Survey Results Are In

No, not that survey.... You can view a recent press release for the "Let's Build the 202" survey, conducted by HighGround, right here (and read more about the group in my last blog post).... But I'm talking about the informal little community survey that so many members of our community FB group completed last week. Thank you again to everyone who responded.

So did we ask our 60 respondents about the Loop 202, or what? Ha, of course we did! But you'll have to get to know us a little bit before we tell you our deepest feelings about the freeway, so here goes:

Who Took the Survey?

Given that 51st Avenue and Baseline serves as a sort of epicenter for commercial activity in Laveen, we checked our sampling by asking respondents to identify where they lived, based on the four quadrants that extend from this intersection and the streets that form it. Here's our result:

We then wanted to know where people tend to work, and therefore where they tend to commute each day. Here's our result:

*Other = mostly retired or "all over" (or some variation)

Then there are those standard survey questions, like how much do you make, what is your age, and are you a renter or homeowner:

What is Laveen Thinking?

To begin answering this question, I thought it important to start with a question of how Laveen residents view our community, which should echo how we would like our community to be viewed. Here's how resident's answered the question, "With which of the following geographic areas do you think Laveen is generally most associated?"

*Other = a couple of obvious fake responses, not worth examining

Open essay question: "What do you like most about living in Laveen?" Lots of great responses to this one, but it requires further analysis -- perhaps even it's own blog post. For now, let's just say that the clear winners were proximity to downtown and open spaces (often mentioned in the same response).

"What are the three (3) most important issues facing the Laveen community in the next year? (Note: you must select exactly three)"

*Other = police and housing related issues

 So...... Now Can We Talk about the Loop 202?

Okay, fine! Here's what you've been waiting for: "Do you support the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway? More info available at http://www.azdot.gov/southmountainfreeway/"

*15 respondents offered varying explanations. Further discussion to follow.

 Conclusions & Summary

This section should more appropriately be titled "More to Come" -- we have made a great start at developing a helpful community profile, but this leads to a need for further discussion and analysis. For starters, a friend pointed out that by only getting 60 or so survey respondents via our FB group (N=780), my sampling might be a little bit flawed. Good point, but this is also helpful info. What I can guess based on my sample size is that I'm allowing a +10% margin of error; but perhaps, more productively, I can learn about our FB group participants by analyzing how they vary from the overall community profile. For instance, I know that our respondents skew high in income and I can guess that they also skew higher than the community for education. Makes sense, since these are the same folks who are most actively discussing community issues via social media.

What I most importantly gained from this survey is a strong reinforcement of how today's high efficacy Laveen residents feel about the freeway (I think that's the correct jargon for smart and involved folks). I can also deduce that Laveen residents generally understand the economic impacts we can expect from the freeway, given the overwhelming support for transportation infrastructure and economic development (*could be a fluke, but I invited people to respond at a time that the 202 discussion was at the forefront). And finally, we have lots more to talk about after making our appearances at the Loop 202 public meeting tomorrow. See you there. Oh, and more to come.... Stay tuned.

Loop 202 Moving Forward!!!

At least one traffic jam has been eliminated in the Loop 202 South Mountain Corridor's approval process. As of June 10th, Phoenix's Street Transportation Department has gone on record to say:

The Street Transportation Department recommends MAG and ADOT expedite the planning process for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway from the I-10 at 59th Avenue to approximately the Estrella Drive alignment in Phoenix.

Rumor has it that Councilman Nowakowski and others will champion this at the next City Council meeting, so that it is passed along as a directive to MAG and ADOT to commence work on this vital project.

I must applaud the wise words of Wylie Bearup, Interim Director of the Street Transportation Department, for pointing out:

The Street Transportation Department continues to push for the construction of the north-south portion of the freeway. The southwestern area of the City was developing rapidly prior to the most recent economic downturn. The City has planned the street network in the area based on an assumption of a freeway to carry significant north/south traffic. The freeway also provides a much needed additional crossing of the Salt River. Since there is wide-spread agreement on the alignment for this section, the department would prefer that construction begin soon to take advantage of the current market conditions.

That's us, by the way.... the rapidly growing part of southwestern Phoenix. If the people just over the mountain from us realize what a new freeway can bring them, in terms of services to their community (like a hospital, for instance), then perhaps that portion of the freeway will hurry along in step with this one. Now is definitely the time to make this happen.

Loop 202 News

Here's a message from ADOT Spokesperson, Timothy Tait, offered as a follow-up to concerns from residents after the Local Laveen Summit last month:

At this point, ADOT is awaiting direction from the leaders of the region on how to proceed forward. While a freeway has been proposed up to this point, we recognize that this may change into a different type of roadway. "What" is not decision of ADOT, but of the leaders of the region through the Maricopa Association of Governments. ADOT doesn't plan Valley freeways -- rather, we serve to complete the formal studies, design, construct and maintain the network.

South Mountain does have a long history. ADOT completed the first environmental study in 1988 before regional funding fell short and the freeway was removed from the planned highway network. Through the 2004 vote in Maricopa County, ADOT again received funding to study the South Mountain Freeway in 2006. Like any Environmental Impact Statement for a long, complex project, this study has taken time. At the time we were stopped because of the roadway-configuration debate, the study was on track for release this summer. That, obviously, cannot happen at this time. Any change from the 10-lane freeway concept will require some degree of reanalysis to conform with all federal regulations, since this is a Federal Aid project.

Another take (or two) on this issue:

Mr. Tait's statement above was prompted by emails from two Laveen residents, one of whom has been a member of the community for several decades and the other a more recent addition. Each had a different perspective on why we need to make the Loop 202 freeway a reality in our community.

One of the residents, Mary, moved to Laveen a few years ago (as did I). She did not move to Laveen because of its past heritage, but because of the proximity to downtown Phoenix and availability of nice new homes, golf courses, and the promise of future development. Mary is concerned about Laveen's economic growth and sees the freeway as a way to spur this growth, as well as provide a bypass for the I-10 freeway through Phoenix.

Shelley has been in Laveen since the 1960s and has seen the community grow exponentially in recent years. She does live here for the ranch lifestyle, but sees the freeway as a much needed reliever for all the traffic that our recent growth has brought upon the community. She cites the fact that many "old Laveen" residents share her view, despite the very vocal few who essentially deny our growth trajectory as a reality. She notes that, "Our growth is a fact of life and with it comes the need for better transportation." Furthermore, she points out that we need to get the already busy bypass traffic off of 51st Avenue and onto a freeway.

My take

It's interesting....well, interesting to me at least: I initially thought that I couldn't offer a new perspective to those posted above. But after I drafted my response, I think I came up with something of a judicious and refreshing addition to the discussion (oh please, stop with the flattery). If you have been reading my blog posts, then you already know that I'm something of a "big picture" thinker; in which case my viewpoints will not likely surprise you.

I feel that both Mary and Shelley are correct in their assessments about Laveen's transportation needs. We have experienced significant residential growth in recent years and are poised for even more thanks to our proximity to Phoenix's central business district (and ASU, the airport, Glendale, etc.). Furthermore, we are well positioned to cultivate our ongoing growth into a great new model for a suburban community, building on the plans already hotly debated and settled (hopefully), thanks to groups like the LCRD and the city-county collaboration that resulted in the Southwest Regional Growth Study (see link on the side-bar of this page). Laveen is and always has been a rural community, and our master plan of record would ensure that this remains true as we welcome even more residents and businesses.

At a time that our metropolitan region exemplifies and amplifies the housing crisis affecting our country, people are becoming more selective in their choice of residence because they now have more options than ever. Again and again, research and intuition collide in acknowledging culture and character as some of the toughest qualities to break and some of the most important to people. Therefore, I hope that Laveen will continue growing to provide modern conveniences while maintaining a unique character and proud legacy (note: look to the series of highly critical articles that The Economist published back in 2005-2006 about Phoenix and Scottsdale).

If we don't preserve something of the old Laveen--and build upon projects that celebrate its history--we offer very little to future investors besides proximity to downtown, the airport, or the South Mountain foothills. So, while our master plan helps to preserve Laveen's character, the completion of a local freeway helps connect us to the rest of Phoenix, thus enabling Laveen to better complement all of the other communities that make up this ever-growing city and huge metropolis. So while it provides a much needed local commuter route and a regional bypass, the Loop 202 South Mountain alignment also makes possible such regionally important developments as a hospital, a super-regional shopping center or two, additional office space, and the ancilliary employment that supports the above--all coincidentally slated for Laveen, but benefiting the rest of the region as well.

Conclusion

So what do we need to do? Well, for those of us with our feet firmly planted here, the answer is clear. We need to do what we can to advocate for the continuation of all Loop 202 studies and the eventual completion of the South Mountain Corridor, whether it be a freeway, parkway, or a major thoroughfare by any other name. I'll follow up on this soon, but for now, I would recommend contacting your MAG representatives (political representatives, not staff). Also, make sure you tell your friends to do the same. If you know anyone in Michael Nowakowski or Mary Rose Wilcox's office, then by all means call them. Be the squeaky wheel; you might be surprised at how receptive both offices are.

*If you are the diplomatic type, then please help your pitifully misguided friends and family in Ahwatukee understand that they too should support the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. Very few houses stand in the way of the proposed freeway's path, and those that do shouldn't have been built anyhow. Plus, imagine how convenient it will be when our friends at Club West can take advantage of our new retail and hospital, neither of which will likely come to Ahwatukee anytime soon without the freeway.

*And one more thing.... I've heard that Mayor Phil Gordon does not support the freeway. If this is in fact true, then I beg you to convince him otherwise. I think it's absolutely insane that Mr. Gordon would stand on the wrong side of this issue. Even if he prefers the support of Ahwatukee to that of Laveen, I would think he could benefit from the job creation that could come from the Loop 202--both short and long-term.