local businesses' pet drive / p. 32
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Inside This Week
VPC OK’s big complex after developer concession BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
T NEWS .....................3 Holiday lights will return, but could be a smaller display.
www.ahwatukee.com
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
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he developer of the mammoth 500,000-square-foot complex of three light industrial buildings near the eastern edge of Ahwatukee won approval from the Ahwatukee Foothills Planning Committee after promising not to seek tenants that created concerns about potential environmental hazards. The VPC on Aug. 28 approved Via West’s request for a General Plan amendment and
City seeks more control over REAL ESTATE ....RE5 short-term rentals
zoning change for the Converge Logistics Center 28-acre site on 50th Street and E. Thistle Landing Drive just north of Chandler Boulevard. City planners had recommended approval of both requests. The approval followed a lengthy discussion of concerns about increased traffic in an already congested part of the community as well as tenants that might be engaged in activities with the potential for environmental hazards. In response to those concerns, the devel-
oper’s attorney, Carolyn Oberholtzer, took two potential types of tenants off the table, both involving hazardous chemicals. And she said that her client is focusing mainly on manufacturers and distributors of pharmaceutical and natural health products, reducing projected increases in truck traffic. While the three-building complex conformed to the existing zoning for the site, Via West wants the zoning change to broaden
see COMPLEX page 12
Bringing hope
You might call Josh Mendoza of Ahwatukee a Renaissance Realtor.
City Council to consider casita measure today. RE1. BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
GET OUT .............42 A major Chinese comedian is headlining an all-Asian comedy show at Cactus Jack's. COMMUNITY ............................ 24 BUSINESS ................................32 OPINION ................................38 SPORTS ................................... 39 GETOUT ...................................42 CLASSIFIEDS ...........................46
A
t least 400 homeowners in Ahwatukee and over 7,200 city-wide could be affected by new short-term rental rules that Phoenix City Council will be considering later this month. The city administration last week released its proposed new rules, asking Council to schedule a hearing on them for Sept. 20. While a council subcommittee tentative-
see RENTALS page 9 In scholarship
awards for $66, 169,600 TUHSD's Class
6
Comprehensive High Schools
of 2023.
*Self-reported by students as of June 1, 2023.*
Given that the church’s namesake is Spanish for “hope,” it’s not surprising that Esperanza Lutheran Church Pastor Sarah Stadler, left, and preschool Director Lynn Hockenberger are preparing for a two-hour community discussion about children‘s and teens’ mental health at the Ahwatukee church. What prompted them to organize it may not surprise anyone either. For details, see page 24. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)
Career & Technical Education Programs
2 Honors Academies