Schenkat: Fifth Avenue referendum will not ‘save’ Old Town Scottsdale

Why do the citizens of Scottsdale think that Scottsdale is any different than any other city in this nation which is expanding? We are living with a population explosion and we live in a desirable climate and area. People who can afford to live in Scottsdale are moving here in droves.”

Sandy Schenkat, Scottsdale resident

Southbridge 2 has caused a lot of concern for a lot of people in Scottsdale.

It is my belief that these people opposing SB2 are ill informed and do not understand the alternatives.

There is no saving Old Town. Old Town was expanded by the city marketing department about two years ago to encompass a larger part of downtown purely for marketing efforts.

Fifth Avenue has never really been part of Old Town. Fifth Avenue has been in decline for many years. Fred Unger planned to re-develop this area as far back as the early 1990s and he patiently acquired the properties, which are old construction and not built to current building codes.

He was a good landlord to those small businesses who wanted to be on Fifth Ave. Many have not made it because it is such a seasonal area.

Why do the citizens think they have a right to save Old Town? This is not the power of the people. This is about making Scottsdale a competitive city to other Valley cities.

There is so much misinformation going around that I find it hard to stay on top of it all. The Scottsdale citizens will pay a high price for this petition drive to save Old Town.

We will have to pay our city employees to review all the signatures and then if this goes on the ballot in 2020 we will suffer the consequences. This is not about 150-foot buildings. There are already seven which have been approved for the downtown area.

Why do the citizens of Scottsdale think that Scottsdale is any different than any other city in this nation which is expanding? We are living with a population explosion and we live in a desirable climate and area. People who can afford to live in Scottsdale are moving here in droves.

Is it fair that a few big mouths say no you cannot move here? We complain that we do not have housing for the poor but the economy of Scottsdale is strong and will get stronger if SB2 is allowed to be built.

The increase in revenue will help the rest of our city and yes, then maybe we can appropriate more money for the poor and senior housing.

I find it ironic that I just had a discussion with a woman from New York who was liking SB2 to the New York skyscrapers. She does not like that kind of progress in New York, New York. Why is it that some citizens think that they have a right to keep other people out of their communities?

No amount of money is going to stop progress. She is upset that the 303 took part of her ranch. I guess she was laughing all the way to the bank on that one.

The irony is that people really do think they can stop population expansion.

Southbridge 2 is an excellent revitalization of the Fifth Avenue area. If SpringCreek development is forced to sell off the parcels they own because 12,000 signatures are obtained, this city will end up with many different developers in that 10 acres and we will not have a well-planned revitalization of the area.

Please do not sign that petition. It will harm our city and will not help save Old Town.

Editor’s Note: Sandy Schenkat is a resident of Scottsdale and community advocate.