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To: City of Phoenix Planning Commission Date: May 5, 2022 From: Racelle Escolar, AICP Principal Planner Subject: ITEM NO. 8 (Z-62-18-2) – VERDIN PUD – SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE 24TH STREET ALIGNMENT AND SONORAN DESERT DRIVE The purpose of this is memo is to recommend additional stipulations and convey additional correspondence that has been received regarding this case and its companion cases. Rezoning Case No. Z-62-18-2 is a request to rezone 488.63 acres from S-1 DCOD (Ranch or Farm Residence, Desert Character Overlay District), RE-35 (Single-Family Residence District) DCOD, and S-1. The requested zoning is PUD (Planned Unit Development) DCOD (Pending PUD) and PUD for the Verdin PUD, to allow single- family residential. The North Gateway Village Planning Committee (VPC) heard this request on March 10, 2022, and recommended approval with modifications by a 4-1 vote. The Desert View VPC heard this request on April 5, 2022, and recommended approval with modifications and additional stipulations by a 10-1 vote. The applicant has agreed to reduce the maximum wall height standards in the PUD Narrative and to require that any walls or fencing on the preserve edge have sufficient openings to allow the passage of wildlife. This is addressed in Stipulation Nos. 1.l, m, n, and p. The applicant has also agreed to notifying specific individuals should there be future public hearings applicable to the PUD area. This is addressed in Stipulation No. 13. The Sonoran Desert Drive Roadway Corridor, including Sonoran Desert Drive from North Valley Pkwy to Cave Creek Road and Dove Valley Road from 22nd Avenue to Sonoran Desert Drive, will become a critical transportation conduit connecting northwest and northeast Phoenix across the Sonoran Desert Preserve. Roadway improvements will be needed within the corridor to ensure continued safe travel conditions as future new development occurs in north Phoenix. Staff is recommending a stipulation to require a development agreement that will set forth the terms by which Verdin will contribute a fair share toward the necessary roadway improvements. This is addressed in Stipulation No. 14. Enclosed with this memo are three letter of support and eight letters of opposition, including a petition. ATTACHMENT I Z-62-18-2 Planning Commission Backup Memo May 5, 2022 Page 2 of 7 Staff recommends approval, subject to the stipulations below: 1. An updated Development Narrative for the Sendero Foothills VERDIN PUD reflecting the changes approved through this request shall be submitted to the Planning and Development Department within 30 days of City Council approval of this request. The updated Development Narrative shall be consistent with the Development Narrative date stamped November 29, 2021 MARCH 3, 2022, as modified by the following stipulations: a. MODIFY THE VERDIN PUD DOCUMENT AS NECESSARY TO REFLECT A MAXIMUM OVERALL UNIT COUNT OF 1,250 UNITS AND A MAXIMUM OVERALL DENSITY OF 2.6 UNITS PER ACRE.. PAGES 6, 8, 26, AND 28: REVISE ALL REFERENCES TO THE MAXIMUM DENSITY TO 2.6 DWELLING UNITS PER ACRE. b. MODIFY THE VERDIN PUD DOCUMENT AS NECESSARY TO REMOVE THE SMALL LOT (SFR-3) LAND USE DISTRICT. PAGES 6, 8, 26, AND 28: REVISE ALL REFERENCES TO THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF UNITS TO 1,250 DWELLING UNITS. c. MODIFY THE VERDIN PUD DOCUMENT AS NECESSARY TO REFLECT A MINIMUM 25-FOOT OPEN SPACE TRACT PROVIDED ALONG THE EASTERN BOUNDARY OF THE VERDIN PROPERTY TO PROVIDE A TRANSITION TO THE CAVE CREEK WASH CORRIDOR. THE OPEN SPACE TRACT SHALL BE CONSIDERED A CERTIFIED AREA TYPE “B” – NATURAL REVEGETATED AREA WITH PLANT MATERIALS FROM THE VERDIN PUD PLANT LIST: GREEN LIST. PAGES 23, 26, 28, 29, 35, 36, 59, 63, 75, 134, 135, AND 136: REMOVE ALL REFERENCES TO THE “SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL – SMALL LOT (SFR-3)” LAND USE DISTRICT. UNIT COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES RELATED TO THIS REMOVAL SHALL BE UPDATED ACCORDINGLY. d. PAGES 20, 52, 61, 102, AND 113: REVISE ALL REFERENCES TO THE WIDTH OF THE MULTI-USE TRAIL EASEMENT ALONG THE MESQUITE WASH CORRIDOR TO 30-FEET-WIDE. e. PAGES 51, 71, 75, 76, 83, 86, 87, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 119, AND 121: REVISE ALL REFERENCES TO THE “APPROVED PLANT PALETTE” TO “PLANT PALETTE”. f. PAGES 8-22, SECTION 2. LAND USE PLAN, AND PAGES 97-123, SECTION 9. CERTIFIED OPEN SPACE DESIGN GUIDELINES: ADD LANGUAGE REGARDING CONVEYANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 16 ACRES ADDRESSED IN STIPULATION NO. 8. THERE SHALL BE A PROVISION FOR BOTH ON SITE OPEN SPACE AND THE DEDICATED 16 ACRES TO COUNT TOWARDS TOTAL OPEN SPACE. Z-62-18-2 Planning Commission Backup Memo May 5, 2022 Page 3 of 7 g. PAGE 16, OFF-SITE CONNECTIVITY: ADD LANGUAGE REGARDING PUBLIC TRAIL ACCESS EASEMENTS PROVIDED FOR THE MESQUITE WASH CORRIDOR TRAIL AND COMMUNITY PASEO PATHS, PER STIPULATION NO. 6. THE SECTION SHALL SPECIFICALLY NOTE THAT THE ACCESS EASEMENTS WILL ENSURE PERMANENT PUBLIC ACCESS AND RESTRICT UNAUTHORIZED MOTOR VEHICLE ACCESS THROUGH THE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY TO THE SONORAN PRESERVE. h d. Page 23, Section 1.d.Accessory uses.(1): Revise to read, “permanent and/or temporary alcoholic beverage and/or food sales and/or consumption;” i. PAGE 35, SINGLE-FAMILY LAND USE DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS TABLE: ADD A ROW AFTER MAX. DWELLING UNIT DENSITY THAT READS “MAXIMUM UNITS: 1,250 DWELLING UNITS FOR THE ENTIRE PUD AREA”. j. PAGES 36-37, SINGLE-FAMILY LAND USE DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS TABLE: ADD A FOOTNOTE THAT REFERS TO THE DEVELOPMENT PARCEL ALLOCATION TABLE IN SECTION 4.C. (REGULATORY STANDARDS & LAND USE DISTRICTS – DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS) FOR THE MAXIMUM UNIT COUNTS FOR EACH DEVELOPMENT PARCEL. k. PAGE 41, SECTION 6.1: REVISE TO READ, “WHEN NOT PROHIBITED BY CITY CODE, SECTION 31-13, PRIMARY ORNAMENTAL ENTRIES NO HIGHER THAN 16-FEET ARE ALLOWED…” l. PAGE 41, SECTION 6.3.A: ADD THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE UNDER THE EXISTING SENTENCE: “ANY WALLS OR FENCING ALONG A PRESERVE EDGE/MCFCD PROPERTY BOUNDARY, OTHER THAN WALLS OR FENCING FOR INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTIAL LOTS, SHALL BE COMPRISED OF THE BARRIER FENCING TYPE, WHICH ARE DESIGNED WITH SUFFICIENT OPENINGS TO ALLOW THE REGULAR PASSAGE OF WILDLIFE.” m. PAGE 42, SECTION 6.3.B: REVISE THE REFERENCE TO ‘A MAXIMUM 6-FOOT, 4-INCH HIGH FULL VIEW FENCING” TO ‘A MAXIMUM 5-FOOT HIGH FULL VIEW FENCING’. n. PAGE 46, SECTION 6.6: CHANGE ‘14 FEET’ TO ‘12 FEET’. l.o. PAGES 52-53, SECTION 2.C: ADD LANGUAGE REGARDING PUBLIC TRAIL ACCESS EASEMENTS PROVIDED FOR THE MESQUITE WASH CORRIDOR TRAIL AND COMMUNITY PASEO PATHS, PER Z-62-18-2 Planning Commission Backup Memo May 5, 2022 Page 4 of 7 STIPULATION NO. 6. THE SECTION SHOULD SPECIFICALLY NOTE THAT THE ACCESS EASEMENTS WILL ENSURE PERMANENT PUBLIC ACCESS AND RESTRICT UNAUTHORIZED MOTOR VEHICLE ACCESS THROUGH THE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY TO THE SONORAN PRESERVE. p. PAGE 79-80, SECTION 5.A, LAST BULLET POINT: ADD THE FOLLOWING AFTER THE FIRST SENTENCE: “THE USE OF RETAINING WALLS IN EXCESS OF 4 FEET IS DISCOURAGED AND SHOULD BE LIMITED TO LOCATIONS WHERE NECESSARY TO ACCOMMODATE SPECIFIC SITE TOPOGRAPHY.” m.q. PAGES 90-91, SECTION 6.H: DELETE “CHILOPSIS LINEARIS – DESERT WILLOW” TREE FROM THE GREEN LIST AND ADD IT TO THE YELLOW LIST TREES ON PAGE 91. n.r. PAGES 90 AND 92, SECTION 6.H: DELETE “CELTIS RETICULATA – NETLEAF HACKBERRY” SHRUB FROM THE YELLOW LIST AND ADD IT TO THE GREEN LIST SHRUBS ON PAGE 90. o.s. PAGE 101, CERTIFIED AREA OPEN SPACE TYPES EXHIBIT. UPDATE THE EXHIBIT TO INCLUDE THE 25-FOOT OPEN SPACE TRACT THAT WILL BE PROVIDED ALONG THE EASTERN BOUNDARY OF THE SITE AS A CERTIFIED AREA TYPE “B” – NATURAL REVEGETATED AREA. p.t. PAGE 105-108, SECTION 1.D.2: ADD LANGUAGE REGARDING THE MINIMUM 25-FOOT OPEN SPACE TRACT THAT WILL BE PROVIDED ALONG THE EASTERN BOUNDARY OF THE SITE TO PROVIDE A TRANSITION TO THE CAVE CREEK WASH CORRIDOR. EXPLAIN THAT THE AREA’S PLANT MATERIAL WILL BE FROM THE PLANT PALETTE GREEN LIST. q.u. PAGES 119 AND 121, 1.E. PLANT AND WILDLIFE RELATIONSHIP MATRIX, PLANT PALETTE: GREEN LIST: REMOVE THE IMAGE AND INFORMATION REGARDING “CHILOPSIS LINEARIS – DESERT WILLOW” AND ADD TO THE PLANT PALETTE: YELLOW LIST ON PAGE 121. r.v. PAGES 119 AND 122, 1.E. PLANT AND WILDLIFE RELATIONSHIP MATRIX, PLANT PALETTE: YELLOW LIST: REMOVE THE IMAGE INFORMATION REGARDING “CELTIS RETICULATA – NETLEAF HACKBERRY” AND ADD TO THE PLANT PALETTE: GREEN LIST ON PAGE 119. s.w. PAGE 123, SECTION 10.1.B: REVISE TO READ, “THE MAXIMUM HEIGHT FOR PRIMARY ORNAMENTAL ENTRY SIGN LETTERING AND COPY IS 16 FEET…” Z-62-18-2 Planning Commission Backup Memo May 5, 2022 Page 5 of 7 2. The applicant shall submit a Traffic Impact Study (TIS) to the City for this development. No preliminary approval of plans shall be granted until the study is reviewed and approved by the City. The TIS shall provide signal warrant analysis for development access points along Sonoran Desert Drive as well as 7th Street and Dove Valley Road. The developer will be responsible for all additional dedications and/or roadway and signal improvements as identified by the approved study. 3. The developer shall submit Master Street Design and Phasing Plans for each Development Unit, as required by Section 636, Planned Community District (PCD), of the Phoenix Zoning Ordinance. 4. All designated public roadways shall meet the City of Phoenix Storm Water Design Manual Standards for wash crossings. 5. The developer shall construct all streets within and adjacent to the development with paving, curb, gutter, sidewalk, curb ramps, streetlights, median islands, landscaping, and other incidentals as per plans approved by the Planning and Development Department. All improvements shall comply with all ADA accessibility standards. 6. THE DEVELOPER SHALL WORK WITH THE CITY OF PHOENIX PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE PUBLIC TRAIL ACCESS EASEMENTS FOR THE MESQUITE WASH CORRIDOR TRAIL AND COMMUNITY PASEO PATHS THAT PROVIDE CONNECTION TO THE SONORAN PRESERVE AS DEPICTED ON EXHIBIT 6, PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION PLAN, IN THE PUD DOCUMENT DEVELOPMENT NARRATIVE, AS MODIFIED AND APPROVED BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT AND PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. THE PUBLIC ACCESS SHALL BE DESIGNED TO RESTRICT UNAUTHORIZED MOTOR VEHICLE ACCESS, AS APPROVED BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT AND PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. THE LOCATION AND DESIGN OF TRAIL CONNECTIONS SHALL BE COORDINATED WITH THE CITY OF PHOENIX PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT AND PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. 7. A MINIMUM 12-FOOT-WIDE MULTI-USE TRAIL (MUT) SHALL BE CONSTRUCTED WITHIN AN AVERAGE 30-FOOT-WIDE MULTI-USE TRAIL EASEMENT (MUTE) ALONG THE MESQUITE WASH IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 429 OF THE CITY OF PHOENIX MAG SUPPLEMENTAL DETAIL, AS MODIFIED TO ADDRESS WASH CORRIDOR CONSTRAINTS AND APPROVED BY THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. 8. THE DEVELOPER SHALL CONVEY APPROXIMATELY 16 ACRES LOCATED AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE SITE WITHIN THE EROSION HAZARD SETBACK AREA ALONG THE CAVE CREEK WASH Z-62-18-2 Planning Commission Backup Memo May 5, 2022 Page 6 of 7 CORRIDOR, AS GENERALLY SHOWN ON EXHIBIT 11 OF THE DEVELOPMENT NARRATIVE, TO THE CITY OF PHOENIX FOR INCLUSION IN THE SONORAN PRESERVE, AS MODIFIED AND APPROVED BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT AND PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. THE FINAL ACREAGE AND CONFIGURATION OF THE PROPERTY TO BE CONVEYED, ALONG WITH TIMING OF THE CONVEYANCE, SHALL BE MUTUALLY AGREED UPON BY THE DEVELOPER, THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, AND PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. 9 8. If determined necessary by the Phoenix Archaeology Office, the applicant shall conduct Phase I data testing and submit an archaeological survey report of the development area for review and approval by the City Archaeologist prior to clearing and grubbing, landscape salvage, and/or grading approval. 10 9. If Phase I data testing is required, and if, upon review of the results from the Phase I data testing, the City Archaeologist, in consultation with a qualified archaeologist, determines such data recovery excavations are necessary, the applicant shall conduct Phase II archaeological data recovery excavations. 11 10. In the event archaeological materials are encountered during construction, the developer shall immediately cease all ground-disturbing activities within a 33- foot radius of the discovery, notify the City Archaeologist, and allow time for the Archaeology Office to properly assess the materials. 12. PRIOR TO PRELIMINARY SITE PLAN APPROVAL, THE LANDOWNER SHALL EXECUTE A PROPOSITION 207 WAIVER OF CLAIMS FORM. THE WAIVER SHALL BE RECORDED WITH THE MARICOPA COUNTY RECORDER'S OFFICE AND DELIVERED TO THE CITY TO BE INCLUDED IN THE REZONING APPLICATION FILE FOR RECORD. 13. THE DEVELOPER SHALL NOTIFY THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS BY EMAIL A MINIMUM OF 15 DAYS PRIOR TO ANY PRELIMINARY SITE PLAN REVIEW MEETINGS WITH THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, PLANNING HEARING OFFICER REQUESTS TO MODIFY STIPULATIONS, OR ANY ZONING ADJUSTMENT REQUESTS. THE NOTICE SHALL INCLUDE THE DATE, TIME AND LOCATION OF THE MEETING/HEARING. A. DR. GARY KIRKILAS: GARYKIRKILAS@GMAIL.COM B. MEMBERS OF THE PHOENIX SONORAN PRESERVE AND MOUNTAIN PARKS/PRESERVES COMMITTEE C VASHTI “TICE” SUPPLEE: VSUPPLEE25@GMAIL.COM 14. APPROVAL OF THE PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT SHALL BE CONDITIONED UPON THE FINAL EXECUTION OF A DEVELOPMENT Z-62-18-2 Planning Commission Backup Memo May 5, 2022 Page 7 of 7 AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE DEVELOPER WITHIN 24 MONTHS OF CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL OF THIS CHANGE OF ZONE. ADDITIONALLY, THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT SHALL BE EXECUTED PRIOR TO FINAL SITE PLAN APPROVAL AND ISSUANCE OF ANY GRADING AND DRAINAGE PERMITS. THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT SHALL AT A MINIMUM OUTLINE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR INITIAL IMPROVEMENTS TO SONORAN DESERT DRIVE, AS WELL AS FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE ULTIMATE BUILDOUT OF SONORAN DESERT DRIVE, AS MODIFIED AND APPROVED BY THE STREET TRANSPORTATION AND PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTS. Enclosures: Correspondence (80 pages) LW VENTURE, LLC 9393 N 90th St., Ste. 102, Box 125 Scottsdale, AZ 85258 Telephone (480) 305-4609 Cameron@mac-cre.com April 27, 2022 Via Email : julianna.pierre@phoenix.gov Ms. Julianna Pierre City Village Planner Re: Taylor Morrison Arizona, Inc. Case Nos.: Z-62-18-2, GPA-DSTV-1-18-2, Z-TA-5-18-2 & Z-75-18-2 Dear Ms. Pierre: As the new owner of Tatum Ranch Crossing, we support approval of the zoning changes being requested by Taylor Morrison for the master planned residential community to be known DV³9HUGLQ´ Please direct all future correspondence and/or notices to my email or physical address mentioned above. Sincerely, LW Venture, LLC An Arizona Limited Liability Company By: NCW Property A, LLC, Property Manager _______________________________ Cameron Wilson DCL/bgr cc: Ellie Brundige Gammage & Burnham, P.L.C. Email: ebrundige@gblaw.com From: PDD Zoning To: Racelle Escolar Cc: Julianna Pierre; Sarah Stockham; Enrique A Bojorquez-Gaxiola Subject: FW: PMPC letters regarding Verdin zoning Date: Monday, May 2, 2022 3:57:42 PM Attachments: PMPC Cover Letter_Legal Research on DCOD_April 3 2022 (004).pdf PMPC Letter to City of Phoenix re VERDIN Applications_Final Draft (004).pdf Hello see below and attached. Thank You Leonor Valenzuela Secretary III Planning and Development - Zoning Section 200 West Washington Street 2nd Floor Phoenix, AZ 85003 From: libby@fivewest.com <libby@fivewest.com> Sent: May 2, 2022 3:03 PM To: Alan Stephenson <alan.stephenson@phoenix.gov>; Sandra Hoffman <sandra.hoffman@phoenix.gov>; PDD Zoning <zoning@phoenix.gov>; Jason Blakley <jason.blakley@phoenix.gov>; Joshua Bednarek <joshua.bednarek@phoenix.gov> Subject: PMPC letters regarding Verdin zoning Our attached letters from Phoenix Mountains Preservation Council (PMPC) relate to the zoning change request regarding the Verdin development. Elizabeth (Libby) Goff PMPC Secretary Libby@fivewest.com 602-758-3062 PMPC SUMMARY - APRIL 3, 2022 The Phoenix Mountains Preservation Council, a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization charged with the protection of the Phoenix Mountains Preserves write to you with our strong support and encouragement to engage and monitor the Verdin Development of the 480 acres situated to the west of Cave Creek Wash and to the south of the Sonoran Parkway. The Verdin location abuts to Sonoran Preserve. The attached legal research conducted by the PMPC Attorney, lists our concerns and we hope that you and City departments will continue to take them seriously and will apply the sections of the zoning Ordinance that were written and included into the Ordinance to protect these Preserve adjacencies and to ensure that the Preserves will remain available to the public and enjoyable as well. PMPC understands that Phoenix is a rapidly growing city and that large numbers of the new population must be accommodated. A great effort was undertaken in past decades to have the Sonoran Preserve acquired by the City at tax payer expense, with a large effort by PMPC to identify and help to support the City efforts. We therefore are very dedicated to keeping the Preserves available to the local citizens, and the Desert Character Overlay continued and appreciated. The Verdin Development planning team has taken important steps in the linking up of the Sonoran Preserves, emphasis on desert plant maintenance, protection of plants and animals, and meaningful public access to the Desert Preserves surrounding the new Verdin development. What is needed is a more formal arrangement between the City of Phoenix, Phoenix Citizens and the Verdin 480 Acre Development project team. As a remembrance; On February 17, 1998, the [City] Council also voted unanimously to adopt the Sonoran Preserve Master Plan and to move forward in acquiring this open space. In doing so, the Council continues a time-honored precedent for protecting and preserving desert open space within the city and for ensuring recreational access for our citizens.” PMPC is intensely interested in the pending development of the Verdin 480 acre site, as it is an early project in the development of this corridor, and especially important for the continued Desert character Overlay District enforcement. Sincerely, Patrick McMullen, PhD Patrick McMullen, PhD PMPC President 1 March 31, 2022 Mayor Kate Gallego Phoenix City Hall 200 W. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ 85003 Phoenix City Councilmembers Phoenix City Hall 200 W. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ 85003 Re: Objections of the Phoenix Mountains Preservation Council, Inc. (PMPC) to the Four Applications Submitted for “Verdin” Development Proposal (GPA- DSTV-1-18-2, Z-75-18-2, Z-TA-5-18-2 and Z-62-18-2) Dear Mayor Gallego: This letter is submitted by the Phoenix Mountains Preservation Council, Inc. (PMPC) in opposition to the proposed Taylor Morrison “Verdin” housing development project south of Sonoran Desert Drive between the 16th Street and 32nd Street alignments, just west of Cave Creek Road in northern Phoenix (formerly “MacEwen 480”). We understand that developer Taylor Morrison has filed several applications in furtherance of this development including two zoning amendments, a General Plan Amendment, and a Planned Unit Development application (hereinafter the “four applications”).1 We understand that these four applications were simultaneously approved by the North Gateway Village Planning Committee on March 10, 20222, and the Desert View Village Planning Committee is scheduled to meet on these four applications on April 5, 2022.3 PMPC strongly objects to any actions, at any level, that would advance the four applications as written, for reasons stated herein. First – the Desert Maintenance Overlay District should not be modified but must remain intact, ensuring that washes, sensitive species and their habitats, and the delicate desert ecosystem remain protected. The rezoning is not simply a “technical clean-up” as the developer casually asserts,4 but rather, this rezoning would be an unprecedented rollback of protections carefully researched and thoughtfully added to the Phoenix Zoning Code for this specific area decades ago – protections that were specifically adopted to protect this desert area from the very type of development pressure that is presented here. Second – simultaneous consideration and approval of these four applications is contrary to the law and City of Phoenix policy. Furthermore, public notice has been deficient. 1 General Plan Amendment (GPA-DSTV-1-18-2); Zoning Amendments (Z-75-18-2 and Z-75-5- 18); and Planned Unit Development (Z-62-18-2). 2 See Notice of Results, North Gateway Village Planning Committee Meeting (March 10, 2022). 3 See Notice of Public Meeting, Desert View Village Planning Committee (April 5, 2022). 4 See Letter re Z-75-18-2 Zoning Map Amendment (December 17, 2021), p.2 2 On behalf of PMPC, I ask that these applications not be approved as written but that the Desert Maintenance Overlay District remain wholly intact, ensuring that protections to washes, sensitive species and their habitats, and the delicate desert ecosystem remain as intended. About PMPC The Phoenix Mountains Preservation Council, Inc. is an organization founded in 1970 by Arizona visionaries dedicated to the protection of Phoenix’s Mountain Preserve system. For the last 50 years, PMPC and its members have worked tirelessly to preserve, protect, and advocate for the precious Mountain Preserve system, and to monitor and address the rapid growth and development surrounding these important public resources. For much of Phoenix’s modern history, our PMPC membership has worked hard alongside hundreds of concerned Phoenix citizens and City staff to ensure that the Sonoran Desert Preserves are protected and maintained as a valuable resource for all citizens of Phoenix. I. The Desert Maintenance Overlay District Must Not Be Altered For many decades, protecting and preserving the unique desert features of the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve and the surrounding area has been a priority for the City of Phoenix. The PMPC and its members were involved in and supported the development and adoption of the Desert Maintenance Overlay District (“DMOD” or “DMOD Overlay”) at Section 653 of the Zoning Ordinance in 2001, and the related working groups and charettes involved with that process, as well as the formation and expansion of the Phoenix Mountain Preserves. We support the critical protections carefully enacted by the City of Phoenix to prohibit intense development in and around the Cave Creek Wash area outlined in the DMOD Overlay, which must remain intact. The true history of how the DMOD Overlay was developed is compelling. It is a landmark instance of how land planning and landscape ecological principles can be integrated as part of policy drafting processes. It should be a point of pride for the City of Phoenix, and an asset worth protecting. Furthermore, the history shows that the DMOD Overlay area and its boundaries were not simply dictated by road alignments (as the developer incorrectly claims), but instead were carefully studied and thoughtfully drafted in a manner integrating ecological considerations with planning structure, as part of one of the most robust and widely supported Phoenix endeavors, to date. Finally, the owner(s) of the “Verdin” property have owned this land for at least the last half-century, and have had ample time and opportunities to challenge its classification over the last several decades. The DMOD Overlay must not be altered. 3 History of the Desert Maintenance Overlay District (DMOD) On July 5, 2001, the approximately 6,724-acre DMOD was added to the Phoenix City Zoning Ordinance at Section 653 (Sub-Districts A & B), shown on the following page.5 City of Phoenix Zoning Ordinance Section 653 (Desert Character Overlay Districts) It was carefully constructed by a large, interdisciplinary collaborative effort over several years to study and understand the unique and sensitive characteristics of this area, and protect those characteristics from the pressures of development. Historical city documents and studies, reports, articles, and other research materials describe this history, as summarized below. 1980s On January 19, 1985, a large portion of northern Phoenix (including the current DMOD Overlay area) was annexed into the city.6 Tensions between increasing development and impacts on sensitive desert areas were rising during this time. Spurred in part by these tensions and concerns over the proposed development at Tatum Ranch,7 the City Council developed a plan for this larger area, then called the peripheral Areas C and D Areas, with “extensive” community assistance from a Council-appointed Citizen’s 5 See Zoning Ordinance Section 653 (Desert Character Overlay Districts). 6 See North Land Use Plan (May 1997), at 4; see also City of Phoenix Annexation Map. 7 See Quay, Ray. “Bridging the Gap Between Ecological Research and Land Use Policy: The North Sonoran Collaborative” Urban Ecosystems, 7:283-294 (2004). Tatum Ranch was one of the first developments to use groundwater and wastewater, opening the doors for more development north of the CAP canal. 4 Advisory Committee, as well as support from the State.8 The Peripheral Areas C & D Plan was adopted in 1987. The Peripheral Areas C and D Plan was intended to direct the City of Phoenix on future land use and development densities “to ensure that development in the area was compatible with and complementary to the unique and environmentally sensitive characteristics of the area.” 9 The Peripheral Areas C & D Plan describes this new proactive approach: “Normally, the City is placed in a reactive role with respect to guiding growth of a developing area. These northern areas; however, are largely undeveloped and provide the City with a unique opportunity to anticipate growth and to establish an overall framework to guide physical development.”10 Even at the time, the City recognized that more work would be needed towards developing future protections, such as an ordinance.11 1990s Development continued to increase in northern Phoenix during the early 1990s. Subsequently, concerns about density and form of development within the ecologically sensitive desert areas came to a critical point. A diverse group of public and private planners, designers, environmental scientists, landscape architects, university departments, as well as representatives from state agencies, private consultants, the City of Phoenix, and State of Arizona began collaborating on a variety of studies, plans, and charrettes for this area during this time.12 This group (called the North Sonoran Collaborative), formed and met regularly to address the gap between managing growth and the ecological data needed to accomplish these goals. Their research was organized into a multi-disciplinary GIS database,13 one of the early instances of GIS usage by the city and significant part of the group’s success. The City of Phoenix began the process of revising the General Plan with detailed objectives and design standards for this area during this time. The absence of ecological 8 See General Plan: Peripheral Areas C and D, City of Phoenix Planning Department, October 1987. 9 See City of Phoenix Planning Department Staff Report No. 58-01-02 (June 13, 2001), recommending approval of the DMOD Overlay, at 2. Obtained via Public Records Request. 10 See FN 8 at 1. 11 See FN 9 at 2. 12 See FN 9 (p.2); see also FN 7; see also “ASU Program Stresses Ecological Approach to City Planning”, University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center Newsletter, November- December 1999, at 9. 13 See Ward, B., Burke, J., Ewan, J., Fish Ewan, R., Miller, W., Quay, R., Steiner, F. 1999. “A Collaborative Approach to Planning.” ASU School of Planning & Landscape Architecture. 5 information about the Northern Sonoran Desert was quickly recognized as a major barrier,14 so the City turned to the North Sonoran Collaborative and Arizona State University (ASU) School of Planning and Landscape Architecture to conduct this much- needed work. The city funded a detailed study of the Cave Creek Wash by ASU, the success of which led to several additional studies of other nearby washes.15 The Cave Creek Study also helped build momentum for the acquisition of 15,000 acres of Preserve lands including along the Cave Creek Wash corridor. As a result of these extensive studies, a radical departure in methodology was forming. “Basing preservation boundaries on ecosystems rather than topography or land ownership is new to Phoenix. In the past, boundaries did not reflect the ecological systems inherent in the landscape and so the impact of preserve size, shape, and constitution on plant and wildlife habitats were not considered nor well understood.”16 These and other processes led directly to the North Land Use Plan (adopted 1996) and the Sonoran Preserve Master Plan (adopted 1998). Based in part on interviews with neighbors in the area, the North Land Use Plan identified three Character Areas – the Desert Preserve (today’s DMOD Overlay), the Rural Desert, and Suburban Desert – and required that zoning overlay districts be created for each area “to provide clear development standards which reflect community desires for each area.”17 It is worth highlighting that the Desert Overlay development process was so unique and ambitious that an entire session series of presentations were devoted to it at the 1999 American Planning Association’s National Conference held in Seattle, Washington.18 Presenters included ASU professors, City of Phoenix Planning Deputy Director James Burke, Assistant Director Ray Quay (all Collaborative members) who traveled from Arizona to Washington to present their work to planners across the United States. In a conference paper presented to planners nationwide, Terry Newton of the Phoenix Planning Department noted that “the process for developing the three overlay 14 See FN 8. 15 This study was reportedly conducted by a team of ecologists and biologists from the ASU Schools of Planning and Landscape Architecture and Life Sciences Department, Northern Arizona University, the Desert Botanical Gardens, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Their report on the biological values of Cave Creek Wash entitled “Cave Creek Wash: Preservation Boundary Study” was published in 1996. 16 See Sonoran Preserve Master Plan (1998), at 16. 17 See North Land Use Plan (May 1997), at 19. 18 See 1999 APA National Planning Conference file (WorldCat record); see 1999 APA National Planning Conference Table of Contents (see Session Series on The North Sonoran Collaborative, five papers linked). 6 ordinances is unlike any the city has undertaken in the past.” He continued, saying that these guidelines could “set a new standard for the city’s approach to development in natural desert areas for the city.”19 He further described the specific acreage targeted for protection: “Much of the area identified by Subdistricts A and B is included in the Arizona Preserve Initiative (API) application which is currently being pursued by the city. Of the approximately 5,000 acres identified as Subdistrict A, only 900 acres are outside of the API area. Subdistrict B consists of approximately 1,700 acres with 1,500 acres falling outside of the API area. Assuming the API area as currently identified successfully becomes a preserve, approximately 2,400 acres in Subdistricts A and B would remain for possible development. This is the area addressed by this Overlay.” (Emphasis Added). For reference, the current proposed rezoning applications submitted by developer Taylor Morrison propose to remove approximately 218 acres of the 900 acres of developable non-Preserve area from Subdistrict A, or about 24%.20 While the number of developable acreages may have shifted since this time, it is crucial to note that the Overlay was developed to specifically target these developable acreages for protection from intense development – including the intense residential development presented by the “Verdin” project. 2000s On June 13, 2001, the City Planning Commission met to consider and recommend adoption of the DMOD Overlay to the City Council. On June 27, 2001, the City of Phoenix granted the request as recommended, adopting the DMOD Overlay into the City Zoning Ordinance.21 Minutes from the June 13th Planning Commission hearing reveal the robust community input and public involvement that supported writing the DMOD Overlay text.22 Staff Report No. 58-01-223 recommending approval states: 19 See Newton, Terry, City of Phoenix Planning Department. Desert Character Overlay Zoning District, Conference Paper presented to the American Planning Association, Seattle, WA. 1999. 20 See Staff Report – Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment Z-TA-5-18-2 (March 9, 2022) at 12. 21 See FN 9. See also Application No. Z-TA-3-99-2 (to add the Desert Character Overlay District at Section 653 of the Zoning Ordinance); see Zoning Application No. Z-58-01-2 (establish the Desert Maintenance Overlay District, one of three character districts authorized under Section 653); see Ordinance No. G-4380 and RCA35880 dated July 5, 2001 (adopting Ordinance). 22 See City of Phoenix Planning Commission Minutes (June 13, 2001) at 62; see also FN 9 at 2. 23 See FN 9. 7 “The area has a high scenic value containing stands of dense native vegetation, which support a delicate and fragile eco-system. Within the proposed overlay is Cave Creek Wash, a unique wash system which is designated for incorporation into the City of Phoenix Sonoran Preserve. The Desert Maintenance District is intended to provide a buffer/transition between this environmentally sensitive area and existing development. This is an area with many washes of varying size which are tributaries to Cave Creek Wash. It is an area of high habitat value that is critical to the survival of numerous small mammals and a variety of birds, as well as reptiles. Maintenance of the Sonoran Desert in this area requires sensitive development strategies.” City of Phoenix Planning Department Staff Report No. 58-01-02 (June 13, 2001), recommending approval of Z-58-01-2 and Z-TA-3-99-2. (Emphasis added). The DMOD Overlay was codified in the Zoning Ordinance at Section 653. Within its very first paragraph: “The Desert Maintenance, Rural Desert and Suburban Desert Overlay Districts are designed in response to existing undisturbed conditions and pressures placed on them by increased development.”24 The DMOD Overlay is split into Subdistricts A and B. Subdistrict A requires minimum lot sizes of 35,000 square feet or greater, or 0-1.2 dwelling units per acre.25 Subdistrict B requires minimum lot sizes of 18,000 square feet or greater, or 2-5 dwelling units per acre.26 Section 653(A) explains why development densities are more restrictive in Subdistrict A (where a portion of the proposed “Verdin” project lies and which is the subject of the rezoning applications) as follows: “With the many washes to be maintained in an undisturbed condition crossing this area, Subdistrict A is intended to provide a transition from the preserve to areas with greater density. A very low density, scale and intensity of residential development characterize this area. The Desert Maintenance Overlay Subdistrict A is the least intensive with regards to density allowed and the most restrictive in order to maintain the fragile undisturbed areas and the wildlife corridor along the Cave Creek Wash. Subdistrict B is characterized by low density development which may be sited in clusters along with provision for an area to allow access to the Cave Buttes Recreational Area. Through clustering of development in this 24 See FN 5 at Section (A). 25 See FN 5 at Section 653(B)(5); see also FN 9 at 3. 26 See FN 5 at Section 653(B)(6); see also FN 9 at 3. 8 area the ability to maintain large connected undisturbed areas and washes becomes possible.” The DMOD Overlay is the only one of these three overlays completed to date. For reasons not stated, the remaining two Desert Character Overlay Districts (Rural Desert Overlay, Sec. 653(C) and the Suburban Desert Overlay, Sec. 653(D)) were never added to the Desert Character Overlay District (Sec. 653), but have remained “Reserved” for the past two decades.27 While development has continued throughout the city, the thoughtfully formulated Overlay at Section 653 of the Zoning Ordinance has stood the test of time. Since adoption in 2001, it has never been amended. However, granting the rezoning proposed by the Taylor Morrison “Verdin” development to lift the DMOD Overlay will set a disastrous precedent, allowing a developer to carve themselves out of the protective, robust Overlay to facilitate their more dense (and thus more profitable) development plans. Removal of these protections sets a chilling precedent for the survival of Sonoran Preserve and the remaining acres of sensitive desert habitat and wash systems. The “Verdin” project should not be exempted from the protective DMOD Overlay. The “Technical Clean-Up” Road Alignment Argument Is Wrong In a transparent effort to side step the powerful history and compelling reasoning behind the Overlay, the developer claims that the requested rezonings (Z-75-18-2 and Z- TA-5-18-2) to remove the DMOD Overlay from their property are just a “technical clean ups”28 to change the Overlay boundaries to align with Sonoran Desert Drive instead with the Northeast Outer Loop alignment contemplated in the Peripheral Areas C & D Plan. This is not true. The DMOD Overlay was never intended to move with any changes to the proposed roadway. The Sonoran Preserve Parkway route alignment involved a complex process that included area residents, PMPC, the State Land Department, and Preserve and Parks Committee study partners studying multiple alternatives.29 After extensive public review, one alignment was selected out of five. During a presentation to the Parks & Recreation Board meeting, it was discussed that the selected Parkway alignment was chosen to maintain existing wildlife corridors in the area, among other things. At the meeting Board Chairperson Jim Holway asked “if there was a reason why the alignment had not been 27 See Zoning Ordinance Section 653 (Desert Character Overlay Districts), Subsections C & D. 28 See Letter from Susan Demmitt to Desert View Village Planner Julianna Pierre re Zoning Map Amendment application Z-75-18-2 (December 17, 2021). Received via Public Records Request. 29 See Sonoran Desert Drive Alignment Study Fact Sheet. 9 brought to the edge of the preserve.” Staff and Parks & Preserve Administrator Sarah Hall explained that this was due to “major wash crossings” in the area, among other things.30 A City Council Report recommending approval of the final Sonoran Parkway alignment similarly states: “Special care was taken to maintain views of the surrounding terrain, minimize scarring, preserve existing vegetation, and provide for wildlife crossings. Provisions for future trail crossings have been incorporated and structure designs include aesthetic treatment with native colors and textures to blend into the adjacent desert landscape. Segments of the alignment will abut future Mountain Preserve and serve as a buffer between the Mountain Preserve and adjacent development.”31 Never, in any part of the extensive Sonoran Parkway alignment review process, was there ever a mention that the new alignment was intended to redraw the boundary of the recently-adopted DMOD Overlay. Rather, the Sonoran Parkway alignment was not intended to redraw the DMOD Overlay, it was intended to traverse it. The alignment was specifically chosen to be harmonious with sensitive ecological features, not to pull back protections for these features as the developer seems to suggest now. Even the City of Phoenix32 appears to reject the developer’s “technical clean-up” roadway claim. Below (left) is the applicant’s proposed rezoning, reducing the DMOD Overlay over a large swath. Below (right) is the City’s proposed modification, which exempts just the “Verdin” property from the DMOD Overlay. Plainly, from these maps, the “technical clean-up” roadway claim does not stand. 30 See Phoenix Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes (June 26, 2003) at 9-10. 31 See City Council Report, Transportation, Parks & Seniors Subcommittee (June 8, 2006). 32 See Staff Report Z-62-18-2 – Verdin PUD dated March 9, 2022. 10 The proposed “Verdin” project lie underneath Mesquite Wash, an important habitat for many desert species, which runs through the heart of the property. Removal of the DMOD Overlay would entirely remove the protections to Mesquite Wash. The “Verdin” project would also intrude on Cave Creek Wash to the east, an important wildlife corridor between the existing Preserve lands located to the north and south. A development more dense than currently allowed would threaten the integrity and cut off connectivity of these wildlife corridors. Indeed, one of the smallest birds native to the Sonoran Desert known as the “Verdin” makes its home in wildlife corridors and washes including those that would be threatened by the proposed “Verdin” development. A blatant carve-out of the “Verdin” property from the DMOD Overlay to enable more dense development is inappropriate. This flies in the face of so many years of hard work, thoughtful community input and public review, careful research, and proactive good planning. It is directly contrary to the intent of the DMOD Overlay, which exists to proactively protect the sensitive desert ecosystem from developmental pressures, not react to their desires. It also sets an awful precedent, opening the doors for future developers to make similar requests, rendering the DMOD Overlay effectively meaningless. II. ISSUES REGARDING PROCESS Simultaneous Consideration of All Cases Is Not Permitted These four applications were simultaneously presented on, discussed, and approved for recommendation through a vote by the North Gateway Village Planning Committee on March 10, 2022.33 The Desert View Village Planning Committee is scheduled to meet and take action on these “companion cases” on April 5, 2022.34 This is not permitted under City of Phoenix processes and the law. The City of Phoenix’s General Plan Amendment Planning Process Guide35 notes that simultaneous review of rezoning applications and requests to amend the General Plan is prohibited. It specifically states: May my rezoning application be reviewed simultaneously with my application to amend the GENERAL PLAN? No. Current City policy requires that action on a rezoning application is separate from the procedure to amend the General Plan as State law requires that all rezoning be consistent with and conform to the adopted 33 See FN 2. 34 See FN 3. 35 See City of Phoenix General Plan Amendment Planning Process Guide (rev. 08/12/2021) 11 General Plan. A hearing on the rezoning application is to occur subsequent to a determination on the change to the General Plan. However, you may file your rezoning application and be scheduled for a hearing agenda following action on the General Plan amendment. Note: This requirement can be waived by the Planning and Development Director upon written request for special circumstances. General Plan Amendment Planning Process Guide, at p.2 A.R.S. § 9-462.01(F) states in relevant part that “[a]ll zoning and rezoning ordinances adopted under this article shall be consistent with and conform to the adopted general plan of the municipality”. It is the intent of the Legislature that revisions to the General Plan must occur prior to, not simultaneous with, zoning and rezonings. This is an important process as it protects the integrity of the General Plan and the processes involved in its revision, including (but not at all limited to), ongoing public notice and participation. Exceptions to this requirement have not occurred and do not apply here. Scheduling of a hearing agenda following action on the General Plan is not occurring here, as the Verdin Minor General Plan Amendment Submittal (Case No. GPA-DSTV-1- 18-2) admits that “[t]his Amendment is being processed concurrently with applications to change the zoning on the Property…”36 Finally, there has been no indication that developer Taylor Morrison has ever requested a written waiver of this explicit requirement. In addition, the General Plan Amendment Planning Process makes clear that the contents of a General Plan Amendment hearing and a Rezoning hearing are quite different.37 For instance, certain zoning issues are “not appropriate for discussion” at a General Plan Amendment hearing, including setbacks, elevation, open space, amenities, and other topics. Simultaneous consideration of all of these applications, and consideration of all of these topics at one single hearing, is inappropriate and contrary to Phoenix City policies and Arizona laws governing municipal planning. All Procedures for the Cases Must Be Complied With On December 7, 2021 and December 9, 2021, the four applications were presented and discussed at the Desert View Village Planning Committee and the North Gateway Village Planning Committee regular monthly meetings, respectively.38 On 36 See Verdin Major General Plan Amendment Submittal (December 17, 2021), p.5 (obtained via public records request). 37 See FN 34 at 2-3. 38 See Desert View Village Planning Committee – Notice of Results (December 7, 2021); see North Gateway Village Planning Committee – Notice of Results (December 9, 2021). 12 December 17, 2021 and after these informational meetings, the General Plan Amendment Application was resubmitted to the Planning & Development Department (the first submittal having occurred over three years prior).39 However, no further presentation and discussion of this resubmittal occurred prior to voting meetings. Neighborhood notification and meetings are also a requirement of the General Plan Amendment process. Specifically, applicants are required to meet with property owners within 600 feet of the subject site to present the proposal, and attempt to address resident concerns. Furthermore, the General Plan Amendment Process Guide40 requires: “The results of that meeting shall be summarized and forwarded to the village planner in whose village the case is located. No hearings shall be scheduled without submittal of the following information: • Date, time, and location of the meeting • Number of participants • Issues that arose during the meeting • Plan to resolve the issues, if possible” It is unclear whether this requirement has been met. Furthermore, if such a meeting has occurred, it is important to determine whether the meeting occurred prior or subsequent to the major resubmittal in December 2021. This is critical. Fundamental to the planning process are ample, advance public notice allowing time for meaningful review, engagement and participation. For reasons stated above, the bundling of these four cases (rezoning applications, request to amend the General Plan, and Planned Unit Development) is improper and prohibited by the City of Phoenix’s own policy. Progression of these cases must stop on this basis alone. Public Review Opportunities Have Been Insufficient The City of Phoenix Staff Report for Verdin PUD was not finalized until March 9, 2022, and was not posted on the Planned Unit Development Case List until just before the North Gateway Village Planning Committee voting meeting on March 10, 2022.41 Similarly, the City of Phoenix Staff Analysis for the General Plan Amendment was not finalized until March 9, 2022.42 Bafflingly, it is posted on the General Plan Amendment 39 See FN 35. 40 See FN 34. 41 See Staff Report Z-62-18-2 – Verdin PUD dated March 9, 2022. 42 See Staff Analysis GPA-DSTV-1-18-2 dated March 9, 2022. 13 Case List under the year “2018” and not under “2022”, making it highly unlikely that an interested citizen would easily be able to locate and review it (if they even knew it was there). The City of Phoenix Staff Report for the Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment was also not finalized until March 9, 2022.43 Also bafflingly, it is posted on the Rezoning & Text Amendment Case List under the year “2018” and not under “2022.” This stymies the good-faith efforts of even the most persistent interested citizen, and certainly stifles public participation. Additionally, revisions to the Verdin PUD Narrative have repeatedly been resubmitted by developer Taylor Morrison over the past three months. The most recent resubmission was on March 3, 2022, a few short days before the North Gateway Village Planning Committee voting meeting on March 10, 2022.44 No notification of this updated draft (or the specific changes it contains) was received in advance of the March 10th meeting. No notification or alert was ever received that these reports or updates were even available, leaving no time for any meaningful public review (or even awareness of their existence) prior to the first Village voting meeting. This is made more egregious by the fact that there are significant public concerns with this development, which have been repeatedly raised throughout the years. In fact, public concern about this project has been expressed since the project was first proposed as “MacEwen 480” in 2018.45 As the City is likely aware, the organization known as Save Our Sonoran Preserve was formed by residents in response to these very threats from this project and SOS has fiercely advocated for protection of the Preserve and DMOD Overlay ever since. Although the Public Meeting materials included allotted time for “Public Comments”, this opportunity is not meaningful, when the public is not given sufficient time to review the relevant documents in advance of key voting meetings. Proper time for public participation and notice are required components of the public process for all of these cases. As you know, A.R.S. § 9-461.06(C) directs municipalities to provide for “effective, early and continuous public participation” with respect to General Plan amendment processes. 43 See Staff Report – Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment Z-TA-5-18-2 dated March 9, 2022. 44 See Verdin PUD Narrative. 45 See “1,420 homes may line 9,671 acres of preserved north Phoenix desert” (AZCentral, January 12, 2022); see “Hikers upset home builder may redevelop part of North Phoenix desert” (AZFamily, February 28, 2022); see “Preserve at odds with high density housing” (Sonoran News, May 15, 2019); see “Outdoor enthusiasts blast plan for 1,400 homes near Phoenix Sonoran Preserve” (AZCentral, May 14, 2019). 14 Disclosing key materials on the same day as scheduled decision-making meetings does not allow for meaningful public review and participation, and unfortunately, whether or not intended, diminishes its importance. We sincerely hope that this will no longer be the case moving forward. III. CONCLUSION The robust protections developed and codified in the Desert Maintenance Overlay District have stood unaltered for the past 21 years. Erosion of these protections, if allowed once, may not stop. Simply put, the Desert Maintenance Overlay District must be preserved intact and not modified. What we are asking for here is not radical. PMPC does not oppose a reasonable development on the McEwen Ranch LLC property consistent with current development standards and zoning requirements. Phoenix has already spoken with the approval of the DMOD Overlay, which reflects the years of hard work put into development of the DMOD Overlay by so many dedicated citizens and professionals. Anything short of preserving the DMOD Overlay as-is will seriously degrade fragile desert ecosystems in the area, sever connections between the Preserves, and set a dangerous precedence where developers can easily bypass important protections for our unique landscapes across Phoenix. Yours Truly, Patrick McMullen Dr. Patrick McMullen, PhD, President Phoenix Mountain Preservation Council, Inc. Email: pmpcaz@gmail.com CC: Director, Phoenix City Planning & Development Phoenix City Planning & Development Department (zoning@phoenix.gov) North Gateway Village Planning Committee Desert View Village Planning Committee Executive Board, Phoenix Mountain Preservation Council, Inc. REFERENCE: Z-62-18-2 Verdin PUD TO: Phoenix Planning and Zoning Commission I am a 30+ year resident of Phoenix and actively involved in the preservation and wise management of our Mountain Preserves. I wish to compliment the work of the Planning and Zoning Department staff in facilitating a robust public process that spanned the years of Covid-19 restrictions. I want to publically acknowledge and thank the Phoenix Mountains Preservation Council and the Save Our Sonoran Desert coalition for their steadfast attention to this zoning case. Particularly the purpose of the Desert Character Overlay Zone in protecting the Cave Creek Wash, an important native desert asset for wildlife and Sonoran desert plants. Without their persistent voices the opportunity to meet with the developers and have a productive conversation may never have happened. I submitted earlier comments prior to the Village Planning Committee meetings as follows: STIP #1: Public trail access easements, as approved by the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department, shall be provided for the Mesquite Wash Corridor Trail, and the Community Paseo Paths that provide a connection to future trail connections to the Sonoran Preserve as identified on the Verdin Pedestrian Circulation plan dated June 3, 2019 included within the Verdin PUD, to ensure permanent public access through the Verdin community to the Sonoran Preserve. The public access shall be designed in a way to restrict unauthorized motor vehicle access, as approved by Parks. The specific location, design and timing of construction of the public trail connections shall be coordinated with and approved by the Parks and Recreation Department. STIP #2: A minimum 25 foot open space tract shall be provided along the eastern boundary of the Verdin property to provide a transition to the Cave Creek Wash corridor. The open space tract shall be considered a Certified Area Type “B” – Natural Revegetated Area with plant material from the Approved Plant List: Green List. I am pleased to see these recommendations added to the stipulations of this PUD. I do want to stress the importance of making sure public access designations are part of zoning approvals. Verbal commitments are often lost over time as land ownership and management changes through the decades. I also hope that Phoenix Planning and Zoning will view this PUD as the example for the inevitable development of surrounding State Trust Lands that are not included in the Desert Character Overlay and have adjacency to the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve and Cave Buttes Recreation Area. Yours in Conservation, Vashti “Tice” Supplee 918 W. Roosevelt Street Phoenix, AZ 85007 Vsupplee25@gmail.com 602-380-3722 1 Racelle Escolar From: Eric Idalski <eidalski@gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2022 2:15 PM To: PDD Planning Commission Cc: saveoursonoranpreserve@gmail.com Subject: Sonoran Preserve concerns Mr. Nico Howard, I am writing to advise of my concern related to the proposed changes that would affect the Sonoran Preserve and surrounding communities. I am an avid user of the Sonoran Preserve as well as a volunteer park steward. I feel that the increased traffic volume that would come on Sonoran Desert Drive is dangerous. Today I nearly witnessed a horrible accident as a young family was crossing the road and vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed nearly hit them. I cant imagine double or triple the traffic as this area already carries more traffic than is compatible with safe, enjoyable cycling and hiking. I also live just south of the road and the additional road noise that will come with this is disturbing for current residents such as myself as well as the impact of the noise in the preserve. In addition, I am concerned with the overall impact on wildlife. We have already seen a loss of habitat for wildlife such as owls and dessert tortoise that I see on occasion in between the north and south preserves. I will unfortunately be traveling for business the week of the next hearing but hope that my concerns are heard. Please help maintain the area and protect the preserve that so many have grown to love and enjoy and avoid detracting from the tranquility treasured by trail users and visitors. Kind Regards, Eric Idalski 480-363-8735 1 Racelle Escolar From: Joyce A Lefler <just4joy7@gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2022 3:05 PM To: PDD Planning Commission Cc: saveoursonoranpreserve@gmail.com; Joyce A lefler Subject: Save Our Sonoran Preserve Please do NOT allow any more encroachment of houses or traffic or businesses in or near our Sonoran Preserve! My husband and I are retired and years ago we sunk everything we have into our house near the preserve BECAUSE of the quiet, peace, and hiking & biking trails of the preserve. This became our little piece of heaven while still being in the big city. Please do not destroy this by allowing the preserve to be overbuilt. We enjoy the owls, bobcats, coyotes and javelinas who live here. More traffic, more people and more houses will destroy their ability to live here, also. Please do NOT allow our preserve to be slowly destroyed. Joyce A Lefler Joyce A Lefler, BSN, RTS, RNC‐OB (retired), author of From Miracle to Murder: Justice for Adam http://bit.ly/MiracletoMurder [bit.ly] 1 Racelle Escolar From: Sue Pierce <sue@gofusebox.com> Sent: Monday, May 2, 2022 1:58 PM To: PDD Planning Commission Cc: Sue Pierce Subject: Verdun Development Along Sonoran Desert Drive Dear Planning Commissioners, Please accept my comments in opposition to the Verdun request to remove the Desert Character Overlay along Sonoran Desert Drive. I am a citizen of Phoenix, AZ and a resident who lives in a community along Dove Valley Road (Desert Enclave). The rapid growth in the 85085‐zip code (and others in Phoenix) is a mixed blessing. We appreciate the job growth, hundreds of new apartments and housing units, new retail stores, restaurants, commercial/industrial development, and growth in tax revenues for the City and State. All important. However, the growth comes with problems, too, that to date, no one has addressed adequately. Here are concerns we have voiced for the last two years and that I want you to be aware of: Roads not built to handle the increased traffic with no specific timeline for mitigation. The extra turning lanes Verdun is proposing, and a possible traffic signal are simply Band‐Aids ‐ not solutions. This creates serious safety issues for those living in the area and using the Preserve. Desert Enclave residents not able to exit their development onto Dove Valley Road during morning and afternoon rush hour. This will become worse with dense housing along Sonoran Desert Drive. Biking lanes created along Sonoran Desert Drive no longer safe to use as trucks, trailers and cars travel at 60 ‐ 80 miles/hour along the road. Trash and debris are thrown along the roadway, including discarded metal, containers, etc. as traffic increases. And yes, several of us walk the road to pick up what we can. However, there is just too much for us to handle. Increased traffic creates noise pollution that makes hiking trails at Apache Wash Trailhead less of a respite from the busyness of the city. I hike with my noise cancelling headset on to block some of it. Hiking the trails such as Ridgeback rarely am I able to get away from the site of houses or away from the noise of the already overly busy road. There are so many more concerns: water access(our HOA was told to reduce water use by 20%), wildlife refuge issues, flooding along the washes and the fact that the City of Phoenix invested millions into the creation of a beautiful preserve and roadway with paved trails and beautiful bridges. And now what will come of that investment. Please keep the Desert Character Overlay in place. Allow wise growth in the area near Apache Wash Trailhead. Protect the Preserve as a wonderful urban haven for everyone to use as their escape from the city to the desert. Thank you, Sue Sue Pierce 1 Racelle Escolar From: Sonoran Preserve <saveoursonoranpreserve@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 3, 2022 11:58 AM To: Racelle Escolar; PDD Planning Commission Subject: Save Our Sonoran Preserve Official Statement on Verdin Rezone Attachments: Planning Commission Comments Attachment.pdf Dear Chair Howard & Members of the Phoenix City Planning Commission, The following comments are submitted on behalf of Save Our Sonoran Preserve [supportpubliclands.com] and the nearly 1,000 nearby residents who have signed our petition at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sonorapreserve [surveymonkey.com]. These comments pertain to Items #5 to #8, on the May 5th Planning Commission agenda: https://www.phoenix.gov/cityclerksite/PublicMeetings/220505008.pdf. If Agenda Items #5‐#8 are approved, then the intensity of development on 155 acres of the Desert Character Overly District could be doubled or tripled. The site adjoins Sonoran Desert Drive. Attached to this message are: An aerial showing the location of the nearly 1,000 area residents who have signed our petition thus far, A copy of the petition, and The reasons provided for 95% of petition signers for why they are deeply troubled by the applicant’s request to deviate from the requirements of the Desert Character Overly District. As you will see from the reasons provided by our petition signers, (*which is included in 47 of the 49 pages of the attachment to this message) those who bike, run or walk along Sonoran Desert Drive feel that the volume of high‐speed traffic already makes the two roadside bike lanes uncomfortable and in some respects unsafe. Indeed, the bike lane design guidance documents published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), and others indicate that the current Sonoran Desert Drive bike lanes, which are separated from travel lanes by a painted line, is insufficient when traffic volume exceeds 7,000 – 10,000 vehicles/day and at speeds in excess of 35 mph. According to the applicant’s (MacEwen 480) traffic study [app.box.com], Sonoran Desert Drive was carrying 8,300 vehicles/day as of 2019. The MacEwen 480 report indicated the project would add another 13,000 vehicles per day to Sonoran Desert Drive. In other words, this one project would increase Sonoran Desert Drive traffic volume to more than 21,000 vehicles/day, which is far in excess of the upper limit for a bike lane separated from traffic by just a painted line. 2 The 45 mph speed limit along Sonoran Desert Drive makes the adjoining bike lanes far more dangerous than a more appropriate facility. Most bike facility guidance documents call for bike lanes physically separated from travel lanes when speeds exceed 35 mph. And the 85th percentile speed on Sonoran Desert Drive is likely 55 mph. Of equal concern is the impact of increased Sonoran Desert Drive traffic noise on the Sonoran Desert Preserve sound scape. While traffic noise can presently be heard along many of the trails ramifying the Preserve, the increased traffic volume on Sonoran Desert Drive will increase the level of noise and the distance it intrudes into the Preserve. Acoustic models indicate that each doubling of traffic volume also doubles traffic noise. By causing traffic volume to go from the current 8,300 vehicles/day to more than 20,000 vehicles per day, the changes embodied in Agenda Items #5 ‐ #8, will more than double the impact of traffic noise on the tranquility of Preserve trails. It is for these reasons that we ask the Planning Commission to keep the Desert Character Overlay District as is and recommend denial for Agenda Items #5 ‐ #8. Following is a sampling of the reasons provided by those who signed the Save Our Sonoran Preserve petition: I use the Sonoran preserve almost daily to get a brief reprieve from the overcrowding of Phoenix. The ability to briefly enjoy the desert views without seeing endless developments and choking smog of cars is why we decided to live in this area. Currently traffic on Dove Valley / Sonoran Desert Drive is heavy during busy hours. With the addition of Verdin adding 1200 homes could increase traffic by 3 times and with 2 new housing developments currently being built west of us and the new semiconductor plant being built could increase traffic by 6 times as where it is today. Plus taking over more of the desert landscape that was originally approved is just being greedy. I am all for progress and increasing tax base but there must be limits to preserve the beauty of our area. The beauty of the desert is disappearing fast! We drive Sonoran desert drive 2‐3 times a week west bound around sunset. So many people simply stop to take pictures because of the beauty. There is a brief opportunity to do this because soon houses come into view and obstruct the natural vistas. Homes being built today are huge two story monstrosities, cramming these large homes together will destroy this beautiful landscape. As a native Arizonan I am saddened to see so much of the natural beauty of our desert being scourged. Driving anywhere in the valley and nearby areas you are assaulted by the lack of natural beauty. We need to halt urban scrawl and save the desert for our grandchildren. The Phoenix Sonoran Preserve is one of the finest uses of tax payer dollars. The ability to hike and mountain bike on miles and miles of trails is one of my favorite parts of living in North Phoenix. We are already inundated with apartment complexes and home developments with plenty of inventory. Plus, there is plenty of land available for developers to build on that won’t wreck one of the best things that the City of Phoenix has done in the past couple decades. 3 The Sonoran Preserve and the Sonoran Desert Drive represent the last of pristine desert in the City of Phoenix. Anyone who has visited the Preserve and the Drive will see beautiful views, wildlife, and people using the bike lanes and hiking trails. To allow a massive development to destroy the character overlay will ruin the peaceful drive and endanger the ecosystem. I also fear that the additional traffic will no doubt create dangerous conditions for cyclists that regularly train on Sonoran Desert Drive. We live here to appreciate the desert. But the desert is disappearing in Phoenix. The Sonoran Preserve is a wonderful area of Phoenix and a great place to escape to from the hustle and bustle of other areas. To grant the rezoning request of a home builder will send the message that the City of Phoenix cares more about development and not about the constituents who appreciate the desert and all that it offers. Adding additional homes when there is no road infrastructure will add so much traffic. I drive SDD and there are times when there are more than 25 cars backed up at the intersection of Cave Creek Rd. Also I am concerned about closing up the wash between SDD because animals need to be able to traverse the entire wash. I am not against the original number of homes but to increase it to what TM is asking is a lot more homes. The Sonoran Preserve is very beautiful and I enjoy biking there but it is hard to cross the street with the current amount of traffic on Dove Valley Rd and the Verdin Project will triple the amount of traffic. I walk and bike at the preserve at least a couple of times a week. It’s beautiful, and quiet. Driving through to Cave Creek Road is actually relaxing, I drive that way when I want to stay away from the crowds on the freeways (17 & 101). It’s a beautiful drive, it’s what living in Az is about, wide open and beautiful to look at. Don’t ruin it with more houses and traffic congestion. We need to do everything we can to protect the Sonoran Desert Preserve. There shouldn’t be lots of homes there. We’ve already taken so much of the natural habitat and developed it. We need to leave large chunks alone so that those animals that live in the desert have a place. I love having the wilderness nearby and untouched. Increasing the number of homes near the preserve is asking for trouble and displacing so many of the desert animals. I bought out here to be close to nature not to bring the downtown traffic here. Our schools are already over capacity and adding yet another high density housing development will adversely impact the school infrastructure as well as the safety to bikers in Sonoran Boulevard/Dove Valley. Allowing larger lots and this home sizes will attract more affluent residents and this increase the tax revenues for this region. I oppose the Verdin site changing the current Desert Character Overlay District plan. We are already seeing traffic that is dangerous to our cyclists and pedestrians. Adding additional homes without concern for the traffic it will bring will greatly make this road even more dangerous. The Desert Character Overlay District was put in place to allow for growth but with measures and safeguards needed. Ignoring and allowing growth beyond that allowed by the Desert Overlay District in the Sonoran Preserve area is wrong and will lessen the uniqueness and beauty that we currently have, while also adding traffic and reducing safety for those that currently enjoy cycling, walking, hiking, etc. along Sonoran and the preserves. Please do not allow Verdin development to move forward with their plans to exponentially grow this area and add more homes To the Sonoran Preserve. Thank you. Lastly, maintaining the Desert Character Overlay does not halt this project, it will only allow for smart development near one of Phoenix’s beloved Preserves (a sensitive site) as well as give a sense of resilience to our zoning laws that our elected officials approved. If there is one zoning law to uphold and one location to protect, it’s definitely this one. Respectfully, 4 Gary Kirkilas, Chair Save Our Sonoran Preserve (708) 369‐4566 saveoursonoranpreserve@gmail.com [google.com] *See Attachment Save Our Sonoran Petition Signer Locations 10 mi N ➤ N Reasons Provided By Phoenix Residents for Why They Signed the Save Our Sonoran Preserve Petition at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sonorapreserve I use the Sonoran preserve almost daily to get a brief reprieve from the overcrowding of Phoenix. The ability to briefly enjoy the desert views without seeing endless developments and choking smog of cars is why we decided to live in this area. Currently traffic on Dove Valley / Sonoran Desert Drive is heavy during busy hours. With the addition of Verdin adding 1200 homes could increase traffic by 3 times and with 2 new housing developments currently being built west of us and the new semiconductor plant being built could increase traffic by 6 times as where it is today. Plus taking over more of the desert landscape that was originally approved is just being greedy. I am all for progress and increasing tax base but there must be limits to preserve the beauty of our area. The beauty of the desert is disappearing fast! We drive Sonoran desert drive 2‐3 times a week west bound around sunset. So many people simple stop to take pictures because of the beauty. There is a brief opportunity to do this because soon houses come into view and obstruct the natural vistas. Home being built today are huge two story monstrosities, craning this large home together will destroy this beautiful landscape. As a native Arizonan I am saddened to see so much of the natural beauty of our desert being scourged. Driving anywhere in the valley and nearby areas you are assaulted by the lack of natural beauty. We need to halt urban scrawl and save the desert for our grandchildren. The Phoenix Sonoran Preserve is one of the finest uses of tax payer dollars. The ability to hike and mountain bike on miles and miles of trails is one of my favorite parts of living in North Phoenix. We are already inundated with apartment complexes and home developments with plenty of inventory. Plus, there is plenty of land available for developers to build on that won’t wreck one of the best things that the City of Phoenix has done in the past couple decades. The Sonoran Preserve and the Sonoran Desert Drive represent the last of pristine desert in the city of Phoenix. Anyone who has visited the Preserve and the Drive will see beautiful views, wildlife, and people using the bike lanes and hiking trails. To allow a massive development destroy the character overlay will ruin the peaceful drive and endanger the ecosystem. I also fear that the additional traffic will no doubt create dangerous conditions for cyclists that regularly train on Sonoran Desert Drive. We live here to appreciate the desert. But the desert is disappearing in Phoenix. The Sonoran Preserve is a wonderful area of Phoenix and a great place to escape to from the hustle and bustle of other areas. To grant the rezoning request of a home builder will send the message that the City of Phoenix cares more about development and not about the constituents who Adding additional homes when there is no road infrastructure will add so much traffic. I drive SDD and there are times when there are more than 25 cars backed up at the intersection of Cave Creek Rd. Also I am concerned about closing up the wash between SDD because animals need to be able to traverse the entire wash. I am not against the original number of homes but to increase it to what TM is asking is a lot more homes. The Sonoran Preserve is very beautiful and I enjoy biking there but it is hard to cross the street with the current amount of traffic on Dove Valley Rd and the Verdin Project will triple the amount of traffic. I walk and bike at the preserve at least a couple of times a week. It’s beautiful, and quiet. Driving through to cave creek rd is actually relaxing, I drive that way when I want to stay away from the crowds on the freeways (17 & 101). It’s a beautiful drive, it’s what living in Az is about, wide open and beautiful to look at. Don’t ruin it with more houses and traffic congestion. We need to do everything we can to protect the Sonoran Desert Preserve. There shouldn’t be lots of homes there. We’ve already taken so much of the natural habitat and developed it. We need to leave large chunks alone so that those animals that live in the desert have a place. I love having the wilderness nearby and untouched. Increasing the number of homes near the preserve is asking for trouble and displacing so many of the desert animals. I bought out here to be close to nature not to bring the downtown traffic here. Our schools are already over capacity and adding yet another high density housing development will adversely impact the school infrastructure as well as the safety to bikers in Sonoran Boulevard/Dove Valley. Allowing larger lots and this home sizes will attract more affluent residents and this increase the tax revenues for this I oppose the Verdin site changing the current Desert Character Overlay District plan. We are already seeing traffic that is dangerous to our cyclists and pedestrians. Adding additional homes without concern for the traffic it will bring will greatly make this road even more dangerous. The Desert Character Overlay District was put in place to allow for growth but with measures and safeguards needed. Ignoring and allowing growth beyond that allowed by the Desert Overlay District in the Sonoran Preserve area is wrong and will lesson the uniqueness and beauty that we currently have, while also adding traffic and reducing safety for those that currently enjoy cycling, walking, hiking, etc. along Sonoran and the preserves. Please do not allow Verdin development to move forward with their plans to exponentially grow this area and add more homes To the Sonoran Preserve. Thank you. The unique space is one of the main reasons we built our home in the Gateway region. It has only been open for a few years and needs to remain a "Preserve" and not stress or encroach on the desert any more than already has happened. as a third generation native zoney, I have seen too much of our beautiful desert turned over to developers. We must preserve the very asset that draws so many to move to our wonderful state‐ find a better balance between growth and preservation. I recently moved to a home in Sonoran Foothills to enjoy this beautiful area. Please do not allow the greed of developers overbuild our desert. Too much traffic and too many users making heavy environmental impact. The preserve is there for a reason. any change to Desert Character Overlay will open the door to the entire area being filled in with high density housing. Forever destroying the natural landscape of the area. Please vote NO. There is already so much danger to bicyclists. Also, just as important, keeping the desert beautiful and allowing wildlife to thrive in the Sonoran Preserve. I've hiked the Apache Trail and adjacent areas through the years while visiting my family in Phoenix. I recently bought a house in the area and I'm saddened and alarmed that the Phoenix City Council would entertain the doubling or tripling the number of housing units on the Verdin site. There is a reason why the Desert Character Overlay District is in existence. I strongly urge the Council to reject the Verdin development company's proposal to double or triple the number of housing units for the Verdin site. With the amount of traffic on Sonoran/Dove Valley today, when we pull out of Sonoran Gate Community, it is taking a chance on your life when needing to turn left. Why would anyone approve more home building to get more traffic? Also cars ‐ and trucks ‐ are speeding between 55‐70 miles an hour on this stretch. You should have traffic lights at all intersections for turning traffic. Also, Let's Save Our Desert Views ‐ that's why we built a Traffic is already overloaded on dove valley road and commitments were made to develop the Sonoran desert drive. Nothing has happen. Trying to exit my desert enclave neighbor is struggle now, adding more traffic is negligent. I also moved to the area for the serenity of the preserves and natural habits, all developers in the area must comply with the desert character overlay. My wife Barbara and I have lived in Sonoran Foothills for nearly nine years. The appeal of this location was and still is the Sonoran Preserve, a true gift to the residents of Phoenix. Many years ago the overlay district created a plan for growth balanced with the fragile ecosystem of the preserve. Neglecting this balance jeopardizes the character which makes this place so special as well as places the preserve at risk. I respectfully request the Phoenix City Council comply with the overlay and hold Verdin to the established guidelines. After all, one of the reasons this area appeals to them is they recognize the beauty and appeal of this location to future There’s very few places in Arizona where it’s not jam packed with houses and people. As an outdoorsman it’s a very special place as every weekend I go there to ride a bike, hike, among other things. With the recent houses built, it went from a Mecca for outdoor enthusiasts to just a nice place. I used to be able to ride and run without seeing anyone for miles. Now Everytime I almost get hit by a car traveling to fast and then riding in the bike lane. Phoenix in general is one of the worst cities for bike fatalities and this literally is the one spot that we can count on for not getting hit. If this goes up than we really will have no place to call home. Please reconsider This area is greatly used for hiking, biking, trail running, and outdoor recreational activities. We do not want over development to ruin the natural aesthetics, significantly increase noise, or pollution that would degrade the value of the true remaining wilderness in the Sonoran Desert Preserve. Please seek to enforce and uphold the Desert Character Overlay District toward the Verdin project and other subsequent proposals. Traffic is my main issue. As a Sonoran bike route it is becoming more and more dangerous for bikers. School traffic on main roads and through neighborhoods also has become more dangerous. Wilderness can never be recaptured once homes are built so we have a once in a lifetime duty to save land for conservation and wildlife. Thanks for listening We need to preserve the landscape before there is nothing left of the valley except city streets. The entire eco system changes affecting animal habitats, raising temperatures, and Killing plant life. Phoenix is slowly killing an entire section of it's appeal by building further north into natural landscape. I hike thru the preserve almost everyday. It is a beautiful and peaceful area amid the city. Losing this area to Korea housing would be awful. There is so much development everywhere so these special areas are becoming all the more important to spare or not over develop. Once it is gone it can not be replaced. Please don't let this wonderful area be ruined by more over development! Maintain desert preserve, congestion, quality of life, safer place to enjoy desert with exercise. Love the beauty that this area brings to all. We need to start limiting the amount of residential builds in the Sonoran Preserve area before this majestic natural place is no more. Preserve the habitat and recreational area this land offers local residents and tourists. The area is already congested and poses safety concerns for bicyclists, hikers and drivers due to the increased motor traffic activity. Adding more congestion would further escalate the risk and concern associated. Additional development will ruin the Sonoran Reserve’s pristine nature. Please preserve this vital area for our Desert’s wildlife for generations to come to enjoy . The development that is already out there detracts from the natural environment immensely. Additional development will only make this worse. Build elsewhere...just not here please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Sonoran Preserve was the deciding factor for my wife and I to move to this area. We had hoped that Preserve would stay as it is a Natural desert landscape that was protected for all to enjoy. We enjoy the numerous hiking trails, walking areas that are safe and the pavilions that we use to gather with friends . We knew that there would be issues when we seen new developments popping up and took away the Natural surroundings. This has to stop . Did I mention the wildlife that we all see and enjoy? These developments are all about one thing ‐ greed. Please let this continue to be the Sonoran Preserve! I am a local resident that loves riding and hiking the Sonoran Preserve. We already have so much traffic in the road ways around the preserve. I am tired of having to live in a beautiful desert that just keeps slowly disappearing because of development. Animals are being pushed out and more traffic noise and people does not help. The schools are already maxed out. How many more homes will come after this development is approved? Please keep the desert the desert. Wildlife protection and natural beauty It’s our beautiful land! Save the land from unnecessary buildings. Want to keep area lower traffic Safeguarding the Sonoran Desert Preserve values we treasure It is not needed for the tax base, it will overwhelm the infrastructure in place, it will eventually lead to the destruction of the desert through the continued use of ATVs and other off road recreational vehicles as well as lead to increased congestion and, yes, increased crime. It’s vital to keep the preserve natural and untouched for the use of hiking and supporting outdoor activities. Without the regulations in place there would be no preserve to use and admire. The animals in the preserve would be greatly affected by a larger population crowding them. It is important to preserve the natural desert landscape and prevent overbuild that will destroy habitats. Ignoring the desert character overlay district would be a HUGE mistake. Overdevelopment will ruin the desert and will change the habitat in and around that area and big developers don’t care about that so it’s our job to care for them. We need more open space and already have enough homes! No more building and take away from our desert landscape. Stop already. Concerned for the environment, the pollution in our area is to much. The desert is also disappearing because of over population Sonoran desert is such a beautiful drive. Everyone should be able to experience it. Sonoran desert drive is not meant for a high volumes of traffic and our beautiful Sonoran desert would be ruined with the addition of housing developments along Sonoran Desert Drive. I’m concerned about all the animals in the area. As well as if you continue to build what about the schools and the traffic. It no longer will be a peaceful environment. And the more expensive homes you build people really can’t afford them but end up in bankruptcy and then they’ll be empty We need open space for our and our children's mental health to provide a place of refuge and exercise areas that remove us from the daily drone of cars, machines and our phones. The volume of traffic is already out of control on Sonoran Desert Drive. Please keep the Sonoran Preserve as it Protect wildlife that has already been driven out of surrounding areas. Keep the intention of a preserve. As the builders destroy the land for more houses the animal life get pushed away and in to smaller areas of open land. Or get caught in or on people's property. Unacceptable to just ignore the standards for there That is a protected place that we need to take care as part of our lungs we need good air, we have so many houses, why we need to destroy the habitat of a lot of animals. Overdeveloping is irresponsible when there’s no plan for increased traffic and water supply! Preserve recreation area that is part of and enjoyed by our community. Prevent gross over development which will destroy the desert community which we call home This land is important to keep more open than crowded! Keep our desert traffic and congestion to a minimum; we still enjoy a lot of wildlife. Keeping the beauty of the desert in tact, especially with the hiking/biking that is done there. Also very concerned about traffic and congestion. Taking away the sceneries wildlife and open park trails to enjoy. Once you start building gets crowded needing more wider roads taking away from the above It is vitally important that the Sonoran desert preserve is kept safe from over population of the surrounding areas! The overbuilding of the area will degrade the beautiful that we and future generations need in our lives to create the balance of city living. It’s critical! Over building followed by extremely high traffic increases will destroy the preservation of it’s natural beauty. I ask that the members of the Phoenix City Counsel hear our concerns and uphold the Desert Character Overlay District as it was intended. Destroying the desert, views and too much traffic on Dove Valley/Sonoran PkwyN which also funnels to Jomax where many school‐aged child ride bikes and walk. I have lived in this area for 11 years and have been walking those trails for just as long. It is an amazing preserve that I treasure walking every single day. The scenery is beautiful and the wildlife thrives in the area. Losing any portion of this place would be a disgrace to this gorgeous piece of land that should be protected for the people of our area. Please reconsider this, i am beyond disappointed to hear that this is even a thought. Please save our Beautiful desert scenery and nearby desert recreation like hiking and biking. I am concerned because my backyard will face the six lane road. As it is the two lane road(dove valley and Sonoran dessert drive) is driven like a freeway and most people do not go the speed limit. I could just imagine what the six lane would be like behind us. When we purchased this home we were not made aware of the plans the city had for this area. Very disappointed. Also Verdin having 1400 hundred homes would really make the traffic crazier than it already is right now.. like I said very disappointing!! Traffic will increase dramatically! Hiking and cycling will no longer be enjoyable and r safe. The growth of the area needs to slow down. The area cannot handle the traffic nor can the police keep up with enforcing traffic safety. There are too many irresponsible drivers who think Senora Desert Dr is a nascar track. Adding more drivers will be an irresponsible choice of local government and making our roads less safe for recreational use. A white line for a bike lane does nothing when cars/trucks are going 60 mph. Way too much traffic Desire to maintain the nature preserve and to limit traffic and related safety hazards. The desert is being over built and animals have few places left to inhabit. The views of mountains and the skyline are increasingly blocked by taller and taller buildings and dwellings I moved to this area to enjoy the desert and the wildlife associated with the environment. Developers have one objective ‐ money. We must preserve what is left of this beautiful landscape Beautiful drive and prime hiking area Northern Phoenix is already getting overrun by new developments. Would be nice to keep some lands in their natural state so we can enjoy the beauty it brings It’s a beautiful corridor and vital habitat for desert wildlife, along with a natural desert wash. I live right next to it and want to see it preserved. I love this natural area. It is very important that the building be kept down as we are losing our natural areas to concrete and overdevelopment. AZ does not have enough water for all of these homes/buildings. Traffic is horrendous already. Please don’t do this. Original 2006 owner who has seen this area grow and change. I’m very concerned about the population over expansion in this area. I live right off Dove Valley which has already become unsafe due to traffic volume and lack of proper traffic signals (some of which are on the way). However, I don’t believe Dove Valley was ever intended to hold the kind of volume it will experience if growth is not governed. I for one wholeheartedly support the enforcement of the Desert Character Overlay District. Thank you I grew up in cave creek which is right on the other side and I know the value to this desert landscape and the peace it brings to others. It’s natures playground let it be Preserving the natural beauty of the area is important to current residents. They use this area for healthy recreation. It also should be saved fir environmental reasons. Don’t add to the sprawl that is already part of may areas in Phoenix . I live in the neighborhood and don’t want them to change our desert look it’s very important The Desert Character Overlay District should be adhered to. My family and I enjoy biking and hiking in that area, which is part of the reason we live where we do. We believe the City of Phoenix made a informed and important decision to maintain the wilderness, beauty and safety of that area for a reason and would hate to see that decision overturned. This is a beautiful scenic preserve that has already experienced housing growth, wild fires caused by humans, and an increase in traffic. We have lived in this area for 15 years and specifically love that it used to be quiet and just outside of the city. No thank you to further developments! Preserve the land, wildlife, and natural growth! This is a great recreation area for biking and hiking and too high of density development will be detrimental to these uses. Our wildlife is being displaced and soon will not have a place to live. People want them killed as they are afraid of them! We will live in a denser area and it will soon feel like NY City! We must find a balance for all. The main reason we bought our home in this location was because of how beautiful the desert is and very peaceful. Almost feels like we're out of town in our very own neighborhood. Also, there is already an infrastructure challenge with the lack of grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations etc. Adding 1200 more homes would have a major impact on everything around us and create serious traffic issues to go anywhere, even on I and my family moved to this area to enjoy the preserve. While we understand there is growth in the area, it was done under the rules and regulations set forth. I would ask that all builders comply. Too many housing developments going up, water, waste and increased traffic issues. Leaving the preserve alone will allow animals to preserve their homes. This drive is one of the most beautiful drives in the valley and really displays all of what is natural Arizona. Also, traffic is bad enough as it is. Adding thousands of houses would further crowd what is currently a quiet, serene pet of the valley. Let’s keep a small piece of desert instead. I have lived in the norterra area since 2006. I have seen the development boom since I arrived. This last little bit of land seems to be the only thing left in the area. It's necessary to preserve for wildlife and for us. We are nurtured by nature. The drive is beautiful and we utilize hiking and biking trails often. I absolutely love the beauty of the desert and the opportunity we have to get out in the preserve to hike, run and bike. I am an avid trail runner and hiker and would be devastated if we lose that ability just to make way for more houses. The speed at which the traffic flows is about 20 over the speed limit and it is a matter of time before a biker is killed. This is happening currently and with more traffic /homes it will be worse. We don’t have the school space to support more homes. We moved up north to get away from traffic and now the desert is at risk of being destroyed by more builds. After retirement, I moved here from the city specifically to enjoy the Sonora Preserve. To lose the beauty of The Preserve would be nothing short Of a crime. I love to hike, bike, and walk the foothills. Open space is why we bought up here. I live off of Sonoran Desert Drive now. There is no infrastructure in place at this time to support additional development. There has already been an influx of both commercial and residential in this area within the last year. Until the city, county and state does much more work to improve our roads, water, and law enforcement existing issues; there should be no further development at this time. I am very concerned with the amount of traffic and safety in my community with the amount of people that could potentially be here. We are a quiet and safe neighborhood and I'd like to keep it this way. Traffic is already too heavy and congested. Our streets are becoming dangerous. It is important that we preserve our land to make it available to enjoy the outside life without the traffic. This area is beautiful and it would be a shame for it to be overdeveloped. It’s a preserve for a reason. That’s why we chose to live here. Thank you. The number of people hiking is increasing but even if is not, the streets are narrow and it is dangerous to drive. The Sonoran Preserve is a magnificent specimen of the desert. The desert plants and wildlife within this area are a dream come true for hikers and bicyclists. With the increase of people moving into the area, traffic has grown exponentially. If we build more homes in this area, we need to put measures in place to protect this valuable asset to our state, as well as provide safety for the people who visit it throughout the year. I'm mountain bike in the Sonoran preserve 3 to 4 times per week and feel it is vitally important to keep some space set aside with minimal traffic and housing. I have many reasons for you to consider preserving the Sonoran Preserve and Sonora Desert Drive. Homes and traffic directly impact the fragile desert. Urban heat, pollution, and human destruction directly destroy the desert plants. The Sonoran Preserve was set aside for the specific reason of preserving an area for people to enjoy the beauty of the desert. Adding homes along the Sonoran Preserve and Sonoran Desert Drive will increase traffic. Solutions to traffic congestion is to add and or expand lanes which will take up desert land. Lastly and more importantly, Arizona is in a major drought. More homes means less water. There are plenty of homes and apartments being built in Phoenix without taking from the Sonoran Preserve and Sonora Desert The preserve is a sanctuary and feel that this increased volume of homes would create a dangerous high traffic in an area that is a recreational haven for cyclist, hikers and runners. The impact of these homes will also have a negative affect on the the wildlife and natural dessert of the area. We chose to move to Sonoran Foothills to be close to the desert landscape and away from the dense population of the city. We understood that the city had protected the areas surrounding the preserve by requiring certain standards and limiting the number of homes that can be built. The requirements that were in place while the Sonoran foothills community was being built, maintain the overall integrity of the surrounding desert. There is a mix of apartment homes, patio homes and homes with lots. All were required to follow strict landscaping guidelines to match the desert. Why aren’t these standards being upheld for any future development? It is evident that greed is now winning. The home builders goal is to build as many houses as will be allowed as this is most profitable for them. They are NOT concerned with the impact this will have on traffic, current residents or the desert. Also, it appears the city is trying to solve the housing shortage by putting in a disproportionate number of high density dwellings from I‐17 to Cave Creek. Me and my family and friends are all avid trail runners with great respect for our wildlife and natural ecosystems. I don’t dispute the need for housing but the Desert Character Overlay District put the standards in place for exactly this reason ‐ to prevent developers from overdevelopment that would ruin the NATURAL ecosystem. I applaud them for some of the measures they propose in planning but that will never make up for any zoning change and quite frankly is hypocritical. Please make sure Verdin complies with the current standard I frequent the Sonoran Preserve 2‐3 times a week and my husband road bikes 4‐5 times a week in the bike lanes. We enjoy being able to go enjoy the desert without having to see home after home. We are also in a drought and putting more homes up does not help address the issue. Please think about keeping more open spaces for everyone to enjoy who already lives here it is getting crowded enough. My family and I are avid cyclists, and for the past five years we have seen an increase of cars and speed. I myself had a couple of car and motorcycle incidents due to the amount of traffic and their speed. I’m worried that with the increase of housing it’s only going to make our rides more dangerous, as drivers don’t respect speed limits. Please keep the overlay as it was intended. Don’t put money over our safety. Thank you There has been way to much building in the Sonoran Preserve area! This is destroying the beauty of the desert. I have lived in Phoenix area for 49 years and this once beautiful desert is being destroyed by over developing. Some of the most recent developments off the I‐17 and Dexalita destroy some of the mountain to put more homes in the area. When this happens we are not being good stuarts of the land. We need to find away to live I have lived at this address for 20 years and have watched the area grow. My wife and I have hiked and biked in the Sonoran Preserve area hundreds of times, and now we have introduced our children to a love of nature through seeing Olive the owl on Hawk's Nest Trail and wildflower blooms biking along the Apache Wash trail. In the middle of a growing city, this Preserve is an oasis that allows residents from near and far to relax and escape the pace of city life. It magically transports visitors to a place that feels quiet and free. Please help us preserve this for us and future visitors! Phoenix is growing at a very rapid rate. If something is not done now to save lands, there will be no desert areas left and all wildlife here will perish. We must preserve this unique Sonoran Preserve. I've lived in this area for the last 3+ years and a major reason we moved here is because of the desert setting and because it didn't feel as crowded as other parts of the Valley. Sad to see our beautiful preserve turned into crappy track homes. I'm mainly just concerned with the increased amount of traffic new housing developments will create. I hike from Apache Wash frequently as well as the trails in Sonoran Preserve South and don’t want to see the desert character of these areas impacted. Please hold Taylor Morrison to these rules. They were put in place for a reason. Don’t allow them to disregard them. The amount of traffic we already have on dove valley is excessive. We do not need to add more. I am signing this petition as I care deeply about keeping the Sonoran preserve sacred. It is important to preserve the existing ecosystems. Additionally, This area is already dangerous with increasing traffic. I love cycling here and I don't want that to change. It is nature at its finest. The desert is dwindling especially in this area with all of the commercial building and housing going up. The hot air balloons are even running out of space to take off from and land on. Dove Valley Road / Sonoran Desert Drive has become a speedway and dumping ground. It is a shame that people have such disregard for such a beautiful area and putting up more housing will only make it worse. Years ago we were told that no homes would be built off of that road. I know because I used to live in Carefree Crossings and attended many meetings about it. Listen to the people for a change and leave this area alone. It was built for people to enjoy it, not destroy it. I want to preserve the desert. We have a water shortage not enough water now for the people that live here. Not enough schools why aren’t the building responsible for building schools for the children? We do not want this new development because we love the natural desert we chose to live near. In addition, we do need the excessive amount of traffic that such a development would cause. The original proposal to conserve the ecosystem while allowing for reasonable growth is threatened. The proposed increase will increase vehicle traffic, noise, pollution, and make biking along this area unsafe. The beauty and tranquility of the Sonoran Preserve is vital to the character of this community’s identity. With so much growth in Arizona & Phoenix in particular, it is vital to retain the open spaces for all residents to use and enjoy ‐ there was great foresight when determining preserves and buffered lands around them. The roads ‐ current and even proposed new ones ‐ won’t be able to safely support the sudden surge of vehicles and will most definitely increase the traffic volume and many drivers, bikers and pedestrians will experience a greater risk of accidents. Please listen to the residents in the area that will be most impacted. Thank you. We don't have the infrastructure to support any additional growth. I wish we could halt the issuance of any further building permits in the state until we can guarantee the people of AZ that we will have adequate water and energy resources to match projected growth rates. We can NOT have growth outpace supply. Our house backs up to the desert. We bought that house because it backs up to the desert, I want to to keep our view and our slower simple lifestyle there and not turn its into a big city feel. I don’t want to see traffic increase. I would like to see the desert stay peaceful and empty. Want beauty while biking I have cycled on this road for close to a decade. It’s been one of the only “safe” roads. In addition, the preserve is quiet and beautiful and has remained a short distance from home. As traffic gets worse we are losing that quiet, beautiful Arizona gem. We specifically moved to this area b/c of the preserve and the peacefulness that it brings to our lives and neighborhood. District guidelines are in place for a reason and should not be adjusted for a greedy developer. I enjoy cycling on the road. It is a safe, fast, and serene place to ride my bike. The crisp early morning air, sunrise, and hot air balloons, are a real treat. Keep the beauty of the desert and keep traffic minimal on Sonoran Desert Drive as there are no crossroads to take as an alternate route if traffic is heavy on Sonoran Desert Drive. This area is vital for wildlife and preserving the bike trails be able to trail ride in the unspoiled desert we don’t need anymore traffic thru here it would completely ruin the whole area My household enjoys both biking and hiking along the Sonoran Desert Drive several times a week. One of the main reasons I moved out of the Kierland area was to escape the traffic/congestion. Please don't turn my beautiful Sonoran Preserve into a traffic nightmare. Uphold the safeguards that make this preserve a treasure. Thank you, Councilman Waring. We back up to Dove Valley.....the traffic has already increased exponentially over the past few years and people use this road as a freeway....safety for our kids and everyone in our community is a huge concern. My family and I use these trials for recreation purposes. We are also concerned as a community for the traffic as well as how it will effect the wildlife. Please do not overcrowd our area and stress our resources. Sonoran Desert Drive is beautiful and offers wonderful opportunity to be outside and healthy. Please preserve this area. We moved here for the natural beauty of this area and the outdoor freedom to run, bike and hike. In addition we wanted to get away from all the congestion and crazy traffic. I am concerned for pedestrian safety and not being able to enjoy the wilderness in peace. Not to mention all the traffic added to Sonoran Desert Drive which is no longer relaxing and becomes stressful on a daily basis. Congestion. Rezoning opens doors to more rezoning. Will cost the county money to widen roads. And I like less people around. We need less development and more room to safely enjoy nature with trails and outdoor activities. Dove Valley Rd is already a speed zone and super trafficked, more development is a detriment to our beautiful Sonoran Preserve. Please reject this proposal. This is my neighborhood..I live here. I hike these beautiful trails five times a week. There are plenty of acres of desert in other areas. People come from all over the valley to hike and bike here.This land has been set aside for this and should not be taken away. Sonoran Desert Drive is a safe haven for athletes and cyclists. It’s the one road in the Phoenix area in which cyclists and feel safe in the road without the fear of being hit by cars. We use the parkway weekly for our bike training, along with thousands of other riders. This parkway has forever been a haven for riders looking to escape the dangerous city streets of Arizona, and bringing more traffic or reducing our ability to use the parkway could result in a major increase in vehicle‐bike related accidents which unequivocally result in harm to the cyclist ‐ often fatally. The proposed development could spell disaster for the cycling community in Arizona. There is already a staggering amount of traffic between the preserves and additional housing per acre only harms these sacred areas. We are growing at a staggering rate and sacrificing our beautiful lands and existing safe guards isn't the right approach to addressing this growth. The land and homes will sell and the only reason to increase hones per acre is to increase their profits. I urge you not to ignore the Desert Character Overly District and over develop one of the few remaining preserves in city limits so a developer can make more money. Please consider your constituents way of life and safety over profits for a corporation. Thank you for your consideration. I run on those trails weekly at Apache wash trailhead, I bike Sonoran Parkway road safely multiple times weekly. If traffic/construction/and wildlife are destroyed it would be incredibly heartbreaking. I specifically bought a home in this area in part because of the Sonoran Desert Preserve and the numerous hiking trails available. The traffic has increased substantially in the past several years. The closure of I 17 in either direction already turns our neighborhood into a parking lot at times. Sincerely, Terry I live in this area, I use the hiking trails and bike paths along Sonoran drive on a weekly basis, I love looking out into the Desert everytime and taking in its natural beauty it has to offer, Roof tops would hinder this…. If the county/city ever needs additional funding they can have Police officers patrol Sonoran Desert drive and would run out of paper giving traffic tickets, its already a race track with the driving practices on this road,,,,, more congestion will make it worst and a lot more dangerous than itvis now, I quit riding my bike in the bike lane on that road, I ride on the bike path to the north of the road for that reason… Preserve land is sacred and should maintained as suck to keep the value to it's community members. This development will ruin the last open space area around the Sonoran Preserve. There are plenty of other housing developments in the north Phoenix area closer to I‐17 that will assist those moving to the valley. This development is not necessary. There are also major water, traffic and fire concerns with this new development. 1. Concerned about wildlife being displaced and natural habitats being significantly reduced 2. High occupancy buildings coupled with houses will bring more traffic and pollution and impact the infrastructure 3. Impact on city resources such as water especially scary as water levels are so low 4 impact to education facilities ‐ schools are over crowded We truly need to preserve our Sonoran Desert and we need to maintain the original reason this area has been preserved. We are rapidly losing our Sonoran Desert and our recreation areas, not to mention our wildlife are losing their homes. We can’t be nothing but concrete. We should take pride in living in a beautiful part of town. Please Preserve!! We cannot keep moving the wild habitat out of their homes! Moving into this community we were told this reserve was here to stay so we would never have to worry about build going up on it ‐ clearly, that has changed. Do not let greed destroy our quality of life. The preserve and drive are my little bit of sanctuary to and from work. I enjoy the beautiful flowers and desert landscape daily, not to mention the gorgeous sunsets and sunrises I see every day. Please keep this part of Arizona as it is. We are loosing the beauty that was one of the huge reasons for moving where we live. All you are you doing is bringing more infrastructure. I understand that growth needs to take place but I think that it should be done in a much better way. Putting up a bunch of houses on top of each other is not the solution. I see greed takes the upper hand over more intelligent decisions. Thank you One of the reasons I moved to this area was because of the Preserve and being told it would not be developed. How incredibly sad we're even needing to have this discussion. Please do the right thing and save the Sonoran This preserve is important for the community and wildlife! This beautiful desert area needs to maintain its character and uniqueness. It’s the reason why many people live in the area. Stop!! Sara Rovarino Keep as much preserves and mountains natural I want to keep the area accessable for recreation. We moved to our current home to enjoy the benefits of having access to the Sonoran Preserve. The Desert Character Overlay District was created to preserve the integrity of this precious commodity, if it is ignored, the beauty and recreational benefits of the preserve will be significantly reduced. We need to preserve our natural habitat.Increased construction around the area already put too much load on traffic and school system.We have no new building of schools and we are worried where all these will get We need to save our desert preserve and wildlife. There are plenty if other placex in the area and in Phoenix where it is more appropriate and less disruptive to build. Save wildlife and the desert There are plenty of other places to build, these this beautiful piece of land beautiful. Keep the traffic down for those of us who use this area for biking. Oh yes, and where are you getting all the water to support all of this new construction?!? Please follow the Desert Character Overlay District plan. Keep traffic low and undeveloped land so we can enjoy the preserve. There has already been enough building along Dove Valley/Sonoran Desert Drive. Please leave the preserve so that we can continue to enjoy its beauty. I live around the corner in Sonoran Foothills community and one of the reasons we moved here was to be able to bike on Dove Valley and Sonoran Desert, as we train for Triathlons year round. Every car you add to these roads makes this more dangerous for us. I have almost been hit twice by cars coming out of Sonoran Gate community. The proposed development of over 1400 homes will destroy this very special area. Like to go hiking there and see the natural views. The Sonoran Preserve is important to me because of the beauty if the area and the animals that call it home. Sonoran Desert Drive needs to remain a less busy road so it is safe for the bicyclists that use it for exercise and the people that walk the path along the road and preserve. Myself and so many of my neighbors and friends hike this area on a regular basis! There is a nest that an owl comes back to every year! There are beautiful fees of the amazing area in which so many of us call home! Please don’t destroy an area we love and cherish To be able to get out of the city and experience the peacefulness and beauty of the Sonoran desert so easily is what makes this area unique. Once it is gone it is gone. We love biking on the path along the reserve with our 2 girls, crossing Sonoran Desert is already a bit nerve wracking with current traffic, I can't imagine how much this would increase given the added homes. This is such a beautiful stretch of road and adding these homes would greatly impact the noise, traffic and beauty of this area. Not to mention the surrounding grocery stores, roadways and restaurants are already stretched so thin because the number of homes has increased greatly without the other resources to support it! The increase in traffic volume that will result from additional development in this area is not sustainable or in keeping with the objectives of the preserve. Doubling or tripling the number of housing units is not sustainable and concerning that it will impact the surroundings negatively Increased traffic, depleted water, and loss of vital desert preserve. In addition, approval here increases the likelihood that thousands of additional homes will be added throughout the preserve in years to come. There is enough congestion and traffic as it is. Not to mention, our beautiful desert is continually being built in. I am extremely concerned about over building at the expense of the natural desert. Loss of natural settings/habitat, increased traffic, speeding, congestion, crime, burglary, all the issues that come with high My concern is for public safety first and foremost. In addition to the widening of the Sonoran roadway and the disregard for the serenity of the desert. Finally I feel the City is growing too fast with little regard for Public Safety and infrastructure growth. I've lived in this area for many years and treasure the Sonoran Desert Preserve beyond measure. As an avid hiker and lover of the unique beauty, plant life and wildlife of the Sonoran Desert, I feel privileged to be able to enjoy this natural area as part of my "everyday." I'm also aware and incredibly proud of the hard work and careful thought that went into preserving this land in the first place. It was a job so very well done, and I would be incredibly disappointed and dispirited to see those efforts and safeguards dismantled in any way. The beauty of the desert & also a place for the animals to live. We gave already taken enough of their home. Enjoy bicycling through the preserve. The road is too narrow for the traffic already using the parkway. My wife and I have a true love for the desert surroundings and this is what brought us to Sonoran Gate Community. In order to keep the beauty of the desert, it must be limited to homeowners. We hike, mtn bike, and road cycle throughout this area and with the more chance of new development comes the increase in traffic. My wife was hit by a car while riding on the road because a driver was speeding and not paying attention. With little to no law enforcement on Dove Valley Rd. Sonoran Desert Drive, it's expected for drivers to obey the speed limit but that is not the case, we live here and we see it every day and we are concerned about more development on a large scale to come into play. If your serious about appreciating the natural preserves then we challenge you to show it and not let the love of money ditract you from what your heart is telling you. I hope you please take a deeper look before you decide. Thank you So many animals will get displaced from there natural habitats. Preserving our beautiful desert and its wildlife is crucial. This is what makes this area so special and why many of us chose to live here. This project will significantly add to the traffic and pollution and negatively effect this natural environment. Safe and beautiful area to hike and bike. Please preserve this pristine piece of Sonoran Desert for the native flora and fauna and for our future To preserve the natural desert. Traffic is already excessive. This area is amazing for bike rides, hiking & exercise. Let’s keep it that way. Beautiful, wildlife, reduced traffic : ) I moved to the area after serving in the military for 25 years because of its natural beauty and proximity to the preserve. The building in this area has skyrocketed in recent years. Future development of the preserve will only deplete the area of its scenery and overpopulation of an already strained region of north Phoenix. It is one of the most beautiful areas of the valley. Please dont spoil it. It is important to save the Preserve and Drive because developers and their need for more and more money is literally killing the desert and taking away all things that are indigenous to this perfect State I have lived in my whole life, born and raised. I have worked up in this area for 20 plus years and it has been so sad to see the loss of the desert. The Sonora Desert Drive is something so special and one of the few places left in the Valley that makes you feel like you are really in the desert without thousands of pieces of property. Please do not take away the beauty of these areas!!! The Sonoran preserve is just that, “A preserve”. It was specifically zoned to prevent this kind of development, or any development for that matter. We use this area almost on a daily basis for hiking, biking and driving on the parkway. If these projects are developed and built I will seriously consider leaving this area and moving to a quieter place. These builders should look for other areas not designated as preserves to build their housing. The natural desert is one of the most unique places and somehow we have to realize it is something we cannot afford to destroy. I understand the need for homes and such, but please leave this area be. Please! We need to keep as much nature untouched and beautiful. The preserve was set aside for a reason. And the reason was not to then go back and develops it a few years later. Leave the preserve a preserve. There is plenty of other land to develope. As a cyclist, I truly enjoy being able to ride on Sonoran Parkway and enjoy the beauty of the desert. Over developing this area would destroy our landscape. I truly hope that our city will choose not to over develop and keep the natural beauty intact My family and I enjoy walking, hiking, and driving by the preserve and the planned Verdin development on a daily basis. It is a highlight of our day and one of the only areas in Phoenix that people can enjoy the natural beauty of the desert, because it maintains the desert character overlay. It would be very disheartening if this beautiful surrounding area loses its desert character. I trust that members of the Phoenix city council will reject the request to maintain the desert character overlay. Thank you. It’s imperative to preserve and protect the wildlife and their natural habitat. This area is already exploding with growth & traffic. Please stop encouraging overgrowth. We do not have sufficient resources for the population growth. Let the desert live. There should not be such things as zoning changes that crowd people and houses into areas to allow developers to make money and walk away. My husband and I moved into the area specifically for the trails and wilderness of the Sonoran Preserve. We hike the trails at least twice a week with our dogs. Please do not allow more encroachment just for the sake of making more money! I am a retired registered nurse and served the indigent populations and can't afford to move again. Please stop this! We live in the Sonoran Gate community. I’m also a cyclist. We moved here to escape congestion and enjoy the outdoors. All of that is threatened with this current building frenzy. Why would we abandon the express purpose of these Preserves, so carefully planned and uniquely executed?! And where are we finding a sustainable water supply for this unbridled development? This is madness. Destroying desert habitat, overpopulating an area not intended to. Negative effects on property value. This area can not support anymore homes. We don’t have the commercial needed. Also, we need to preserve the desert. That is a popular scenic drive and hiking area. Protect the Sonoran preserve It is a beautiful drive and I am sad to see they have done any development along this stretch of road. I thought this was a preserve but it doesn't seem like it lately with all of the signs I have seen go up lately. Preserve the natural beauty of the AZ desert. People already speed like crazy on this road and I'm afraid accidents will go up I ride in the Preserve and along the Drive four or five times a week. We are already experiencing high volume traffic and with the micro chip company, the traffic will be unbearable. I believe in growth but we need to preserve what’s left with our AZ desert. Conservation will protect the wildlife. Driving them out of their natural habitat could put some animals at risk of extinction. There are other desert areas/land that could be built on. Preserving will help reduce our footprint and help reduce traffic and pollution. Please adhere to the Desert Character Overlay District safeguards. We need space to walk, bike, play and enjoy the natural beauty of the desert. Keeping natural habitats for the animals that belong here. We are on their land and need to be cognizant of that. Also, future generations need to be able to enjoy nature as it is meant to be. Upon moving to my home in Sonoran Commons I was told all this state land would stay undeveloped. That was a key factor in purchasing my home because I love the drive, but most importantly Hiking and biking. It was very disappointing when the Taylor Morrison community built where I was told no homes would be and increasing more homes and traffic would be disappointing not to mention destroy the sonoran desert further. Please do not allow this to happen! Maintain the natural open space in this areas Traffic congestion issues My family hikes and bikes in this area and there is already too much traffic and disruption in this area. The traffic on Cave Creek Rd. and Sonoran Desert Drive is very congested and getting worse. Housing needs to be more controlled in this area to avoid infrastructure problems and environmental impacts. Leave the desert un touched We need to preserve it for the wildlife that lives in it and keep the beauty of the desert environment in tact. We bought a home in this area in 2009 with the idea that the Sonoran Preserve would remain a Preserve. We and many of our neighbors enjoy using the walking, hiking and biking trails because of its serenity. Please don't let the lure of developers'money start chipping away at it. The city invested a lot to create the trails and the Apache Wash trailhead. Let's preserve the Preserve. The traffic needs to stay low for cyclist and hiker safety. The noise pollution would be overbearing. I hike there year round and the traffic is already too much. The light pollution and noise would bring harm to wildlife and the flora of the area. Keep the surrounding area cool by adding no more concrete and asphalt. Please do not eliminate the protections placed to keep our Sonoran Preserve, preserved. If you allow people to encroach on the preserve further, you'd no longer be able to call it a "preserve." Perhaps the Sonoran Development, or the Former Sonoran Preserve, or the Sonoran Encroachment. Not good. I've lived here 12 years and the preserve gets more and more use by people who want to enjoy it. If you roll back these protections even an inch, people will just keep pushing and keep pushing, until all of those inches add up to no more preserve. Stand strong. I hope you get a lot of responses. Please do not mess with the preserve. We selected this area to live, in part, based on the feeling of being closer to nature. The Sonoran Preserve played a big part in that feeling. The loss of any Preserve open space or the increase in traffic thru the Preserve will diminish that feeling. Please require all developers to comply with existing develop restrictions and do not "lessen" those restrictions. ‐ Thank you... Our family enjoys the scenic drive down Sonoran Desert Drive. I’m saddened to hear they already have plans to develop some of that land. The dessert landscape and easy access to trails from Fireside are unique to living in Norterra and I would hate to see that change. It’s already becoming over crowded up here and traffic is effected. Please consider preserving our beautiful desert landscape. Concerned about traffic on current roadway & effects on wildlife habitats. As well as construction dirt, debris & trash. Maintain the beauty and areas to hike. We live in the area and do not need to have more houses built, apartments, etc. The traffic is becoming unbearable, and to abolish the desert is a terrible thing for the wildlife and beauty of the desert. I enjoy hiking Natural beauty I moved up in this area to get away from the city, crowds and traffic, enjoy the outdoors to hike and cycle. It’s such a beautiful, natural area. No more development! To keep our desert preserves for walking and hiking viewing the beautiful scenery NOT more houses. I moved up here because of the secluded area and the ability to walk to trails and trailhead. Traffic has gotten so bad on Dove valley road. Bikers (I) ride this road all the time and won’t be able to during construction and after as traffic will make it too dangerous. I personally don’t even feel my neighborhood should not have been built here. I use the preserve for hiking. Get out into nature but close by the house. Great hiking and exploring area. Beautiful desert and shouldn’t be changed for housing As a frequent hiker it is important to regulate traffic and protect our beautiful Sonoran desert ecosystem. Primary reason we moved to this area from Houston is to avoid the glut of development and related traffic that we had in Texas. Please let us retain the environment we fell in love with back in 2010. My children and I enjoy riding bikes on the preserve and enjoy the open desert environment. For the animals. We can’t continue to build on their land. They are constantly being pushed out. This earth cannot sustain all the building I am signing this because we would not have moved to this area had we known it was even possible for a developer to unilaterally request a community density plan, carefully and deliberately produced and agreed upon, be thrown out so a company can increase profit. I question the ethics of a company that would even propose it. I question the ethics of a local government that would even entertain it. I moved to this house 10 years ago to move out of the “city” and be near desert‐stop building so much up here! There has been enough development in this area. Stop crowding out the wildlife. It is important to keep open lands for the wildlife in the area. Building way too much in the area. Please don’t let greedy developers have their way! The Sonoran Preserve is truly the most incredible place to hike, bike, and just enjoy the beautiful desert. Just driving through brings my family so much peace. For it to be surrounded by dense development and traffic would steal the joy it brings from to the whole community, as well as visitors who are lucky enough to see some of our most spectacular views. This desert area is beautiful and with more and more houses being built, this will reduce the amount of natural preserve we have to enjoy. I love to hike in this area. Keep the beauty and peacefulness of this special area. Protect wilderness and cyclists. Cut down on traffic. It is a rare beauty we cannot afford to lose. The Sonoran Preserve and surrounding area are why we moved to the North Valley 7 years ago. The natural beauty and outdoor activities make it our special home. We need to manage and control growth so it will not negatively impact our surroundings with excessive traffic. Thank‐you. Enjoying the desert environment is something we need to protect so that we can continue to share it with We moved to this area because of the beauty of the preserve and the desert areas around us. The area is already congested with traffic and adding more subdivisions will just clog our streets, increase pollution, displace animals and ruin the desert. Please do not let that happen. Safe cycling route Being able to walk , enjoying the beautiful landscape the LORD make. The development will increase the footprint traffic and damage to these natural areas and habits. We must look forward to responsible growth in unity with our surroundings and not just perceived revenues. Beautiful hiking area and bike riding. It's going to change the complete landscape of our community. I do not want an excessive amount of traffic. We have lived in Sonoran foothills for 13 years. We have always loved how quiet it is up here and love the beauty of the desert. Please do not build more homes and ruin all the great things we have up here! The Sonoran preserve and Sonoran desert drive are such beautiful parts of AZ. If it is too crowded with traffic and development it will be taking away from all the cyclists and great hiking trails. I often go hiking in the preserve for the peacefulness, seeing wildlife, and being surrounded by nature. I bike ride along Sonoran desert drive and feel safe due to very little traffic. I will be devastated if homes get built on our beautiful preserve. Animals will suffer, people will suffer, and preserve plant life will be killed. This should not happen. Preserve means preserve! This is an essential open nature recreation space who live and visit the area. Protecting spaces like this helps make this area of PHX metro special, sane, and attractive to so many who use it. It’s therapeutic. It’s getting too crowded and we need to preserve this beautiful area. It was a purchasing amenity for us that this preserve would always be left alone. Completely unfair being sold under these terms and then little by little all the beauty surrounding us is rezoned and built upon. No wanting any more home delvelopers tearing up the preserves. With the additional Verizon zone site there will be to many dangerous EMF’s in the community I live very close to the Sonoran Preserve. My family and I love living near the preserve because we get to enjoy beautiful hiking and biking trails right in our back yard. The trails are clean, well maintained and much less crowded than other trails in Phoenix, such as Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak. The Sonoran Preserve is the reason we moved the North Valley. And we moved here based on the growth parameters identified by the Desert Character Overlay District, which were instilled to safeguard the Preserve. Please don’t alter the growth density plans, it’s not good for the viability of the Preserve and it’s not fair to the residents who moved to the area based on the development measures in place. I believe it is vital to preserve the Sonoran desert lands. The more we build the more we push wild life out of their habitats and into neighborhoods where they inevitably will get injured or killed. If we keep building on these lands we won't be the Sonoran desert anymore, we will just have to explain to our grandkids what the Sonoran desert once looked like. I very much enjoy the drive through there. Traffic has already increased too much as it is. We need to protect our beautiful desert. There are many other areas to build on so we can all appreciate the scenery. After all this is why we live here. We moved to this area to enjoy the beautiful desert landscape that it offers unlike many other Phoenix areas. To destroy this beauty that offers hiking, biking, and general nature opportunities so close to home would be devastating for my family, not to mention the traffic that it would bring. Our neighborhood is already being robbed of its quiet and peace from the houses already built on this road and it’s use as a through street. People speed through at 50+ miles per hour to the point that it is difficult for me to turn left out of my gate. I can’t imagine the impact on this traffic should more homes be allowed through the preserve. Let’s keep this beauty to enjoy. Things like this are disappearing from the Phoenix area. We must save this. The safety of low development it brings to being active is a great outlet in AZ. An agreement was made to limit the number of homes for the area, why now is it ok to go back on that. Will bring more traffic and ruin to area from overpopulation. I live in the area and my family and I walk, bike, and hike in the preserve daily. I also see all the animals who live in and rely on the preserve. It is my training ground. I spend countless hours a week there riding in the bike lane, running on designated sidewalks & trails. It is regarded, by local athletes, as a safe stretch of road to cycle on due to the generous bike lane and limited traffic entering/exiting Sonoran Desert Dr. This is one of the most beautiful areas in the valley. The trails, bike lanes, and running paths are utilized by a large number of triathletes. Not to mention the large number of mountain bikers. Keeping this area of land free of traffic will ensure the wildlife can thrive. Taylor Morrison is a horrible company, they’re not truthful and when the job is done your stuck with a shitty house. I regret ever purchasing a home from them in this area. They’re is a lot of wildlife and having the desert overlay taken off the this absurd amount of homes is going to cause destruction of the wildlife and their homes. If we keep building on all this desert there will not be any left for our children and their children to enjoy. Please It is a spectacular preserve and should kept that way. This area can’t handle the traffic now let alone of more developments are added. This road is a cyclists haven, and a beautiful part of the North Phoenix desert. Let’s keep it that way. I am concerned about the volume of cars, traffic and safety. There have already been fatal accidents for motorists and bicyclists on that road/area. I am concerned about ruining the integrity of the beautiful Sonoran Preserve. PLEASE don’t let this happen!! No need for more development eating up our desert. To preserve the beauty and nature of the Sonoran Desert When does this stop? We have a responsibility to our next generation of children to save our desert for them to enjoy. Take the building elsewhere. PRESERVE what is left of our precious desert Marcella Mccormack The Sonoran Preserve is a beautiful area that lends this neighborhood a great amount of character and appeal. Over‐development would greatly detract from this, leaving it just another sprawl. I want it to remain natural. Don’t want more noise, development coming to the area. Cycling and hiking in the area We need to preserve our natural preserve, too many houses, too many cars. The amount of traffic increase will greatly harm the ecosystem as well as increased foot traffic in this unique It's important to keep the preserve as it was originally planned for the future. There is a concern for water during a drought in Arizona and the Anthem water table is low. That road is very congested with traffic and it's only two lanes. Save the preserve I’ve lived in the preserve area since I was very little. We need to keep the desert a desert, our native animals are continually being forced to co habitate with humans and it’s not going welk. Continue to give them their space so that we can all live together without hostile interaction We moved up here to be away from the crowds and we love the desert landscape And the air quality is better for our son who has asthma Save the desert! We moved here 3 years ago. We knew we wanted this home when we were driving around the home and drove down sonoran desert drive. We loved that the desert was so close to us, that we were going to live to close to a preserve that our kids could learn about the Arizona and the desert right out their back door. I use this area for cycling and running. Additional congestion will make it unsafe for these activities. We are losing more and more areas where it is safe for recreation. The preserve provides safe space for recreation and adds value in its current state to the residents of the Phoenix metro area. Our desert is beautiful. There won’t be much of it left if it keeps getting built on. We live in a largely unspoiled Area of the city. We chose this location for its natural beauty and remoteness from the busy‐ness of the city. We enjoy the outdoor activities it has to offer without the noise and pollution we see elsewhere. Please help preserve this area for future generations to enjoy. The Sonoran Desert Preserve is a beautiful area full of wildlife and desert vegetation. We must preserve and protect portions of our desert to keep balance in our environment. My family and I love to hike this area, especially to feel like we’re away from city life and enjoying the natural outdoors. That is one of the reasons why we chose to live in this area was because of the preserve. I urge City Council to require Taylor Morrison to comply with Desert Character Overlay safeguards. We moved to this area because of the close proximity to hiking and biking and close to nature. This is necessary for people’s physical and mental well being. Preserve landscape, Mountain View’s, prevent traffic I prefer to keep the Somoran Preseve “wild” for all to enjoy. Please stop taking beautiful desert away from the residents that moved here to be near it. Please do not ignore the Desert Character Overlay District. As it already stands, the volume of traffic on Sonoran Desert Drive is quite high and negatively impacting the surrounding preserve with increased pollution, roadkill and noise. Increasing the number of homes built as well as the traffic flow will greatly diminish this beautiful and precious land that was so wisely set aside for protection. Please preserve the Sonoran Desert Preserve values. Once it is gone it cannot be replaced. I purchased my house on the southern boundary of Sonoran Gate with the intent of enjoying the serenity of the desert in my backyard. This expansion will teplace my view with a 6 lane high traffic road. The Scenic Dove Valley road will also become increasingly busy affecting outdoor activities such as biking. I really enjoy living near this natural area and enjoy the hiking and biking opportunities that are available. It was designed to be protected. It is that simple. There is already too many cars going through that preserve. My family and I hike at this preserve every week. I take friends to it, have had Girl Scout events, and even volunteer to clean up the trails. It is one of the most gorgeous gems in Phoenix. In addition to that, numerous animals call it their home. It is not ok to take that away from the people of Phoenix. While the continued expansion of homes and building into this area is inevitable and needed, the maintenance of the Desert Character Overlay is important to keep the beauty and feel of this area. The residents who live here moved here for a reason, and we appreciate the forethought that went into the Desert Character Overlay originally. Please do not abandon this. It would be one thing if the builder were building reasonably priced homes to assist with the affordable housing shortage, but they are not. This request is purely for the financial advantage of the builder and the detriment of our community. The Sonoran preserve area is vital to providing a habitats for all the wonderful creatures and wildlife in the area. It also provides for great walking trails for people to enjoy and get exercise while exploring all that Arizona has We love the natural area of Sonoran Preserve! Adding more homes is going to take away the beauty of this land. We cannot allow new developments to destroy our desert. I hike and bike there regularly. Maintaining “green space” in the area is important for Phoenix’s overall well‐ being/balance. The infrastructure is not setup for a development of this size and the tax payers shouldn’t bear the cost to I live in the vicinity of the preserve. I moved here to be close to nature and removed from the hustle of town. I have enjoyed having wild animals pass through my backyard, but since all of the building along Sonoran Desert Drive/Dove Valley began, wildlife sightings near my home have decreased dramatically. We are edging the native species out of their rightful territory. Please do not butcher the desert any further. All of the building is already over done. It's taking away any part of the beauty left in the area. My family does alot of biking and hiking in that area and it doesn't need to be ruined with more structures. Leave AZ alone and stop overtaking anything left. The traffic is insane. Why do we need more of it in the area?! That drive is one of the last drives left near by that is ALMOST untouched. There are plenty of areas to do future developments we shouldn’t marginalize the beauty of the Sonoran I enjoy taking hikes with my family and dog. It is so wonderful to get out of the city and neighborhood to experience nature. We also enjoy taking our bikes along the Sonoran Desert Drive to safely ride without traffic and congestion. I do not want to lose this ability to development. There are so many other areas available for development without jeopardizing the beauty that is preserved in this area. The area should be preserved for enjoying the natural surroundings. I’ve lived in the north valley for almost 10 years. I’ve seen the desert in northern Phoenix disappear and the buyers of this land, though proclaim, they will do right by the desert, they have not. I’m a current owner of a Taylor Morrison home and I can tell you they made multiple shortcuts and did not take care of the land. I respect that Phoenix is growing but a lot of the glamour of living here is the beautiful desert not that far from “town”. I would love to not have to travel further north to bloody basin or 7 springs to merely enjoy the desert. Please reconsider allowing these desert destroying companies to continue killing phoenix’s charm. ‐ james I visit the Sonoran Preserve frequently and enjoy the solitude the preserve has to offer more traffic in the area would ruin the natural beauty of this area. Thank you for considering this petition. Curtis Johnson Hiking and the overall access to the outdoors It's a beautiful, natural preserve. It's a generous drive and the hiking and biking trails amid the serene desert are therapeutic. The Sonoran Desert is home to many species. It's important for their survival that their habitat isn't cut up by roads and other development. I love the purity of this area. Excessive homes will ruin the beauty. Walking along the Sonora preserve desert in a safe manner is very important for my kids Traffic on the preserve road is already quite busy during rush hour. Adding more homes will increase the danger of the road and damage the beautiful desert. We need to preserve the hiking and biking trails as well as the bike lane on Desert Sonoran Drive to keep it safe for pedestrians and cyclist. It’s one of the few roads where cyclists and triathletes have a place to ride together without intersections. It’s great for the community. I use this road almost every weekend This beautiful area directly impacts myself, my family and friends, my community, safety, economics, our home value. There will be a great increase of noise to our peaceful lands. Lights will pollute our cherished dark skies. SO many negatives, would take me pages to list each one! My fam, friends and I travel roads immediate and near the proposed area, the negative impact will be immense! Loss of life and property is unavoidable with such grow! The immediate detrimental impact on the scenic beauty of the area, wildlife habitats and migrating patterns will be detrimental. The scenic beauty of the area will be lost FOREVER!!!! PLEASE do NOT let the almighty dollar destroy this area! There are so many other, much less impacted areas of land they can build on! This proposed change in zoning will allow new development that will infringe on our recreational area. Zoning is there for a reason. Please do not change it. To preserve the beauty and conservation of the area, as well as safety for cyclist and hikers. I’d be like to see less traffic and houses. This a beautiful area, and treasure our Sonoran preserve. We moved here from Chicago to near a more spacious beautiful desert area. We've watched the traffic increase three fold which takes away from safety and the beauty of the land. We moved her to be near the natural preserves, hike, bike and enjoy nature. In the almost 6 years we've been here we rarely see the wild life we've come to love no longer around. Traffic on North Valley is dangerous at times. The Desert Character Overlay was put in place to preserve open spaces and promote responsible development. Develeopers should not be allowed to bypass rules and guidelines. Please maintain the integrity of Overlay safeguards for the sake of the future of our community. I am concern about the beauty of the Desert Landscape and more concerned about the increase in traffic that will be on Dove Valley/Sororan Desert Drives. Besides Verdin there is also the new semiconductor plant going up west of us that will increase traffic. There is also 2 other new housing developments going up on Dove Valley and also Sonoran Desert Dr west of Paloma Pkwy. This will also increase traffic tremendously on Dove Valley/Sonoran Desert Drives. Please be concerned that traffic could increase 10 times the current rate and that your plan to expand lanes is already insufficient. It is a beautiful place to take a hike through and be surrounded by natural desert landscape This is a designated Desert Sonoran Preserve. The established trails are used by thousands and the preserve hosts habitat for Arizona wildlife including javelina, bobcat, coyote, raccoon, ground squirrel and many more. There are a variety of bird and reptile species Gila Monster, great horned owl, roadrunner, gambles quail, Inca dove, Cardinals, spotted whip tail and chuckwalla lizards to mention a few. This area of Phoenix cannot be expanded into a legislated preserve. Too many apartments in the area has already increased crime, drugs and traffic congestion. Any additional housing and apartment development requests in the north Phoenix area must be denied. Respectfully, Bill Shackelford. Voting Resident Since living in Phoenix this has been a place where I can get away to escape the noise of the city. Please don’t take that away from us. For a lot of people, having a place to get away to is vital to every day life. I love all the preserved open desert. If there are rules and guidelines already established for a certain amount of homes built, we need to stay within that, and stop over building whenever a builder wants to cram more homes The Sonoran Preserve provides plenty of beautiful hiking trails and scenic views. Allowing further development in the area would destroy that natural beauty, and for what? More man‐made structures? More roads? Phoenix has grown plenty already. The city needs to focus on improvements to areas that have already been developed rather than expanding out more and more. Expansion leads to more traffic, more population, more congestion and pollution. I for one do not wish to see this grown continue unabated. It would become too crowded to enjoy any more, and it would just end up looking like every other overly populated and crowded section of the city. Please leave the Sonoran Preserve as it is. Honor the protections that have been set in place rather than trying to cheat or work around them. Dirty business practices that do not care about such protections, or about preserving the environment, do not foster good will among the people. It just looks like you want to make a I moved here to get away from the high volume of homes and traffic in Gilbert and to enjoy the beautiful surrounding desert trails and nature paths north and south of Sonoran Desert / Dove Valley. Our beautiful Sonoran desert is truly a gem in Arizona. Please don’t let the developers for the sake of a greedy dollar ruin our state for our children and grandchildren. If we don’t stop the sprawl now, who and when will it We are losing the beauty and integrity of the area that makes the Phoenix valley iconic. I have been hiking at the Sonoran Preserve for years with my son and my dogs. We love the beauty and the feeling of being in the wilderness just a couple of miles from our house in Valley Vista. I know our area is experiencing tremendous growth right now but I feel the area on the preserve needs to continue to be It's rare coming from Vegas to have such a natural landscape. It's so beautiful to have natural landscape and to have the desert wildlife around our home. There's plenty of other places they can build and they're building now. Save the preserve and the wildlife. They can build somewhere else that isn't here. People need places to live but so do animals. The Southwest has beautiful deserts and what makes this place The desert beauty of this area is its most treasured asset The beauty of the Sonoran Preserve will be replaced with urban area???? During the hike or bike ride are we supposed to admire the houses??? Safe exercise and increased traffic would really diminish the roads safety We must preserve the natural beauty of Arizona. The generations to come deserve to see the natural beauty that we have today. It is also home to many of Gods creatures and sustains their lives. Proposed area would block the migration of wildlife through the preserve which is likely its originally intended purpose. Also, there is not enough water already…. I want to protect the many plants, trails and wildlife. Please don’t destroy this fragile ecosys. Acres and Acres of land are taken from the wild life. Traffic is horrible. Seriously? There is so much development going on right now with the chip pant being built, and all of the high density housing going in around it, we don't need to get any more crowded. Don't ruin what's left of our desert beauty. These places are where some of us go to enjoy some peace and quiet and escape the population. DON'T TAKE THAT FROM US. DON'T RUIN IT!! Over reaching of dwelling concentration will overwhelm the streets, schools and amenities. Full compliance to the Desert Charter Overlay District safeguards should be fully adhered to. I do not want the desert destroyed any more than it already has been, it needs to be preserved. I hike daily along the trails from Apache Wash to Paloma Pkwy, the scenic views are being compromised by building, the noise of the traffic is ruining the peace of the outside and nearing running me off the road as I try to cross to the trails. It's insane the number of cars already and Copperleaf development isn't even populated yet. No more homes to destroy the serenity and beauty of this area. I participate in running and hiking in the area and treasure the natural beauty of the desert landscape. I chose this area because of the preserve and hiking trails. We love the motorcycle rides through the area on our way up to Cave Creek. I already think they are building too much and it’s going to overpopulate and ruin the very reason we chose to live in this area. Preserving the open space, flora, and fauna native to the area I frequently recreate in the area ‐ it is frequented by a lot of people. Both on the road with limited traffic and on the trails. It would be detrimental to the foundation of the Phoenix Preserves to take away land dedicated to open space and letting developers tear it apart. Developers can get land further out on the outskirts of town to develop ‐ not areas already dedicated as open space for all to recreate now and future generations. The city of Phoenix is running out of desert space because of so many large communities. Taking away the beautiful desert or desert character overlay to add more concrete and asphalt among houses is deeply concerning for Phoenicians, tourists, and the wildlife in the area. It is a beautiful community! I love seeing people rude their bikes, walk, hike, ride atvs so close by but with more housing it becomes impossible to enjoy the preserve. Save the last piece of Arizona the beautiful desert and wild life in Phoenix! It changes the whole landscape of our community. Every available space is being built and we are losing the beauty of our area. Two reasons: to preserve the beauty of the preserve and the hone of the animals living there. Second, is the traffic. We are already experiencing new heavy traffic with our growth up here and adding this will increase it greatly. I moved up this way because of the lifestyle it afforded without so much traffic. Along with the traffic comes more accidents, which we are already experiencing, more congestion, etc. This will affect the local fauna and flora and compromise what is supposed to be a protected ecossystem. To preserve the beautiful views of the desert and maintain wildlife and landscape. I live less then a mile away and it’s a beautiful area that should remain the way it is. We hike, bike, and drive to grandparents house on this beautiful road/preserve. Please let it stay beautiful and let us continue to make memories here. Hiking biking wildlife and beauty .....reason why most of us live up here. This is an important area to keep Phoenix as special as it is. In addition, the growing drought crisis makes the option of further building less eco friendly. The Sonoran desert preserve is admired for its standing beauty. Arizona is Home to tons of desert land scenery that makes our cave creek town so special. Please preserve this land and build soemewhere else I live on the South‐West edge of the Sonoran Preserve. I am an avid outdoors person that loves the wild flora and fauna and am concerned about destroying the natural beauty of the preserve as well as the natural habitat of wild life. I believe that we need to prevent this oasis for recreation and wild life refuge to be altered. It is important to have open space for recreation and for the planet. We love mountain biking in the preserve. High density housing is going to adversely impact what is left of the Valley’s open spaces. We want to preserve the natural beauty and opportunities we have now to bike, hike and pleasant walking with families and friends while enjoying the beauty of our Sonoran Desert. So please don’t grant permission to build more housing communities. This area is one of the only places in the Phoenix metro area that offers a safe place for mountain bikes and cyclists to ride. The low traffic and large bike lanes are not found anywhere else in the valley. It is a staple for many recreational athletes and outdoor enthusiasts in the area and should be kept that way! I am a third generation Phoenician and have lived in North Phoenix most of my life. I have watched the growth of the valley over the years and am not opposed to progress but it needs to be done thoughtfully and responsibly. This proposal to increase the number of homes along the Sonoran Desert drive is reckless and irresponsible. The developers of the Verdin project are not thinking about the residents of the area or the future generations that will use the preserve but are rather motivated by the lure of maximizing their profits. I am strongly opposed to discarding the charter and hope that as our representatives you will do the right thing for the citizens of this area. Seriously take into consideration what’s best for not only the residents but also the wildlife and the desert itself. This decision will not only impact our quality of life but the quality of life for those that will come long after we’re gone. A sea of homes and pushing more and more people into an untouched area of desert is not good for the future of our community. Beauty of the natural desert provides peace & tranquility in this world of unrest. Don’t destroy the zen We have so few Desert Lands left for generations to appreciate we moved up here 12 years ago because it was beautiful with hiking trails and not overly congested with housing/shopping/traffic etc. please leave our sonoran preserve alone and stop building in it. if people want congestion they can move into the city areas thank you. The open space is becoming g increasingly scarce, reducing not only the lands for recreation but also the My family and I value the Sonoran Preserve and open desert. We've lived next to and used the Sonoran Preserve for over 15 years. We mountain bike, run, hike, and enjoy nature on these trails multiple times per week. The surrounding open desert is an integral element contributing to the peace of the Preserve. We were dismayed at the building of the neighborhood off Dove Valley Rd between the two sections of the Preserve a few years ago. Please do not crowd the area surrounding and within the beautiful Preserve! This area is important to preserve. I regularly use this area for recreation and it is an important reason why I choose to live in the north valley as opposed to other areas in Phoenix. I DO NOT WANT THE NORTH VALLEY TO TURN INTO CHANDLER OR GILBERT!!!! My family and I love hiking in the Sonoran Preserve. It’s how we spend our weekends. We would hate to lose anymore of the land, the atmosphere, the animals. Please save the land. Thank you Preserve natura We all know how beautiful the Sonoran Preserve is. Most of us in this area live here to live close to the city, but still enjoy the beauty of the desert. As a phoenix native, I’ve seen our desert areas shrink…. Not only do humans have less area to enjoy, the animals have less and less of an area to call home. This is not okay. We need to preserve this area. While we understand that land is at a premium right now, there are other areas to develop. I do not want the massive increase in traffic it is already horrible in this area. We do not need more housing there are plenty already being built. We moved up to this area because of the beauty of the Sonoran Preserve. Please keep our beautiful land the way it is. The area will not be able to handle the congestion of the cars that will need access to the area. Also there aren't many peaceful areas to drive through anymore, especially when you have had a stressful day. With all of the other building happening we can't afford to have another development take our land. I am a resident in the local area and I’m very concerned about excessive traffic and congestion. We have laws on the books to protect to preserve I don’t think we need to circumvent them now just to build more high density The natural area surrounding Sonoran Foothills is a treasure. Doubling or tripling the number of housing units is detrimental to the beautiful nature and wildlife. We moved from the city specifically to enjoy the natural preserve and wildlife of this area. Also, we were assured no building would take place along the Sonoran Preserve corridor. Our family loves to bike ride in the peaceful desert preserve and request that it remains a preserve for our wildlife and for all to enjoy in it’s natural To keep the nature as treasure and beautiful view We need to maintain the beauty of the valley. Areas need to be protected and respected so all can enjoy. We are concerned about the traffic, congestion and noise that this increased housing will cause GREED at its finest asking to ignore the Desert Character Overlay District... PLEASE DO NOT ALLOW THIS!!!! Seriously...one more development along the route is no good. Too much traffic now for those who frequent the area. One of the main reasons we bought our house here in 2018 was because of it’s location in relation to the Preserve. Already traffic has become a nightmare with the recent developments and removing the Preserve will only exacerbate an already horrible problem. Also, to quote the great Joanie Mitchell, “you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.” Losing the Preserve would cause irreparable damage to the environment and the We must preserve the Sonoran Desert for not only environmental reasons but for future generations to enjoy its natural beauty. When I first came here in 2019 and lived near Cave Creek I would always drive out there and take in the quiet beauty and the stunning sunsets. We need to protect keep this preserved and natural. Jennifer Walter Uniquely beautiful desert must be protected. Overly dense housing not consistent with that preservation. This would allow too much development and over populate the area. I moved to this location in 2019 to be away from congestion of traffic and buildings. I am already concerned about the traffic on Sonoran Parkway/Dove Valley. I love the open desert and trails and lack of buildings. This area needs these open spaces to remain as building and development is moving closer to the preserve on all sides. Help save some precious desert/animals/freedom and peaceful nightblack skies! Urban sprawl is harmful. Preserving natural pandas capes should be priority for the city. This place is an amazing getaway for families to go walk, cycle and hike. It’s nice to go over there without all of the traffic that goes through there. It is such a beautiful scenery that should not be taken away. To prevent additional congestion and traffic and to preserve the beauty of the Sonoran Preserve. We need to keep our natural surroundings for the overall health of our environment. Will Ruin the wildlife and nature surrounding the preserve in addition to increasing the already challenging traffic issues on Sonoran desert drive This road has given me a safe place to learn to ride my bike, and to run. It’s been vital in my mental health, creating open spaces like this is so key to us, as we saw during the pandemic. Please preserve it! Cycling and trail running The sonoran preserve is a beautiful place that is essential to maintaining the ecological balance for wildlife and vegetation. The developers and owners knew the rules of the overlay district when they decided to develop, and should be required to follow it. Not doing so benefits only them, and puts the damages on all other citizens. Protecting preserve areas within an urban community is important and contributes to a healthy quality of life. Respectful development along the perimeter of a preserve protects the integrity of the native area. I want the desert overlay left in place as it is the legal vehicle created with intention to accomplish this. We need to be forward thinking as we approve developments especially when they border preserve areas that were acquired and built with significant personal and financial resources! There is no need for additional housing in our area specifically so near a protected preserve. There is not enough water so support the additional homes and businesses that come with a development such as this. The Sonoran Desert Preserve is so beautiful and serves MANY purposes. That's why we moved here, and we don't want to lose it ! We MUST keep development at a reasonable amount. We need to preserve the area and keep the traffic in North Valley from getting even more dangerous. Traffic congestion, pedestrian and bicycle safety. Preserving this area from development, as envisioned by the Desert Character Overlay District. Becasue we hike the trails regularly and the feeling of being lost in nature so close to home is special. It should be protected and I hope my daughter can enjoy it the same way one day. Volume of traffic will be too extreme and hiking, cycling and just walking will be negatively impacted. ASU has spent millons in studies, to this DAY, of the wildlife is THIS IMMEDIATE area. The area between these two washes are a habitat for species that exist NO where else. Contact ASU if you don't believe me, they have a professor that performs studies out there...they have for many years! In addition, the access roads proposed are between two bridges that are TOO low. There needs to be a NEW study performed on how the destruction of the plains will affect run off and increased volume in the washes! Otherwise, one heavy monsoon might wash the people and homes away. I enjoy hiking and biking in the area. Houses and cars really ruin the beauty of it. The Desert Character is an important part of Phoenix that needs to be kept preserved and available for all Phoenicians and other AZ residents to enjoy the natural scene this Sonoran Desert can provide outside of the busy metropolis of the Phoenix metroplex and other surrounding cities. We love our desert and the fascinating wild life! Lets all work together to conserve our beautiful desert! The builder should be held to the character overlay that is in place to ensure the neighborhood fits into the desert landscape. As a resident living at Fireside, I have seen javelinas (up to a dozen at a time) and other wild animals come up to our home looking for food and emptying garbage at night. By tearing down more natural and wild habitat for additional homes will only increase the existing problems for the animals in the dessert when more of their natural habitat is torn down. Stop tearing in to the natural surrounding preserve. We've disrupted enough of the environment. To much growth for what this area was set up to be. I do not wish to see this beautiful desert landscape overcome with more traffic and houses. The open desert landscape is what makes Arizona unique and beautiful. We need to preserve the beauty. Its a beauty such a pleasure driving thru and seeing the cactus scenery. Already disturbed by the housing that has already been built 1‐ more traffic 2‐displacing wildlife and plants. Without a road plan for major increase in traffic and the current drought in AZ, I oppose developments like We love the beauty of the Sonoran Preserve. Please protect what is left and save the beauty of the dessert. The Desert Charter Overlay District is in place to protect the Preserve. We are simply asking to maintain adherence to it. Other than profit, there is no valid reason to break the Charter. If housing shortage is an argument, then investors should absolutely look to revitalize and invest in existing residential spaces. The Arizona desert is a truly beauty that nothing else compares to. Large Cati with blooming flowers, mountain ranges from every aspect, and wildlife that is crucial for our ecosystem; there’s are just a few reasons that make Arizona great. WE ARE KILLING OUR SONORAN PRESERVE WITH NEW CONSTRUCTION AND HOME DEVELOPMENTS. We do not want more homes, we want to save our preserve!!!! I want my everyone to be able to drive down Sonoran desert dr and experience the breathtaking views that I get to see everyday I drive to and from work. This is truly a special place and we need to keep it that way. Taylor Morrison can go find another place to destroy if they want to make a quick buck. But I don’t want to see it here I like living in the city with a place to go(the preserve) where you feel like the city is so far away. I hike, mountain bike and enjoy seeing the wildlife as well as nature in general. Ekosystem Preservation of natural wild life Actions need to be taken to preserve the natural landscapes of Arizona. The degradation of lands is reaching a tipping point. The area does not have the infrastructure, business, school capacity nor natural resources to support this development. Corporate greed is advancing the rapid expansion of the Sonoran desert and we are on the cusp of a major water shortages in the region. Enough, have some foresight for future generations for I think the peace and quiet and a safe place for the Sonoran wildlife to roam freely is vital. We cannot keep pushing these animals out of there natural habitats. Traffic on Sonoran desert drive has already increased and to increase it more is simply careless as families riding bikes will be at an increased risk It's wrong to ignore our Desert Character Overlay District! We bought our home here because of these protections, and we love our desert! Thank you! Sonoran Desert Drive is a road I ride almost every single day. Having a safe road to ride on is essential to what I do for a living. There are limited roads in Phoenix that have as much open space as this one, and it allows for a safe area to bike and run (on roads or trails). Being a dad, this is extra important because all too often there are unsafe interactions with cars on various other roads. Sonoran Desert Drive and it's surrounding area is a key place to experience the outdoors in a safe environment. We moved up to the area because there was space and open land. We don’t want to live where people are on top of each other and traffic is out of hand. Don’t ruin our beautiful space. We need to preserve the natural beauty and wildlife that call the desert home. This city is growing so fast & we need to preserve some of the beautiful desert landscape. If we keep building more houses, we will have nothing left. We don’t need more houses!! We are overbuilding this area. Traffic, water supply, pollution are all contributing factors to limit growth. In addition, the limited wildlife will be severely impacted The Preserve was the reason we moved here 14years ago. The city should not be able to re‐zone and stick with the original plan to leave it for hiking biking etc. There is plenty of land on the west side of I‐17. Way too much growth, traffic, and Desert lost to developers. with NO regard for the quiet life we enjoy In north Phoenix. The preserve gives us hiking trails and allows everyone to enjoy the beauty of the Arizona desert and wildlife. It would also dramatically decrease property values for the people voting for you to remain in office. Living in the development of Sonoran Desert I am concerned with future development and keeping the natural environment. We need to ensure that proper development is planned to avoid over growth and increased This project has the ability to set precedence for any other development. The fact the developer is asking to refine for more houses and remove the desert overlay is a slippery slope to having high density homes stacked on what is one of the mist beautiful areas of desert. It is too dense, goes against city plans meant to protect the desert character of north Phoenix and will bring an influx of traffic to the area. Please look at giving up some land somewhere else that is not across from a beautiful nature preserve. Love the beauty of the area. So peaceful to drive along and see the plants and trees, which would be lost forever with more housing. Please save this beautiful area for our children and all those who come after them. I drive this road regularly and it’s already getting over populated with traffic with the current development. More housing and construction will take away the natural beauty of the Sonoran desert preserve and will also increase unwanted traffic. The preserve to me is a natural area for hiking and biking. There is already a lot of traffic on Sonoran Desert Drive making this dangerous to road cyclists. I spend a lot of time in this area due to the beauty and the ability to get away from “the city”. I really love this area and it’s one of the rare spots we have close to Phoenix. The Sonoran preserve is a refuge for city dwelling people to escape into nature. It also, and most importantly, is a sanctuary to native plants and animals. It's a critical part of the Phoenix ecosystem. Destroying the beauty, and traffic concerns. Once the natural land is gone we loose the gorgeous desert that many people move here for. Pollution has gotten much worse in the past few years. More home mean more traffic and even worse pollution. The water table is getting lower and more homes mean more water usage. We don’t have water for them! The Sonoran Preserve along Sonoran Desert Drive allows us close appreciation of the scenic desert and its thriving ecosystem. Other parts of the valley are better equipped for growth and infill. We need to embrace density where the city is more prepared to support it. This patchwork sprawl into the outer reaches of the desert chops up the expanse of habitat unnecessarily. If it continues, we can only look forward to small patches of desert brush between homes as opposed to miles of our unique desert that we can all enjoy. We value the beauty of the preserve and feel strongly it should be maintained. The Sonoran Preserve is beautiful. Any development should avoid damaging this precious ecosystem. In addition, traffic on Dove Valley Road and Sonoran Desert Drive is already heavy and the 45 MPH speed limit is mostly ignored by drivers. I worry that this roadway will not be able to handle the additional traffic from new Traffic, keep the beautiful desert, water resources I have lived in this area for over 16 years and am a native Arizonan. The City has done a wonderful job on Sonoran Desert Drive, in terms of incorporating areas to recreate and enjoy the unbelievable desert scenery within the Sonoran Preserve. I have hiked the area and marvel at the beauty. Increasing the planned housing units by multiples of two or three will significantly detract from the area's beauty and tranquility and add an unsustainable amount of traffic and introduce ecological damage to the area. There is a reason so much land was designated as a preserve all those years ago. It should stay that way. I believe there are multiple reasons for keeping our views for all to enjoy ‐ to preserve the desert and the animals ‐ so we can enjoy the solace in this wonderful area by walking, biking, driving or just plain relaxing in the outdoors. Also driving on this Sonoran stretch of road currently needs more restrictions ‐ such as traffic lights at all intersections for turning. Much speeding ‐ need to have more monitoring of speed requirements. Adding more housing is just going to add to a lose of the desert preserve and impossible street/road conditions. When we built our home here, we were told that there were restrictions to keep our desert preserved. I love being able to enjoy the beautiful preserve without all the traffic. The preserve is what makes city living do‐ Pavement is forever and we’re losing our natural habitats I live near this area and use it all of the time. Love it! The area is getting congested already and it’s starting to ruin this special area/space we have available to us to enjoy nature. I am signing this petition for multiple reasons ‐ we do not have the proper roadways to support additional housing units and want to preserve the beauty of the region We need to preserve the beauty of our natural habitats. There are already plenty of places that are zoned for building. Please do not let greed ruin our neighborhood. The Sonoran Preserve is absolutely beautiful and filled with flora and fauna unique to the area. Sonoran Preserve should remain natural for the benefit of the critters who live there. Would like this preserved with desert lands as much as possible I walk the puppies in this area and would be a shame if the sanctuary of this Area was ruining forever. Many people enjoy the beauty Preserve the desert hiking areas. It is very important to retain our natural desert and the Sonoran Preserve. Preserving the Desert Character Overlay District is essential for sustaining the quality of life in & near the Sonoran Desert Preseve. I am very concerned about the additional traffic volume that will be a result of large Verdin community. I am a triathlete who uses Sonoran Desert Dr. daily for training and with the increased traffic I fear for my safety. In addition, we moved to this area (85085) for the beauty of the desert. Abandoning the Desert Character Overlay District will eliminate the protections that were placed to ensure conservation of the ecosystems in the area while still allowing for some development. The large number of homes the Verdin development company proposes to squeeze into this area will detract from the wilderness and beauty of the Preserve. Yet, another area of concern would be the overcrowding of schools in the Deer Valley School district. The Donoran a preserve is a peaceful area used by many people for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Adding more houses will increase the number of people using the trails as well as create more traffic in To adhere to our natural landscape and preserve the area and its wildlife. The Sonoran Preserve is important to me to have beautiful open desert to see wild life, teach our children how to respect desert nature and it’s in my backyard. With more cars on the road I fear reckless driving and fires from through in things out the window. I live on Dove Valley and the traffic is already horrendous. We also love driving "the back way" when we're headed to Scottsdale for the scenic route. We would hate to see that go and hate for it to be filled with more homes than are currently allowed (none would be the perfect amount in my opinion). The schools are already far too filled for the existing amount of homes and the roads were not built for the amount of traffic that currently passes through on a daily basis. There are so many reasons to not allow more homes!! We moved up here to be away from the millions that live in metro and we'd like to keep it that way. Beauty, Congestion, MTB trails Please save the desert preserve, this is very important! Thank you The desert in the Sonoran Desert Preserve is already quite overused by hikers, bikers and equestrian riders. By increasing the population adjacent to this preserve, not only will it lose its true wilderness experience, but it will have increased urban pressures placed upon it, threatening its very existence. Additionally, as I live just meters from Dove Valley Trail and witness the already heavy traffic along this corridor that connects to Sonoran Desert Drive, any increased volumes in traffic would effectively make it very difficult to exit my community onto Dove Valley Road where no traffic lights exist. I moved to North Phoenix because of the untouched natural beauty of the desert that hadn't been devastated by "progress". Humans need areas of Nature to decompress and renew their spirit, crushed by the rigors of life. Unfortunately, we lost an area of the Preserve, including the wildlife, to an enclave of large houses. It's unfortunate that money trumps all. I elect people who rise above lure of the almighty dollar to do what is right for the Earth and her people. Please honor the intention of The Preserve. This is so important to protect the natural beauty, wildlife, ecosystems, and quiet quality of life that draws people to the area and the state in general. Please act to prevent the potentially irreparable damage discarding these safeguards could cause! I have lived in this area for 17 yrs. and we are raising our daughters here. My family enjoys the trails and hiking. I am also a teacher at on of the neighborhood K‐8 schools. Our school is busting at the seams even before all the new construction being completed. You can't keep overloading the schools and roads to crisis points. To preserve the preserve! I mountain bike this area at least twice a week and do not want to see the area changed. It is already crowded on the weekends Living by the beautiful Sonoran Mountain Preserve area and Sonoran Desert Drive, allows people to interact positively with nature and the environment. This is necessary for people’s physical and mental well being, which we all rediscovered during the pandemic when it was one of the few things people were allowed to do. The Mountain Preserve allows people to connect with nature and enjoy the peaceful outdoor environment. The people in the area love the open spaces and serenity that the Sonoran Desert Mountan Preserve provides. They walk, bike or hike in the neighborhood everyday. If these developers are allowed to over develop this beautiful area it will be a detriment to the already established neighborhoods by increased population through clustered housing, traffic, safety, noise levels, over crowded schools, and a host of other issues. This mountain preserve is vital to the well being and safety of people who chose to live for here for a better quality of life. Please don’t allow these developers to destroy the Mountain Preserve. Thank you Bike safety Road overly congested Natalie Karis Traffic is already heavy and dangerous for my wife who bikes and myself walking Safe road for training and being outside. When we moved to Arizona nearly 7 years ago, we chose the Sonoran Foothills neighborhood because of the surroundings. We did not want to live in an overdeveloped area in more developed parts of the valley. We enjoy our trails and open desert and do not want them further disrupted by overriding existing protections. We need to build green and stop destroying conservation areas. We are at a crossroads and our choices should be with the thought of future generations in mind. The next generation already has a lot of cleanup to address ASAP to avoid climate collapse. I am an avid hiker. I enjoy being able to see nature, plants and animals. We are already taking so much natural habitat from desert life. Overcrowding the preserve area increases pollution by humans and their machines. Furthermore, light and noise pollution create additional issues. Please conserve our preserve. We need to preserve the preserves; that’s why they’re called preserves. I’m an avid road cyclist and cherish this well‐paved, lightly‐trafficked road with a bike lane. This is a great place to hike and enjoy the beautiful desert landscape. The city planners and council are ruining the desert plus there is no thought of water shortage when these zoning changes are made. My favorite thing to do is head out to the preserve with my husband. It is absolutely breathtaking. Until we noticed the houses being built. And now you want to do more!!! No, building more houses doesn't add to the environment it only takes away the beauty and safety of our desert wildlife and plants. At some point we won't be able to call this area a preserve, we will be calling it a mini mall. Noise, air, and light pollution are what's in store for us if building continues to expand. When will it stop, when there is no desert remaining? It's very sad and I hope this idea will be reconsidered immediately. Urban sprawl is unnecessarily destroying the last of our pristine Sonoran Desert and taking away the homes and food sources of so many of our unique birds, plants and animals found only here in the world. The roads and increased traffic to these massive developments are also harming our wildlife. Please stop urban sprawl and stop these densely‐zoned mass developments that are not consciously designed to assimilate into the desert environment, but rather harm wildlife, replace natural habitat and increase global warming. It’s essential that the preserve remains what it was intended to be—development‐free and protected for future generations to I hike there regularly. Open spaces are important and our beautiful desert is becoming too full of dense housing I ride my bike up and down the parkway with countless other cyclists 3‐4 times per week. As local residents, my family loves to hike at the Apache wash trailhead and the trails behind Sonoran foothills/Fireside. My family’s Christmas pictures have been taken in the surrounding desert for years. All the surrounding neighbors have the desert overlay, which is more important than ever with the water shortage in Phoenix. If you plant the appropriate trees, cactus etc., NO WATER IRRIGATION is needed. Our trees were watered deep for the first two years, then turned off. 15 years after NO WATER, beautiful and thriving. You have my address, drive on by. PLEASE keep the beautiful desert overlay our Sonoran Preserve deserves. I enjoy hiking at various times of the year on the trails in the Sonoran Preserve. I’ve seen an owls nest, lots of birds, turtles, and cactus of all kinds in all stages of bloom. There is presently no noise pollution and the area is pristine. I want it to remain as such for future generations to come, not just in my lifetime. Preserve‐ should be just that preserve. Preserve the natural Sonoran desert as much as possible. This development would not only take away so much of our desert beauty but also the wildlife habitats & wildlife would be greatly affected. Beautiful desert! Everything doesn’t need to be destroyed and built up Not only do I enjoy the scenic view along Sonoran Desert Drive, but I strongly believe our future to continue to live in Phoenix depends on limiting new developments the number one reason being our limited water supply. We are already in water crisis. How can we continue to develop and build and be able to meet our water needs. This is scary for already established residents. How will my home value be impacted if there is no water? My second concern for this development is how it will impact my home value. With increase in traffic, and development of additional major roads right by my house obstructing views and increasing noise levels, my home value will most likely be negatively impacted. My house backs up to the beautiful desert and as homes continue to be built in the desert, our view continues to diminish. Lastly, so many animals that live in the Sonoran desert will be displaced. With so many developments currently taking place in this area, the animals have no where to go. We are destroying our habitats, which will further contribute to climate change, continuing droughts, increasing fires making this location less desirable to live. The beautiful hiking biking and walking trails!! What they are proposing is way too many homes for in the middle of the preserve!! I am concerned about the increase in traffic on Sonoran Desert Drive and Dove Valley roads. I would like to see this portion of the desert remain protected. I use the area weekly running and hiking. It is a beautiful diverse area with wildlife and plant life. Also concerning is water shortages. The area needs to be preserved. I live near this area and enjoy hiking the mountain preserve. I also enjoy diving through Sonoran dessert drive to see the beautiful landscape our state has to offer without having to drive so far away. Please don’t take this I love in the north valley and frequent the Sonoran preserve. Limiting building saves the aethetics of the preserve and limits traffic. I enjoy the beautiful views of the desert every time I drive on Sonoran Desert Drive. I do not want this land to be taken away from animal species and used to build even more houses. I use our hiking and biking trails daily and the added housing has added massive amounts of traffic and it’s extremely dangerous for pedestrians and bikers not to mention the natural beauty and quiet of our desert is being destroyed. There are way too many apartment complexes and houses being built up here. Its getting way too crowded and congested and the litter is also getting out of control. Thank you for organizing this petition! 1. There has been poor oversight with planning roadways to keep up with the existing development in the Sonoran area. 2. Sonoran Desert Drive is supposed to be a scenic drive and is utilized by many cyclists and has a gorgeous walking path. The increase win traffic will be a further danger to cyclists and pedestrians. 3. Many of us have to keep moving further and further out of the city to get away from all the Phoenix traffic and live in a peaceful community. The existing planning with the “water project” has been a nightmare with construction and took 8 months to complete. We already have problems with adequate water in our area and other areas of Phoenix area under water restrictions. Where is all the water going to come from to support all of these houses. 5. Schools are already overcrowded and there is already a problem with staffing for school buses and teachers. How are we going to support an increase of additional kids and families when we cannot support the ones already living here adequately? Too much housing buildout, need to slow down a little This stretch of road is the safest and most beautiful stretches of uninterrupted roads for cycling in the valley. Please save it I am for protecting as much land as possible and conserving water. Keep the desert the desert and keeping it natural where I bike and hike I will not vote for an elected official that allows this to happen We need to preserve the beauty of the desert. We have enough housing in our area. Please keep the land open so that families can continue to enjoy our Sonoran Preserve. I have children and grandchildren, outside the gates, it's TOTALLY UNSAFE TO RIDE BICKES, TRAFFIC IS ABSOLUTELY 💯 INSANE WHATTTT IF IT WERE YOUR NEIGHBOR HOOD? Thank you We moved here to be next to open desert and away from valley traffic. Increasing to the proposed developmentm will eliminate both of these coveted features! Quality of Life will be destroyed! Let us start with habitat destruction. Then let's discuss the water shortage. September 2021, it was reported that the Bureau of Reclamation has declared a water shortage on the Colorado River, which means that Arizona, along with Nevada and Mexico, will get less water than normal by 2022. If we continue to destroy our desert with unnecessary development for the sake of the almighty dollar then we might as well lift all restrictions. When will it end? When is enough growth enough? Maricopa County was the number one county in the nation for growth in the past year. This needs to stop! We are destroying our human habitat by allowing these developers to bully their way into these areas. Now let's discuss safety? Look at our Police Dept or lack thereof. We can't sustain this ridiculous growth. Please do what you can to help preserve our beautiful Sonoran Preserve! This is a safe place to bike and hike. The balloons are beautiful to watch there. Let’s keep the open space Already getting too crowded in the area. And the desert preserve is in jeopardy. I use the area all the time for hike, bike and great out doors Standards are acceptable as they are set. I have many safety concerns through that Corridor. This is purely profit over planned and locals paying the price. I know that growth in our area needs to happen but it shouldn’t be so much that it take away from the Preserve and the reasons we moved here. I live in Sonoran Gate. I hike Apache Trail. We enjoy hiking, biking, and taking beautiful nature photos! Please don’t pollute our beautiful desert with more needless building! The beauty and sanctity of Sonoran preserve and the surrounding area is vital to our wildlife and maintaining there habitats is crucial to these animals that are being continually uprooted by builders and developers greed. Traffic is already increasing on Sonoran dessert drive and frankly adding more homes will make it more dangerous for people trying to enjoy the beauty nature is already providing us. We cannot keep destroying Arizona’s natural beauty just to pad the pockets of a few and bring in more people to an already overpopulated area, where policing these areas is challenging already for our stretched to the limit police force. Stop building and start enjoying the beauty that our Sonoran preserve is providing us. We have so many current issues with water, traffic, maintaining the Desert habitat and nature. Each night we have dozens of javelinas emptying garbage cans and in the yards in the surrounding neighborhoods. When more dense housing takes place the displacement of animals and wildlife will cause more problems for existing Phoenix residents. Thank you for not adding more units. It’s irresponsible. Sonora Desert Drive is a highlight of living in the area, and provides a safe place to walk and bike near the preserve. For those of us who live along the road, this is a matter of peace and safety, but for our wildlife, this is a matter of survival. Allowing the Verdin development company to increase the number of planned housing units would increase noise and traffic, endangering cyclists in the bicycle lane and make it unnecessarily dangerous for the wildlife of the Sonoran Desert Preserve to cross the road. The drive through the preserve is truly a beautiful drive. With more houses comes more traffic which will take away from the beauty and wildlife of the preserve. It is called a preserve for a reason. The beauty of this Preserve area should be PRESERVED. There is a reason why the DCOD exists. The natural landscape of the Sonoran Desert must be preserved so that all may enjoy its true beauty and the rewards of living in the desert. It takes courage and decisive action to prioritize the natural land over development yet it is a gift you provide to countless generations. Protecting the preserve is action toward a meaningful legacy. Please honor the desert preserve and say no to more development in this rare and special area of Phoenix. With hope and gratitude, Krystal Mazzola Wood We moved here for the a handful of reasons, one of them was the beauty of the state. But that seems to keep getting chipped away, literally. We only get one chance to maintain the character of our community. Once altered, there is no going back. What comes after houses? Walmart, McDonald's, Circle K. Build on the west side of I‐17! I bought the house for privacy and quietness. The sound from the cars already are a issue, the amount of roadkill is brutal and water shortages have began. Taylor morrison has so many issues with the houses in Sonoran gate , they are not prepared for this project. Pollution and traffic is just not right in this area. Why wouldn't they build on the area on cave creek road. It's open, houses have no issues. This seems the state is taking money to push this project through. Who's paying for the roads and why would you put a road up by the state hiking trails. This ruins the landscape ! I live in the area. I don’t want to see any further development in the Sonoran desert preserve area. I ride my bike through there and drive through there frequently. I have already noticed how dangerous it is for bicyclist and that road is becoming extremely congested. Adding a new development will only make matters worse. We are loosing preserve land left and right. We need to keep the preserve the way it is. Plus not to mention all the traffic and extra water for all these new builds. My main hiking spot, beautiful views, would think u are out in the wilderness Less people in the area Resource impact and cyclist safety Keeping the integrity of the preserve intact while allowing current hiking, biking, and traffic levels to remain the Keep the desert!!! One of the reasons why I love where I live is the Sonoran preserve!!!! Deserts are fragile environments/ecosystems and overcrowded land use will create problems that will take generations to correct. Native species need to have their environment protected. This is a safe route for cyclists as it has little traffic. More and more cyclists are getting hit by motorists all across Arizona and this is one of the only place cyclists feel safe. It’s also one of the only roads in Phoenix where you can see the beauty of the desert. I spend a great deal of time hiking and biking there. The north valley is quickly being developed and it would be nice to at least have this area remain what it was intended to be…a preserve. Thank you This area is already over populated..the increase in housing will put a tremendous strain on our wildlife and surrounding areas The additional housing adds too much traffic for safely using the bike lanes and takes away the hiking and biking trails that all surrounding neighborhoods use currently. Move housing to the west side of the I‐17 where commercial land is being used and not recreationally used like the Sonoran Preserve. The fact that the area is already called a preserve is reason enough not to build on it. The scenery is beautiful along Sonoran Desert Drive and to see sections of it being developed for housing projects will take away from the beauty that we have all come to love about this area. We use the preserve for hiking and horseback riding. Heavy traffic volume can create a hazard for horses, even at a distance. Need to preserve the Sonoran desert. Too many greedy developers that don’t care since they probably don’t live here. We need to stop doing things for the sake of the bottom line. We have destroyed enough of our natural environment for the sake of exploitation, and disregarding something that has been set in place creates a precedent for this to continue arbitrarily. People move their families to areas like this because of the environment around them. If we wanted to live in the middle of the city, we would live in the middle of the city. Allowing this to continue will greatly reduce and diminish the purpose & meaning of preserved & protected land, as well as the ability by which we are able to enjoy it in it’s natural form ‐ mitigating the full purpose We have been enjoying the Sonoran Preserve and Sonoran Desert Drive for many years. We go hiking as a family and with my daughter's school all the time. The drive is so peaceful and beautiful. We were so disappointed when some houses were built there and now more are planned. I urge you to stop this from happening and keep the serenity of this special preserve. Thank you. As a resident of a nearby community I am concerned that the traffic that will be generated by the proposed Verdin community will present many safety concerns. The Preserve provides a tranquil environment that will most likely change dramatically in character if this densely populated community is built. I don’t mind some building along the route but only if it is not populated as densely as some of the surrounding developments. Traffic along Sonoran Desert Drive and Dove Valley is already becoming a major problem. Increased traffic will make for a dangerous situation for cyclists riding in the bike lanes. Also, the increased density of homes directly against the road will affect the desert nature of the area. I Treasure living where there’s hiking, biking and a beautiful drive that gives you serenity. We are slowly losing North Valley preserves that are affordable to live around. I understand development is going to happen but we need to restrict and preserve what we all move to the desert for. The beautiful Desert landscaping and creatures that inhabit it are slowly being stripped away. An example of our desert being stripped away look at the Legacy Park that was supposed to have been built and now all is left is an empty shell and eyesore to the community. It has displaced options for the hot air balloons to land. Desert safeguards are put in place for a reason why are we taking this away?? Please preserve the natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert. It is irreplaceable!! The proposed excessive development will permanently destroy the beauty of this desert!! It’s a gorgeous area that exemplifies the desert…and it’s close to the valley. Developing this area is a sad mistake that we should learn that open spaces need preserved Traffic and it will ruin the beauty of the area. This is corporate greed We need to limit desert impact & traffic in the area as it’s already getting congested. We moved to this area specifically to enjoy the natural beauty of the desert Hiking, biking, and walking is an important part of the north valley lifestyle Please do not allow developers to ruin it with dense urban housing Beautiful area! No need to add more housing to the natural landscape. Money isn’t everything. This land is our closest access to nature. It is where I hike. It is where I take my children to visit the great horned owl nest. This land is theirs—not to be traded in a land swap where a few people get rich at the expense of our nature preserve. I live in the Sonoran desert preserve. Since 2007 I would like to preserve what we have in our area and community!! The Preserve is meant to be just that——preserved. Excess traffic, construction and increased carbon footprint will endanger the flora and fauna of our beautiful desert. Please protect it! We need to preserve the open spaces that attract so many to the area for recreation. There is a lot of building of high occupancy units and housing underway. Schools are already at capacity, new services are being built on Jomax to ease the influx, road infrastructure needs to be in consideration to. Keep the beauty of the Sonoran Preserve desert beautiful with no construction expansion‐ there’s plenty of other areas to build houses, etc. I ride and run at the Sonoran Preserve/Sonoran Desert Drive almost weekly. I’ve even stopped on my way home before to run. This area is extremely beautiful and has the best bikes lanes I’ve seen. I feel safe there and don’t mind driving the 30‐40min to get there because of how safe I feel riding on the roads there. If you take that away from me/us where can we go to feel safe riding? Or running? Or mountain biking? Or hiking? The beauty alone makes you feel far from the city. If you build you take away that beauty. You need to look at it from a different point of view. Do you know who is out there? The ASU triathlon team trains out there. Other groups do time trials up there. Take the time to go and experience it and see why we go. I can go up there by myself, feel very safe yet not be by myself. I can’t say that about other areas. Don’t take this from me! Desert preservation. Water conservation As a native of AZ, north Phoenix particularly, I’ve seen the increase in population boom over the last 20 years. The traffic, noise, crowds are destroying the natural beauty and peacefulness of N Phx. Also… the water! Where will all the water come from to sustain such a population? We don’t want to end up like Anthem!! Arizona is growing too rapidly for its own good. The demand for water is only going to increase with these unnecessary expansions. Destroying the natural habitats of the wildlife that surrounds is also harmful to the already damaged ecosystem. There is no necessity to continue to tear up the desert to accommodate an exodus of out of state buyers. They can find a more sustainable environment to live, Arizona is already overly populated and adding excessive traffic flow to an underdeveloped part of the city is asinine. Keep Arizona wild. I prefer an environment that is a balance between housing and open land The Sonoran Preserve is beautiful Natural landscape that keeps the heat down vs concrete, provides opportunities for walking, hiking, biking ect. Many of the residents in this area including myself moved up here due to these walking and hiking trails. Also, the traffic on Sonoran Desert drive is already bad and adding more homes will only make it worse. Please listen to the residents and save the Sonoran Preserve. Preserving open spaces is becoming more and more important as they are being lost at a alarming rate. Increasing housing density is damaging with increased traffic, pollution and water usage. There is no landscape in the United States like our beautiful Arizona deserts. It is critical that they be protected as well as the wildlife in them! I've lived on the north side of town my entire life and thr natural desert is why I continue to live away from the noisy city. The Sonoran preserve has protection in place to conserve the natural environment and this development is threatening that protection for the sake of the American dollar. We live up here for the wide open space, peace and quiet, uninterrupted views and opportunity to enjoy nature. The traffic that's started to grow is threatening this with speeders flying by at 70+MPH, endangering bikers, walkers and nature. Please do now allow for more development than this preserve can handle and do not threaten the natural ecosystem by Destroying the beauty and traffic concerns. I ride my bike religiously on Sonoran Drive and bike safety for our cyclist should be a main concern and priority. Our family enjoys the wildlife and open beauty that the preserve provides very much. Natural beauty along with reduced noise, traffic and night lights. Would cause an overpopulated area that is meant to be preserved for nature. Would ruin hiking and biking do to the amount of traffic and would become dangerous. Would effect the views and the ability for people enjoy the scenery. Would also effect the wildlife pushing the coyotes and javelinas into residential areas. Which they belong in the desert. The Sonoran Preserve area requires a much more thoughtful approach to any new development considerations in order to preserve its character and value to all Phoenicians. it's a natural treasure that is special and needs to be protected. I want to keep it as is so that we all can enjoy the area and keep the daily traffic down. As a former 12 year resident of the Desert Canyon subdivision (32nd / Beardsley) I have supported the efforts of SOS‐P since the rezoning signs went up. I find it deeply ironic and fundamentally offensive that the first ask of the developer is to set aside law and planning already in place that ensures what they only pretend to espouse (“ environmental commitment to raising the bar for protecting and preserving the desert environment”). The drive along Sonoran Desert Drive is very relaxing and calming. I enjoy hiking and I would like it to remain a desert oasis to enjoy. Environmental protection of natural areas/habitats, reduce water demand, reduce pollution and traffic congestion in this area. We have 2 parks there, we need to connect these parks. People live here for the openness of the land. We need more open spaces, not more house's. We moved to this area because of the preserve, and while we support growth, the aspects of the preserve that can be protected, should be. It is our responsibility to growth responsively! It is vital to preserve true nature of Sonoran Preserve and it’s wilderness. We can not abandon Desert Charter Overlay District.Too many housing will vastly destroy this natural habitat. We moved here to not be so close to continued urbanization. We utilize the preserves regularly for hiking, biking, and running. Concerned about traffic increase and noise. We built our home in 2009 in Fireside at Norterra and have already seen significant increase in road noise and accidents I bought 20 years in area specifically for the landscape and to be outside the city. We have so many accidents and fatalities due the EXCESSIVE TRAFFIC. We can’t handle the i flux of cars students business. Phoenix not supporting all the builds! What makes this area so desired is the preserve!!! This zoning would be uncharacteristic of the Sonoran preserve and city park surrounding the site. ABSOLUTELY NOT FOR DOUBLE or TRIPLING HOUSING UNITS for the safety of joggers and bikers, increased pollution, decreased wildlife, increased noise, and decreased overall beauty of this amazing area we all cherish and wish to continue to cherish. We need to have open space to enjoy hikes, trails, horizon visibility. We do not want the Preserve to turn into a asphalt map. I often bike on Sonoran Parkway, hike or run from Apache Trailhead. Having this section of town remain undeveloped allows us an option close to home where we can escape our hectic lives from living in the big city ant truly enjoy nature's unaltered beauty. Multiple reasons. Increase of homes will cause 1.) Traffic Congestion 2) increase in air pollution and unhealthy ozone levels 3) we need hiking and biking trails for physical and mental health. More and more people are participating in outdoor activities since the pandemic. 4) Phx ( and most of AZ has a severe water shortage and the outlook for improvement in future is dismal) Too much housing buildout, let's slow it down I love where I live and the traffic is manageable. The mountains and hiking trails are beautiful and right now there’s congestion when I hike with bicyclists and hikers. More people would make hiking and the outdoors troublesome for parking and just hiking the trails. The traffic currently traveling on Sonora Desert Dr is already at a dangerous amount. Not specifically due to frequency or number of users, but due primarily to their speed on the roadway. The current speed limit is 45mph, but traffic regularly travels in excess of 60mph. This in combination with the vulnerable users of the road and the addition of a significant amount of vehicles is a disaster in the making for the roadway as it is now. I would hate to see our beautiful desert drive spoiled by more houses. The Taylor Morrison subdivision was bad enough. The road WAS a quiet area, great for hiking and biking, away from all the congestion. An oasis in the desert. I live near there and it was such a peaceful drive, but now there is a lot more traffic on it and no one does the speed limit. Building more houses will turn that beautiful drive into another freeway! Please don’t let I don’t want the desert destroyed to more homes. There are plenty of housing developments already going up around us near I‐17 and the 303. Leave the beautiful preserve out of it please Preserving more of the natural landscape is important. The Apache wash recreation area is a beautiful way to experience nature and enjoy the area. More homes bring more cars and traffic and noise pollution, disturbing the natural habitat. There are so few places left to enjoy nature and leave it beautiful. We don’t need more homes there. The Sonoran preserve is a natural heritage that should not be jeopardized in our beautiful state. Preserving our natural resources is vital in maintaining our environment as well as maintaining tourism . It is a shame that our government is allowing this to Happen. I want to continue enjoying walking and biking along the Sonora Desert preserve in a pleasant and safe way. Concerns over traffic congestion, safety, encroachment on the desert and wildlife. To destroy nature in order to build more homes is wrong. We are speaking for all the animals that currently call the Sonoran Preserve home. When we moved from Wisconsin we specifically picked the Sonoran Desert Preserve area because it was so beautiful and peaceful. Please do not ruin it by putting up homes there. It is a protected preserve for a reason ‐‐ to keep it natural. I hike the preserve almost every day, year round. Exponential increases in large commercial trucks and unforced city and state (ARS 28‐955) traffic laws related to excessive noise ruin the wild experience of North Phoenix' best attraction. When the city pushed Dove Valley Road through the desert 10 years ago, I was a member of the Sonoran Citizens Improvement Association. At Phoenix City Council meetings I brought up the noise issue and stated that the city will never enforce the noise statutes on the books, because the police were over worked and had more important issues ton deal with. An that was 10 years ago before the defend the police movement decimated law enforcement moral. 10 years ago, City Council told me not to worry, noise issues would be addressed. I knew it wasn't true a decade ago. And I have sadly been proven right. The city needs to finish the Sonoran Desert Drive extension off the 303 as per MAG and the city's (so far) empty promises from a decade ago. I have a long memory. And I vote. https://sonorancitizens.wordpress.com/ The entire N Phoenix area cannot accommodate this influx of new homes without increasing law enforcement and fixing the road grid. The city needs to be proactive, not reactive. The preservation of the Desert Character Overlay District is essential to the area, as to limit growth problems such as increased traffic and desert destruction. The Sonoran Preserve is a special and somewhat rare piece of Phoenix. It provides beautiful trails and vistas for all Phoenicians within the city limits. As the city continues to grow I believe we need to preserve these few natural spaces for all to enjoy. We moved to Fireside Norterra area for the Sonoran Preserve‐ great trails, and the beauty of the preserve. North Phoenix is slowly being robbed of its great asset the Sonoran Preserve and overrun by apartment buildings, traffic congestion and no respect for the great natural beauty in the preserve. I am concerned with the number of people packed into a small space. Not only would this increase traffic to an unmanageable level but will ruin the desert in this area. We love walking, & biking sonoran desert drive. It's nice to be active in that pristine desert. Please keep the DCOD safeguards active Desert overlay is in place to protect the area from over development. We use the preserve multiple times a week as a family and more cars and will make it ever more difficult to access the amenities from our We live in this area for its natural beauty and we do not want to lose that. The Sonoran preserve is a spot where I hike, bike and run 5‐6 times per week. I truly enjoy the beautiful natural preserve this area has. The animals I see during my adventures is also priceless. I truly hope this petition makes a change ! Concerned about excessive housing & associated traffic density causing problems & congestion. Please do not override Desert character Overlay District guidelines We love the beauty and tranquility of the desert. I moved to this area because it's next to nature areas. Building in this area will encroach on the preserve. I love hiking and biking the road and preserve. This is a great N Valley treasure!! This area needs to be preserved as originally designed in order for the members of this community to enjoy a place to get away from all the over development. We have already encroached & displaced our very important desert wildlife, my hope is to prevent further destruction of our desert ecosystem. I enjoy hiking, less pollution, nature and safety within our preserve. Please keep it that way. We are in a huge water shortage all over the country and building in our preserves just takes more resources that we all need to survive! Why destroy a beautiful, well loved, piece of land when we already have too many houses. Too many homes encroach on water supply, room for our native animals, will need road expansion which takes awake from our desert, will increase risk to bikers and others who visit the area to enjoy the beauty. It is important to me to keep our beautiful desert open and the way nature intended it to be. We are the desert southwest and everyone should be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery. It does not do anything or anyone any good to fill it with homes and commercial properties that would only increase traffic, smog, trash and unwanted things. Our desert animals need their home and do not need to be pushed out due to unwanted construction. Preserving natural areas and wildlife Please! We must protect our desert land. For the animals, the plantation, the beauty. I moved here in 2007 to be near this great preserve and to live I. A quiet community. Adding this much housing developments will forever impact this natural environment We need to keep as much of the natural habitat in this area as possible for the enjoyment of all residents and I hike on the trails of the Sonoran Preserve many times a week, enjoying the beauty of the untouched desert. It would diminish the quality of the experience by adding more and more housing developments to the view. Overcrowding is harmful to animals and to people. There are already too many car accidents due to the current road infrastructure doesn’t support the number of people in this area. Therefore, more growth in this area will lead to higher traffic volumes and increased car accidents. Thank you for this opportunity to voice my concern. Greg Laursen Tjhis is the last strip of Sonoran Desert left in Phoenix. I'm sorrythe preserve doesn't border Dove Valley. Whats done is gone do not make it worse by 3X the number of people The Phoenix metro area is quickly consuming our natural wildlife. The Sonoran preserve and areas around the preserve are blessings to those near them. An escape from the overgrowth of population. 1) safety of those running, biking, and walking. 2). Nature is truly the reason we moved to this area and it is vital we protect the preserve from being overly developed and disturbing the wildlife in our area more than it already has been. Ignoring the guidance set forth by the desert character overlay district would irreparable harm wildlife habitat and the wilderness essence of the preserve. Additionally, the increased traffic will add more congestion and safety issues to an already taxed road system, further reducing the usability for recreational activities. I would like to preserve the wildlife. Also, the road was not built to accommodate that much traffic. I love to hike the trails with my dog and my family. It is often the only exercise my aging parents get. Living in Desert Vistas subdivision since it's existence 15yrs ago has been an absolute blessing and we expect to keep it that way. With that, we enjoy hiking, biking and walking frequently all year around. Over time the "preserve" area has seen a HUGE increase in vehicles, accidents, speeding, crime, pollution & noise to name just a few. Our understanding has always been that no further housing/development of any kind would continue past our subdivision into the Sonoran Preserve. That certainly did not happen. Sonoran Desert Drive is so busy NOW that adding additional housing will not only threaten people but the natural terrain and wildlife habitat. That's a resounding NO WAY! As a resident here, we need to preserve our natural habitat. You need to think about building more schools before taking over the desert preserve and destroying the ecosystem just so you can make some builders happy through these deals. If we can't preserve our "Preserve", then what is even the point? There are many other places to develop. None of those areas are as “Arizona Natural” as the Sonoran Desert area. Preserve this area for people to enjoy not trash with developments. The Sonoran Desert Preseve is a beautiful desert area with amazing trails and gorgeous desert. This is an area full of wildlife. A space that wildlife calls home. So much development has already overrun nature and driven wildlife out to other areas. We need to the save what desert we can. I grew up in Cave Creek and the growth in the city as well as surrounding areas has created a space I no longer recognize. Please preserve the areas we can and preserve the quality of the area as well as the quality of life for the wildlife that we are already driving out. Sonoran Desert Drive & surrounding preserve area can not accommodate traffic volume due to proposed Verdin development. I firmly feel that natural areas have to be maintained and protected in order to maintain the beauty and balance of our communities. Doubling or tripling the traffic on the Sonora Parkway within the areas of the Preserve will most definitely create safety issues with cycling and walking for all folks wanting to enjoy the beauty of the Councilman Waring, please continue to protect the Sonoran Preserve. The reason we moved here was the beauty and tranquility of the desert. We were not aware of the proposed ‘city like’ community Verdin wishes to build. Traffic is already becoming very busy along Sonoran Desert Drive. Many large trucks are using this now too. We were told this area was supposed to preserve the Sonoran Desert. Many people use the bike paths and hiking paths. I feel it would become more dangerous to use these paths with the increase of doubling or tripling traffic with the increased number of homes they are asking for. Keep the same number of homes it was originally Keep some of Phoenix beautiful and preserving the desert beauty. The Phoenix police department can not handle the calls for service right now how will they handle more traffic. Keeping the natural desert habitat is better for the environment. I purchased my home in Sonoran Foothills in 2010 primarily because of the desert character overlay and how the neighborhood blends in with the natural surroundings. I moved to this area because of the desert character and would like it to stay that way as it expands. I wish to preserve the Sonara Preserve as it is and prevent the reckless encroachment by developers to rob the community of this precious resource we all enjoy. I don't want all of North Phoenix to become covered by housing and businesses, we need to preserve Arizona's beauty! Because of the natural beauty and I don't want anymore traffic...it has gotten worse over the last few years. As a 4th generation native Arizonan, I adore our beautiful desserts and believe we must take great care in unbridled expansion of urban growth. This project would place a huge strain on the perserve area, parkway, noise, and environmental elements. The beauty of living in Phoenix is having the ability to have open spaces for not only the wildlife but also the citizens to use the land the way it was intended. There are plenty of other places to build and expand without overcrowding the desert areas. I live in the Sonoran desert north of Phoenix, Don’t want it destroyed by continuing building. Leave it in it’s natural state, so we can enjoy the desert for generations please . We purchased our home in this area largely because of the preserve. The opportunities it provides for hiking and biking with reduced traffic (which has increased since we moved) were also key factors. I hike and trail run in the preserve at least five times a week since I live within walking distance to the Vista trailhead. It is a beautiful and relaxing and meditative time for me believe it should be left as is like, as I understand the story, the original owner wanted it to stay, which I agree with. There are limited resources that we can all share and enjoy. The Desert Character Overlay District was established to allow for growth but also to protect our wonderful desert. We are responsible for the stewardship of this desert for future generations. Need to preserve as much of our beautiful mountains as possible If we keep building, there will be no desert to enjoy for us as humans, but even more crucially, we are displacing and endangering the species whose habitats were destroy. Give the planet a chance. Let’s not be the reason I hike in the preserve almost daily, and would like to continue to enjoy the nature and the solitude. There are so many other areas to build along the I‐17 corridor, so why cause more damage to the beautiful Arizona desert and the wildlife living there. I used to hike Thunderbird, but that's a couple foothills with development all around, whereas the Sonoran Preserve is just that ‐ a preserve to protect wildlife and allow people to enjoy nature. Please don't allow any more development of the land! I moved here because of the nature. I grew up in the country and this was as close to it as I could get. I love the nature and the quiet that we all paid premium dollar for as well Me and my friends use that area to ride our bicycles and hike and just enjoy the desert and it would be dangerous with it a lot more traffic out that way and it will destroy the beautiful desert environment please do I have lived in this area for twenty years and it is getting so crowded and overbuilt. We must preserve open outdoor space for people to enjoy the peace of the desert and recreation areas that are our Arizona treasures we use it weekly for hiking and dog walking please please don't ruin this! The Sonoran Preserve and Sonora Desert Drive must under all circumstances remain intake and undisturbed There have been to many accidents and deaths. Area should remain as it is. Area is also over populated with new homes and congestion with traffic. I understand that growth is inevitable, but we need to be smart about it. There needs to be a balance of large homes, apartments, and smaller homes. There have been hundreds of apartment spaces built west of this area and the increase in traffic has been considerable in the past 5 years. I urge the council to consider keeping this balance on the north end of the city. I drive that way home from work most days and also hike in that area. I am an avid mountain and road cyclist in THIS area, especially! I also hike and run in the preserve. Safe to say I am absolutely for the preservation of the Sonoran Preserve. I live in an area very near where a housing development is under way and the amount of houses being built will be over double what was originally zoned. Please let those that run the show consider the longer (negative) lasting impacts of high‐density development to what we have all found profoundly beautiful and desiring of this area; the Sonoran Desert! This would forever destroy the natural landscape and open the door to even more urban sprawl. Please vote NO Being surrounded by the Sonoran Desert Preserve is probably the biggest reason that we built the house that we live in now. It is just so beautiful to be able to drive home after a long day's work and enjoy God's creation at it's finest. It is truly breathtaking and spectacular. Many people flock to Apache Wash Trailhead recreational area to enjoy this beautiful natural setting through hiking and mountain biking. It would be a travesty to overpopulate this area and ruin the enjoyment of the preserve for generations to come. It just wouldn't be the same. Not to mention the destruction of the natural habitat of so many desert creatures that make the preserve their home. I witness this first hand while living in the Sonoran Gate Community. These animals do not deserve to be displaced and have their homes destroyed. The line has to be drawn somewhere in order to maintain a level of natural beauty in our urban areas. This seems like as good a time as any to make a conscious decision to halt the human encroachment on the habitat of all of God's innocent creatures and keep this little slice of This area was set aside to preserve nature and all her beauty. yes the land is very valuable but so is central park in New York. Preserve means exactly that PRESERVE We love going to the preserve as a family, and having another major development project will only bring more traffic, noise, and wildlife displacement. We need to do better and protect our wildlife and say no to money Preserving the preserve ‐ wildlife Traffic and then needed retail to support the development Overdevelopment of this area Please leave the reserve as is, for the sake and beauty of our neighborhood and for the well‐being of the As a local real estate agent, I understand the need for more housing in the metro area. But there are many other locations that are not in the middle of a preserve. Outdoor recreation and the beauty of the Sonoran Desert are reasons why people relocate to the area or purchase vacation homes. Having the preserve remain a preserve and not another housing project is vital to our community. I use the preserve at least 3 times a week for fitness. Mountain biking, hiking, and trail running. Wildlife encounters are always beautiful and their habitat must be preserved. The human population density in this area is already getting to be more than what it can sustain. The Sonoran Preserve was one of the most important reasons we purchased a house in this area. To continually chip away at this wonderful area would be so detrimental to the wildlife that live there as well as the wonderful hiking trails that allow people to get out and experience nature at its finest. I am strongly against ruining anymore of the Preserve. My family and I enjoy this land and don’t want to see this over crowded We use this nature and Beautiful preserve in north Phoenix area. I see SOME development as good. Let others enjoy the beauty we have set aside in this area. Increasing the density of homes is merely corporate profit seeking. Original density plans were thoughtfully put in place to protect these areas. Have you seen how beautiful this portion of metro‐ Phoenix is. We absolutely do not need more and more and more. We have enough people streaming into our state already, no need to encourage more. As someone who regularly drives, hikes, and bikes this area, it’s important to me, my family, my community, and Phoenix at large to protect these kind of “open/brown/green spaces”. There are plenty of places around Phoenix for development ‐ the Sonoran Preserve should not be one of them. The beauty and quiet of the desert and the Mountain views are priceless. This is why I live in Arizona. The clean air and the wild life are amazing. The wilderness of the preserve needs to be maintained. Use that area to bike the trails. Want to keep the space natural beauty not filled with homes. I love the desert landscape, and enjoy hiking on my time off work. I see the amount of buildings that are being constructed and the traffic it is creating. Please do not destroy the little bit of desert that exists in this large city, the habitat of our beloved desert animals. The reason why I'm signing this petition. We are over developing because we have all these people moving from other states . We are destroying our beautiful desert to please all these greedy business people to put more money in their pockets. I enjoy the hiking and the views Original safeguards put in place by longtime developers who created the Preserve and associated housing (Sunbelt Construction). They balanced the housing needs with need to create liveable areas that honored the fragile desert. This request for increased density is about money and is unnecessary for a profitable develoment effort. Everyone needs to get paid for their work, including developers, but respect for the fragile ecosystem and desired lifestyle in the north valley is also required. Profits are fine and were factored into the original deal. Aaron Cushner My friends and family and their pets walk there every day! Also it’s called a PRESERVE!!! Preserve it! It’s a beautiful area to walk or hike or bike and it’s the last area I know of that is close to me. Otherwise I’d have to drive over 40 minutes to find a preserve that is wild and natural We need to keep the open land and what makes our area great. I live directly adjacent to the open desert by the Sonoran Desert Preserve, just off Sonoran Desert Parkway. We regularly see wildlife, and hear coyotes on a nightly basis. This is a fragile and important ecosystem, and is a hallmark of the beauty of Arizona’s natural desert landscape. If it disappears, it will destroy this magnificent aspect of what makes Arizona such a great place to live. For my family, the day the bulldozers show up to tear down the majestic Saguaro’s to make room for concrete & asphalt, is the day we sell and move away. This drive is very vital for bikers and the natural trails and parks the residents across the city come to enjoy. The new development across the dedicated Sonoran landscape is going to spoil everything and increase the safety concerns on the biking corridor. This corridor is used by Olympic gold medal winners , Tour de France I have lived in Sonoran Foothills for 15 years. I do not want to see my beautiful natural desert destroyed. I like living in a quiet and not so busy area of town. I would be devastated if Sonoran desert drive turns into another freeway right next to my house. I specifically moved in this area to get away from the noise and traffic. The natural wildlife here will also be destroyed which part of the character of this area. Concerned about too much growth and traffic. Moved up here in 2005 for the beautiful open Sonoran Desert. Absolutely do not want to see that all developed ‐ we do not need anymore housing or apartments. The growth in this area is already at an all time high. This small area of desert PRESERVE is why many of us moved to the area. The PRESERVE is used by hikers and bikers as a beautiful getaway that is in our backyard. Every other inch has already been developed by apartment complexes. Enough!! Leave our PRESERVE alone!! It is a beautiful area that has many trails for hiking, biking, geo caching and just getting away from the hustle of the Valley. It is already limited in access and putting more homes will just congest that. It is also ruining the animals natural habitat to continually uproot them for a dollar. I live next to this area and have seen how developments have led to negative effects to the desert. A substantial increase of houses will amplify this cause irreversible damage to the area. I have been running and riding out in this preserve for nearly a decade. As I start to see more developing, it becomes less safe to be active out there. Increased traffic would make the area around the preserve much more unsafe. We enjoy walking around the preserve with our children, as well as hiking on the trails. Please do not lift the restrictions on building in this beautiful area. Everywhere near Sonoran preserve and desert drive constructions are happening, it’s a very beautiful hike place to enjoy quality time with family and friends, as a neighborhood resident I would like to keep it beautiful and not have homes after homes getting built there… there are hardly any community park getting built in the area.. We need to preserve the beauty of the Sonoran Preserve. This is a beautiful and vibrant part of our community. Don’t destroy it by adding additional residential development. Once those houses get in there, they are going to be complaining and advocating for commercial development because they don’t want to drive 20 minutes to shops and restaurants. Before we know it, all of the preserve will be gone. The hiking trails, the nature, and the area is pristine. I live in Sonoran Gate. Moved here to be by my sons. One lives in Sonoran Gate also (6 houses away). We moved here for the beauty and serenity of the desert preserve. Our hope was to continue to grow our family and ensure our next generation will also have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this area. Hot air Balloons and bike riders every morning. It’s a place of beauty, calmness and peace. Please do not destroy this gift. Thank My family enjoys the protected preserve and allows us to partake in outdoor activities near home, safely with our tons of traffic. The noise and light pollution will affect the natural wildlife around. Most importantly the infrastructure can not support the proposed project. I am concerned about the exponential traffic increase on the only road in and out of this area with only a single lane in each direction for a majority of total distance. I remember pre‐Covid that the intersection at Cave Creek and Sonoran Desert Drive would back up a mile deep during morning rush hour, waiting for people to turn either left or right. What will happen when the traffic significantly increases? Plus there is only one way in and one way out of this area. It seems irresponsible to deliberately increase traffic this much without a major infrastructure change BEFORE the bulldozers come! I love nature and wanna do my part to preserve the nature where I live. Please control the growth around the Sonoran Preserve. This pristine desert area should not be developed, it needs to be PROTECTED. I enjoy the tranquil drive along Sonoran drive and being able to bike along the road without too much traffic. The hiking is second to none. I would hate for it to turn into just another neighborhood with traffic and crime I love hiking in the preserve. Anyone who intends on building anywhere close to it needs to follow the rules. Our desert is at risk. We need you to protect it by requiring the builder to do the right thing. Development needs to factor in impact on water and other resources. Water in particular, is a finite resource! Quality of life is one of the overriding factors in why we chose to live here. The natural beauty of this area will be severely impacted by further development as will our quality of life. Please put Arizona first! I love driving on the Sonora Desert Dr. and seeing our beautiful desert. I and my family members also enjoy hiking and biking on the trails. Would love to keep this scenic drive the way it is. Scenic. Traffic concerns and safety for cyclists along SDD. The Sonoran Preserve is vital to our ecosystem. Without it, the natural biome will be destroyed and the quality of life for all living things (including the humans) will be degraded, possibly beyond repair. Environmental impact studies show that further encroachment and development will make the area unsustainable for a thriving community and eventually, totally unlivable. The Sonoran Desert Drive is a beautiful natural area that needs to be preserved for future generations. There are plenty of other places to develop closer to the I‐17 I moved here for the beauty around me offered by the preserve. over the past 5 years I have seen that beauty disappearing as more and more developments have sprung up without any regard to preservation. It’s disgusting! Please do something about it and don’t buy into the greed of the land developers. This road is a quick north valley traffic bypass that remains somewhat traffic free for now. There is great hiking and desert views. For profit expansion in this area would destroy that. We live in the area, have hiked these trails, our two boys attended nearby CCUSD Horseshoe Trails elementary school, and I’d say that in general we have a strong desire to act as good stewards of this land and therefore have a vested interest in maintaining the beauty of the Sonoran desert preserve and our balance with nature. Its such a beautiful area it would just ruin the look. Biological and cultural resources We moved further out of town to enjoy the natural desert beauty and to be away from traffic congestion, expanding building does the opposite of that. This is a wonderful area that provides so much to so many people in regards to beauty, quiet, exercise, nature. It would be a shame to lose all this secondary to over development. I want to preserve our current area and I bike 6 days a week in what I already consider dangerous traffic to get to the preserve and ride the path! The extra traffic flow will affect all the wild life amongst many other reasons. We are homeowners in Tatum Highlands and use the beautiful Sonoran Desert Drive to get to one of our favorite hiking areas, Apache Wash Trail. It is vitally important both ecologically and aesthetically to maintain the Desert Overlay Plan to keep this remarkable Arizona treasure intact with low density, one story, blended into the environment, natural colors, and with great respect of the surrounding preserve. The developer’s existing project just to the west on Sonoran Desert Drive is an example of the opposite of this‐ homes close together, no subtle and natural build character, no boundaries between homes, no blending with the Sonoran Desert landscape. Sticks out while on the drive or hiking the Preserve rather than disappearing/tastefully blending in. This is very concerning and must not be duplicated in any way. Please retain the existing Desert Overlay Plan to maintain the incredible Sonoran Preserve. Thank you Councilman Waring and all city council members. Respectfully submitted, Laurie Foster Keeping some semblance of the desert lifestyle is why we moved here. Do not ignore the safeguards. Reduce the number of housing units. Why do you want to do business with a company which clearly does not respect nature, but only the economic bottom line ‐$ I travel Sonoran Desert Drive every day because I live right off of it. It is a beautiful drive, but also one that is very serene and peaceful. I am concerned that allowing the Verdin community to be built at the requested density it will cause a great impact and stress to the drive through the Preserve. Even if the road is expanded to more lanes, this road will become a dangerous route for the bikers and hikers in the area, not to mention the drivers. Please do not allow the density for this new community as requested! Mark Dotterer Keep population down to preserve the wildlife Too much traffic already My family lives in Sonoran Foothills. We chose this beautiful area because of the gorgeous desert preserve. We love our out of the way pocket and want to protect the gorgeous pristine desert from further development. Arizona is destroying so much of the natural land that people moved here for. I don’t want more traffic. It’s awful as it is. Water is at emergency levels and more homes will only tax the water levels more. Sonoran Desert drive is the only place I feel safe riding my bicycle in such a busy, congested area. I am full of anxiety from traffic until I make that turn onto SDD. It is integral to our vibrant cycling community which is so important to the Valley culture. What’s more is the preserve allows for one of the only true unobstructed views of our beautiful AZ desert in the busy Valley area. There is already too much traffic on Sonoran Desert Drive and a community as proposed with no other access will increase congestion making things less safe. In addition, it will jeopardize the tranquility of the nearby Phoenix Sonoran Preserve, especially the Apache Wash Trail. It is a very peaceful place to hike. My family goes there frequently. The beauty of Sonoran Desert Dr is so beautiful it should not be disturbed. I run and cycle on the parkway and traffic is already dangerous, especially near the passing zones. I also hike extensively and if many more houses are built, the views will become less spectacular than they are now. In addition, wildlife would be affected by overdevelopment Beautiful natural area that provides some of the best riding, running, hiking, and viewing in the greater Phoenix area. It would be a tragedy to not preserve this wonderful natural area. Wide open space without traffic & housing congestion, w/o water & schooling requirements is vital to this area of the Sonoran Preserve. We are losing our open spaces at a rapid rate all in the name of money. We need to preserve these open spaces for our future children to enjoy and for the natural animals and plants that were here before us. The increased traffic and housing will deteriorate the quality of life for all (humans, animals and plants alike). The increased concrete/pavement will ultimately increase the heat retention which has a detrimental effect on water, wildlife and plant life. Do not ignore the Desert Character Overlay District. This area is important to us as we hike and bike. Knowing that preserve will always be here made buying our home easy. We would like for all development to mind and take care of our desert spaces. There is a reason the Desert Character Overlay District was created. To ignore this would be a tragedy. Too much growth and congestion. Lack of conservation to desert land and outdoor activities. We moved up to this area to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the area. Now it is being threatened. We moved up to this area to see our beautiful dessert in its natural habit, and now it's being threatened. We moved up here because it was a great dream come true, and now that dream is again being threatened by those wishing to make many dollars off the land and environment that belongs to us all. Please, please let's stop this travesty. Thanks for reading my input. We just so love it up here and hope for no more growth and There are so many communities being built simply for the benefit and profit of the builders that little attention is given to the people who actually want to have both, a beautiful home in a beautiful well thought out community where the desert we live in is represented and not just the interest of the builders bottom line. Do the right thing for a change. I go hiking there to appreciate the natural beauty of the Sonoran desert and the breathtaking views of the McDowell Mountains and Boulders of Carefree etc.One if the last pristine places to go up here in the N Valley .I do not want more housing subdivisions and apartment buildings obstructing the views along with more traffic congestion coming from the constant relentless overbuilding of housing presently occurring .Please save this beautiful,natural corridor which is used for hiking and biking along with the equestrian trails for horseback riding.Please allow local residents a sacred piece of land to cherish for us now as well as the generations to come ,we need somewhere to go that we can take pride in .The Natural beauty of our desert lands is what drew me to the area 42 years ago please Preserve it!! It is a beautiful preserve that holds opportunity to connect with nature, and allow us all in the valley to have natural habitat for wildlife and flora and fauna that are so important to keeping the integrity of our great state. Sonoran Desert Drive is a crucial recreational corridor for cyclists and other vulnerable road users. It is an increasingly rare thoroughfare that contains a bike lane, has little to moderate car traffic, has a low enough speed limit which increase cyclists safety, and is uninterrupted by many traffic lights and stop signs. These factors make it a beautiful place to recreate and provide a safe(r) place for cyclists to explore and enjoy the beauty of the Sonoran Desert. The Sonoran Preserve provides similarly valuable recreation space for hikers, mountain bikers, and other trail users. While further development of this area may provide financial benefits to the city in the short term, the loss of natural land and recreational space will far out weigh these benefits over a longer timeline. Further development will further increase the strain on water, further contribute to the urban heat island effect, and decrease the happiness and mental benefits associated with outdoor activity and being in natural landscapes. More low density, car oriented development is not the answer to the challenges that face I hike and bike in the preserve and love listening and seeing all the blooms, wild animals and quietness the desert has to offer. Please quit the over building that is going on! Preserve our water resources!! We need to preserve the natural beauty of Arizona and stop over development. With all the apartments being built on the west end between Dove Valley & Sonoran Desert Drive, the traffic will become just like the city streets—noisy and congested. Verdin proposing additional homes will make it that much worse. In addition, we moved to this area because of the Sonoron Desert Preserve which is becoming non the Desert Character Overlay District safeguards were put in place to keep this specific and unique area from overdevelopment and should not be overturned due to developer greed. Vital ecosystems are threatened by too much expansion and development. I support maintaining the desert overlay requirements for the Sonoran preserve. We need to maintain a healthy balance between nature and development and not allow these safeguards to be discarded for development of any current or future projects. The natural beauty and desert landscape is home to so much wildlife and is also enjoyed year round by current adventure and outdoor advocates The preserve needs to be left in tact. The uptick in traffic will be detrimental to people trying to enjoy biking/walking & enjoying nature. The shear numbers in volume in people in driving on Sonoran Parkway if this plan is approved is very alarming. I live here and traffic is already getting too much! We moved here 10 years ago to be out in the desert!!! I hike on the trails at least twice a week! Please keep more desert! Too much traffic. Dangerous to have additional traffic where lots of bikers use the bike path. Why not build on the other side of 17 instead of near the preserve. Help of wildlife not be pushed out even more. Our desert is part of our lifestyle's. Many of us hike and enjoy our desert landscape. The area is not built for even 400+ homes, with an average of 2 vehicles per home. Our local school system doesn’t support the vast amount of new developments going up currently. It’s will also decrease night visibility of the sky in the evening for those who use telescopes. It will also increase area emissions, pollution visibility, and area temperature. The Sonoran preserve is just that, a Preserve. It preserves many species of plants and wildlife that is indigenous to the area. It is vitally important that we preserve this area for our children and their children. Living in the area I regularly hike and bike in the preserve with my family and do not want to see it get overrun with more housing developments. Additionally Dove Valley is already very congested, I want to preserve our desert, Phoenix in general has a water issue, and most importantly the schools in this area are already over Abundance of traffic and congestion Please preserve the beautiful desert. It is imperative we save our Sonoran Desert. There is not a viable reason a developer should be able to double or triple the amount of homes and City Council should not allow it. The developer does not care about quality of life or preserving our precious desert, they only care about how much profit they can make. This is a time for our City Council to stand up for the best interest of the residents of Phoenix and not give in to the desire of a developer. The proposed development goes against the preservation of our desert, increase traffic, take away hiking, biking trails and general quality of life for the residents. With all the planned development in the area, I have a major concern about the infrastructure, and even planned expansion, being able to support the additional housing in the preserve. Part of the appeal of our area is the desert beauty, so additionally, overturning district safeguards not only damages the natural environment, but risks all those that already live/work in this community. Please do not increase the level of traffic on sonoran desert parkway. The additional cars will increase risk to current commuters and cyclists. To preserve the desert for all to enjoy hiking, biking, and the beauty. Preservation of our land is critical. While I accept development that has been approved, businesses need to consider the impact to the surrounding area and growth for the sake of growth is not an acceptable plan. Concerned about traffic, School crowding, and preserving the desert. They need to keep the desert safe guards in place. The Sonoran desert preserve is the one of last the undeveloped areas in Phoenix. The abundant wildlife and topography is one of the many reasons we love Arizona and want to save flit for generations to come. We access the preserve nearly daily for hiking and for enjoying the outdoors. We urge you to to preserve this natural area and reject the request to remove the desert overlay in the upcoming Verdin project. The desert is slowly vanishing which breaks my heart. The Sonoran Preserve should be as it is titled “PRESERVE Preserving our land for wildlife, beautification and the earth needs to be heard! Enough has been taken over by businesses and HOA builders. This needs to stop! Too many houses are taking the little land left we have to see and enjoy the animals and desert habitat life. We need our nature, we need our desert life. Protect it! We have overpopulated the North Phoenix area already with many dense residencies, namely apartment complexes and townhomes. I believe we need to slow down and consider expansion in a different direction so that we don't lose many of our beautiful mountain and nature parcels that we need to save. I feel this is being rushed and has not been thoroughly reviewed and vetted. We moved here from Wisconsin almost 4 years ago. 100% the reason we selected to live up here in the North valley was because of the Sonoran preserve. We chose to not be inside the 101 on purpose.please don't allow the Sonoran desert drive and beautiful desert around it to be taken over with cars and traffic. Sonoran Desert Drive is one of the few places in The Valley that is great for cycling. The grid nature of the PHX metro area has largely left road cycling and bike lanes as an afterthought, but SDD seems to be an oasis‐like exception‐ truly a world class stretch of road that has already begun to change due to the development on the west side. It would be tragic if this preserve was to fill in any more than it already is‐ preserve some of what We have a young family and love to hike which is why we moved to this area. If we don’t stop this, it will destroy the area and wildlife. Too many people and too much traffic is bad for the environment and the people living in the area, like me. Traffic will likely significantly increase staying within the growth guidelines, so ignoring the guidelines and increasing the number of dwellings in the area beyond the guidelines will make traffic and life even worse. I don’t want to see that beautiful desert area ruined with homes intruding. It was already upsetting to see that area being ruined by the developers greed for money. I say “NO” to the developers!! I believe honoring the meaning of the preserve is of utmost importance. I feel that they are over building in Phoenix. Have limited water supply. The traffic is already congested and difficult to around. There would be too much traffic and it will ruin the beauty of this area of the desert. There are enough developments in the area and we need to keep these areas open. It’s the only road up north not yet ruined by the constant construction (traffic, houses, etc) happening up North and still the only place where active people (cyclists, runners, etc) can ride/run safely and enjoy a piece of the desert without housing and buildings ruined the view Amount of traffic it will bring on a street that is only 2 lanes. Also the reason the street is unique designed for the preservation of the beauty and for enjoyment for cyclists hikers and walking paths My family hikes and mountain bikes several times per week on these trails. We truly appreciate this land and would not want its inhabitants to be disrupted any further than they already are. The Sonoran Preserve is a promise to keep our beautiful desert pristine. Encroachment of more homes breaks that promise. The delicate balance of between humans and wildlife is already teetering in the wrong direction. Let’s save some beauty for future generations. I am so tired of seeing buildings upon buildings being built in areas that are natural to Arizona. Let’s just stop this now. It’s getting out of control and species natural habitat needs to stay in place. I have lived here for 10 years and watched the beauty of the desert being destroyed with development. The plants, animals and the majestic beauty of the desert is ruined by the continued development until there is no desert left. It is very sad. Need Preserve, otherwise we will lose out on the beautiful scenery and have way to much congestion. Please help us preserve this beautiful natural resource. So often “progress” (AKA Greed) ends up destroying one precious landscape after another… We greatly value our current way of life. Some of us have made a great many sacrifices in order to live here. Speaking as a disabled Veteran, I specifically sought out my current home, which at the moment affords peace, beauty, and a decided lack of city noise. Don’t let a massive influx of absent‐ minded tourists and irresponsible over‐development destroy this paradise. Thank you ‐ Dr. Eric Biscoglio I chose to live in this community because I wanted to be closer to nature and enjoy the desert preserve. We do not want the sonoran preserve to be destroyed just to build some additional homes. The traffic is already a major problem and there is not enough infrastructure and businesses around here to support all these homes. It's a Beautiful area for our community. Hiding companies should stay within how the area is zoned We need to protect these lands and stop paving over the natural beauty of this Preserve. There is a reason it is called a Preserve. Let’s preserve it and the abundant plants and wildlife that call it home! It’s critically important to protect the preserve and maintain the natural beauty of the area. This is why so many of us moved here. It’s already not safe to leave the neighborhood with people speeding and limited visibility of the rolling road. Added traffic would make routine activities no longer enjoyable. The valley is continually growing and cycling collisions, injuries, and fatalities seem to be increasing, or at least they are ongoing. I, and many others in the cycling community, feel more at danger than ever before. There are few places we can go and enjoy long, uninterrupted stretches of road, and still feel relatively safe. Sonoran Parkway is a frequent choice for us and we enjoy it year‐round. Please preserve this area from development. We chose this part of Phoenix when we moved from out of state because of the open desert and what that offered, little traffic, and less people in general. In just 4 short years we are seeing things change for the negative…reminding us of overdevelopment we experienced in the East San Francisco Bay Area. Overdevelopment that led to traffic issues and overcrowded schools, just to name a couple problems. We don’t want to see these same mistakes take place in our new home. And we don’t want to lose the beautiful open I have lung issues from cycling alongside traffic for so many years and I was struck by a car ladt year while riding! Having a gem like this is so important! People can enjoy the desert without the noise, pollution, and safety issues that come with increased traffic. Please, let's keep a little bit of Arizona wild + scenic. We live along the Sonoran Preserve. We bought here because it was a quiet peaceful area to raise kids and explore nature. Please don’t allow more homes to destroy this area of nature. It will ruin the bike trail and hiking trails and cause a lot more traffic in the area. Ruin of preserve / increased traffic volume I moved to this area because I love the open spaces. I walk the desert everyday it is vital to keep it preserved . Arizona is in danger , water shortage , wildlife please keep preserve We love to hike this beautiful area. Also the drive down Sonoran parkway is incredible. We must preserve this desert not only for human enjoyment but also the wildlife that call it home The Sonoran Preserve needs to be saved, it provides recreation like walking, hiking and biking. Also, it keeps the heat down. Adding more homes will only create more traffic. One of the reasons we moved to this area is due to this Sonoran Preserve. I want to protect the wilderness and essence of the preserve. I thought this land was protected from future housing development This would cause pollution dust noise and would be harmful to our health Climate change We hike and drive through here for mental health. Please don’t fill more desert preserves with homes and commercial property. I’m concerned that continued development will destroy the beauty of our Sonoran desert. It will bring increased pollution and traffic to the area. I love exploring and hiking this area with my family. I am a city of Phoenix park steward for the far north valley preserves including Apache Wash and Dixie Mountain. I patrol these trails for hiker safety several times of month. The beauty and open desert landscape of the Sonoran area is a prime reason why people move to this area or visit it to hike or bike. Please do not add higher density housing and destroy the open land we currently enjoy. It’s nature. Beautiful parts of the valley have already been ruined by housing projects. This shouldn’t be another This has been a place for bikers, hikers, walkers, to enjoy and be able to still see arizonas beauty. We do not need more development in every area. This road every weekend houses hundreds of athletes, outdoors people, and scenic drivers all alike. Coming up to this stretch of road to enjoy what they love to do be outside away from the city noise and traffic and be one with the Arizona desert. There is plenty of other great land to develop on but this road has history and will continue to be a place people want to feel safe and connect to nature on. Please don’t take that from Arizonans. 1 Racelle Escolar From: Henschel Rich <rich_henschel@yahoo.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 3, 2022 5:15 PM To: PDD Planning Commission Cc: saveoursonoranpreserve@gmail.com Subject: Comments for May 5th Planning Meeting Agenda items 5 and 8 Hello. My name is Rich Henschel and I live in the Sonoran Gate subdivision off of 7th Street and Dove Valley Road. My concerns regarding the Taylor Morrison Verdin proposal are primarily centered around the roadway infrastructure that is currently in place and what is planned in the immediate future. As you know there is only a single lane of traffic in each direction for a significant portion of the roadway between North Paloma Parkway and Cave Creek Road. You may not be aware of this, but just a couple years ago before Covid, the morning rush hour east-bound traffic would back up at least a mile at the intersection of Cave Creek Road and Sonoran Desert Drive with people needing to go either north or south on Cave Creek Road. Since many people have changed their work habits during Covid, this hasn't been a big problem the last year or two. However, more and more people are going back into work and there is already a new subdivision being built out by Pulte and Lennar homes at Dove Valley Road and North Paloma Parkway. This will certainly add additional eastbound traffic. Now with this Verdin proposal the traffic will increase significantly with 1200 - 1400 new homes. The second concern I have relates to the fact there there is only one roadway which services my subdivision as well as the new proposed Verdin subdivision. You may not be aware of this but a few years ago there was a fire in the Sonoran desert and Sonoran Desert Drive was closed just west of Cave Creek Road for 2 - 3 weeks. The only way to get to my home from Cave Creek Road was to drive north to Carefree highway, west until 27th Avenue, south until Dove Valley Road and then come in from the west. This was a significant detour and added at least 15 minutes to my travel time. What if this happened again? How would this affect Police and Fire response times? What if a house was on fire or someone was having a heart attack? That additional 15 minutes could be the difference between life and death. I realize there is a proposal to expand the roadway with 2 lanes of traffic in each direction with a median in the middle. However, I have no confirmation from the City of Phoenix on when that will actually become a reality. I've simply heard that traffic patterns will be reviewed and actions will be taken at the appropriate time. Unfortunately that doesn't give me a lot of confidence. Frankly I think we already have an exposure and to begin building such a huge subdivision before addressing this exposure is irresponsible. Please understand that I am not against land development in general. My father was a land developer and I understand the importance of offering various housing alternatives, especially in this current housing shortage. But I urge the city planners to reject this development proposal until these roadway infrastructure exposures can be closely studied and properly addressed. Thank you. Rich 1 Racelle Escolar From: C Severance <tutudoc1@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 3, 2022 10:20 PM To: PDD Planning Commission Subject: Desert overlay and Taylor Morris Good evening. I am writing to you as a concerned citizen of the Sonoran Foothills neighborhood. I am 100% opposed to the shrinking of the desert overlay for the convenience of home builders like Taylor Morris. The builders' primary concern is for increased revenue, which comes at the expense of our beautiful desert and the animals that call it home. Please protect our wildlife. Please protect our beautiful landscape. Please protect our preserve. Thank you. Christine Severance 1 Racelle Escolar From: Mead Summer, REALTOR, CRS <mead@superiorazhomes.com> Sent: Thursday, May 5, 2022 11:08 AM To: PDD Planning Commission Subject: Case #Z-6-22-2 and GPA-DSTV-1-22-2 Attachments: planning commission.docx Dear Racelle and Planning Commission members: Attached is my letter in opposition to Case #Z‐6‐22‐2 and GPA‐DSTV‐22‐2 in their current form. To be clear, I am not against construction of new homes entirely. However, the presentation made on behalf of DR Horton failed to disclose numerous issues, and the chairman of the Desert View Village Planning Commission showed obvious bias toward the builder and against concerned citizens. Please share this letter with the members of the Planning Commission, I am willing to make time to meet with any Planning Commission members in person or by phone or computer if they would like to discuss the merits and concerns about this project. Sincerely, Mead Summer, REALTOR, CRS, AHWD Vice President, Pinnacle at Desert Peak Homeowners Association Associate Broker, West USA Realty Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Maricopa County Real Estate Special Commissioner Member, Arizona REALTORS Professional Standards Committee Licensed Real Estate Continuing Education (CE) instructor Phone: 480/747‐7255 Email: mead@superiorAZhomes.com Web: www.superiorAZhomes.com [superiorazhomes.com] City of Phoenix Planning Commission pdd.planningcomm@phoenix.gov Dear Commission Members: In light of the misinformation provided by DR Horton representatives and the clear bias shown by the chairman of the Desert View Village Planning Committee (DVVPC), I wish to bring to light numerous issues regarding DR Horton’s rezoning application for an area of over 400 acres west of Cave Creek Road and south of Jomax Road (case #GPA‐DSTV‐1‐22‐2 and companion case Z‐6‐22‐2). As a resident of Desert View since 2007, a sitting HOA board member and a Realtor who does substantial business within the Desert View area, I fully understand the need for more housing. However, DR Horton presented numerous fallacies in its presentation. Some seemingly received only lip service from the planning committee, others were ignored altogether. Even when residents raised the issues, the chairman of the committee disputed residents’ claims and, in one case, ridiculed an older resident because the resident inadvertently referred to Pinnacle High School as “Pinnacle Peak High School.” The Stone Butte East development proposed by DR Horton is slated to consist of 1,145 single‐family homes, a 260‐unit apartment community consisting of two‐ and three‐story buildings, and a 140‐unit community of single‐family casitas that are planned as rental units. The issues that I take with the proposed plans primarily concern the traffic that the proposed 1,500+ homes would bring, as well as the height of the apartment community. The traffic issue that must be considered related to the level of traffic on Cave Creek Road. Cave Creek Road has five lanes between the 101 and Jomax Road ‐‐ two northbound lanes and three southbound lanes. During the DR Horton presentation, the DR Horton representative claimed that the builder’s traffic study showed that “75 percent of the traffic produced by this community will be going south.” This comment went unexplained by DR Horton and unquestioned by DVVPC members, but concerned residents picked up what board members apparently missed. To be more specific than the DR Horton representative, the traffic study showed, likely accurately, that most of the people who would live in this community would be more likely to travel south toward the 101 rather than north toward Cave Creek proper. What seems obvious, but what no committee member ever noted, was that all the people who would go south in the morning on the way to work would later travel north from the 101 to the new community on their way home. The two northbound lanes of Cave Creek Road north of the 101 already are overburdened; northbound traffic waiting for the traffic light at Deer Valley Road already extends halfway to Rose Garden Lane during rush hour. The addition of 1500 new homes without widening northbound Cave Creek Road to three lanes would turn this area into a daily crucible for northbound drivers, and DR Horton made clear that widening northbound Cave creek Road would not be the responsibility of the builder. My other concern is the height of the apartments. In 2017/2018, DR Horton approached the City about building a three‐story apartment community at the intersection of Cave Creek and Pinnacle Peak roads. At the time, I and other concerned residents pointed out, first to the DVVPC and then to the Phoenix Planning Commission, that all residential communities along and near the Cave Creek Road corridor north of the 101 were no more than two stories. We argued that a three‐story community would change the character of the surrounding community – which (somewhat ironically) also was built by DR Horton. Although the DVPCC ignored residents’ concerns, the Planning Commission voted to limit the apartment community to two stories and the City Council followed the advice of Planning Commission. Now, DR Horton again seeks to build a three‐story community that would affect the character of communities that were built by, yes, DR Horton. Those include Desert Peak and The Pinnacle at Desert Peak, whose residents fought against three‐story buildings in 2017/2018, as well as the new Stone Butte community, which DR Horton built over the past two years. On behalf of my neighbors and fellow DR Horton home owners, I ask that you strongly consider the issue of northbound traffic from the 101 to the subject area when deciding whether to approve the planned rezoning and a construction project of such magnitude. I also ask that, at the very least, you restrict the apartment community to no more than two levels, following the reasoning of the Planning Commission and the City Council in 2017/2018. Please know that I am available to discuss this issue with you in person, by phone, or by computer. Sincerely, Mead Summer Vice President, Pinnacle at Desert Peak HOA Associate Broker, West USA Realty 480/747‐7255 mead@superiorazhomes.com 1 Racelle Escolar From: Diana Duran <dduran512@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, May 5, 2022 2:12 PM To: PDD Planning Commission Cc: saveoursonoranpreserve@gmail.com Subject: Sonoran Preserve Hello, I am against changing the Desert Character Overlay on Sonoran Desert Drive. The Sonoran Preserve is very unique and changing the Desert Character Overlay would damage the flora and fauna that live in the Wash. I also drive on Sonoran Desert Drive and it is only a two lane road and to add 1,250 homes would add an additional 2,500 cars on that road. There are several subdivisions that would be impacted by the addition of all the cars because Dove Valley Rd/Sonoran Desert Drive is the only exit and entrance for some of those subdivisions. Also there is a crosswalk Dove Valley Road that sometimes gets difficult to cross as it is today and to add an additional 2,500 cars will make it dangerous for walkers and bikers using that crosswalk. Traffic gets backed up going East on Sonoran Desert Drive and when turning onto Cave Creek Rd one can wait at least 5 minutes to turn in the morning. I’ve seen it backed up by at least 25 cars. I’m not against the building the homes but let’s make sure that we don’t impact the Sonoran Preserve in an unhealthy way and allow people to access Apache Wash trailhead safely. The infrastructure is not there to house 1,295 homes and to allow homes to be built without the proper infrastructure would make it a big headache to old and new homeowners. Kind Regards, Diana