have also reviewed
and endorsed the builder's alternative
plan, which includes a park and a
turnaround instead of extending Ranger
Road to 56th Street. Our objection is
specifically to the road extension
because it would invite additional cut
through traffic and drivers seeking to
avoid congestion on nearby arterial
streets. The planning committee's
previously two previous two meetings
resulted in unanimous votes on this
resolution. [clears throat] Since the
last meeting, we have continued to
gather additional signatures from
residents who oppose connecting Ranger
Road to 50 6th Street, demonstrating
that community opposition remains.
Claudia is next, followed by Brian.
» And good [clears throat] morning, Mayor
Ggo and council members. My name is
Claudia Garza. I've been a resident of
Desert Ridge for over 25 years. A lot of
what has been said was initially what I
was going to say. So, I will not repeat
it. I will not bore you with all of
that. What I will say is that when we
purchased our home, we understood that
growth would come to the area and with
that growth comes comes more traffic.
But I ask if is it necessary for
congestion on our major streets like
Tatum, Deer Valley, and Pinnacle Peak to
to compromise Ranger Drive to make it a
pass through. As was mentioned by Mr.
Miller and my Miss Stab, yes, Marriott
Drive is carrying a lot of traffic right
now, but that is what will happen to
Ranger Drive if it becomes a a full a
street all the way through to 56th
Street. A lot of the traffic on Marriott
Drive right now is quote
cut through traffic is the best I can
describe it as. Um the the develop what
the developer has proposed the the
compromise that the developer has
proposed is acceptable understanding
that it is only temporary and can be
changed by the city at any time or by
another developer should they purchase
another parcel within Desert Ridge. With
that said, I sincerely ask that you
accept the resoning application, which
most of us do not have a problem with,
but please deny the stipulation to
extend Ranger Drive to 56 Street, at
least for this time. Thank you for your
time, and I appreciate it.
>> Thank you. Brian is next, followed by
» Thank you. Brian is next, followed by
Neil Peterson.
» Hello everyone and thank you for your
time. My name is Brian Olsen, uh
resident uh in the the corridor along
Ranger Drive, and I I think all the
other um folks that just spoke before
me, we hit a lot of the same points. Um
a few of the other ones that I would
just like to um brief everybody on is
the amount of time and energy that's
gone into the redevelopment with uh Mr.
Wood's help and and Snell and Wilmer's
help has really addressed the concerns
that that the neighbors have. Um as um
Al had mentioned um there's more than
550
um [clears throat] residents nearby that
have um petitioned to support the
culde-sac rather than the road going
through. And I I just state it in a way
uh with some of the other um that are
are for the road to go through. Um they
did all mention that traffic in this
area is is very high and very strong.
The thing that wasn't mentioned is that
Ranger Road, if it does go through at
56th Street, would not have a street
light. And because of that, I think it's
going to encourage more traffic to cut
across Ranger Road than go up to
Pinnacle Peak, which I know in the
future, Pinnacle Peak is supposed to be
expanded. I think the the concern from
our end is if Pinnacle Peak was expanded
now, we wouldn't have as much concern
with traffic coming down Ranger Road.
However, because Pinnacle Peak is only
one lane in each direction, people are
going to look for thoroughares to cut
through much like at the the JW Marriott
um pass through. So, that that's a big
point of contention. I also want to say
too that within our community at Desert
Ridge, Ranger Road is a unique road um
because it does meander in and around
the golf course. um a lot of the other
streets in the other area or actually
none of the other streets in the area do
the same um meandering and without
a good understanding if the road went
through of what traffic mitigation would
take place along Ranger Road. That is
really the biggest concern. I personally
know some some kids on bicycles that
have been hit by cars. Um turning from
Tatum onto Ranger and understanding that
this road went through that traffic
would be even more intense along Ranger
Road is a major concern for most of it.
>> Neil is next and then we'll have Nick
» Neil is next and then we'll have Nick
Wood on behalf of the applicant.
» Thank you for your time this morning. I
am um in favor of the revised plan. I'm
very supportive of what was done. I
thought there was a lot of effort put
into this and we appreciate that. Um
I've been a resident of Desert Ridge and
actually uh be 29 years this month that
I moved into the home uh near Ranger
Road. And I will say Ranger and you've
heard some of this I'm not going to
repeat, but it is truly unique. If
you've not traveled on that road,
there's nothing like it in Desert Ridge.
It is a meandering road. It does an
outstanding job uh working as a
neighborhood feeder street.
It is not and should not have ever been
considered initially when it was
designed as an arterial street. It it
would not be safe. It will not be safe
if that's the case. Um
it connects to 10 streets which uh go
out to different neighborhoods. Does an
excellent job of that. It also um
borders nine golf holes on the
championship two courses of the
Marriott. Either the holes terminate on
the street or they tee off from the
street and whatever. There's no street
in Desert Ridge like that whatsoever. Uh
and as I said, it is meandering. It is a
40 foot wide street. It can't get any
wider. That includes two bike lanes
which are each 6 ft wide. It doesn't
leave a lot of room in the center of the
street. It's a single lane each way.
There's no turn lanes whatsoever except
at the very edge of Tatum and and uh
Ranger for a right turn lane. That's it.
So, it's again, it's not positioned to
handle what will inevitably come to that
street if it's opened up all the way to
56th. Yes, population is growing. And
yes, in the age of GPS and people
looking on their phones, what's the
shortest route I can get? And you've
heard the story about the Marriott
Drive. We'll see that here at Ranger and
that will be highly dangerous. Lots of
children, lots of walking, lots of
jogging, lots of biking have gone on
over the many, many years that I've been
there. Last thing, uh, if anything could
be done with Pinnacle Peak, that would
be wonderful. Uh, Pinnacle Peak I used
to take to go see my house being built.
It hasn't changed a bit except for the
intersection at Tatum and Pinnacle Peak.
Thank you for your time.
>> Thank you so much. And I believe our
» Thank you so much. And I believe our
last speaker will be Nicholas Wood.
Members of the council, Nick Wood,
Snoman
has a question for you.
>> Thank you. Just a couple questions,
» Thank you. Just a couple questions,
Nick, to kind of move this along. So,
uh, I appreciate very much you working
with the community. uh when you called
to say that this had failed at the
village which I believe was in March
when the road was part of the
application um uh it was frustrating for
me because here is a project that the
the community seemed to embrace under
your good ospices but it was a city
demand that was causing it to fail that
was the only issue I don't believe the
project has changed other than the road
between the first vote and the second
the first vote it failed at the village.
Correct.
>> That's correct. Mayor Councilman Wearing
» That's correct. Mayor Councilman Wearing
yes it failed at the village.
>> So I have you've worked with me for a
» So I have you've worked with me for a
long time but mayor you know if
something fails at the village I I don't
vote for it going forward. Now if
something passes at the village I still
feel I have discretion but it fails at
the village the reason we have the
village I have great respect for the
people who serve on the village. Uh I
want a kind of a ground level like what
do they think? So that was very telling.
the president of the uh board of Desert
Ridge HOA. He's on that committee. He
voted no. So, I definitely take that
seriously as well. Long working
relationship with them. Uh but uh we we
worked together what what might be an
acceptable alternative and we came up
with what passed. So, the second
iteration without the road I believe
passed nine to nothing at the village.
Was that the vote?
>> Mayor, Councilman Wearing, yes. It was
» Mayor, Councilman Wearing, yes. It was
unanimous approval there as well as at
the planning commission. So, at the
planning commission, which was that six
to nothing if memory serves, if you
don't know off top of your head, but it
was about 15 or 16 able-bodied adults
who volunteer their time to do this
and they all voted for this whereas the
first iteration failed. Uh, somebody
mentioned, I think it was uh, one of the
gentlemen on line that 586 people had
signed a petition against. heard in my
office from vastly more people against
the road than in favor and it wasn't
close and it was my understanding that
that's what turned out for the community
meetings and the meetings that you held.
Is that also correct?
>> Mayor Congressman wearing yes there was
» Mayor Congressman wearing yes there was
in excess of 40 people at the first uh
village hearing and probably 70 at the
second.
>> So I have done a lot of door knockocking
» So I have done a lot of door knockocking
in Desert Ridge over the years. So I'm
very familiar with this road. not as
much obviously I'm not claiming that as
people who live there but I am very
aware that they are sort of enclosed
neighborhoods basically along that road.
Uh some are gated but some aren't. I've
been through there. It's to me it would
be a really nice setup. I understand
that this road has been on the plan for
many years but I also didn't think it
made sense at a time when we're trying
to get more housing for the people
moving here. You've got Mayo right
there. The Cardinals were mentioned. You
got TSMC not a far drive from this site.
A lot of people want to live in Desert
Ridge. They want the same fantastic
amenities and lifestyle that the people
who already live there have a wonderful
[clears throat] community. It didn't
seem to make sense for the purposes of
this road to not have this project go
through. I will also add uh Desert Ridge
uh the resort is incredible. if you
haven't been there. I've taken my kids
there and so forth to use the lazy river
over a long period of time. It's been
there for about 25 years. Uh the fact
that they were adamantly opposed also
was very telling for me. They are a
point of pride for district 2. Um
thrilled to have them. Uh definitely
take their concerns. Brandy, I
appreciate you being here today. um was
just out there with the general manager
Paige Lond and your predecessors have
done a wonderful job of building
something that frankly all Arizonans
could be proud of certainly Phoenix can
u that brings visitors in if they think
this doesn't make sense that's also very
telling. So when you couple that with
all the residents who spoke out against
it, uh I heard Claudia Garza, I know she
served on the village for years, uh
Neil, people who have lived there for
decades.
It it wasn't that hard of a call to come
up with what we came up with. Um
particularly given my antipathy for
projects that do not pass the village
and this did in this iteration, not the
other. And that really was the only
thing that changed. Um, I will also say
this. I appreciate your willingness to
work with me to find a solution. Uh,
really the one thing about this, I
recognize I don't live in this
community, but the one thing that was
really impactful to me, I mentioned
Desert Ridge and the working
relationship with them and and how proud
I think we all should be of their
community. Um, I see Terrence Smith here
who works uh intimately with the board.
I've worked with him for 13 or 14 years.
uh the board members, Barry is one of
them who we've worked with uh in my
office for the whole time I've been on
the council and I've represented the
area between that and the state senate
for about 25 years about the same
hotel's been there. Um we've developed
long working relationships and they are
to me heroes of our communities. They
have worked their hearts out. If you
live in Desert Ridge and you came here
today, those people on that board, they
put their hearts and souls into it. And
I know Terrence does for sure. So, um,
again, I take that feedback, but there
were two board members, Barry was one of
them, who actually did express that they
had interest in the road going through,
but the totality of the feedback was
that the residents who lived along there
were not in favor of that, even as they
were in favor of the project itself. Uh
my final comment about the Desert Ridge
board is the plan we came up with as a
park that your client is going to
maintain. Correct.
>> That's correct.
» That's correct.
>> So I appreciate that. So you're not
» So I appreciate that. So you're not
getting off scot-free. You're not
spending less money or anything. This is
just shifting the resources.
[clears throat] But I very much
appreciated your willingness to name the
park after Doug Dixon, who was a
longtime
president of Desert Ridge, a great
friend to District 2, great friend of
mine, frankly, passed away suddenly a
couple of years ago. So we have been
trying in my office to find something
some way to honor him. Hadn't be able to
come up with it. So I very much
appreciate your willingness to entertain
that notion and to put it forward. I
know you mentioned it uh to people at
the village. So that wasn't the original
impetus for the failure. You tried to
get the project through with the road,
but that didn't pass with the village.
So that's not to me really an option
here today. with all respect for the
people who who brought good arguments
and talked about Ranger going through.
Um so I am going to uh move forward with
the motion as presented. But people have
had one concern. You know the people
against the road don't really ever want
there to be a road. So Mr. Miller in his
presentation talked about the funding.
Um Josh, I'm going to switch to you if
that's okay. Mayor, uh, it is not, this
road is currently not in our five-year
rolling capital improvement plan. We
just passed a budget last week or two
weeks ago. So, can you kind of explain
what that means in layman's terms?
>> Uh, mayor, council mayor, members of the
» Uh, mayor, council mayor, members of the
council, it would require the council to
identify funding in a future CIP budget,
which would require the the approval of
this council uh, and designate that
funding to to see that come see the city
develop it at some point. And I think
the earliest mayor that could happen
would be in fiscal 2031 at this point
because it's not in the next five years.
>> Mayor, members of the council, uh,
» Mayor, members of the council, uh,
Councilman Wearing, I I'd have to defer
to our our budget director, city
manager's office, or street
transportation department to to to
answer specifically about when the next
available time that that uh,
>> but it's a few it's a few years out.
» but it's a few it's a few years out.
Um,
>> so at that point in time, council
» so at that point in time, council
members would have to vote to include
it. There's no current funding. So, uh,
I will be gone. I'm term limited, so uh,
probably makes a lot of you happy, but I
I won't be here for that uh, discussion
should it ever arise. I don't know what
my successors would do, but it will not
um they would really have to go to the
mattresses and convince, frankly, at
least four other council members to
frankly give up something in their
district to pay for this. So, Mr. Miller
is not wrong. We're shifting the costs
from the developer to the city. We are
getting the park out of it. That might
not necessarily make sense if the plan
was ever to build the road.
I'm against the road because that seems
what the neighbors and quite a few
community leaders are against. I don't
know what successors would do. I just
feel having served on this council for
almost 15 years. It is unlikely that
this road is going to be built. So,
while Mr. Miller raised a good point,
that's only a good point if the road
ever actually gets funded. I don't
really necessarily see a path unless the
neighbors completely flipped their views
of what they want sometime in the future
and the hotel who I also consider a
constituent of frankly great value as
well. They've told me they don't want
the road period. They generated a lot of
income for the city and we had that
discussion with data centers and so
forth. Well, this is one that I'd be
hardressed to see what the negative is.
Like people come in, they spend the
money, they spend the money at the
resort, they spend the money at Desert
Ridge Mall, city collects tax revenues,
very low crime. I mean, it's kind of a
perfect setup. So, uh, I plan to support
this. I think I've laid out sort of a
fact-based argument of why I don't think
there's going to be a road in the future
either. Appreciate very much the
developers willingness to work with me
on this and appreciate the feedback from
the community. Did I miss anything,
Josh? my long herang
>> mayor councilman wearing members of the
» mayor councilman wearing members of the
council I'd say your characterization of
of the process is accurate the what I
would just reiterate is that the
stipulation is set up to still require
the developer to provide the and
dedicate the necessary ride ofway so the
land will be in place
>> some of it is pavement
» some of it is pavement
>> right so the the land acquisition is not
» right so the the land acquisition is not
in question what would be a a future
discussion amongst the council is the
funding to construct the road
[clears throat]
>> thank you Josh I apprei appreciate it.
» thank you Josh I apprei appreciate it.
>> Uh so, mayor, uh with your indulgence,
» Uh so, mayor, uh with your indulgence,
um I have a motion to approve for the
planning commission recommendation and
adopt the related ordinance.
>> Close the public hearing. Thank you so
» Close the public hearing. Thank you so
much.
>> Uh we have a second from Councilwoman
» Uh we have a second from Councilwoman
Pastor.
Exciting vote. We're going to bring a
lot of housing in. Uh roll call.
[laughter]
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Hernandez,
» Hernandez,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> O'Brien,
» O'Brien,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Pastor,
» Pastor,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Robinson,
» Robinson,
>> yes. Stark,
» yes. Stark,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Wearing,
» Wearing,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hodgej Washington,
» Hodgej Washington,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Passes 90.
» Passes 90.
>> So that concludes the planning and
» So that concludes the planning and
zoning portion. And today we entitled up
to 314 units of housing. We share this
because all nine of us think housing is
a big priority. We next go to item 91,
which is a citizen petition from Jerry
Van Guest. So I'll ask Jerry to come
forward and he'll be followed by Jeremy
Thcker.
Good morning. I think it still is. Uh
Jerry Van Gas here. Uh you have a
petition in front of you expressing uh
our desire to have you vote to rename
the Caesar Chavez Park after
uh Olympian humanitarian that lived his
last decade here, Jesse Owens. Uh March
25th when the council directed parks to
rename everything that had been named
for Caesar Chavez, I was here to push
for Jesse Owens. I had his medals
sitting right here on the on the desk,
the counter here. Uh, ironically, 50
years ago this week, those medals were
touring around the country on the
freedom train part of our bsentennial
celebration
uh before they returned here to Jesse's
house.
Uh, and it's ironic that 90 years ago,
1936, Jesse won those four medals in the
Berlin Olympics in front of Adolf Hitler
where he was snubbed by Hitler. But
Jesse came back here to the US and was
also snubbed by our president, Franklin
Delanor Roosevelt.
Uh,
coincidentally, this week, the same
week, our 250th
birthday, July 4th, Jesse's already been
named by USA Today as the most important
athlete in our 250 year history. And
he'll undoubtedly be named the greatest
track and field athlete on Saturday.
So, we're asking that uh you know, we
honor him. You know, we don't need to,
you know, he's already been snubbed
twice. That we honor him for what he
did. He embraced Phoenix as his adopted
hometown. Let's do this. Thank you,
>> Mr. Vanas. Can I ask a question before
» Mr. Vanas. Can I ask a question before
you Thank you, ma'am.
>> Oh, I forgot it's not called to the
» Oh, I forgot it's not called to the
public.
>> Just one quick question. Um,
» Just one quick question. Um,
your end goal here is for us to honor
the legacy of uh, humanitarian and
Olympian Jesse Owens. Correct.
>> Correct.
» Correct.
>> Thank you.
» Thank you.
>> Wonderful. Thank you so much. Our final
» Wonderful. Thank you so much. Our final
speaker on this item will be Jeremy.
» Mayor Council U.
as you, this may be a surprise to many
of you, but sometimes I'm a bit of a
cynic. Uh,
so with all the stuff going on around
us, I think what's why are we talking
about renaming a park? What is gained by
renaming a park? The answer is
possibly nothing,
but maybe everything.
Like many Phoenicians, I wasn't born or
raised here. When I got here, I didn't
know the city's history, but I learned
it through the names of the public
places around me. Without those places,
I may have never known about Sander Day
O'Connor become the first woman to serve
on the United States Supreme Court, or
Margaret T. ants, Phoenix's first woman
mayor who helped shape the city if it
weren't for the park named after
or the history of the Indian school and
the plight of the Native Americans which
reminds us and makes us empathize with
the difficult chapter in our history if
it hadn't been for the park in the
street that I live by.
Names matter. They tell us who we are,
what we value, and whose stories we
choose to pass on.
Jesse Owens represents perseverance in
the face of a prejudice, excellence in
the face of doubt, and dignity in the
face of hatred. His legacy reminds us
every child that uh his legacy reminds
every child that character, courage, and
determination matter.
A child visiting this park one one day
may ask, "Who was Jesse Owens?" That
simple question opens the door to a
story that is worth telling and looking
into.
So, what is gained by naming the park
after Jesse Owens? Maybe nothing, but
maybe everything.
Thank you.
>> Thank you so much. That concludes our
» Thank you so much. That concludes our
test concludes our testimony. Vice
Mayor,
>> thank you, Mayor. I want to start off by
» thank you, Mayor. I want to start off by
saying extending my appreciation to Mr.
Van Gas for bringing this petition
forward and for emphasizing Jesse Owens
and his place in Phoenix history.
following a recent subcommittee, you
gave me the opportunity to actually hold
and see um Jesse Owens medals, which I
would admittedly say I was a little
surprised to learn that the medals were
not currently on display for our entire
community to see and learn about his
inspirational story. Jesse Owens is one
of the most extraordinary athletes and
Americans in our nation history. His
courage, perseverance, and achievements
transcended sports and helped challenge
prejudice on a global scale. He used his
platform to bring light to injustices.
He represented tenacity, resilience, and
the continued fight for civil rights for
all Americans. He is certainly the kind
of individual whose legacy deserves
recognition.
And I would extend that sentiment to
many other historic figures,
particularly those whose contributions
have been too often been overlooked. As
a as a city, we should continue looking
for opportunities to celebrate
individuals whose stories have shaped
our nation and inspired future
generation.
At the same time, I also believe we have
a responsibility to respect the
community engagement process. According
to the staff report, the parks
department conducted a month-long
outreach effort receiving 1,843
responses with nearly three quarters
coming from residents within the park
service area. The highest level of
support was for Agila Park and Community
Center. This information should be
consider should be for the parks board
to consider. While I recognize the
petitioner's concern, I believe that we
should be more intentional in how we
recognize Jesse Owens or other deserving
historical figures. Instead, I hope we
continue identifying meaningful
opportunities across our city to honor
their legacies in ways that educate,
inspire, and reflect the rich history of
our community and our country. Um, Mr.
Zacher, I'm going to quote your comment.
You said, "What do we gain by regaining
the park? Possibly nothing. I want us to
be intentional." So, with that, I'm
ready to make my motion. My motion is to
accept staff's recommendation to deny
the citizen petition and to direct staff
to conduct a process that will identify
a way to honor Jesse Owens and
potentially other important historical
figures of Phoenix, then return with an
update to the relevant city council
subcommittee by the end of 2026.
>> Second.
» Second.
>> We have a motion and a second.
» We have a motion and a second.
Councilman Hernandez.
>> Thank you, mayor. Um, I'll just be quick
» Thank you, mayor. Um, I'll just be quick
and to the point here. I have expressed
my frustration to this up here on the
council um to the parks department with
how the naming process itself has
unfolded in multiple places where the
city is removing Cesar Chavez's name.
You know, I have made it clear that his
name never represented the power of the
farm workers movement. He was only one
person within the movement. The movement
was made up of and it continues to be
led by migrants, by women, farmers who
fight for dignity and workers rights.
The that movement was built on Mexican,
Asian, and black farmers that harvest
our food and fed this country. Workers
across the United States owe so much to
the farm workers movement itself. You
know, my concerns that I shared back in
March and were also shared by many
residents that removing Chavez's name
should not result and could not result
in the whitewashing of our spaces and
the eraser of the history and the spirit
of those farm workers. But that's what
really has transpired over this process.
I'm not happy with the naming process of
the parks department moved on, nor am I
happy with how the options for renaming
this park were proposed. Both Aguila and
Lavine are generic names that do not
honor or carry or continue to uh honor
any of that history. And I do not agree
with any park sport decision to renaming
the park with either of those names.
That brings me to this citizen's
petition. Jesse Owens was a monumental
figure in this nation's history. As a
black athlete, he faced racism here in
the United States. He also stood up on
the global stage when called upon and
put Nazi Germany in its place. at the
1936 Olympic Games in Berlin by winning
four gold medals, setting individual
Olympic records in each event, plus as
another um another one as a member of
the 400 meter relay. This was especially
beautiful because both American
politicians and Hitler himself claimed
that Owens had no place um in the
Olympics because he was black and that
he would not be able to compete against
obst ostensibly superior white athletes.
So that was really a statement from
Owens. Owens went on to retire here in
Phoenix, which makes this power this his
powerful story a part of Arizona's
history. Owens was one of the greatest
track and field athletes in our
country's history. Um I I will be voting
I would I support the citizens petition
because his legacy is a type of story
that should be told in our parks and his
name will carry forward the spirit that
farm workers also carried and for which
the parks uh was intended to hold. Um, I
do want to thank the mayor and I want to
thank the vice mayor for your motion.
Um, while I agree with you that we need
to be intent, very very intentional in
finding um, an appropriate place to name
um, and to honor Jesse Owens, I still
cannot support this because of the staff
recommendation of requesting this
citizen's petition, which the results is
that the legacy of the fire workers
movement is being whitewashed from our
parks in Lavine. Thank you very much.
Thank you. We're ready for roll call.
Roll call.
>> Yes.
» Yes.
>> Hernandez,
» Hernandez,
>> no.
» no.
>> O'Brien,
» O'Brien,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Pastor,
» Pastor,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Robinson,
» Robinson,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Stark,
» Stark,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Wearing,
» Wearing,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Hudge Washington,
» Hudge Washington,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Bego,
» Bego,
>> yes.
» yes.
>> Passes 81.
» Passes 81.
>> Thank you. That concludes our agenda
» Thank you. That concludes our agenda
business. And now we'll go to the final
portion of the council meeting, which is
our citizen public comment. I'll turn to
our city attorney to introduce this
portion.
>> Thank you, mayor. During citizen
» Thank you, mayor. During citizen
comment, members of the public may speak
to the city council for up to three
minutes on issues of interest or
concern. However, the matters addressed
must be within the jurisdiction of the
Phoenix City Council and on which the
council has the authority to act. The
citizen comment session is limited to 30
minutes. The Arizona open meeting law
allows the city council to listen to
comments but prohibits council members
from discussing or acting on the issues
presented. However, council members may
respond to criticism. Thank you, Mayor.
>> Thank you so much. We'll begin with Alex
» Thank you so much. We'll begin with Alex
Johnson followed by David Morgan.
Hello um council and mayor
friends today. Thank you for your time.
Um, a few things top of mind. Uh, first
not related to data centers, which I'm
sure will be a relief to y'all. Um,
Awatuki is, uh, one half of a very oddly
drawn district. If you're familiar, it
represents Builtmore, Arcadia, and
Awatuki, which are all
considerably higher income
neighborhoods. I think I speak for a
majority of almost 80,000 residents in
Awatuki that we consistently feel under
represented.
I hear it at little league games for my
nephew. I hear it at family dinners. I
hear it with people I've met who oppose
the data center. Um,
I don't know how we do this, but I
suggest that the city considers
reszoning district 6 into two districts
to adequately represent not only very
difficult or different geological
location, geographical locations of the
city, but also a very different
demographic as well. Um, I'd also like
to um acknowledge that in regards to our
data center that our district has not
made a public comment on their Instagram
or social media regarding what's going
on in our district or in our
neighborhood. Um, the nonprofit that is
organizing against the data center is
public. It only takes one Google search
to find out if there is resistance to
the data center. So, I do not feel as if
um our council members
uh reasoning for not being available for
meetings is adequate. I found out about
it through the internet. That means
everyone else can too. Um
sec lastly, I think it's important that
our city council acknowledges the health
consequences of decisions that they make
regarding growth and industrialization
of our neighborhoods. I've lived a very
privileged life in Phoenix. I'm not
afraid to admit that. And I had an
honest conversation with my wife the
other day that
I never thought in my lifetime, given
the privileges that I have, would ever
have to experience industrial-grade
pollution in my neighborhood.
I never thought when I bought my house 5
years ago that I would have to consider
moving because of the health
consequences that I'm concerned about.
It seems to me that many members of the
council don't live within a data center
and aren't faced with um the health
consequences or maybe they're just not
worried and to each their own. But these
are legitimate issues. You could talk to
doctors about it. You can talk to the
medical offices that are adjacent to
this data center about how it's going to
impact how they treat their patients,
how they treat our community members,
seniors, people of my age, children.
You work for the people. We elect you
and we expect you to take care of us and
listen to us and respond to our comments
and emails and concerns. I have emails
that are left unanswered and I would
appreciate a response.
>> Thank you.
» Thank you.
>> Thank you so much. We have David Morgan
» Thank you so much. We have David Morgan
followed by Clarissa Peterson.
Thank you, Council Mayor. Um,
[clears throat]
as you know, I reside at the SOS
shelter. Um, I represent Funds for
Empowerment, and I've been voicing my
concerns about things that are happening
there.
A lot of the sanitation issues have been
addressed. Thank you. Thank you. We do
have water and ice. Thank you.
I don't think I've asked for more than
the basic necessities of life up to this
point. Today, I ask for my human rights.
I have more rights in prison than I have
living [clears throat] at the shelter.
There is no course for disciplinary
action. Their favorite excuse for
exiting people is non-compliance.
Very much like unsubordination. It's
broad meaning for a lot of things and
there's no way to fight it.
Whatever they write, they write. We
don't see it. There's no disciplinary
recourse. There's no disciplinary
hearing. At least I have that in prison.
I don't even have that here.
I'm asking, begging
the people that run the shelters,
you people that run them,
pay attention. I'm still human. And so
is the 250 people that live there. This
is not just the SOS. It affects every
shelter because the same entity runs all
of the same shelters. the city of
Phoenix through the Office of Homeless
Solutions, CBI, Keys to Change, and
Lionhe Heart Security. Thank you.
Next, we have Clarissa Peterson,
followed by Frank Urban.
Hello, um, Mayor, um, council members.
Um, I want to say that um, thank you for
the sanitation that's going on right now
at the on the turf that going on. And
I'm talking for everybody. Um, there's
always um,
people being exited for no reason at all
and it shouldn't be happening. And some
have been working that have been let go
from the shelter.
Um there's always I mean they're
the staff is always on the phone and
they should be doing their jobs as
they're supposed to be and
tearing our phone cords or electronics
out of the um outlets
and
not replacing them.
And it seems like they're being lazy and
not doing what they're supposed to do.
And it's like they don't have no care
for any of us out there at all.
I don't think they have a heart for any
anybody there.
And it it's like um
it's like people suffering
should be like [clears throat] that.
That's all I have to say.
» Thank you so much. Frank is next and
Frank is followed by Carla Kendall.
Hello there, city council. As you know,
I'm with Fund for Empowerment and I
would like to speak about the bill you
guys just passed.
Uh, I believe that it's inhumane.
Um, I mean to
limit the amount of help
a homeless person can get to two times a
month per park in Phoenix. That's just
ridiculous to be honest.
Um
uh this matters to me because I'm with
Fund for Empowerment. The reason I
joined Fund for Empowerment is because I
was homeless myself for for a number of
years now. I've had a place of my own
for about three or three four three
about three years now.
Um,
and yeah, that's all I have to say.
Thanks so much, Carla. Next, followed by
Faith.
Good morning, Mayor Council. My name is
Carla Kendall. I currently reside at the
SOS
and I have a few things to to discuss,
but one thing is my mail. I've been
residing there for about a year almost
and I'm waiting for disability. Okay.
And I got a phone call last week from my
attorney stating that disability sent me
letters and they received them back. I
have not received one letter since I've
been there and I don't know why but
there is just not getting there. And
so my future depends on my disabilities
to hit me so I can move forward.
And
you know, they've been waking us up at
midnight to disrupt us and have us go up
to the day room because they've lost
electricity.
So the cord to the generator disappears,
you know, so we have to be dragged with
our bedding up to the day room with
everybody else, them slamming doors. We,
you know, we can't sleep like that. I
have a heart monitor that I have to
sleep next to all the time. So, I have
to drag all that stuff up there and we
can't even go back to our room until the
next day whenever they decide to get it
up and running again. And that has
domino effects. You know, missing
appointments the next day cuz you're so
tired you can't keep your eyes open cuz
you've been up all night. You know,
stuff like this. It just it's not right.
and they just need to get more
professional within their description of
what their purpose is, you know, what
what they represent in their job details
and I don't feel that they're [singing]
adequate.
Thank you.
>> Thank you for that testimony.
» Thank you for that testimony.
Uh, Faith is next, followed by William
Lockwood.
I try to just let people know the order
so you can be ready.
Council
I
just like Frank Urban
am with fund for empowerment. I too have
been homeless.
I've had my rotation of the shelters
of other places to try to stay. I've
been stabilized now for about three
years.
So, it is possible for any homeless
person
to be able to get out of that situation
if given the chance.
Unfortunately, it seems like
all the homeless aren't being given a
chance. They're homeless. They'll never
get out of it.
And that's bold.
There needs to be more job support.
There needs to be more understanding.
And for goodness sake, please fix these
shelters.
They're despicable.
They're dirty.
And you really expect people to live in
those and try to get their life
together. It can't be done.
And with that, I close.
Thank you. William is next, followed by
Jeremy Thcker.
» Yeah, my my thing is that I went to SOS
about a year ago. I was pretty sick and
um they told me don't worry about
anything right now. They said just worry
about getting well. So, I I wasn't
really saving up any money or anything.
and um about a week ago or so when I'm
you know I'm starting to get better at
still healing and everything but they
tell me um that uh I have to come up
with a budget and save money. So um I
said okay uh so we agreed on $200 a
month and then uh when I went back to
them again they says oh no no no uh $200
is enough and I says well how much is
enough? Well, whatever you can.
So, I I feel like they're trying to come
up with a a thing to get rid of me
instead of giving me a chance to put
things together so I can
get a place. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Jeremy is next, followed by
» Thank you. Jeremy is next, followed by
Elsia.
Thank you all for your positions earlier
on the renaming of the park.
I wholeheartedly agree that fair and
intentional should both be priorities
for renaming parks. uh if you'd asked me
a decade ago uh how we should name
public properties, I would have told you
with alphabet characters and numbers
only that we didn't need that it was too
controversial and it doesn't matter. Uh
I don't know what it is about getting
older but changes some of that view. Um,
now I think we need to take those
chances to inspire and not just uh,
you know, not just take the easy
choices. And I don't think we need to
wash whitewash the park's history and
get rid of uh, what represents. So I'm
good goat was opportunistic about the
Jesse Owens name because the decision
had been made to uh, remove the name
that was there. So, but I think the farm
workers should be represented there.
It's uh
the land that was there and it's got an
important history. So, we support that
completely uh as well. And but we also
do believe that Jesse needs to be
memorialized. I mean, it's amazing that
people don't know that he lived here. Uh
we went by the medical center that's
named after him, and it's uh
it's amazing to hear people talk about
him. we just visited with a few people
that work there and uh the history. So,
I I think it's impactful and
I ask that you do it in the by the end
of 2026 would be fantastic. I think that
that's important because uh you know
[clears throat] there's other people
that need to be respected too. Not
saying any names, but maybe somebody
who's given a lot to parks and takes
bananas and waters to all the parks
daily. Takes watermelons to the uh
junior Olympics and things like that. So
yeah, say uh I appreciate it. Thank you.
And I hope we can find a way to do that
by the end of the year.
>> Thank you. Elsa is next, followed by
» Thank you. Elsa is next, followed by
Elizabeth.
Hi, mayor. I just wanted to tell you
thank you for all the new restrooms and
stuff going on with that cuz we really
needed them. But I'm having a issue get
keeping my wheelchair charged and now
they're telling me I can't charge it in
their office and I have to go to the day
room and there's never any c or plugs to
charge it. So, um, and I don't have a
ramp to take it into my ex-w. So, I'm
asking for some assistance with that
because for the last two years, I've
been able to charge it um per Miss
Olsen, who is the director for city of
Phoenix um in in the um office, but now
all of a sudden I cannot. So, I'm just
asking you for some help on that cuz
this is it's not a toy. It's a medical
prescription from Dr. Palmer and Dr.
Majeski.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for bringing that to
our attention. Uh, Elizabeth is next,
followed by Lee Ellis.
Okay. Elizabeth Fenal, Fund for
Empowerment. Um, I think it's really
good that you guys have been um
proactive in addressing the ADA
situation at the SOS lot. Um, I think
it's good to look at the entire facility
and see where like the X- Wings or other
areas. I'm not allowed to go in the
facility, so I can't tell you what might
not be accessible, but to tour it maybe
and and see what other improvements
could be made because, you know, really
it's a way it's it's a way for um, you
know, it's a win it's a it's better for
everybody. it's better for as a
municipal facility and it's better for
the residents, you know. Um I wanted to
also echo the concerns about um the
contractors on the SOS lot. Um I don't
feel like their training is um
sufficient. I've I've seen some of um
the training materials of of the most
prominent contractor and I don't find
the number of hours to be um significant
enough and and and the only reason I say
that is um you know it has to come down
to um you know efficiency again and some
of that is the culture of the
organization history inertia and some of
it is um relationship building and um
and that is also inertia from from past
iterations of um the relationships with
the city of Phoenix which have changed
over time from being sort of like
accompaniment to law enforcement to
being more than that and having more
scope in terms of running um shelters
and and the outdoor facility the SOS and
so um I think it's really important to
look at, you know, sort of the culture
of the programs, the culture of the
organizations, and then also, you know,
maybe the training because
[clears throat] um
the relationships I find are a real
hindrance
um to people um sometimes accepting
services. And I don't even mean within
the the SOS law. I mean, especially like
when people go um out to accompany law
enforcement or or separately um on, you
know, driving around [clears throat]
doing outreach. Um there's a lot of
people who have reservations or um
difficulty
um working with certain contractors and
and I and I really noticed a difference.
I'll say this real quickly. About a year
ago, I went to a um a budget hearing and
it was in district three and there was a
city of Phoenix employee that came out
in a city of Phoenix vehicle and I don't
know what organization they represented
but they acted very professionally and I
witnessed the entire interaction and it
was exemplary and then I see other
interactions with other contractors so I
know it can be done.
>> Thank you so much. Lee is next followed
» Thank you so much. Lee is next followed
by Dorian.
How you doing? Thank you for having my
time. Um, I stay at SOS. They have made
some positive changes. I'm just more
curious on to where uh they're going to
bring into more programs like the worker
and some more permanent housing
solutions. They do have programs we can
go out to Cass for the worker or
whatever. Um, some of us aren't allowed
on property there or whatever. more of
these programs should be implemented uh
to help us further our self-wealth. But
thank you for your time.
>> Thank you for your testimony. Dorian is
» Thank you for your testimony. Dorian is
next, followed by William Kirkland.
» Hello Dorian Brendan, fun for
empowerment. I got two points to talk
about.
Heat [clears throat] relief is key for
the summer. Uh, and via direct outreach
within the I17 corridor, people
experiencing homeland homelessness or
heat related issues have expressed a
huge increase of ticketing and arrests
across the board. Uh, use of heat
relief, cooling centers, outreach, and
targeted relief of high issue areas are
the job we aim to do, not just arrest
and ticket folks. uh and uh because of
uh the issues we were talking about
earlier as far as data centers uh that
were mentioned uh I believe the people
that are in opposition are actually
asking for y'all to go forward with like
more innovative ways to discourage these
data centers uh and they're building uh
and doing nothing but really spouting
legal or bureaucratic speak moves the
goalpost farther away from us having the
ability uh to have control over our
water, our land, and our communities.
And personally, I don't care if Grock or
Chad GPT go away. And the implementation
of these is fast, dangerous, and at the
expense of our living spaces and our
resources. Thank you.
Thank you. William is next followed by
David B.
» Good afternoon, y'all. My name's William
Kirkland and uh I had something else I
was going to say, but what they said
today kind of changed my mind as far as
I'm in the next wing myself. I'm
Colonel. Um
and the heat I think last week four
times it went out. Four times we had to
come out. Uh and we can't like I said we
can't go back cuz last year I measured
it. It was 135 in my X because it's all
steel.
But I do want to thank y'all for
everything y'all done. Since I've been
there
chain, I want to thank you for that. But
and also as far as the mail goes, I've
lost so many jobs and stuff because it
doesn't come. And then like just
yesterday, I finally my wallet got
stolen. I finally got my replacement ID
and every time who gives them the right
to open it? I don't understand. It's
always open. And if there anything you
get in the mail that feels like there's
an ID in it or anything that ain't just
a letter opened and if I'm not mistaken
that's a federal offense.
Not sure. But
most importantly, thank you. I've
noticed a difference. Appreciate it from
the bottom of my heart. Thank you.
>> Thank you, David Benfield, followed by
» Thank you, David Benfield, followed by
Nicole Robinson who will be our final
speaker.
Hi, how are you doing? Um,
I just have a few things to say. Uh,
I've been around uh the streets here for
about 3 years roughly um all sides of
town and I've noticed a a big change
since then, but it has nothing to do
with anybody but God. I don't see
anybody doing anything about it. I see
the the changes coming from things that
God has done. You guys have had to do
your job. And I and I don't know some of
you have done your job because you
follow God, but other than that, God is
the only one that's worked out here. And
I've seen that firsthand. So, I just
want to read something real quick and
I'll be done. Um, if that's all right.
Um, let me go back.
have mercy upon us, oh Lord. Have mercy
upon us. For we exceedingly filled with
contempt. Our soul is exceedingly filled
with the scorning of those that are at
ease and with the contempt of the proud.
If it had not been the Lord who was on
our side.
Now may Israel say, "But it had not been
the Lord who was on our side. When men
rose up against us, when they had
swallowed us up quick, when their wrath
was kindled against us, then the waters
had overwhelmed us. A stream had gone
over our soul and the proud waters had
gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord
who hath not given us as a prey to their
teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out
of the snare of the fowlers. The snare
is broken and we are escaped. Our help
is in the name of the Lord who made
heaven and earth. Amen. That's it.
Thank you. And just a reminder to folks,
we need uh testimony on things that is
under the jurisdiction of the city
council. Nicole will be our final
speaker.
Nicole Robinson, could you signal if
you're here? Nope.
All right, then we are adjourned.
to look at this cuz they'll want
something this beautiful as well. Uh and
hopefully one day we'll get this all
throughout the city. But thank you so
much. Thank you for being here and
congratulations to the community.
>> [applause]