Yeah, definately feels like a stronger, more saturated airmass than the normal explosive type that is much more hit and miss. Enjoying it immensly.

They say it is an El Ninio year, which brings more rain and a wetter monsoon and winter.

I kept some of my video from today's ride with you guys in mind (since at heart we are all urban development/skyscraper nerds) riding home through downtown Phoenix. It was after the post-ride coffee stop so the ride was basically over and I wasn't hammering or anything, just heading home, so just a nice perspective on Phoenix. I had to stop at a couple of lights, so you can skip around if you want.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwp41ZmNbaU

... and run through a couple more. Cool video, but there's no way I could ride a bicycle on city streets like that. I wouldn't trust all of the dumbass drivers out there, no matter how much I paid attention and how good of a rider I am, all it takes is one complete idiot.

sometimes to enjoy life and do what you love to do, you have to accept the associated risks.

Do you have a camera mounted on your handlebars? That's impressive footage.

yes it is mounted on the bar, the hardest part was getting the mount set up correctly. this is the camera:

http://www.hd-report.com/wp-content/...-camcorder.jpg

Has anyone seen this month's National Geographic? There is a 3-page spread of the skyline with the dust storm looming behind (from July 5th 2011). It's a great picture.

Its not up to the city. Is this property owned by the citizens and the city? No. However the current owners are looking for a buyer, so if you want to save it you can put and offer in on it.

Certain things should be preserved as if they were property of the legacy of the city. Without them, Phoenix wouldn't be the best.

What do you mean its not up to the city to enact a historic preservation overlay and Landmark Designation on the property. The city doesnt have to own the property to do that. In fact, I live in a designated historic district and the city doesn't own my home.

Here's a link to the City of Phoenix's Historic Preservation Office:

http://phoenix.gov/HISTORIC/index.html

Prop 207 is not retroactive but does leave the city to a major lawsuit if they place the historic overlay on any property without the prop 207 waiver. It means that the power rests with the property owner...as it should. With all due respect you rent your home. You have to get approval for anything done to the outside of your house. Since prop 207 was enacted in 2007 there have been ZERO historic districts added to the Phoenix register and only a handful of individual ones that property owners gave waivers on.

BTW I want to beat you to the punch. I bet your reply will be along the lines of "you have basic zoning restrictions on any house". This is true. Basic zoning restrictions are put in place to prevent a property owner from putting up a burger king in the middle of residental neighborhood or prevent flooding of your neighbors. It still leaves a lot of freedom and liberty to do as you wish with your house. The historic overlay does not.

That is where you are wrong. Private property does not belong to the city as a whole. I own my 1940s adobe territorial house (that is not in a historic district). Without the prop 207 law as I already covered, there would probably be that overlay placed on my house. With this law I now have a way to fight the city. I paid for my property. As such if I want to put in a bay window in my front room I will do it and it is no one elses business. You can call it liberty and freedom....crazy that will still allow those two things.:banana:

With all due respect, I own my home.

I can do absolutely anything to the outside of my home I want. I own it. I can put up vinyl siding, I can paint the exterior purple, I can add a huge garage to the front making it a snout house. Additionally, there is no HOA making it even easier for me to modify the exterior.

If the Historic Preservation Office determines that I have changed the historic character of the front of the home, I lose the preferential property tax treatment. End of story.

I really think you should read up on Historic Districts in Phoenix. :banana:

If your home was in a historic district you could put a bay window in the front of your home also and no one would stop you. The Historic Preservation Office uses a carrot, not a stick to promote the preservation of historic property. Where are you getting your information? You really need to read up on Phoenix Historic Districts. :banana:

This is interesting and counter to what I have read in Phoenix, I will contact Mrs. Dodds and ask her. If you could provide me with some links (yes I have checked all though the HPO site) I would appreciate it to show what you are saying. I was told that all work had to have the ok from the hpo office, even landscape. Without their ok, fines and stop work orders could be given was what I thought I read.

Just a FYI, my house could probably fit into a HD without major problems. 95% of it is the same way it was when it was built and I have no ideas to change that. Still when I replaced the landscape the thought went through my mind "I can make this look how I want without the HPO dictating".

You are way off phoenixisthebest. I'm not even sure how you could think landscaping would be an issue.

Whoa that's insane! Where did you hear that???? Seriously though, where? I've completely redone the front and back landscaping in the last 2 years at my house. I've taken out trees/bushes, planted new ones, made the garden larger, repainted trim, changed exterior window elements, etc. The only person I had to ask permission from was my wife.

So if you haven't checked out: http://www.myplanphx.com/ yet, you should.

It's an easy way to have a voice, even a small one, in PHX's general plan update. It has a cool social media element to it, as well as 'reward points' where you can end up having lunch with the Mayor, tours of Pueblo Grande, etc.

Currently PhxDowntowner (Sean Sweat) and I are dooking it out for the top spot (actually, he's killing me!). I'd love to be able to be one of the first two to 1,500 points on there so I can have a lunch with Mayor Stanton. I'm hoping if I end up being one of the winners, I can create a thread here where everyone can suggest questions/things I can talk to the Mayor about, and that way I'm not just a flustered mess at said lunch.

You can see my profile on the site here:
http://www.myplanphx.com/user/24352


Please "Second" any of my ideas you don't hate. :)

And please join up yourself, everyone here has such good ideas, but if this is the only place we discuss them, then we're just running in circles.

Wait that Sean sweat guy is a member here? Never would have imagine with his idiotic musings in the paper and whatnot.