On Wednesday, the Phoenix City Council convened in a formal meeting, discussing a few items that concern downtown Phoenix. These included delaying, possibly indefinitely, the West Phoenix light rail extension. Here’s a recap:
Consideration of Citizen Petition Regarding Light Rail Appropriations
At a March 6 formal meeting, Peggy Neely submitted a petition that requested City Council to enact a resolution terminating the development or construction of any light rail route along Camelback Road between 19th Avenue and 43rd Avenue. Debate over this extension started back in 2001, when voters approved the extension. From 2013 to 2015, numerous public outreach events were held to assess what the people of Phoenix were thinking about the extension.
But in December 2017, Glendale City Council withdrew its participation from the extension project. In October 2018, Phoenix City Council agreed to delay the Northeast extension of the light rail. During the meeting, Councilwoman Vania Guevara proposed an amendment that would delay the construction again and have more public outreach events, emphatically asking other council members to continue with the project.
Ultimately, five voted no, and three voted yes, causing the dismissal of the proposed amendment. City Council voted on the original motion and approved the delay of the light rail construction plans for West Phoenix, but no startup date was mentioned. Another petition was submitted, requesting the termination of the light rail construction in South Phoenix.
Those who voted against the project included Thelda Williams, Michael Nowakowski, Felicita Mendoza, Sal DiCiccio and Jim Waring while those who voted to keep the light rail extension were Deb Stark, Vania Guevara, and Laura Pastor.
Pension Report
Phoenix has more than $4 billion in pension debt, and Phoenix voters have voted for pension debt reform in the past.
At this meeting, the City Council approved a Special Election to be held Aug. 27, 2019, allowing voters to approve or reject Petition I-1-18. The petition calls for stricter pension reform, such as limiting the City’s ability to spend money if there is still pension debt, requiring the city to spend any additional funding on the pension debt, and removing pensions for City Council members.
Since being filed in January 2018 and called off in August 2018 by Councilman Sal DiCiccio, the petition was relaunched after the midterm elections in November. Now passed, the city will enforce the new guidelines to handle Phoenix’s pension debt.
Redevelopment of City-Owned Garage at 40 N. 2nd St
The parking garage across the street from the Phoenix Convention Center on N 2nd St. is managed by the Phoenix Convention Center Department and is currently used by the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Three E One North Investment Company, the Phoenix Symphony and the company Enterprise Leasing.
The garage was built in 1972, and the Phoenix Convention Center and the Economic Development departments have been contacted by many different development parties who are interested in reconstructing the garage.
The City approved the Community and Economic Development Department to issue a Request for Proposal, or RFP, that will seek out offers for redevelopment. The redevelopment must follow certain guidelines, like incorporating public parking and keeping the development an urban project.
Development Agreement Between the City and The Masonic Temple Association of Phoenix
City Council approved City Manager Ed Zuercher to enter a development agreement with the Masonic Temple, which has 14 Masonic organizations and is the home of the Phoenix Freemasons branch. The Freemasonry began in Europe and is shrouded with secrecy. But the Masonic Temple had an open house back in October 2017.
The temple was built in the 1920s, was listed on the Phoenix Historic Property Register in 1996 and is showing signs of wear.
The Temple agreed to a 30-year conservation easement, meaning the developer can earn up to 20 bonus credits. The bonus credits allow developers to add any additional building height, density, lot coverage or parking. The agreement could serve as a template that would help the rehabilitation and the conversation of the Temple and other historic properties.
RELATED: Phoenix Freemasons give community members a peek inside
Consideration of Citizen Petition Related to Urban Camping
City Council heard Elizabeth Venable speak on her submitted petition, which was introduced in the formal meeting on March 6, 2019. Venable has asked the City to repeal urban camping laws and enforcement for trespassing and sleeping.
In her petition, and in her time to speak at the meeting, Venable argued that criminalizing sleeping and camping is cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th Amendment. The city, however, is still enforcing these laws. The City currently invests over $4 million in Federal, State, and local dollars for programs like emergency shelter, veteran navigation and coordination and other supportive programs.
The City also has programs like PHX C.A.R.E.S. (Community, Action, Response, Engagement Services), which aids people experiencing homelessness by showing which programs are available, and The Smart Justice Program, which works with the judicial system and helps the homeless develop plans to reduce crime and increase their independence.
Contact the reporter at ldiethel@asu.edu.
Lisa Diethelm is the Politics editor for the Downtown Devil while she studies at The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in downtown Phoenix. She grew up in California and started her journalism career in high school.
