Lines Drawn in the Sand

From the unpublished draft version of post that I had intended to write a while back:

First question: Do you think Laveen should be split into more that one city council district? That's the current plan, based on the final proposed maps from the city's consultants.

Second question: If Laveen is split into more than one council district, which parts should go where? There was one map in the initial proposals that had a somewhat objectionable vertical split, dividing Laveen from east to west. Then there was a map that divided Laveen from north to south, more or less along Baseline, as I recall. The city's current plan seems to have borrowed from both, but definitely has a stronger north-south split.

Third question: If Laveen is kept whole, which other areas of Phoenix should end up in the same district?

As noted in the second question, the city's plan -- based on the 2010 census -- was pretty well formulated to functionally divide Laveen Village between districts 7 and 8. Here are the maps of our new districts that took effect on January 1st, 2013:

And here we are, approaching the end of 2013, with Michael Nowakowski still serving in District 7 and newly elected Kate Gallego prepared to soon take office in District 8. Laveen has never had more direct advocacy on the city council, given that these two community leaders both live in or near Laveen and are involved in the community. 

However, this also raises the question of how Laveen is or should be divided. I feel particularly attuned to this issue, given that I recently moved from "Laveen District 7" to "SoMo District 8". The same folks who gave me grief for my audacious concern for Laveen from the north side of Baseline continued giving me grief after I joined them in their council district but left the village of Laveen (and somehow remained concerned about Laveen). Not only did I join the lower density south-of-Baseline folks, but I also moved into the true "South Phoenix" -- certainly a controversial name for our part of town in some circles. But then this evokes the notion that Laveen and the old South Phoenix are now more inextricably linked than ever. In fact, I even wrote a south Phoenix post in 2011, right before moving a few miles eastward, that still reflects how I feel about this topic. And here's the follow-up collaborative blog post with NPR's Nick Blumberg, with audio included.

I still maintain that I feel more connected to the old Laveen (Laveen 1.0) now than I did as a resident of the new Laveen (Laveen 2.0). I'm now anxious to see how the new-new Laveen (Laveen 2.1) evolves in light of this shift in political power and growth for the area. But that again evokes divisive terminology, just as high-density and low-density does. Given our area's glorious diversity, there seem to be endless opportunities to divide our community on any number of criteria... or unite for the common good. Good luck to Kate and Michael, who I trust to continue drawing on the area's strength in diversity and opportunities for future growth.

Historic Laveen-SoMo, Part One: Sachs-Webster House

In a series titled, "enDangered Dozen Historic Places List", the Phoenix Historic Preservation Coalition names Laveen's Sachs-Webster House as the #5 most endangered historic place in Phoenix. Here's the azcentral.com write-up about it: www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/20131007endangered-historic-phoenix-home-prog.html

As discussed with reporter Paulina Pineda, it's a little disheartening that this property is endangered. It is, after all, already owned by the city. The city, however, fails to maintain the property -- in part due to its relative isolation, but also because there is a lack of momentum behind restoring the structure. In 2011-2012, there was a lot of discussion about moving forward with a community-based initiative to restore the home and find a use for it, but that hasn't really progressed. What are your ideas?

Laveen Real Estate Update

Can you feel it? The pains from the real estate boom and bust are gradually easing, and more and more of us are finding ourselves back in the black every month, as far as home equity is concerned. Market distress is easing in Laveen:

Distressed inventories have diminished rapidly over the last two years, as more and more people take advantage of our low housing prices and centralized location with great amenities nearby. As this trend continues, builders have also come back to get in on the action. We've all observed renewed activity at some of our incomplete and "zombie" subdivisions, and I just learned of another major land deal that will hopefully be announced tomorrow, for the 20-acre parcel located on the northwest corner of 19th Avenue and Southern. According to a confidential source, at least two homebuilders bid against each other for the opportunity to build there. Things are most certainly heating up this summer, even in land transactions, which tend to lag the resale residential market.

Why all the hype? First, we offer a great value. Take a look at this recent post from my real estate blog, titled "South Side Special Report". I'll add here that while 'Tukee has had its day in the sun, I predict that it is now Laveen's turn to shine. This is owed in part to all of the good that's happening in Laveen and SoMo, but there's another reason as well: Take a look at this other post, titled "New Market Stats for July!", which features recent figures from ARMLS that point to an overall tight market in the Phoenix metro area.

The rising tide truly is helping all ships rise, and Laveen, like other "newer" communities, is seeing a return of boomerang buyers -- folks who lost their homes and are starting to buy again. According to this morning's real estate article in the AZ Republic, this group now makes up about 25-30% of all buyers, even as interest rates have risen steeply in the last month (but are still a phenomenal deal compared to historical rates). I know from my experience that this appears to be true and I am a huge fan. While I'm outraged that our state housing department didn't do more to help these folks when they needed it most (read more here), I see their desire to commit to our community as a tremendously positive sign. Local boomerang buyers are making a choice to reinvest where they already got burned once, and that takes faith and courage (not to mention, common sense).