[el_avocado]

Thunderbird seeks input on urban village
School to use visits, fliers, open houses

Scott Wong and Erin Zlomek
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 30, 2006

With plans under way to transform the Thunderbird business school's campus into an urban village, school officials will now focus on gathering feedback from students, nearby residents and other community members.

That effort will include going door to door to speak with neighbors, mailing out fliers and hosting on-campus open houses to gather input.

"We've been a member of the neighborhood for 60 years," Thunderbird spokeswoman Carol Sunnucks said. "We want to make sure anything we do moving forward is something in line with what the community wants and what is best for the community, not just what's best for school."

To collect public comments, Thunderbird, the Garvin School of International Management, has hired Technical Solutions, a Phoenix firm specializing in community outreach.

The school's proposal involves circling the 40-acre campus core with a 175-room hotel, hundreds of live/work units, upscale apartments, offices, stores and restaurants.

The graduate school asked Friday that the city amend its General Plan to allow for the new land uses. Later this month, the school, at Greenway Road and 59th Avenue, will ask that the property be rezoned.

In the past, officials have batted down rumors that they planned to abandon the Glendale campus for a site in Scottsdale or other parts of the Valley.

Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs said Friday that Thunderbird's planning efforts demonstrate its commitment to remain in the city.

"This is an indication that they have made a decision to keep with the history, tradition and the city of Glendale," she said. "We are happy that Thunderbird has decided to stay on campus and reutilize it to fit the needs of today's students."

Students and recent alumni said the proposed project would bring the school more positive exposure.

"Our options here are a little bit limited in terms of food and the hours (of operation) and the diversity of what is offered," said Warren Donian, who graduated in May from Thunderbird's MBA program. "If they're going to bring in some nice restaurants and some other developments to spruce things up a bit, I think that's a needed change for the campus."

The prospect of more on-campus housing options scored points with first-year student Daniel Feferbaum. He said some students find the school's traditional dorm-style housing inconvenient and opt for more-accommodating apartment complexes off campus.

"For me, the only problem on campus is that you need to share the restroom with another person," Feferbaum said. "And I don't like sharing a room."

Feferbaum, a student from Brazil, said the live/work combination especially appealed to him.

"Because you are in contact with the school community, professors, students, there would be a lot of opportunities to develop projects together," he said.