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An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Inside This Week
Millions at stake for local districts in special session standoff.
SPORTS............................20 Chandler native makes NFL starting QB debut today.
COMMUNITY................ 22 Chandler thespians shine in “Les Miserables” production.
SPORTS...............................................20 COMMUNITY....................................22 BUSINESS............................................25 GET OUT..............................................27 CLASSIFIEDS...................................... 28
December 11, 2022
Chandler Council takes stand against housing project BY KEN SAIN Arizonan Managing Editor
NEWS.................................... 4
FREE | chandlernews.com
T
he plan to build more than 500 affordable housing apartments in South Chandler may not be dead, but it suffered a serious blow this week during a City Council meeting last week. The Council on Dec. 5 voted unanimously to back a resolution opposing the Landings at Ocotillo project that is expected to be considered by Maricopa County officials next month. The 7-0 vote puts pressure on Supervisor Jack Sellers, who represents the Chandler area on the board. “We’re disappointed,” said Owen Metz,
the senior vice president and project partner for the Mountain West Region for Dominium, the developer hoping to build the Landings project.” The Council Chamber was filled with a standing-room only crowd, most of them there to oppose the Landings project. Opponents claimed to have collected more than 3,000 signatures on a petition. “We need to recalibrate,” Metz said. “We already went through the 14 sites and I feel like we’ve done our due diligence, and then ... he told me we didn’t do our due diligence, it’s frustrating. It’s too bad that they made the decision.”
Metz said about half of the 14 sites city officials suggested as alternatives were 5 acres or less. The site they want to build on is 24 acres. A couple of council members, Matt Orlando and Christine Ellis, criticized Dominium for not doing more to communicate with neighbors and work with the city. The 14 sites are alternative locations city officials suggested instead of building the Landings project on Ocotillo, just east of the railroad tracks near Arizona Avenue. The city planning staff is already on re-
see LANDINGS page 10
Purple for Parents becoming Light show with purpose school board force in EV BY KEN SAIN Arizonan Managing Editor
P
arental rights advocates in Arizona are celebrating huge gains, both in the Legislature and at the ballot box. Purple for Parents, a parental rights organization, endorsed 38 candidates in November’s school board elections across Arizona and unofficial results show that 20 of them won seats – including two in Scottsdale, one each in Gilbert’s two main districts, one in Chandler and one in Mesa. “We’re very happy,” said Michelle
Dillard, the president of Purple for Parents. “It’s great to have school board members elected that support parents’ rights and will promote academics in the classroom.” The electoral victories follow success last spring, when the state Legislature passed and Gov. Doug Ducey signed the Parental Rights Bill. It further enhances the Parental Bill of Rights passed in 2010. The newer legislation gives parents the rights to all written and electronic records from a school about their child. That includes
see PURPLE page 6
Every year James Chalifoux of Chandler constructs an enormous Christmas light display with thousands of lights, vintage blow mold figures and synchronized music in front of his home at 1075 W. Mulberry Drive, near the intersection of Willis and Alma School Road. His “Fouxlights” runs nightly from 5:30–11 p.m. and he is asking visitors to bring nonperishable food items for the needy. See the story on page 3. (David Minton/Arizonan Staff Photographer)
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