An abandoned golf courses to mixed use? Kickass. Too bad the neighbors want to keep it the way it is ... @#$!
Shalimar neighbors unite against condo plans
Katie Nelson
The Arizona Republic
May. 3, 2006 12:00 AM
Residents are uniting in the Shalimar neighborhood, reforming old neighborhood groups and talking strategy to battle developers who want to transform the area with condo developments.
A meeting is planned for tonight, and two recent gatherings have been key in bringing the community together. One, Sunday night at a resident's home, attracted nearly 100 people.
"The house was stuffed," said Bruce Goldthorpe, who attended the meeting. "There were people in the living room, dining room, family room and in and out the doors. People were sitting on the floor and standing in corners. We had to keep reminding people to speak louder when the back group started waving their hands."
They gathered to voice concerns about the fate of their property values. Some expressed fears about the disappearance of one of the last open green spaces in Tempe. But mainly, they came to learn.
The east central Tempe residents have been trying several tactics to give themselves some say in three developments that could dramatically alter their community: the sale and redevelopment of the Shalimar Country Club Golf Course, the Tri-City Baptist Church on Southern Avenue and Price Road and the Michael's Plaza shopping center across the street.
Five-story condos could be built on the church property. A Las Vegas developer is considering buying the golf course, the neighborhood's crown jewel, and has purchased the Michael's Plaza. Condos could go on both sites.
Neighbors have been meeting with politicians such as Councilman Hut Hutson and Mayor Hugh Hallman. They've been trying to inform each other and, they say, they've been unifying.
"Really, it was more to introduce people together and to get a common understanding about what we're facing," Andrew Ching, a Shalimar homeowner and attorney, said of the meetings.
The residents talked about the history of the area and about a lawsuit in the early '80s over the land's use. They discussed the status of the current deal, Ching said, and what the process would be for the developer to get zoning approval to add condos.
Tonight's meeting is scheduled for the Huntington Drive cul-de-sac in the southeastern corner of the Shalimar neighborhood.
Residents said they plan to start a petition to be submitted to the city that states neighbors oppose any zoning changes for the church property. Representatives of the developers of at least one of the area projects also will be there to answer questions.
Sidebar
Change is coming
Here's the status of projects in the Shalimar neighborhood:
• The Shalimar Country Club Golf Course will remain but likely will be spruced up. Brownstones or condos also would be added on the property, said Jeff Chain, president of Millennium Properties & Development, of Las Vegas. Millennium is in escrow for that property, and the company has two architects drawing up potential redesign plans. A design could be ready by fall.
• The Tri-City Baptist Church at Southern Avenue and Price Road also is in escrow. The developer looking at buying it, Magellan Partners, is revising its initial plan for a graduated five-story condo complex after it got a bad response from neighbors unhappy with the height. The church and its schools on site are moving to Chandler. The deal is expected to close in August. The developer hopes to take a revised plan to neighbors in the next few weeks.
• The Michael's Plaza shopping center across the street has been sold to the same developer who is looking at redeveloping the golf course. The plaza is the current home of a Michael's Arts & Crafts, a Dilly's Deli and other merchants. Millennium closed a deal March 14 to buy the property. It likely will be razed and reconfigured into a combination retail/residential property, according to Chain.