Brett’s Perspective Spotlight on City the Community Residents OK … · 2020-01-10 · McDowell Center parking lot, will resume. Well, by the time you receive this, the mar-

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 | VOL. XXIII, NO 1

Celebrating 23 Years Serving the MMR Community!

Inside 2-3 Odds & Ends

11-14 Helene & Christine’s

Team Pullout Section

19 Fall Festival Photos

Brett’s Perspective

City’s General Plan Needs an Overhaul to Manage Growth Growth can be a mixed bag.

While some people get excited

about new sports

and entertainment

venues, others

worry about the

constant loss of

open space and

development on

formerly pristine

desert. Still others

worry about traffic congestion,

demands on infrastructure and

water resources.

The two biggest projects in

Scottsdale are the huge Nation-

wide Center called Cavasson in

north Scottsdale and the South-

bridge II project in the Old Town

area. Actually, as we were putting

this newsletter together, we

learned of a third project, called

Akimel 7, which calls for a multi-

billion dollar sports and technolo-

gy complex on the Salt River Pi-

ma Indian Reservation at the

Brett Levy

info@

writethrumedia.

com

480-889-8710

(Continued on page 22)


Residents OK Short-Term Rental Limits Now that McDowell Mountain

Ranch residents have approved

new limits on short-term rent-

als, the Homeowner’s Associa-

tion is expected to consider the

wording of the new rule and

enforcement policies at its Jan.

22nd or Feb. 25th meeting.

The HOA will update Ranch

homeowners on the new rules

between the time they are ap-

proved and the 30-day period

when they will go into effect.

The limits — which mean that

homeowners can only rent out

their homes or condos if the

term is longer than 30 days —

were approved by Ranch voters

at a special meeting held at the

McDowell Center on Nov 19th.

The final tally was 1,772 in favor

of the new limits to 328 against,

or 84.38% to 15.62%.

The fact that 2,100 property

owners out of about 4,000 vot-

ed in the election reveals that

the interest level was high

when you consider that annual

board elections usually garner

fewer than a thousand voters.

The Homeowner’s Association

first began looking into changing

MMR’s charter following in-

creasing complaints that many The Snow Princess was a big, er, tall hit at the McDowell Mountain Festival of Lights in December. More photos are on Page 21.

Spotlight on the Community

2 McDowell Mountain Ranch Real Estate News | January-February 2020

ODDS & ENDS


Barrett-Jackson Returns By the time you receive this, the Barrett-

Jackson auto auction will most likely be in

progress at WestWorld. Fortunately, the

event runs from Jan. 11th to the 19th, so you

may still have some time to attend. This

year’s event includes the Paul Walker, Sam

Pack and Matt Furukawa collections and 11

Ford GTs. The event also includes auctions

that benefit Arizona charities, such as the

Make-A-Wish Foundation, TGen Foundation

and Arizona Animal Welfare League. Besides

the auctions, Barrett-Jackson includes live

music, exhibitors and a test track. For more

details, go to barrett-jackson.com.

TPC to Swing Into Action This year’s Waste Management Phoenix

Open, from Jan. 27th to Feb. 2nd at the TPC,

will include the

San Tan Ford

Special Olym-

pics Open, mul-

tiple fundraising

events, and a

Trick Shot Show. Music performances will

include KYGO, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bent-

ley and G-Eazy. Go to this URL for more de-

tails: wmphoenixopen.com.

Phoenix 9th for Business Starts Phoenix is the 9th best large city in the nation

for starting new businesses, according to Inc.

Labeled a 2020 Surge City, some of Phoe-

nix’s strengths are its 2nd-best job creation

Effective Rate as of Jan. 1, 2020.

Rates are subject to change without notice.

Certain restrictions may apply. Rates are based on a 15-year

term, $250,000 loan amount with a minimum Fico score of 740

80% LTV Owner occupied primary dwelling

$1726.45 P&I Plus tax and insurance escrows

3.0% INTEREST

3.096% APR

Wine With Friends Returns to MMR Friday, Feb. 21

McDowell

Mountain

Ranch resi-

dents enjoy

Wine With

Friends in

2019. The next

event will be

on Friday,

Feb. 21st, to

avoid a con-

flict with Val-

entine’s Day.

Although McDowell Mountain Ranch puts

on several community events each year,

Wine With Friends is geared more for

adults than say Holiday Lights or the Pan-

cake Breakfast. Although the full details of

this year’s event were not out at the time

we went to the printers, we do know that

this year’s event will be from 6 to 9 p.m.

on Friday, Feb. 21st, in the Community

Center field.

The only thing residents need to bring to

the event is a bottle of wine they would

like to share with other residents. Profes-

sional bartenders then pour and serve the

drinks. Past years have included self-

serve appetizers. Watch mmrca.net for

additional details and to sign the waiver.

rate and 7th-ranked job growth rate. Austin,

Texas, and Salt Lake City took first and sec-

ond place. inc.com/surge-cities

Green Bee Resumes in MMR We’ve been asked by several residents

when the Green Bee Farmer’s Market,

which has been operating for 8 years in the

McDowell Center parking lot, will resume.

Well, by the time you receive this, the mar-

kets will have already resumed operation

from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays. The mar-

kets will continue through June. Although

other markets have tried operating on The

Ranch, Green Bee has outlasted them all.

You can learn more about these markets

here at www.greenbeeproduce.com.


ODDS & ENDS (CONTINUED)

Ice Denettes Do Well at Event Arizona’s only synchronized skating team

open to males and females, was featured

recently in the The Scottsdale Progress. As

you might have guessed from the name, the

team practices at our Ice Den in Scottsdale

and the one in Chandler. The Denettes are

actually four teams in one so that skaters can

participate at the appropriate skill level. All

four teams did quite well at the Nov. 9th Syn-

chronized Fall Classic in Irvine, Calif:

Team Rising Stars (youngest group) placed

first

Team Synergy placed fourth out of 13

teams

Team Harmony placed second

Team Unity placed second.

Over Easy Opens Up in Ancala If you miss the Over Easy breakfast eatery

that used to be located at the Ice Den, you’re

in luck: The restaurant recently reopened in

the Ancala Village Shopping Center at Frank

Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Via Linda. Over

Easy also just opened a new Chandler loca-

tion with more restaurants under develop-

ment nationwide.

Things to Do MMR Events Bulk Garbage Pickup. Week of Jan. 20.

Please create separate piles for plant de-

bris and bulk garbage. bit.ly/2EVrjqe

Board of Directors Meeting. 7-8 p.m. Jan.

28 at the McDowell Center.

Annual Board of Directors Meeting. 7-8:30

p.m. Feb. 4 at the McDowell Center.

Bulk Garbage Pickup. Week of Feb. 17.



Board of Directors Meeting. 7-8 p.m. Feb.

25 at the McDowell Center.

Bulk Garbage Pickup. Week of March 16.



Board of Directors Meeting. 7-8 p.m.

Mach 24 at the McDowell Center.

Garage Sale. The spring garage sale has

been set for April 25.

Weekly Art Classes. Regular art classes are held

on Wednesdays & advanced classes on

Thursdays at the McDowell Center. Email:

ShoeBoxStudiosArtInfo@gmail.

Pickleball Club. Open play begins at 8 a.m.

on Tuesdays, 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and

8 a.m. on Saturdays. Competitive play

begins at 7 p.m. on Mondays.

Facebook.com/mmrpbc

Conservancy Events New Trails. 9 a.m.– 2 p.m. Jan. 17. Explore

the trails north of the new Pima Dynamite

Trailhead.

bit.ly/2F1agTv

Odysea Conserva-

tion Expo. 9 a.m.-3

p.m. Jan. 18. Free

family expo fo-

cused on conser-

vation. Over 40

organizations to be

on hand at Odysea Courtyard.

bit.ly/2F18bqU

Expedition Days. 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 29.

The Sonoran Discovery Academy, formerly

known as the Junior Citizen Science Festi-

val, lets children explore 15 interactive

science stations at the Lost Dog Wash

Trailhead. bit.ly/2tvzkiW

WestWorld Events Barrett-Jackson Auto Show. Jan. 11-19.

The 49th annual auction returns to West-

World. barrett-jackson.com

Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. Feb. 13-

NOTE: bit.ly & tinyurl at the end of some

posts are shortened URLs that are easier to

type in than full web addresses.

Dates and event specifics are subject to

change because of our two-month produc-

tion cycle. If you have a local event that you

would like to promote, send us an email at

[email protected].

(Continued from page 2)

23. This huge show will be celebrating its

65th year. The event will include children’s

art and amateur photography contests.

scottsdaleshow.com

Parada del Sol Rodeo. March 5-8. The 57th

Annual event includes a professional rodeo,

bull riding and dance that benefit charities

and schools in Scottsdale. paradadelsol.net

Carousel Charity Horse Show. March 14-

17. Multi-breed competition sponsored by

American Saddlebred Association of Arizo-

na. carouselcharityhorseshow.org

Goodguys. March 20-23. The Rod & Cus-

tom Association’s 11th Spring Nationals

will include 2,500 custom vehicles, swap

meet, Burn Out competition, events for

kids and swap meet. good-guys.com/sn

Off-Road Expo. April 18-19. Event includes

off-road vehicles, gear and parts, as well as

racing demos, stunt team, music and give-

aways. offroadexpo.com

Scottsdale Events Waste Management Phoenix Open. Jan.

27-Feb. 2 at TPC. Come watch nation’s top

players. wmphoenixopen.com

Electronics Recycling. 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

Feb. 8. Drop off broken or outdated elec-

tronics at Scottsdale’s facility located at

9191 E. San Salvador Drive. bit.ly/2EVrjqe

Home Hazardous Waste Disposal. 7:30

a.m.-2 p.m. March 7. Bring you home

chemicals, such as auto fluids, pool chemi-

cals and paints to Scottsdale’s facility locat-

ed at 9191 E. San Salvador Drive.

bit.ly/2EVrjqe

Russo and Steele. Jan. 15-19. The consign-

ment auto auction returns to north Scotts-

dale at the southeast corner of Scottsdale

Road and the Loop 101 Freeway.

russoandsteele.com/scottsdale


MMR & NEARBY BUSINESSES IN THE NEWS

Foothills Animal Rescue staff and volunteers

celebrated Christmas Eve by letting some of

the rescue dogs pick out their own presents

after hours. After some of the dogs picked

out their gifts, wrapped presents were given

to all the dogs and cats in the facility, which is

located in the Bashas’ shopping center. Per-

haps the most entertaining moments came

when dogs sniffed their way among dozens

of toys, but instead preferred the atten-

tion of the humans attending the event.

Daycare for Small Dogs Opens PetitePup Pet Care, an all-indoor boutique

daycare facility for dogs that weigh less than

15 pounds, has opened up in the Safeway

shopping center at the southeast corner of

Thompson Peak Parkway and Frank Lloyd

Wright Boulevard. Services include full-day

daycare, hourly daycare, light grooming and

merchandise.

Plans start at $176 for four visits per month

and cost $650 a month for unlimited care that

includes hourly visits. The company slogan is

“The Premier Small Dog Daycare: Where

small dogs are a BIG deal.” PetitePup Pet

Care, which is located at 14700 N. Frank

Lloyd Wright Blvd, Suite #159, is a bit difficult

to find, because it’s between Hash Kitchen

and Safeway. petitepupdaycare.com

Amazon Store Opens in Quarter Although the holiday shopping season is final-

ly over, you still might want to stop at Ama-

zon’s first Arizona brick-and-mortar bookstore

that recently opened in the Scottsdale Quar-

ter. The 4,000-square-foot store includes

about 3,000 products, such as the website’s

most popular books, Kindles, Echos and elec-

tronic accessories, according to azfamily.com.

All products at the 20th store in the nation

must be rated four or more stars by custom-

ers, and returns can be taken back to the

store or by delivery via amazon.com.

New Restaurants Opening Soon Three new restaurants will be opening up

relatively close to McDowell Mountain Ranch

next year:

Mixt.com, which will be opening in the

Scottsdale Quarter next spring, will offer a

variety of non-GMO salads, grain bowls, de-

Foothills Animal Rescue Celebrates Holidays With Gifts

sign-your-own bowls and sandwiches.

CulinaryDropout.com, which also will be

opening in the Quarter this spring, is famous

for its laid back style as well as a wide range

of American-styled salads, sandwiches and

entrées.

TheAmericanoRestaurant.com, which will

be opening up at Chauncey Lane and Scotts-

dale Road across the street from Whole

Foods, will offer steaks, pasta, salads, a

wine cellar and seafood, according to the

Scottsdale Progress.

Foothills Animal Rescue staff and

volunteers celebrated on Christmas

Eve by handing out wrapped presents

to the facility’s rescue cats and dogs.

Foothills is located in the Bashas’

shopping center.


COMMUNITY NEWS

Do you wait until your neighbors put their bulk

garbage out before putting out your own

because you never have any idea when it’s

time for pickup? Don’t worry, we used to do

the same thing until we started posting here

in the newsletter.

Now you can impress your friends by

confidently putting out your bulk waste on the

right week by just referring to this handy 6-

month city guide. (Sorry, we didn’t have

room to post the entire year.)

By the way, the next two pickup dates are

Jan. 20th and Feb. 17th.

As always, please do not put items out more

than one week before the pickup date. Also,

please remember to separate organic

material such as branches and leaves into

one pile and inorganic waste material into a

McDowell Moun-

tain Ranch, which

is located in Area

4, is represented

by the blue penta-

gon symbol. As you

may have noticed,

it is somewhat

difficult to guess

which weeks

pickup will be on.

Go to this web

URL to see the full

PDF schedule:

bit.ly/2sv9SKj

Here Is a 6-Month Calendar for MMR Bulk Garbage Pickup separate pile.

Also, Scottsdale’s next electronics recycling

event will be from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 8th, at the city’s North Corp

Yard 9191 E. San Salvador Drive. The city

will accept items such as computers,

printers, keyboards, scanners, mice,

monitors, circuit boards, hard drives,

telephones and cell phones.


ELECTIONS

All three Scottsdale capital bond questions

were approved by large margins, according

to the city’s website. Bond Question 1

passed by a 69.3% to 30.7% margin, while

Bond 2 won by a 67.5% to 32.5% margin.

The biggest winner, though, was Bond

Question 3, which won 72.7% to 27.3%.

The passage of all three bonds means that

several McDowell Mountain Ranch area

projects, including a second bridge on

Thompson Peak Parkway in DC Ranch and

several in West World, will come to fruition

in the next few months. Here is a

breakdown of how the money will be used:

Question 1: $112.6 million for 14 Parks,

recreation and senior services projects.

Question 2: $112.3 million for 20

community & infrastructure projects.

Question 3: $94.1 million for 24 public

safety and technology projects,

$2 million for Fire Department While we haven’t heard what is happening

with most of the recently approved capital

bond projects, the Scottsdale City Council

moved quickly to approve funding that is

needed to update the fire department’s old

emergency response equipment, according

to the Scottsdale Progress. Equipment to

be replaced includes cardiac monitors,

defibrillators, thermal imaging cameras and

other rescue items.

Candidates for Mayor, Council Although the year has only just begun, nine

candidates have submitted documents

expressing interest in running for

Scottsdale’s City Council or Mayor in the

2020 election, according to the city’s website.

These candidates, and any others who plan to

run for Mayor or a Council seat, must file

nomination petitions by 5 p.m. on April 6th in

2020.

The primary will be on Aug. 4th and the

general election will be on Nov. 3rd. Please

keep in mind that the list of candidates below

may be incomplete and may change:

Mayor’s race — Two current Councilwomen

may be running for the post currently held by

Jim Lane, who has termed out.

Suzanne Klapp; suzanneklapp.com*

Scottsdale Bonds Pass by Overwhelming Margins Virginia L. Korte;

kortescottsdale.com

* Website not updated for

mayoral race yet.

City Council race — The

exact number of open

s e a t s w i l l r e m a i n

u n d e t e r m i n e d u n t i l

petitions are filed in the

mayoral race.

Mike Auerbach;

mikeforscottsdale.com

Thomas Durham;

durhamforthecitizens.com*

Betty Janik;

votejanik.com*

Becca Linnig; no web

address listed.

John Little;

johnlittlescottsdale2020.com

Guy Phillips (incumbent);

electguyphillips.com

Tanner Van Parys;

tannerforscottsdale.com*

*Websites not active yet.

Candidates for U.S. House At least three Republicans and four

Democrats are considering a run for the U.S.

House District 6 seat that represents

McDowell Mountain Ranch as well as north

Scottsdale. The candidates who have

Scottsdale residents voted yes on all three ballot measures by a sizable

margin. The results above are the unofficial final results.



expressed interest in running for the

Republican primary are incumbent David

Schweikert, Harris Deitch and Kristopher De

Geest. Democrats who have expressed

interest in running for the House seat are

Anita Malik, who was the Democratic

nominee two years ago, Karl Gentles,

Stephanie Rimmer and Hiral Tipirneni, who

ran for the District 8 seat in 2016. The

candidates must file petition signatures by

April 6th before their names can appear on

the ballot.

Candidates for State Senate At least two candidates have announced that

they are considering a run for State Senator in

District 23, which represents McDowell

Mountain Ranch residents and most of north

Scottsdale. The two candidates are

incumbent Republican Michelle Ugenti-Rita

and Democrat Seth Blattman. The candidates

must file petition signatures by April 6th

before their names can appear on the ballot.

Candidates for State House Three Republicans and one Democrat have

announced that they are considering a run for

the two State Representative seats in District

23, which represents McDowell Mountain

Ranch residents and a portion of north

Scottsdale. Republican Joseph Chaplik is

challenging incumbents Jay Lawrence and

John Kavanagh while Eric Kurland is the lone

Democrat who has expressed interest in

running for one of the two seats. The

candidates must file petition signatures by

April 6th before their names can appear on

the ballot.

ELECTIONS/METRO AREA NEWS

A joint venture is planning to build a multi-

billion-dollar project called Akimel 7 on 125

acres where the Loop 101 meets Loop

202, according to AZ Big Media. The pro-

ject would include a VR immersion theme

park, video production facilities, cutting-

edge medical technology, artificial intelli-

gence and robotics that would be located

on the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian

Community Reservation. The project,

which is being developed by the invest-

ment company CamCo Commercial and

An artist conception reveals that proposed Akimel 7 will be adjacent to the Phoenix Rising Stadium.

Solanna Group, is also being touted as an

international finance center. The project is

expected to include green innovations

such as a self-correcting solar power grid,

water recycling, and automated transpor-

tation. The Phoenix Rising Stadium,

which is visible from the north side of the

Loop 202, is on a portion of Solanna

Group land. CamCo, which is based in

Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Hong Kong, is

led by Cameron Colvin.

Multibillion Dollar Technology Project Planned

(Perspective: Continued from page 6)


TRANSPORTATION

FLW, Loop 101 Freeway Rated Most Dangerous Scottsdale Intersection Of five dangerous intersections in Scottsdale,

according to the Arizona Republic, the worst

is often used by McDowell Mountain Ranch

residents. The intersection of the Loop 101

Freeway and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard

had 143 accidents between 2016 and 2018.

Here are the other four Scottsdale intersec-

tions:

Hayden and Thomas roads: 118.

92nd Street and Shea Boulevard: 99.

Scottsdale and McDowell roads: 99.

90th Street and Shea Boulevard: 98.

Compared with Phoenix though, Scotts-

dale’s accident rate is fairly low. In fact, all

five of Phoenix’s worst intersections report-

ed more accidents than Scottsdale’s worst:

27th Avenue and Camelback Road: 195.

67th Avenue and Indian School Road: 191.

75th Avenue and Indian School Road: 186.

67th Avenue and McDowell Road: 178.

51st Avenue and McDowell Road: 169.

Travel ID Needed by October With the new year starting, it’s time to think

about updating your Driver’s License to the

Arizona Travel ID to meet new federal guide-

lines so that you won’t have trouble flying

beginning in October. If you do not get the

new ID by October, you will need to carry

your passport to get through TSA airport

security checkpoints, even for domestic

travel. The cost is $25, but applicants must

show up in person at one of the state’s Mo-

tor Vehicle Department offices. Be sure to

go to the web page link at the end of this

post to look up what documents you will

need to obtain the new ID. Generally, you

will need a passport or birth certificate, So-

cial Security card or W-2 form, and two doc-

uments that prove you are a resident of Ari-

zona. Paste this web link into your browser

to get to the right page: bit.ly/2rKo55W


EDUCATION

Although several bond override votes have

been contentious in the past, residents didn’t

hesitate to pass Scottsdale Unified School

District’s ballot item in the November

election. More than 30,000 Scottsdale voters

approved the five-year, 15% override, which

allows the district to continue collecting a city

tax to supplement state funding, by a 62% to

38% margin. Nearly 19,000 residents

opposed the override.

With the approval, parents, teachers and

school officials can breathe a sigh of relief, at

least for five more years, because the last

time voters turned down an override, SUSD

schools had to institute weekly half days.

Because the tax has been in effect for years,

homeowners will not see any changes to

their annual bills. Homeowners pay about

$165 a year on homes valued at $431,000.

DCES, DCMS Earn ‘A’ Ratings The Scottsdale Unified School District —

along with Desert Canyon Elementary, Desert

Canyon Middle and Desert Mountain High

School — received “A” letter grades from the

Arizona State Board of Education in its new

report. We may be mistaken, but this is the

first time DCMS received an “A” in recent

years, so congratulations on moving up the

final notch! BASIS Scottsdale, Scottsdale

Preparatory School, Archway Classical

Academy and Scottsdale Country Day School

all received an “A” as well. Much to our

surprise, Copper Ridge Elementary School

received a “B.”

Use this URL to look up Letter Grades:

azsbe.az.gov/f-school-letter-grades

Notre Dame Construction Starts Notre Dame Preparatory School broke ground

in November on its new St. Catherine of

Bologna Performing Arts Center, according to

the Scottsdale Independent. The

multipurpose center is expected to take about

13 months to construct, and it will have about

21,000 square feet of space once completed.

The new center will include a blackbox

Voters Approve SUSD Bond Override 62% to 38% in November

Several Scottsdale schools received checks from Safeway and Albertsons foundations. (Photo from Twitter.)

Scottsdale Schools Receive $1,500 from Safeway

The Safeway and Albertsons foundations

donated $1,500 to several Scottsdale Uni-

fied School District Schools, including De-

sert Canyon Elementary, Desert Canyon

Middle and Desert Mountain High School,

according to Tweets by the district.

Other nearby schools receiving donations

include Mountainside Middle, Cheyenne

Traditional and Redfield Elementary

schools.

theater and classrooms that will be used for

worship, art, theater, digital media, choir,

drama, music and dance programs. It will

also be used for school assemblies and a

wide variety of events.

3 May Run for SUSD Board Three candidates have announced their

interest in running for the Scottsdale Unified

School District Board. They are:

Julie Cieniawski

Allison Brooke Corritore

Rose Mary Smith.

The candidates must file petition signatures

by April 6th before their names can appear

on the ballot.

It’s Tax Credit Season Yeah, we can hardly believe it either, but tax

season is just around the corner. One nice

thing about Arizona tax law is that residents

can designate money to their favorite

schools or programs. For example,

residents can go to bit.ly/susdtaxcredit and

designate state tax money to their

Scottsdale Unified School of their choice.

Individual filers can claim up to $200 in

credits while married filers can claim up to

$400. Besides Desert Canyon Elementary,

Desert Canyon Middle and Desert

Mountain High School, residents can apply

tax credits to charter or private schools.

Scottsdale Approves Grants The Scottsdale City Council unanimously

agreed to accept $94,297 in grants to help

fund a part-time staffer to administer the

Transportation Alternatives Program, as

well as pay for incentive items for students.

Maricopa County administers the federally

funded program that is designed to add

new safe routes to public schools. The city

is required to pitch in $5,700 in matching

funds.


RESALE ACTIVITY AT THE RANCH

HOMES CURRENTLY FOR SALE

Address Subdivision Model Price Sq ft Br Gar Pool

16420 N TPP #2110 Cachet Heritage $329,000 1338 2 1 N

16600 N TPP #1037 The Ridge Legacy $399,000 1890 2+Den 2 N

15675 N 103rd Wy Panorama Point Mesquite $425,000 1548 3 2 N

11489 E Raintree Dr Sunrise Point Mesquite $450,000 1534 2 2 N

10305 E Star of Desert Arizona Vintage Bordeaux $450,000 1478 3 2 N

15923 N 102nd Pl Arizona Vintage Bordeaux $479,900 1478 3 2 Y

10456 E Penstamin Dr Discovery Trails Highline $479,900 2197 4+Loft 2 N

10230 E Blanche Dr Discovery Canyon Skyview $515,110 2357 5+Den 2 N

10759 E Autumn Sage Dr Castle Chase Stirling $525,000 1775 2 2 N

10459 E Hillery Dr The Preserve Avalon $529,000 1702 3 2 Y

10559 E Tierra Buena Ln The Overlook Ironwood $599,000 2818 4+Den 2 Y

10346 E Morning Star Dr Panorama Point Ironwood $599,999 2661 4+Den 3 Y

10565 E Blanche Dr Cimarron Hills Sevilla $725,000 2678 3+Den 3 N

10662 E Raintree Dr Desert Cliffs #6040 $749,000 2351 4 3 Y

16378 N 109th St Vermillion Cliffs #933 $824,950 3777 5+Loft 3 Y

11001 E Betony Dr 100 Hills Montoro $845,000 2638 3+Den 2 Y

14477 N 110th Pl Sienna Canyon Talavera $850,000 3801 6+Den 3 N

10939 E Bahia Dr Vermillion Cliffs #933 $935,000 4250 5 3 N

14116 N 109th St Sienna Canyon Talavera $975,000 4098 7+Den 2 Y

16323 N 109th Wy Trovas Dante $1,230,000 3297 3+Den 3 Y

11530 E Winchcomb Dr Sonoran Estates Topanga $1,399,000 3908 4+Den 3 Y

10931 E Bahia Dr Vermillion Cliffs $1,475,000 5745 7+Den 3 Y

10756 E Ludlow Dr Sonoran Estates Santana $1,499,000 3658 4+Den 3 Y

16046 N 113th Wy 100 Hills Malaga $1,595,000 4751 4+Den 4 Y

11267 E Paradise Ln 100 Hills $1,598,000 4308 6 3 N

11502 E Paradise Ln 100 Hills Cardona $2,200,000 4983 4+Den 3 Y

11397 E Betony Dr 100 Hills Cardona $2,425,000 5266 4+Den 3 Y

11475 E Paradise Ln 100 Hills Custom $2,495,000 7173 5+Den 6 Y


Advertise With Us

Call 480-889-8710

or email us at

[email protected]

CLOSED SALES IN NOV. & DEC.


16420 N TPP #2040 Cachet Heritage $305,000 1338 2 1 N

16420 N TPP #1058 Cachet Monarch $350,000 1659 2+Den 2 N

16600 N TPP #2053 The Ridge Monarch $351,500 1674 3 2 N

16420 N TPP #1119 Cachet Legacy $387,000 1640 2+Den 2 N

16420 N TPP #1082 Cachet Legacy $396,250 1640 2+Den 2 N

10239 E Hillery Dr Discovery Canyon Sunrise $402,000 1481 2+Den 2 N

10449 E Raintree Dr The Preserve Durango $425,000 1861 3 2 N

10485 E Raintree Dr The Preserve Avalon $442,000 1702 3 2 N

10439 E Salt Bush Dr Panorama Point Primrose $445,000 1874 3 3 N

11480 E Raintree Dr Sunrise Point Saguaro $450,000 1430 2 2 N


REAL ESTATE PULL-OUT SECTION


Bart Hobijn, an economics professor at

ASU, said some of the pessimism comes

from the expectation that the current mar-

ket, which is the longest post-war econom-

REAL ESTATE PULLOUT SECTION

The Year In Review While there may not necessarily be any-

thing to celebrate, the predictions we

made in last year’s January issue for 2019

turned out to be pretty much on target.

Prices, although rising, are doing so at a

much slower rate despite the decline in

new listings. If you are a regular reader of

our newsletter, you’ll recall how we con-

sistently pointed out just how unusual this

trend is. Notwithstanding the low invento-

ry, low mortgage rates and high buyer

demand, our appreciation rate was mod-

est. It’s truly an enigma.

As we’ve reiterated fairly often, there are a

number of factors that are contributing to

the low inventory climate, here and across

the nation. Perhaps the most interesting

are the consistently low interest rates.

Last year at this time the best rate we

could find for a 30-year conforming loan

was 4.375%. Today, as you can see from

the chart on the right, it’s currently 3.5%.

The historically low rates have caused a

surge in refinancing. Interestingly enough,

according to recent data from Redfin, the

average homeowner is now staying in

their home 13 years, which is up from just

eight years in 2010. In fact, they’re report-

ing that in some cities, homeownership

tenures are as high as 23 years.

This is evidenced most dramatically by the

Baby Boomer generation that has seem-

ingly chosen to age in place, thus keeping

more homes off the market than ever be-

fore. In fact, roughly 34% of owner-

occupied homes in the U.S. are currently

owned by residents aged 60 or older, and

55% by residents aged 50 or older.

Then there’s the fact that some home-

owners are still under water as a result of

the recession and have opted to stay put

until they are whole again. Others have

decided to stay put and remodel. Last, but

not least, is the extraordinary performance

of the rental market. Investors who acquired

an inordinate number of homes during the

recession, and would have ordinarily opted to

cash out by now, are realizing record high

rental profits and thus have no reason to sell.

The bottom line is that we have little invento-

ry to sell. At one point this year we had just

21 properties on the market in all of MMR

and the actual inventory count has resided in

the high 20’s to the low 30’s for the majority

of the year. This is in dramatic contrast to

what we consider normal, about 50 to 60-ish

homes on the market at any given time.

As to the appreciation rate here in The Ranch,

we ended 2019 having garnered a 2.70%

increase in value. The actual statistical Year to

Date Sales Chart can be found on Page 14.

Needless to say, while we’ll gladly take the

nearly 3% gain, we certainly expected it to be

much higher given the market conditions.

As To The Economic Climate

We often get asked whether we are in anoth-

er bubble. While we don’t believe so, there

are some economic experts that are

expecting a “market correction” in 2020. The

triggers most likely to cause that downturn

include the possibility of some kind of

geopolitical crisis, ongoing trade volatility and/

or a stock market retreat from record highs.

Check out our new website at www.MMRHomes!

MORTGAGE INTEREST RATES

Conforming* Loans

30 Year…….3.500%

15 Year …...2.875%

5 Year ARM.…3.125%

7 Year ARM…3.125%

10 Year ARM.….4.000%

Jumbo* Loans

30 Year…….3.625%

15 Year …...3.250%

5 Year ARM……3.250%

7 Year ARM……2.875%

10 Year ARM….3.000%

Rates effective 12/27/2019

Fees vary by lender

All loans have Zero Points

*In Scottsdale, Conforming refers to loans

up to $520,400 and Jumbo to larger amounts

Call Your Lender for Current

Quotes!

[email protected] • Visit Us Online at www.MMRHOMES.com RE/MAX FINE PROPERTIES • 21020 N. PIMA RD • SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85255

Call Us Today for a Confidential Consultation

Regarding Your Housing Needs.

(480) 563-3333


A Few of the Properties WE SOLD in 2019!

Cachet

16420 N TPP #2128

Arizona Vintage

10111 Tierra Buena

Castle Chase

15988 N 108th St

Sunrise Point

11369 E Helm Dr Arizona Highlands

10474 E Saltillo Dr

The Preserve

10251 E Mallow Cir The Preserve

10473 E Raintree Dr

The Preserve

14951 N 103rd Wy

Sonoran Fairways

14205 N 106th Pl One Hundred Hills

15976 N 111th Pl

The Summit

16370 N 106th Wy

Cimarron Hills

10959 E Kora Ln

Sonoran Fairways

10579 E Conieson Rd

Vermillion Cliffs

16373 N 108th Wy Montecito

10272 E Acacia Dr

Cimarron Hills

15633 N 109th Pl

Trovas

16620 N 111th St

One Hundred Hills

11057 E Betony Dr

Montecito

10271 E Jasmine Dr Cimarron Hills

10589 E Blanche Dr

Trovas

16760 N 109th Wy

Cimarron Ridge

11508 E Caribbean

One Hundred Hills

11405 Paradise Ln

Cachet

16420 N TPP #1003

The Overlook

10548 Tierra Buena


And a Few More of Our Listings…...

Our Featured Home

Gated Community! Cachet

16420 N TPP #2110 2BR/2BA 1,330 SF

This Beautiful End Unit Features

Hardwood Flooring, Plantation

Shutters and a Travertine Tiled

Gas Fireplace in the Great

Room! The Remodeled Kitchen

Boasts Contemporary White

Cabinets, Quartz-Like Counter-

tops, a Subway Tile Backsplash,

a Cast Iron Undermount Sink,

Smooth Cooktop Range, Double

Door Refrigerator with Freezer

Bottom and a Spacious Break-

fast Bar! 2 Balconies and an

Attached 1 Car Garage! Call Me

at 480-563-3333 to See this Love-

ly Home!

$329,000

Cachet at Grayhawk 19550 N Grayhawk Drive #2055

2BR/2BA 1,311 SF

Guard Gated Split Great Room

Plan with Attached Garage! Wood

Flooring and Cozy Gas Fireplace!

$292,500

Sunrise Point

11369 E Helm Drive

2BR+DEN/2BA 2,043 SF

Guard Gated on Corner Lot w/Mtn

Views! New Porcelain Wood Like-

Tile, Stainless Appls, New HVAC!

$585,000

Shadow Canyon 14610 E Shadow Canyon Drive

4BR+DEN/5BA 7,192 SF

Gated Custom Estate with Infinity

Edge Pool, Spectacular Mountain

and City Light Views and 3 CG!

$1,795,000

Cimarron Hills

10565 E Blanche Drive

3BR+DEN/3.5BA 2,678 SF

Guard Gated and Backs to Wash!

Slate Floots & Maple Cabs. Guest

Casita, Plantation Shutters & 3G!

$725,000

http://www.mmr-homes.com/homelistings_details.asp?id=2672





ic expansion on record, simply has to end

eventually. Fortunately, that doesn’t appear

imminent.

Actually, all things considered, the U.S. econ-

omy has been pretty resilient. Consumer opti-

mism remains unabated and that has lead to

a 4.6% annualized gain in consumer spend-

ing. The unemployment rate is near record

lows which is helping to push wage growth

up. And Arizona’s economy is still growing,

even though that growth is actually expected

to be slower in 2020.

According to Lee McPheters, an economics

professor at ASU and director of the JPMor-

gan Chase Economic Outlook Center, Arizona

should remain among the leading growth

states in the country. He projects the popula-

tion to grow by 110,000 people in 2020 and

that 70,000 new jobs will be added, bringing

Arizona’s total employment to 3 million, an all

-time high. Arizona was ranked second, fol-

lowing Florida, for people relocating from

other states.

Our 2020 Predictions

As you might imagine, we’re also repeatedly

asked what is in store for 2020. Obviously we

can’t say anything with certainty. However,

this is an election year, and given the political-

ly divisive atmosphere, it’s hard to believe

this wouldn’t have some influence on the

country’s financial situation. We’re not sure

exactly what the impact will be, if any, on the

real estate market here in Arizona.

In fact, Walter Molony, a spokesman for the

National Association of Realtors has offered

this observation “We don’t see any correla-

tion between the level of home sales and an

election year. The market responds to an

extremely wide range of economic factors,

including jobs, interest rates and consumer

confidence.”

George Ratiu, a Senior Economist with Real-

tor.com, says that sales of existing homes

are expected to decline 1.8% in 2020, as the

continuing supply shortage and moderating

price growth will hamper buyers and tamp

down sellers’ expectations.

We tend to concur and believe that this year

will mirror last year and that flattening price

growth will require a realistic approach to

(Continued from page 11 pricing. The good news is that although we

experienced a lower number of closed

sales, we were still busy as heck in 2019.

We had over 50 transactions, half of them

here in McDowell Mountain Ranch. That’s 1

listing sold or sale per week! And, we re-

main the No. 1 agents in MMR, significantly

outselling the competition.

Obviously, some of our success can be at-

tributed to our experience and knowledge,

given that Christine and I have a combined

60 years in the real estate business. And

the fact that we both live here in MMR and

can enthusiastically promote the virtues and

benefits of our wonderful community.

However, there are also the community-

centric tools that we’ve designed, promoted

and showcased to the buying public. These

include our McDowell Mountain Ranch Real

Estate News newsletter, our page at

www.Facebook.com/MMRhomes and our

MMRHomes.com website. The two latter

tools both include videos of our listings and

local businesses.

Perhaps the best thing to focus on is the

huge pool of unrequited buyers waiting in the

wings. In addition to our local buyers who are

seeking either larger homes or looking to

downsize a bit, we have a growing demand

from outside our borders. There is an ever

increasing pool who are driven by traditional

demographics. However, they are now being

augmented by those compelled to move due

to the new tax legislation that no longer al-

lows them to write off most of their property

taxes.

In fact, we expect that buyer pool to grow

even larger now that the conventional loan

limit has increased to $510,400. That in-

crease means that a buyer with a 20% down

payment can now qualify for a $638,000

home purchase. If you are thinking of selling

this year, call us first at 480-563-3333. We

may just have the perfect buyer waiting in

the wings. The same holds true for buyers. If

you can’t find what you’re looking for, let us

find it for you!

SF = square feet

$/SF = Average sales price per square foot

DOM = Days on Market

% Change = the change in the value per square

foot since 12/31/2018

THE KEY

Sales By Community (January-December 2019)

Community # Sold Avg Avg SF DOM $/SF %

The Preserve 19 $467,768 1901 42 $246.06 -5.13%

Cachet 18 $343,003 1554 35 $220.75 7.10%

Cimarron Hills 16 $777,559 2931 97 $265.29 4.75%

100 Hills 13 $1,142,115 3656 112 $312.40 -6.14%

Discovery Canyon 12 $468,150 1685 83 $277.81 15.82%

Sunrise Point 12 $583,840 1954 72 $298.86 2.71%

Sienna Canyon 11 $777,932 3139 102 $247.84 4.76%

Trovas 11 $905,955 3311 89 $273.60 1.34%

Sonoran Fairways 10 $599,700 2480 74 $241.86 3.23%

Arizona Vintage 9 $452,694 1859 46 $243.50 4.19%

The Overlook 9 $531,944 2206 54 $241.10 -0.77%

The Summit 9 $594,556 2435 87 $244.16 -11.38%

Panorama Point 8 $522,000 2215 59 $235.69 -3.47%

Arizona Highlands 8 $589,063 2551 41 $230.89 -2.78%

Cimarron Ridge 8 $970,238 3202 51 $303.01 6.82%

Sonoran Estates 8 $1,380,188 3826 87 $360.72 20.69%

Sunset Point 7 $537,745 2271 56 $236.82 13.57%

Discovery Trails 6 $439,000 1798 32 $244.14 0.28%

Castle Chase 6 $476,300 1687 64 $282.36 2.51%

Eagle Ridge 5 $589,855 2533 92 $232.85 -2.37%

Montecito 5 $641,260 2647 72 $242.28 13.85%

Mirador 5 $1,113,800 3350 63 $332.46 18.99%

Armonico 4 $732,500 2849 62 $257.11 -7.77%

Vermillion Cliffs 4 $681,063 3022 84 $225.39 -2.15%

The Ridge 2 $345,750 1486 14 $232.67 17.68%

Desert Cliffs 2 $787,538 3924 136 $200.70 -12.61%

The Ranch 227 $662,114 2487 69 $266.23 2.70%


RESALE ACTIVITY AT THE RANCH (CONTINUED)

OUR STUFF - Although the listings and transactions shown in this publication

involve a variety of organizations and agents, you’ll note that all of our Team’s list-

ings and sales are printed in BOLD BLUE TYPE and UNDERLINED.

*UNDER CONTRACT-ACCEPTING BACKUPS (UCB) Indicates that

there’s an accepted contract on the property, but the sellers have request-

ed that the home continue to be marketed in hopes of getting backup of-

fers. As a practical matter, these listings receive little, if any, attention with-

in the real estate community. However, when inventory grows very scarce

(as it is now), there’s a possibility that they might draw some interest.

CLOSED SALES IN NOV. & DEC.


10475 E Karen Dr The Preserve Brisas $468,000 2132 3+Den 2 N

15988 N 108th St Castle Chase Stirling $485,000 1701 2+Den 2 Y

15741 N 104th St Panorama Point Mariposa $485,000 1963 4 2 N

10505 E Star of Desert Discovery Trails Highline $485,000 2197 4+Loft 2 N

10472 E Texas Sage Ln The Preserve Brisas $498,000 2132 3+Den 2 Y

10220 E Caribbean Ln Discovery Canyon Sunrise $505,000 1451 3 2 N

10284 E Caribbean Ln Discovery Canyon Mountain View $515,000 1700 3 2 N

10339 E Pine Valley Dr Sunset Point #2162 $555,000 2162 3+Den 2 N

11369 E Helm Dr Sunrise Point Sierra $585,000 2043 2+Den 2 Y

16761 N 106th St Arizona Highlands Santan $585,000 2161 3+Den 3 Y

10562 E Sheena Dr Sonoran Fairways Palo Verde $605,000 2310 3+Den 2 Y

10742 E Gelding Dr Sienna Canyon Borgata $680,000 2551 3+Den 3 N

11297 E Helm Dr Sunrise Point Camelback $685,000 2428 3 2 N

16766 N 106th Wy The Summit Molokai $690,000 2689 4+Den 2 Y

16530 N 109th Pl Vermillion Cliffs #923 $700,000 2835 4 3 Y

10777 E Gelding Dr Sienna Canyon La Palma $739,000 2936 4 3 Y

10799 E Palm Ridge Dr Sienna Canyon Talavera $799,000 3801 4+Den 3 Y

11071 E Acoma Dr Mirador Sereno $1,195,000 3445 4+Den 3 Y

10951 E Mirasol Ci Trovas Dante $1,205,000 3297 3+Den 3 Y

11242 E Beck Ln Cimarron Hills Laredo $1,212,500 2787 3+Den 3 Y

11336 E Caribbean Ln Cimarron Ridge Montilla $1,290,000 3749 3+Den 3 Y

11129 E Rosemary Ln 100 Hills Valverde $1,310,000 3703 4 3 Y

13915 N 110th St Sonoran Estates Santana $1,315,000 3658 4+Den 3 Y

10760 E Meadowhill Dr Sonoran Estates Santana $1,337,500 3964 5+Den 3 Y

PENDING, UCB * & CBBS** TRANSACTIONS


16420 N TPP #2063 Cachet Monarch $376,000 1659 3 2 N

16420 N TPP #1053 Cachet Monarch $382,000 1659 3 2 N

15216 N 104th Pl The Preserve Palomino $430,000 1400 3 2 N

10435 E Acoma Dr Sunset Point #2787 $630,000 2797 4 3 Y

16584 N 109th Pl Vermillion Cliffs #932 $660,000 3248 4+Den 3 Y

10459 E Conieson Sonoran Fairways Cholla $679,900 3466 5 3 Y

11457 E Blanche Dr Cimarron Ridge Sevilla $689,000 2806 3 3 P

Christine Is a So Scottsdale Magazine All Star Congratulations go out to our Christine Espinoza after she was select-

ed as a 2019 So Scottsdale Magazine Real Estate All Star! The article

also reveals that Christine was awarded the 2019 Re/Max Fine Proper-

ties Award for Technology and the Re/Max International Platinum

Award for Production. She was also voted one of the 50 Most Influen-

tial Women in Business by AZ Business Magazine. You can find the

pdf version of So Scottsdale! at this URL: bit.ly/2u9rjAL


RESALE ACTIVITY AT THE RANCH (CONTINUED)

** CCBS The Arizona Regional Multiple Listing System has

created a new sub-status of “Active” called CCBS (Contract

Contingent on Buyer Sale). Like the UCB status, CCBS indicates

that there is an accepted contract on the property, but the sellers wish to

obtain backup offers. However, it also explicitly indicates that the contract they

have accepted is contingent on the buyer selling their current property.

PENDING, UCB * & CBBS** TRANSACTIONS


16936 N 103rd Pl Montecito Santa Barbara $695,000 2770 4+Den 3 Y

11058 E Raintree Dr Desert Cliffs #6085 $817,000 3509 4 3 Y

16782 N 111th St Trovas Verona $824,900 2826 4 3 Y

11351 E Beck Ln Cimarron Hills Escalante $925,000 3375 4+Den 3 Y

11156 E Winchcomb Dr Sienna Canyon Talavera $999,000 3801 6+Den 3 Y

AVAILABLE RENTALS


10325 E Penstamin Dr Discovery Trails Catalina $2,400 1504 3 2 N

15120 N 102nd St Dicovery Canyon Sabino $2,450 1622 4 2 N

10559 E Tierra Buena Ln

The Overlook Ironwood $3,450 2818 4+Den 2 Y

10441 E Star of the Discovery Trails Sierra $3,500 1700 3 2 Y

LET HELENE & CHRISTINE’S TEAM HELP YOU: We’re the #1 agents in

McDowell Mountain Ranch and have been for the past 23 years! Call us at 480

563-3333 for all of your real estate needs.


10429 E Texas Sage Ln The Preserve Brisas $2,300 2132 4 2 N

10313 E Karen Dr Discovery Canyon Scenic $2,495 1837 3+Den 2 Y

15227 N 104th Pl The Preserve Brisas $2,250 2132 3+Den 2 N

10334 E Acoma Dr Sunset Point #3097 $3,150 3064 4+Loft 3 N

16600 N TPP #2041 The Ridge Heritage $1,550 1298 2 1 N

15228 N 104th Pl The Preserve Brisas $2,195 2132 4 2 N

16630 N 109th St Vermillion Cliffs #932-5 $4,500 3248 5 3 Y

15841 N 102nd Pl Arizona Vintage Zinfandel $2,390 1604 3 2 N

14744 N 115th St Sunrise Point Sierra $2,800 2043 3 2 N

11511 E Caribbean Ln Cimarron Ridge Montilla $4,500 3984 3+Den 3 Y

CLOSED RENTALS IN NOV. & DEC.

Two Democratic state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would

return control over short-term rentals to the cities, according to the

Arizona Republic, while a joint ad hoc committee held its second hear-

ing to discuss the issue. The ad hoc committee includes six state rep-

resentatives and senators, including co-chair Rep. John Kavanagh,

whose district includes McDowell Mountain Ranch.

While Gov. Doug Ducey’s office has already announced that it oppos-

es the measure, the bill’s backers, Democratic Reps. Isela Blanc of

Tempe and Aaron Lieberman of Paradise Valley, believe that at least

several Republicans would support the bill. Airbnb and Expedia Group

announced that the two companies oppose the bill, which would re-

peal a 2016 law that largely stripped cities’ ability to regulate short-

term rentals.

Rep. Kavanagh told the Scottsdale Independent that additional bills

will most likely be introduced this legislative session. Some of the bills

will target party houses that disrupt neighborhoods and others may

return control to local communities. Scottsdale recently approved an

ordinance that imposes penalty fees on landlords of disruptive homes.

Short-Term Rental Revenues Continue to Grow Because the ongoing debate on limiting short-term rentals in McDow-

ell Mountain Ranch, Scottsdale and Arizona has been raging much of

late 2019, we thought that it would be interesting to look at Airbnb’s

recent tax contributions to the state. The company delivered $53.3

million in tax revenue to Arizona from 2017 through Oct. 31st of 2019,

according to the Scottsdale Independent. Nearly half of the tax reve-

nue — $23.1 million — came from Jan. 1st of this year until the end of

October. So it appears that tax receipts are growing at a quick pace.

State Bill Under Consideration Would Limit Short-Term Rentals


MISCELLANEOUS

Now may be good time to buy a home when you consider that Phoe-

nix-area housing prices have been jumping up well-ahead of the nation

as a whole. In fact, prices increased by 5.8% from October of 2018

compared with October of 2019, according to the Case-Shiller index as

reported by 24/7 Wall Street. Nationally, prices only increased 3.3%

with prices even dropping in cities like Cleveland, Detroit, Portland,

Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Upward pressure on home prices may eventually kick back in, because

like here in McDowell Mountain Ranch and Scottsdale, the number of

available homes is shrinking across all price ranges. Read our story on

what is happening in McDowell Mountain Ranch starting on Page 11.

Set Jet Seeking New Members as Flights Resume Set Jet recently resumed flights out of Scottsdale Airport to major

California cities — plus Las Vegas, Aspen and Cabo San Lucas, Mexi-

co, according to the Scottsdale Independent. Set Jet, which is a pri-

vate charter jet company that recently completed its headquarters and

private VIP terminal at the airport, relies on chartered Bombardier Chal-

lenger 850/CRJ 200 and CRJ 900 luxury models. The airline works like

this: Members charter a flight to one of the airlines destinations and

then other members can book the remaining seats up to 30 minutes

before departure. The airline takes only a limited number of members,

who pay $99.95 a month for the service, not including a startup fee.

Local flights cost between $400 and $500. The company also operates

Phoenix-Area Home Prices Jump Most in Case-Shiller Report

Although Americans are moving between

states less than at any time since 1947, the

busiest migration patterns involve Californi-

ans escaping their overpriced housing and

moving to Arizona and Texas, according to

a StorageCafe.com report.

In fact, about 68,000 Californians out of

273,000 overall moved to Arizona last year.

That means 750 people a day are moving

into our state. More than 86,000 Californi-

ans moved to Texas.

Nationally, Arizona is the seventh most

popular destination with the average price

of moving from California to Arizona gener-

ally costing between $3,000 and $3,600.

Housing, Other Costs Are Low It should come as no surprise that Californi-

ans favor Arizona, since even though we

have had rising home prices, it is still the

most affordable state in the United States

to live in, according to theseniorlist.com.

(Actually, we’re still second to the District

Californians Love Moving to Most Affordable State

This StorageCafe.com graphic reveals how many people are moving from California to Arizona.

of Columbia.) And of course, we have prox-

imity in our favor.

The rankings were determined by how

much income residents spend on things

such as housing, utilities, food, clothing,

furnishings, healthcare, transportation ser-

vices, household services, financial ser-

vices and insurance. Just behind Arizona

were Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama.

The average American, by the way, spends

the majority of income on housing and utili-

ties, followed by health care and financial

services. Arizona had some of the lowest

health care and financial services costs in

the nation while wages here grew by

6.61% over 10 years.

nonstop flights between Los Angeles and New York, which can cost

up to $4,000.

Topgolf to Add Esport Lounge in Scottsdale Topgolf is adding an Esport lounge to its Scottsdale location after

forming a partnership with Chinese TV and consumer electronics

maker TCL, according to the Scottsdale Progress. Topgolf Scottsdale

plans to open its new lounge at its 9500 Talking Stick Way location

within several months.


MCDOWELL SONORAN CONSERVANCY

Science is in our nature is more than just a

catchy tag line. The McDowell Sonoran Con-

servancy’s Parsons Field Institute is making

significant impacts across the country and

around the globe. Together with its partners

and citizen scientist volunteers, the Parsons

Field Institute has accomplished great things

in 2019, growing from regional to national and

on to global leaders in conservation. Let’s

take a look back at some of the great accom-

plishments this past year.

RestoreNet Helps Fix the Desert Together with the U.S. Geological Survey’s

Restoration Assessment & Monitoring Pro-

gram for the Southwest (RAMPS) and other

regional partners, the Field Institute is work-

ing to identify simple, cost-effective ways to

restore damaged lands in the Sonoran Desert

and beyond. Typically, more than 90% of res-

toration efforts fail. Through this experiment,

the Parsons Field Institute and its partners

hope to identify seeding and environmental

treatments to improve restoration success.

RestoreNet sites were previously established

in the Mojave and Chihuahuan deserts, as

well as on the Colorado Plateau. The sites the

Parsons Field Institute established in the

McDowell Sonoran Preserve and other re-

gional locations are the first RestoreNet sites

in the Sonoran Desert and will allow compari-

son of restoration treatments across deserts.

This is an exciting opportunity to broaden the

impact of the Parsons Field Institute’s re-

search to inform conservation on a very broad

scale.

Snapshot Deploys 10 Cameras Together with partners at the Phoenix Zoo,

citizen scientists with the Parsons Field Insti-

tute deployed 10 cameras within the Pre-

serve as part of a national camera project

called Snapshot USA. The project’s objective

was to obtain remote wildlife photos from all

50 states that would be included in a national

database of public wildlife data.

Conservancy Teams Up With Parsons Field Institute to Help Desert

Conservancy to Study Plants The International Union for Conservation of

Nature (IUCN) named the McDowell Sonor-

an Conservancy the host organization for the

newly established Sonoran Desert Plant

Species Specialist Group. The group con-

sists of experts from across the Sonoran

Desert who, together, assess the 4,000

plant species found in this region as part of

the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.

The scientifically based Red List is recog-

nized worldwide as the most comprehen-

sive inventory of the global conservation

status of plant and animal species, and is

used to track the status of biological diversi-

ty worldwide. A team of student and volun-

teer citizen scientists has begun collecting

and reviewing data that will be used to de-

termine the threatened and extinction status

of Sonoran Desert plant species using de-

fined criteria. The team will then begin con-

servation planning and action before sharing

the data with scientific peers.

The success of these and other projects

depend greatly on our citizen scientists and

donors like you. We are grateful and excited

to co-produce research alongside a dedicat-

ed team of regional partners.

For more information on the Parsons Field

Institute and its citizen scientist team, con-

tact [email protected]. To ad-

vance our research, donate to the McDowell

Sonoran Conservancy, a 501 (c)(3) non-

profit, at mcdowellsonoran.org.

Lori Calhoun is the McDowell Sonoran Con-

servancy’s Events & Marketing Coordinator.

Teams from Re-store.net and the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy work to restore damaged desert.

Photos courtesy

RestoreNet

A bobcat struts through its territory in the Sonoran

Preserve. Photo courtesy Snapshot USA


FALL FESTIVAL

Above: Although a lot of kids had great moves doing the limbo, this young girl played it up for all it’s worth at the November Fall Festival in the Community Center Park.

Below left: Christine Espinoza and Helene Cass man a popcorn booth at Fall Fest.

This year’s Fall Festival at McDowell

Mountain Ranch was a real blast. While we

don’t know how many attended as of yet, we

do know that the park at the Community

Center was packed. You can find additional

photos at facebook.com/mmrhomes

Activities included Helene & Christine’s

Team raffle and free popcorn booth, an

inflatable bouncer, petting zoo, art sale, face

painting, games and catering trucks.

Nonperishable food donations benefited the

Vista del Camino Food Bank.

Laura Coulter, who recently moved into 100 Hills with her husband, won the Helene &

Christine’s Team raffle at the Fall Festival in November.

Our Raffle Winner

Fall Festival Included Raffle, Limbo & Rides


SPOTLIGHT (CONTINUED)

(Spotlight: Continued from page 1)

homes were being used for short-term

Airbnb and VRBO rentals. Some of the

renters held parties that were disruptive to

neighbors. The limits will apply to other

HOAs in McDowell Mountain Ranch as well.

Senior Living Plan Challenged A plan to build a Senior Living Center behind

the Shell Gas Station may be in doubt fol-

lowing strong opposition from supporters of

WestWorld and the Barrett-Jackson Auto

Auction. Several speakers came forth to

oppose the project during a December Plan-

ning Commission meeting that resulted in a

3-2 decision against the roughly 5-acre, 210-

unit project. One Planning Commission

member recused himself from the issue,

though we’re unclear as to why.

Although the Scottsdale City Council does

not have to follow the Planning Commission

recommendation when it is expected to take

up the issue at its Jan. 21st meeting, the

project now faces something of an uphill

battle as a result of the board’s decision.

Those who came out against the project

included an in-house representative of Bar-

rett Jackson, an attorney from the Rose Law

Group and a representative of the Quarter

Horse Association. Those opposing the pro-

ject expressed concern about its density and

potential complaints that might be triggered

by WestWorld events. Ironically, Scottsdale

changed the zoning for the nearby Graythorn

condominium project a couple of years ago.

Because of some complicated zoning issues

that would take too long to explain here, the

developers behind the Senior Living Center

have already modified their plan to allow for

an easement that might be needed to ac-

cess parcels currently owned by the Arizona

State Land Department. The City of Scotts-

dale may be interested in buying the land for

sports fields that would double as parking

for large WestWorld events, such as Barrett

Jackson and the Arabian Horse show.

4 Running in HOA Board Race Four candidates are vying for the three open

HOA Board of Directors seats. Jeremy

Schlosser is the only challenger to the three

incumbents Robert Crandall, Stanley Koczka

and Barry Werblow. Ballots to residents

should be in the mail or in your mailbox by

the time you receive this newsletter. Ballots

must be turned in or received via mail by

Feb. 3rd at the McDowell Center office. Or,

you can vote in person right before the an-

nual meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. on

Tuesday, Feb. 4th, at the McDowell Center.

McDowell Mountain Ranch residents take advantage of the new pickleball courts at the McDowell

Mountain Ranch Community Center. The four new pickleball courts, which received new concrete

foundations and durable acrylic paint on top that will need to be painted less frequently, replaced

one of the tennis courts. Light fixtures and the tennis court east of the new pickleball courts were

also updated.

New Landscape Team Hired Beginning Feb. 3rd, residents might notice

entirely new crews working on the land-

scaping. That’s because the McDowell

Mountain Ranch Homeowner’s Association

has replaced DLC Landscaping with AAA

Landscaping. The new company will be

doing more work with almost double the

team size for roughly the same cost, accord-

ing to Chris Richardson, MMR’s General

Manager. The contract will be $32,673 a

month, which is only a couple hundred more

a month than DLC. AAA Landscape, which

takes care of Desert Ridge, was one of

eight bidders for the McDowell Mountain

Ranch contract.

New Pickleball Courts Added to Community Center


SPOTLIGHT (CONTINUED)

Helene and Christine’s Team donated a

giant Teddy Bear to Arizona Helping

Hands to help with McDowell Mountain

Ranch’s event fund-raiser.

Top: MMR resi-

dents ride on a

horse-pulled

wagon.

Above: Santa lis-

tens to holiday

wish lists and

hands out

presents.

Right: Children

wait for the next

horse-pulled

wagon.

Holiday Lights, Santa & Snow Queen Are a Big Hit After seeing the turnout at the McDowell Mountain Ranch Holi-

day Tour of Lights, we’re wondering if more parents with young

children have moved into the community during the last

year!

The reason we’re wondering was the Community Center

seemed more deluged than ever with parents and their children

munching on cookies, drinking hot chocolate and taking the 20-

minute ride on the horse-pulled wagon for a tour of The Ranch’s

best lights. Everyone also enjoyed Santa and the Snow Queen,

who is pictured on Page 1.


LOOKING BACK... Just Five Years Ago*

Jan. 2015 — The plan to build SOHO Scotts-

dale, which is still under development in the

McDowell Mountain Business Park near

WestWorld, was announced. … Joan Fudala

published a new book about the Sonoran

Preserve titled “The People’s Preserve” that

is still available on Amazon.com. … The

Super Bowl in Glendale brought “Taste of

the NFL” to WestWorld. … MMR resident

Yvonne Johnson resumed work and hiking

after receiving a life-saving stem cell trans-

plant that she needed to fight Scleroderma.

Only 10 Years Ago*

Jan. 2010 — New cell tower nodes were in

the process of being installed, which im-

proved connection quality throughout The

Ranch. … Scottsdale added 400 acres to the

Sonoran Preserve after spending $6.5 million

on land north of DC Ranch. … The city’s

Preserve Commission recommended naming

the road into the Preserve’s Gateway en-

trance Carla Way, which it still is today.

About 15 Years Ago*

Jan. 2005 — This newsletter added full color

to its front and several other pages … The

Arizona State Land Department announced

plans to auction off several properties in and

around WestWorld during the next few

months. The largest, an 80-acre parcel on

the north side of Bell Road at 94th Street,

was eventually purchased by Scottsdale.

Holy, Cow 20 Years Ago*

Jan. 2000 — The Loop 101 Freeway opened

as far north as Shea Boulevard and stop-

lights were installed at McDowell Mountain

Ranch Road and Thompson Peak Parkway.

… The Ranch reached 75% sold allowing for

management to be handed over to five tem-

porary HOA board members.

*As reported in this newsletter.

PERSPECTIVE (CONTINUED)

southern tip of Scottsdale. You can read

about this project on Page 7.

As long as the economy is going strong, ex-

pect there to be additional project announce-

ments in the near future. Equally important,

though, will be how the Scottsdale City Coun-

cil spends the money from three capital bond

proposals that were approved by residents in

November — See Page 6. That’s because

about $50 million will be used for enhance-

ments and updates to WestWorld, including

adding 40 acres of soccer fields north of Bell

Road that will double as parking for major

WestWorld events. The bond also approved

money for the construction of a new bridge

for Thompson Peak Parkway just north of

MMR.

Perhaps the most controversial project is

Southbridge II because several of the build-

ings will be over 125-feet tall and the overall

$750 million project will add 1 million square

feet of hotel, office and retail space to down-

town Scottsdale. Residents on both sides of

this issue are already girding for a fight be-

cause even though the project won 4-3 ap-

proval from the City Council in early Decem-

ber, opponents rapidly garnered and submit-

ted enough signatures — 17,116 — to put

the issue on the November ballot.

Less controversial, but more immediate to

MMR residents, is Cavasson. The project

calls for several buildings, including a recently

approved 23-bed hotel that will take the place

of two smaller ones on the fast-emerging

campus north of the Loop 101 Freeway and

west of Hayden Road. The full-service hotel

is expected to generate more than $10 mil-

lion in taxes over a 20-year period. As you

probably noticed, the buildings have been

going up so quickly that our photo of the Na-

tionwide Headquarters and parking garage is

already quite dated.

Although Cavasson has not triggered loud

opposition, we’ve heard residents grumble

about the project’s size and how it is already

blocking views of the mountains from the

freeway. On the other hand, Cavasson is

expected to bring a sizable number of jobs

to the area.

The city’s plan to convert 40 acres of land

on the north side of Bell Road into athletic/

soccer fields, which will double as parking

for WestWorld events, will certainly impact

the area west of The Ranch, but more con-

cerning is the lack of specific plans that re-

veal what the project might entail. Hopeful-

ly, the city will be revealing those plans

soon.

Of course, there are still projects even clos-

er to The Ranch that are in various stages of

planning and development, including a Sen-

ior Living Center, which we discuss on Page

20, a storage facility, and a multifamily hous-

ing complex that will likely run into the

same roadblocks as the Senior Living Facili-

ty. All three of the projects would be located

behind the Shell Gas Station at the south-

west corner of Thompson Peak Parkway

and McDowell Mountain Ranch Road.

As these projects emerge, there is a funda-

mental problem that is at its heart, the fault

of the City of Scottsdale. Under state law,

the city is required to update its General

Plan every 10 years. Instead, the city has

failed to truly update the plan since 2002

because voters have rejected revised Gen-

eral Plans more than once, with the most

recent rejection in 2012. And although the

City Council voted to update the plan on

Nov. 12th, those changes focus on conser-

vation, bicycling and neighborhood preserva-

tion without fully taking into account that

we have grown from a small town to a mid-

sized urban center. I think the City of Scotts-

dale would be much better served if our

elected leaders properly updated the Gen-

eral Plan, so that new standards can be de-

veloped for projects like Southbridge and

Cavasson and so that such projects will no

longer be approved on a piecemeal basis.

(Perspective: Continued from page 1)

Cavasson at Hayden Road and the Loop 101 Freeway is going up so fast, that this image from late De-

cember is already dated. The inset is what the building at right is expected to look like when completed.


REAL ESTATE

WriteThru Media:

10115 E. Bell Road, Suite 107-457

Scottsdale, AZ 85260

We can be reached at

[email protected]

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Neither articles nor advertisements should be construed as

endorsements of any product, person, company or service.

EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Brett Levy, [email protected]

NEWSLETTER FOUNDERS

Helene & Peter Cass, 1997

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Let’s face it. A lot of McDowell Mountain

Ranch residents H-A-T-E how the Henkel

Corporate Center, located at the northeast

corner of Scottsdale Road and the Loop 101

Freeway, looks. That may be about to

change because Stockdale Capital Partners

plans to remodel the building now that it has

purchased the oft-maligned building for $65

million. Stockdale Capital plans to begin

leasing out the rest of the 371,037-square-

foot building, which is about 20% occupied,

after it spends millions on remodeling and

rebranding the facility. That may be a boon

for area biotech companies, because the

Henkel facility includes a Class A medical

laboratory and research and development

space.

City Council OKs Core Project The Scottsdale City Council voted to allow

developers to move ahead on a multiuse

project that would be located in front of the

Core Center apartments, which is just north

of the Costco on Hayden Road. The

proposal includes allowing for 192,000

square feet to be built on the 7.58-acre

parcel. The project proposal includes retail,

restaurant and offices with a maximum

building height of 45 feet.

Cobblestone Buys Office Space Cobblestone Auto Spa will be moving its

corporate headquarters to Bahia 101, an

office condominium at Bahia Drive and the

Loop 101 Freeway, following its purchase of

a 12,688-square foot suite for $4 million.

The company decided to purchase the office

suite at 8900 E. Bahia Drive, which was built

in 2017, as part of its expansion plans and

while interest rates are low. Cobblestone

services include car washes, oil changes,

detailing and preventative maintenance.

Sereno Townhouses Win OK The Scottsdale City Council in November

approved a developer’s plan to build 27

resort-styled townhouses at Sereno Canyon,

which is located in east Scottsdale. The

overall project will include 296 units once

completed. The 20.07-acre property is

bounded by Pinnacle Peak Road to the

south, E. Ranch Gate Road to the north and

is east of 128th Street.

Camelot Creates Scholarships Camelot Homes, which built some of the

communities in McDowell

Mountain Ranch as well as

nearby Lane’s End,

celebrated its 50th year in

the Valley by donating

$ 5 0 , 0 0 0 f o r t w o

scholarships to the ASU

Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts,

according to the Scottsdale Independent.

Half the money will be used for a new

bachelor’s degree concentration in music

and the second half of the donation will pay

for a scholarship that can be used in any

Herberger department.

The proposed Raintree

Internalized Community

Storage would add

112,000-square-feet of

storage space to Scotts-

dale.

Stockdale Capital Partners Buys Henkel Building; Plans Remodel

Plans for another storage facility, titled

Raintree Internalized Community Storage,

were continued by the City of Scottsdale’s

Development Review Board at a late De-

cember meeting. The project calls for a

112,000-square-foot building to be built

on a vacant, 2.5-acre lot along the Loop

101 Freeway just a few blocks south of

Target. If eventually built, the storage

facility would be two-stories tall.

Storage Facility Proposed

RE/MAX FINE PROPERTIES

21020 N PIMA RD

SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85255

(480) 563-3333 • (888) 471-9500

[email protected]

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12-13 Sales/Listings

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Foothills Animal Rescue staff and volunteers gave presents out to cats

and dogs at the facility for Christmas Eve this year. Story, Page. 4.

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Documents

Brett’s Perspective Spotlight on City the Community Residents OK … · 2020-01-10 · McDowell Center parking lot, will resume. Well, by the time you receive this, the mar-