Friends of Carefree, as a reminder and until further notice, all future meetings of the Council and Planning & Zoning Commission will be held at the Holland Center, Building B, Quail Room located at 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85266.
Don’t miss the upcoming Carefree Enchanted Pumpkin Garden Festival (Oct. 17–31). Creator/Artist Ray Villafane will once again display his creations and host live pumpkin carving demonstrations in the Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion. Last year’s event was a huge success, so don’t miss this opportunity to participate and enjoy an even bigger spectacle. A special thanks is due Ray, as well as to Gina Kaegi, Carefree Marketing Director, for her hard work and commitment to this event. See more on the event at http://carefreepumpkingarden.com/
Planning & Zoning / Development Review Board Meetings of September 20, 2016
Governor Ducey signed S.B. 1350 in May which prevents cities and counties from banning short-term rentals. It allows companies, such as Airbnb, Homeaway, and VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) to collect lodging taxes on behalf of property owners while also keeping the properties classified as residential for tax purposes.
The Carefree P&Z Commission met to initiate a Zoning Ordinance text amendment related to short-term vacation rentals. This is necessary in order for Carefree to comply with new state regulations, effective December 31, 2016. HOAs should also review their rules.
A second item was addressed by the Development Review Board (same group as P&Z), a new home on 10+ acres in far north Carefree on Father Kino Road. The owners, a couple from Canada, will only be using a small portion of the land and will devote almost half of the land to a Conservation Easement, which protects the land from development. After a short presentation by architect Shelby Wilson the item was unanimously approved.
Town Council Meeting, October 4, 2016 at 5 p.m.
(4 members present at start time, 2 joined shortly thereafter; Councilman Miller recovering from surgery)
Items 1 – 7, Consent Agenda: All items were related to routine town business (meeting minutes, bills, financial reports, event permits, etc.). Vice Mayor Crane asked to hold Agenda Item 5 for discussion. All other Items were approved 4 – 0.
Relating to Item 5, Vice Mayor Crane inquired about the review of discrepancies in July financials which Jim Van Allen noted during the September Council meeting. Mr Neiss explained that, due to some inadvertent formula errors in the spreadsheets used for the July results, a number of errors were introduced. A corrected set of financials was produced and made available in the current Council packet. Neiss also explained that the $200K+ WIFA loan payment was due in July which made the financial results for the first month of the new fiscal year appear worse than actual (down 20%). Mayor Peterson stated that although July was down 20%, income in August helped offset that large decline. He said that for the first two months of this fiscal year we are actually down only 8%, with expenses $71,480 higher than income to date. With no further discussion Item 5 was approved 5 – 0.
Item 8, Call to the Public: MCSO Captain Kip Rustenburg addressed the meeting to remind everyone of the Public Safety Fair which will be held on Saturday, October 8th. The event is being sponsored by Daisy Mountain Fire Department, MCSO, and HonorHealth. It will be held at the Desert View Bible Church, 105 W Carefree Hwy, in Phoenix. Simulations, demonstrations, K9, Swat, Fire Trucks, Police vehicles (including helicopters), will all be available for public viewing from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Item 9, Current Events: Vice Mayor Crane reminded everyone that Bashas’ will hold their Grand Opening event [after remodeling & upgrades] Wednesday morning, October 5th from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.; ribbon cutting at 9 a.m. Renovations and upgrades include a new Starbuck’s, Sushi bar, Grill, an outside fire pit, and assorted other enhancements.
Item 10, Engineering Services Contract for new Culvert: In order to address the drainage problem within the Sentinel Rock community, staff is seeking authority to negotiate, and then for the Mayor to enter into, an Engineering Services Contract for the design of a new culvert system near 6001 E. Leisure Lane in an amount not to exceed $35,000. The presentation was conducted by Water Company General Manager Greg Crossman, who also fielded questions from Council members. The potential cost for the actual repair/solution could range from $150K to over $200K. Council approved Item 10, 6 – 0.
Item 11, Town Council Updates: Councilwoman Price indicated that the Gateway project was nearing completion, with the final lighting tasks just being wrapped up.
Item 12, Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at approximately 5:30 p.m.
Last Month’s Question: Bashas’ has been an icon in Carefree for many years.
1) What do you think about the current renovations taking place, and 2) Where do you do the bulk of your food and general shopping?
The responses seem to indicate that the renovations/upgrades at Carefree’s Bashas’ were long overdue. For example, “Years ago I shopped at Bashas’ all the time when it was more like AJ’s. In the past few years it became less a place to shop with inferior produce, not enough organics or other quality items. The only reason I went there was for the La Brea bread. I’m hoping with their renovation they will also improve their products.” And, “In response to your question, I am very happy that Bashas’ is renovating. But I do not see how it will be done by Oct. 5th. I go there probably every other day. Usually after I walk my dog through the Gardens at dusk. We do go to the Fry’s on Carefree Hwy & the Safeway, on occasion since this Bashas’ does not have the biggest selection, because it is smaller than most other supermarkets.”
But not all were in favor of some changes, “The renovation is fine, but why a Starbucks…the Illy coffee at Bashas’ is great. We do our food shopping mostly at Bashas.”
And, “I believe Bashas’ is integrating Starbucks within the stores?… That may work fine for Phoenix, BUT for Carefree it is NOT ACCEPTABLE!!… We have such great local coffee shops in the Cave Creek-Carefree area. Had anyone from Bashas’ OR THE TOWN discussed the option of having one of the local shops be in our store??…. I bet NOT! The least they could have done is use DUTCH BROS in order to promote a Regional/Boutique company! Just another example of “Do as I say, not as I do” from Carefree (They have been harping on BUY LOCAL for soooo long!) … Shame on Bashas and on Carefree for allowing Starbucks to open at our Bashas’! .. No business from me.”
Question of the Month: Are you an advocate for Carefree? Many of us love and enjoy living in Carefree and taking advantage of the concerts, art shows, and other special events throughout the year – even quiet walks through the Gardens. This month’s question seeks to shed light on if and how we communicate our Carefree lifestyle to friends, co-workers, family, and visitors. Be creative, get involved, crow a little…
We do receive good suggestions for future questions. Please feel free to keep ‘em coming!
Let us hear from you.
Respectfully submitted by Jim Van Allen and John Traynor
Don’t forget to visit CarefreesFutureMatters.com.
