Check the Town's website frequently
for COVID-19 response updates.
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Paradise Valley Speaks; Our State Legislators Listen |
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Paradise Valley may be polite and even petite, but we have a very strong voice when it comes to working on behalf of our neighborhoods against the impact of Short-Term Rentals and party houses exacerbated by State law.
For the past two legislative sessions we have fought for meaningful change so local government -- the Paradise Valley Town Council -- is able to exercise traditional authority to govern and protect our neighborhoods. On Thursday, April 1, the State Legislature held its third reading in the House Committee of the Whole which lead to a 17-43 loss for SB1379.
After at least of year of insisting that the state law on STRs needed no change, the mounting pressure from Mayors and citizens across the state apparently inspired the STR industry to craft its own bill to maintain their control of this important issue throughout our state. The 'industry bill', SB1379 (Sen. Mensard) moved through the Legislature with the short-term rental platforms – specifically Airbnb – having an unusual say over every element in the bill. They obviously chose to prioritize their Silicon Valley and big industry values over Arizona residents’ enjoyment of their homes and residential neighborhoods. This bill largely ignored local planning, respect for law enforcement, and property rights – rights that are held up as sacred in PV and Arizona.
The Town Council in Paradise Valley strongly supported HB2481 that was introduced by Representatives Kavanagh: Butler, Jermaine, Kaiser, Lieberman, Longdon, Shah, Senators Alston, Barto, Engel, Marsh...and had meaningful density, spacing, and zoning tools that would have allowed for balance and meaningful enforcement, when needed. With industry lobbying against it, that bill stalled in the House Rules Committee on February 22nd. That left SB1379 which the industry was heavily promoting and was confident would pass.
While the Town and other cities tried to reach a win-win compromise on SB1379 and made good faith proposals toward that end, Airbnb had no intention of listening to local interests and summarily rejected every good faith proposal made to them. In anticipation of a vote on SB1379 without any helpful amendments in it, the Mayor reached out directly to Senator Mesnard and respectfully made the case to amend SB1379 with language that combined common sense reform and protected property rights of our residents (not STR corporations) and local decision making. Before a response would arrive, the bill was put up for a vote, and failed 17-43.
Here's what some key legislators said during the vote...sound familiar?
- Rep. Butler: “This bill falls far short of really doing anything meaningful.”
- Rep. Lieberman: “The same industry that originally created this problem are behind this [SB1379].” “There was no effort made to meet half way.” Rep. Lieberman spoke about hotels in residential neighborhoods and a business’ right to make money ending at your right to your home.
- Rep. Kavanagh: “This is a bandaid.” “We need to send a message to the industry that we want reasonable concessions to communities and neighbors who have problems.”
- Rep. Powers Hannley: “We need to get serious. We need to tell the industry that it is time for regulation in short-term rentals. We need to save our cities and towns, and neighborhoods from this.”
Mayor Bien-Willner, Vice-Mayor Stanton, and Councilmembers Andeen, Dembow, Moore, Pace and Thomasson are working to ensure each resident has a right to peace and quiet in their neighborhood and those rights are not being infringed upon by some Short-Term Rentals where disruptive behavior can go unchecked at these unstaffed and unregulated “hotels”. Fortunately, PVPD, unlike other Police Departments, have the skill and desire to step in and handle unruly STRs with very few tools granted by the State of Arizona, but they also have been put in an awkward position of trying to act as a “treatment” for problems from STRs arising in our neighborhoods. Other states that have not taken away local control, are better able to rely on municipalities to preserve and protect against the unchecked commercialization of residential neighborhoods. We will continue to fight and speak loudly for meaningful local control against STRs.
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The project website ( pvtogether2022.com) continues to be your best source for all General Plan related information and several of the reports completed thus far can be reviewed and/or downloaded directly from the project website.
As part of Phase 1 of the 2022 General Plan Update the consultant pulled together information from numerous reports, studies, data sets and GIS information from the Town’s various departments, U.S. Census Bureau, Maricopa County, Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) and other agencies. All of this information was compiled into the Community Assessment Report which is a “snapshot” of Paradise Valley today – in its existing conditions.
The Community Survey and the Mapping Survey (social pinpoint) were first opened with the launch of the project website. A total of 386 Community Surveys were completed which represents an approximate rate or return of 2.7%. That equates to over a 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error. The consultant prepared a “summary report” with the raw data results which has been uploaded to the project website for the public to read. Further analysis of this survey data will occur as the consultants start to draft/update the plan elements.
Join Our Discussion Hubs and Share Your Thoughts with Us
Join by Phone: 1 (669) 900 6833
Meeting ID: 693 227 2408
There are two Discussion Hubs planned for April and both, due to the continued COVID restrictions, will be conducted as virtual public events. These Discussion Hubs will be hosted by the Town’s consultant so there will be no live streaming available. If you want to attend, you must access the zoom meeting by the online or phone connection (provided above).
The Discussion Hubs will begin at 6:00 PM - topics and issues to be discussed are as follows:
April 14th Discussion Hub #1: Mobility & Connectivity
- Congestion & Cut Through Traffic
- Safety (Vehicle, Pedestrian & Bike)
April 28th Discussion Hub #2: Quality of Life
- Lot splits
- Resort Redevelopment
- Hillside Development
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Masks to be Worn in Town Buildings |
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As we continue to be hopeful about the spread of COVID-19 slowing, we are continuing to ask residents and other visitors to our Town buildings to wear masks and adhere to physical distancing.
The CDC is recommending continued use of masks, physical distancing, and frequent handwashing to help prevent another surge.
Wearing a mask while at Town Hall or the Police Department helps to keep our employees safe and healthy so we can continue to serve you!
We continue to carefully watch CDC data regarding COVID-19 and hope to have new information to report in mid-April.
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Congratulations to Our Newest Public Works Team Member Dameon Shurtleff |
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Dameon Shurtleff is the newest member to the Public Works team. One of the requirements for street technicians is that they must possess a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). If they do not have one when hired, they have six months to obtain one.
The steps to obtaining a CDL are:
- Take a Department of Transportation (D.O.T) physical
- Take a D.O.T 100-question general knowledge written exam and a 50-question written exam for the tanker endorsement
- Study and learn how to perform a proper pre-trip inspection, which requires learning about all major components on a commercial vehicle
- Take the actual D.O.T driving test and perform a pre-trip inspection with an instructor
Sounds simple, right? It’s not. Dameon passed all tests and obtained his CDL in 3 months’ time. Great job Dameon!
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City of Phoenix Water Line Leak |
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On April 1st, the City of Phoenix located a water line leak at Lincoln Drive and 39th Street. They immediately got a crew out to barricade the location and schedule crews to make repairs yesterday and today.
One of the Town's engineers, David Diekman, has been coordinating with the City of Phoenix team to make sure the leak is fixed quickly and correctly. Thank you David Diekman!
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Game Ball Winner for April 2021!
Willie Perea was selected by Officer Raja Karim as the April Game Ball Winner! Willie becomes the first two-time winner of the game ball!
In selecting Willie, Officer Karim says, “I have always been impressed with Willie’s hard work and dedication to the department. Anytime I bring an issue to his attention, it seems like he drops everything he is doing and makes it his top priority.
One time, I emailed Willie in the wee hours of the night, on the weekend, and I got a response from him almost immediately. When it comes to work, Willie never sleeps. Willie is not only a hardworking, competent, and dedicated employee; he is a joy to be around. I cannot say enough good things about Willie and how much I appreciate him.”
Congratulations, Willie!
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Upcoming PVPD Events
April 7th Coffee with a Cop. On Wednesday, April 7th at 7:30 am, a specialist will discuss the myths and realities about vehicle theft. Registration: www.alertpv.us/CWC
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, April 24th. The DEA’s Prescription Take Back Day events provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths. The PVPD will be participating this year by taking back your prescription drugs on April 24th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Please follow all CDC recommendations for safety.
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Spring Houses of Worship Forum
The Paradise Valley Police Department hosted their spring 2021 Places of Worship forum. Loras Rauch from the Town's Community Development Department shared topics related to the 2022 General Plan. See General Plan article above for more information.
A special thank you to Loras and Matthew for presenting material to our faith-based community. The forum is hosted biannually for our local congregations.
The PD discussed recent crimes related to stolen iPads and a catalytic converter at properties belonging to our Places of Worship. Please consider making an inventory of electronic devices as it will aid police in the recovery of your property. We have a service that will allow us to search all the pawn shops in the nation to recover your property but can only do so if we know what items we are searching. Serial numbers are important to store somewhere safe.
Our Chief of Police, Peter Wingert, also shared details regarding the Nine O’Clock Walk Campaign. The concept can be applied at all Places of Worships by making a habit to lock up and set alarms each night. |
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Paradise Valley is Hiring |
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Upcoming Town Meetings and Events |
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April 6th - Planning Commission, 6:00 pm via Zoom
April 7th - Coffee with a Cop, 7:30 am via Zoom
April 7th - Board of Adjustment Meeting, 5:30 pm via Zoom
April 8th - Town Council, 6:00 pm via Zoom
April 14th - Hillside Building Committee, 8:00 am via Zoom
April 14th - General Plan Discussion Hub, 6:00 pm via Zoom
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Remember to check the Town's website for meeting updates, changes, and agendas.
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