Judas goat development

Many impacted by Home Depot on the southeast corner (Bullington property, Cave Creek) opposed it in 1999. Though the land is zoned commercial, it is protected under Commercial Core guidelines; i.e., a restricted range of mixed uses to service residential and trade.

In 2000, Home Depot officials chose the corner of Ashler Hills and Scottsdale Road. More opposition again. Mayor Morgan said in a letter to Mayor Manross: “... on behalf of Carefree who would be adversely impacted by traffic ... you are encroaching on a sensitive part of the Valley. I hope that ethics and good conscience will guide your client to a more welcome site.” Francia in his letter to Manross said: “I would like to compliment Mayor Manross and the Scottsdale Council for taking the lead in recognizing that environmentally sensitive desert areas may not be appropriate to sustain certain large commercial structures.”

Morgan did lose sight of his ethics by supporting the Judas goat, Lowe’s, in Carefree.

Dec. 6, 2004, when the council held public hearings to support and present to voters the General Plan 2005, Ralph Mozilo made the motion regarding the Bullington property “to designate the land currently zoned commercial located at the southeast corner of Cave Creek Road and Carefree Highway (Bullington property), as appropriate for General Commercial Land Uses and the Staff brings back to Council those definitions and revise that from appropriate to General Commercial for the Council to vote on it.”

Although the motion passed, those uses were never brought back to council for public hearings and approval. Additionally, the second motion made by Mozilo before Creekers voted on GP 2005 was “to direct Staff regarding the initiation of amendments to the zoning ordinance in setting a maximum number of square feet for commercial business in commercial zones restricted to the Town Core area, the Town Core area is defined as from the Eastern boundary of the Town to 300 feet of Spur Cross Road.”

The GP 2005 went to voters anyway and Creekers approved it.

Rather than carry out council’s actions to issue stronger restrictions in the commercial historic core and define general commercial uses, Town Manager Usama Abujbarah unilaterally announced at a workshop meeting to get ideas to take back to council: “there seems to be a consensus that we don’t need change.”

So now the Judas goat Wal-Mart is crying that the newly up-zoned 125 acres from residential to commercial on the west side won’t suit them. They want the Bullington land. The same reasons for opposing Home Depot there stand. Let their blackmail of “we will go to Phoenix instead if the town denies us” fall on deaf ears_ One expects big-city neighbors to play those extortionist arguments, but Cave Creek? Will Creekers now barter their souls? Or will they fight and send Wal-Mart packing?

Anna Marsolo
Cave Creek