Although the North Gateway Village Planning Committee did not recommend the auto use permits in July, a Phoenix zoning hearing officer later recommended approval of the permits. As of September, the requests were set to go before the city’s Planning Commission and then on to Phoenix City Council for final approval. But there were delays.

As residents continued to fight the auto mall through petitions with thousands of signatures, fliers, attendance at informational meetings and staged protests along Carefree Highway at I‑17, Westcor said that it would place restrictions on the auto mall, should it be built. No “inflatable gorillas” or other unsightly car‑dealership paraphernalia would be permitted, and stipulations would be enforced. Residents were wary of this promise.  Robinson was quoted as saying: “Any good zoning attorney can go back to the zoning administrator and request to remove it.”

In October, 400 residents of the north Valley attended a city planning commission meeting, many wearing red shirts to show solidarity in protest. Despite the overwhelming opposition, the commission approved the auto use permit 6 to 3and the matter was slated to go before the city council. But it was pushed back again.

In December 2005, Westcor’s progress was further delayed–the second continuation granted to the developer. “We are continuing to encourage Westcor to meet with the community and get as much public input as possible,” Phoenix Councilwoman Peggy Neely said in a prepared statement at the time. “Only when we see the full package can we take the next step of analyzing whether this type of development should move forward” she said. 

Westcor also said at the time of the continuance that it wanted to talk to the surrounding neighborhoods again, but residents reported hearing nothing from the developer.  A hearing in front of city council was then scheduled for June 16, 2006.

Area residents continued to protest, evidenced further by the meeting on Tuesday at Sunset Ridge School.

“Even though this hasn’t gone to city council yet, we still have quite the fight on our hands,” Robinson stated at that meeting.

Invited to Tuesday’s meeting were Don Goldwater, a candidate for Governor, and Carl Seek, Sam Crump and David Burnell‑Smith, candidates for the House of Representatives. Aides from the offices of Representative Pamela Gorman and Councilwoman Peggy Neely were also in attendance.

Goldwater, a developer himself, was adamant about Westcor’s responsibility to the community. “It doesn’t sound like Westcor has worked with the people out here,” he stated. Goldwater told his own story of living in Levine and fighting the introduction of low‑income housing close to the area’s sprawling ranches.

“You are the army of your community right now,” he asserted. “I’m here to tell you that you can make a difference in what your neighborhood is going to look like–not tomorrow, but in 10 years.”

“Thank God we can vote,” Seek said. “The city is not listening. They’ve not listened to a lot of the things that go to the core of our lives here.”

Crump, an attorney with offices in Anthem, said to the audience, “They’re seeking a zoning change.” He went on to explain that originally the land in question was zoned mixed retail, purported in conversations with prospective home buyers in the area by builders, including William Lyon Homes, Shea Homes, Pulte Homes and others, to be like “Kierland” or “the Spectrum at Irvine, California.” In summing up the current situation, Crump quipped that the auto mall would be a “space station landing site that’s going to light up the night sky.”

As the floor was opened for questions, a young man stood up, put his hands in his pockets and asked, “Why don’t I want an auto mall?”

Robinson took the microphone back again to explain. The auto mall will generate 740 jobs, he said, as opposed to 1,780 jobs should general commercial/retail take its place. Robinson used his son as an example, an 18‑year‑old who had been looking for a job for two years. The only reason he has one now, Robinson explained, is because the young man has a car and can drive into Phoenix.

A woman and her husband in the audience introduced themselves as having worked for and managed car dealerships in the past, asserting that 740 jobs is an unrealistic number. Car dealers, they stated, are known for bringing in out‑of‑town sales teams, as they are already trained. Dealerships in the auto mall would behave similarly, they said. Further, the man related, minimum‑wage workers with discipline problems are often used to park cars on the lots. He said that he was constantly writing up employees for reckless driving, joyriding, and drug dealing at the back of the lots.

Further, Robinson said, “the auto mall conflicts completely with the general plan of the City of Phoenix. Unless the development is beneficial to the surrounding neighborhood, it should not be developed,” he quoted from the general plan documents.

City Planner Alan Stephenson said in July 2005 that the two requests were consistent with the city’s general plan for the area which allows for mixed‑use commercial and high‑density residential. “It’s been planned to be commercial,” Stephenson said. Commercial zoning, however, does not include auto mall and, therefore, requires a special use permit.

“People are supposed to live, play and work in their village,” Robinson pointed out.  “We can live in our neighborhood...” But there is one restaurant and no place to work, members of the  audience added.       

Further exacerbating the issue, residents believe that Westcor owns the land on the west side of I‑17 as well. “They could just as easily put the auto mall over there,” Robinson said.                     

This issue was addressed at yet another meeting on Thursday night at the Boeuf Community Center on West Pinnacle Peak Road. Michael Treadwell, senior vice president of development for Westcor, has taken the place of Brian Frakes as company representative at community meetings.  Treadwell gave an informational presentation to the village planning committee and was available for questions afterward. 

Asked by Melissa Smith, a resident of Sonoran Foothills, if Westcor did indeed own the land west of I‑17, Treadwell’s answer was unclear. Calls by The Desert Advocate on Friday and Tuesday to Richard Hubbard,  Deputy State Land Commissioner, were not returned.                    

A recurring theme was residents’ desire to be included in an ongoing discourse with Westcor and the sentiment that they had been left out until recently.

“In most cases we have not been invited to neighborhood meetings, Treadwell said. “We just need a place to sit down.” He cited three meetings that had been held previously by

Westcor and promised more were on the way. Melissa Smith and other residents were surprised that the developer claimed to have contacted them about development in the area, as they were unaware of any meetings Westcor had planned previously. 

When asked by The Desert Advocate in 2005 why the auto mall had not been brought to area residents prior to the application for permits, Dave Richert, interim planning director and the city’s growth, land use and state land manager, said, “We don’t normally go out and talk to people until there is something real about to happen.”

Although there are those who believe the auto mall is already what Robinson referred to as “a greased wheel that’s going to run right over us,” he stressed continued vigilance. Otherwise, “they’re going to continue shoving things like the auto mall down our throats,” Robinson predicted. 

Reach the reporter at jennifer@thedesertadvocate.com