Good morning, COGS Reader...
These two items are critical.
Please read and ACT. thanks!!
Desert Discovery Center Community
Workshop
COGS encourages all its readers and
members to register for a session to
become informed on the current status
of the Desert Discovery Center
currently planned to be located inside
the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran
Preserve in NE Scottsdale. The public
sessions will be hosted by the City of
Scottsdale and contracted Desert
Discovery Center Scottsdale, Inc. The
sessions will be led by the consulting
designer team from Thinc Design
and the architects from Swaback
Partners.
According to the DDC, Inc. group,
"This workshop is an important step in
the current process of determining
what the DDC concept would cost to
build and operate. This planning phase
will be complete in August 2017. With
this information in hand, the
Scottsdale City Council can determine
if they want to move forward with the
project."
-
Please register immediately
for the community workshop that
will be held on Wednesday, Nov.
30.
Registration is
required
-
A number of time
slots are available from 3 to 7
p.m. To register, please
select
the time that works best for you
-
plan on actively participating for
about 1 ½ hours.
-
One registration per person.
"Those who register should be
prepared to participate in the
planning process for the proposed
Desert Discovery Center at the Gateway
to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve
(located at the Preserve perimeter --
Thompson Peak/Bell Road). The
Scottsdale City Council has directed
further study of the DDC concept at
this location." COGS note:
This statement appears to discourage
attendees who are opposed to the
council majority approved location.
Desert Discovery Center Scottsdale
has hired Thinc Design as its
experience designer for the Desert
Discovery Center concept. Thinc Design
has developed world-class projects of
national and international
significance -- most notably the
National September 11 Memorial Museum.
The firm's focus is on history,
natural history, culture and the
environment. The Thinc Design team
will be sharing more information about
the developing concept at the Nov. 30
community workshop. To-date, they have
provided a
Summary of
Outcomes (PDF) for our
reader's review. For additional
information on the proposed Desert
Discovery Center Concept
visit the
website.
Do you want to help protect our
existing Rural Neighborhoods?
Are Scottsdale's equestrian and large
homes on acreage in danger? YES.
Today if an owner of Rural
Neighborhood zoned property decides to
divide it and to built multiple homes
per acre it only takes a majority
approval vote of the city council (4-3
is common today). There is hope...the
new General Plan 2035 is not finalized
yet. COGS and representatives of the
former General Plan Task Force reached
a consensus to AMEND the Land Use
categories to better protect our Rural
Neighborhoods. Recommended:
(1) Separate 2 acre and more parcels
from 1 acre to less than 2 acre
parcels in how rezoning requests are
processed (2) Designate Desert
Rural Neighborhood for 2 acres and
more and Rural Neighborhood for
less than 2 acres (3) Require a 2/3 or
better city council approval to rezone
if it INCREASES density and DECREASES
lot size--rezoning becomes a Major
Amendment to the General Plan. (4)
Requires additional public hearings if
rezoning increases density and
decreases lot size (5) as now,
Major Amendments to the General Plan
are heard only ONCE a year.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
E mail your
support for the Rural Neighborhood
separation to Project Coordination
Liaison, Sara Javoronok
sjavoronok@ScottsdaleAZ.gov
Send the same
message to all the city council
members who will hear the staff report
December 1st at 4 pm. at
citycouncil@scottsdaleaz.gov
You can review the draft plan and
submit feedback at
General Plan 2035.
Thank you for supporting our COGS E
Newsletter. We are an all-volunteer
501 C (3) organization that celebrated
its 10th year serving
neighborhoods and small businesses.
Our focus is on land use issues that
impact your neighborhood and your
city.
Contact us at any time if you
need research or help in contacting
city department.
For the Coalition of Greater
Scottsdale (COGS) Board of Directors,
Sonnie
Kirtley, Chair e-mail
sonniek@cogsaz.net
Coalition of Greater Scottsdale
8924 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd., Suite G5, PMB 518
Scottsdale, AZ 85250
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