The recession-bludgeoned suburbs of west Phoenix attempt revitalization via blue-collar business booms and refurbished recreation areas.
When Buckeye Mayor Jackie A. Meck, 74, was a kid, he used to fish and picnic along the Gila River. But where water once flowed now grows the salt cedar. Originally planted to combat erosion in the 1800s, this invasive Russian species consumes 300 gallons of water a day and causes major annual fires, after which the trees grow back thicker. A plan to get rid of the cedars and connect a chain of nine lakes should be ready next year. The joint project – which includes Goodyear, Avondale, and several other agencies – will free up 50,000 acre-feet of water. Meck will get back his fishing spot, and Buckeye will have a draw for tourists.
The town of 60,000 is one of several West Valley municipalities bouncing back from the recession. Often overlooked by trend-watchers when it comes to livability and the elusive hipness cachet, the half-dozen communities that call central Phoenix “back East” are poised for explosive growth: a total of 1.4 million new residents by 2040, according to city officials’ projections.
Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, says his group is working with about 300 companies that are looking to move into the area – 80 percent of them into existing buildings. “Great land, great infrastructure, and a great labor pool” are big attractions, he says, and when companies forecast growth, “largely it’s centered in the West Valley.”
Local officials are eager to declare the West Valley open for business. In July, financial info service NerdWallet named Tolleson (pop. 6,700) the best place in Arizona to start a business, citing the town’s placement along the I-10 and Union Pacific’s freight-rail Sunset Route, and an employment pool with below-median average income. Last year the city broke ground on a revitalized downtown district, Paseo de Luces (Place of Lights), which Mayor Adolfo F. Gámez says will help draw retail business. A 10-year push for “nonconventional retail” brought in truck-seller Inland Kenworth to join its competitor Freightliner. Their neighbors will include blue-collar venues like Love’s Truck Stop and Blue Beacon Truck Wash.
In Avondale, the Copper Springs Hospital opened March 2, the latest link in a chain of medical facilities along West Valley highways. Other works in progress include a Main Event bowling-centric family-entertainment center, the Maricopa County Southwest Justice Center, and a county housing facility. A 20 percent reduction in development impact fees is partly to credit for the building boom.
Jeff Gibbs, who writes an Arizona Republic column about West Valley issues, still sees room for westerly improvement. The area is “perpetually hampered by the fact that [each city wants] to be the center of the universe,” he says, adding that many aspire to be art meccas, but, “We’d be lucky if we can support one or two.” He thinks the cities don’t pool resources or divvy up goals as well as they could.
Still, signs of forward motion reassure many. Some officials even have the vision thing. “We are a giant canvas and all of us are artists,” Meeks says. “What we do now will make us the Michelangelos or the dud of the future.”
Glendale’s City Manager Melee
In a political drama that rivals its disputes with the Arizona Coyotes, Glendale is seeking its fifth city manager in less than four years. The last manager, Brenda Fischer, resigned after about 18 months, taking $153,000 in severance in February. The current interim manager, former Scottsdale City Manager Dick Bowers, was the temp before Fischer arrived in 2013. Here’s a timeline of Glendale city managers’ tenures:
Martin Vanacour: Served 1985-2002
Ed Beasley: Jan. 2002-June 2012
Horatio Skeete: Acting city manager, June 2012-March 2013
Dick Bowers: Acting city manager, March 2013-July 2013
Brenda Fischer: July 2013-Feb. 2015
Dick Bowers, again: Acting city manager, Feb. 2015-indefinite
