Anna Thomasson, Town of Paradise Valley Town Council member
Photo provided by Anna Thomasson
By Anna Thomasson | Town of Paradise Valley council member
OPINION – In September, your Paradise Valley Town Council discussed whether to reduce the occupancy levels of group homes (generally senior living homes) from 10 to 6 residents. Since we are a single-family residential community, I said anything we can do to keep us closer to that standard would earn my support.
Subsequently, Scottsdale resident, Ms. Sherman Glaser, penned an opinion piece asking if I was opposed to large condominium complexes in Paradise Valley and asked for a response.
As background, Five Star Development is completing an 80-unit condo complex in Paradise Valley as part of the Ritz-Carlton project.
Our General Plan states, “The Town of Paradise Valley is a premier, low density, residential community in Arizona…incorporated with a conscious decision to preserve the natural desert and provide a semi-rural residential community with limited commercial development.” 75% of our town is zoned single-family residential (comprised of mostly 1+ acre lots) and only 6% of the town is devoted to resorts, resort residential, places of worship and schools.
I support the voter-approved General Plan and am especially passionate about maintaining our low density, single-family residential character and will not support any future high-density residential condo projects in our town.
The Five Star Development of the Ritz-Carlton project was narrowly approved after a long and contentious debate in 2017, by a 4:3 split Town Council vote. I was not on that council. Since construction began, the town has complied with the Development Agreement and supported the project. Although it is unfortunate the project has suffered years of construction delays and the recent foreclosure and bankruptcy filings, I will continue to support the Development Agreement and hope to see the resort and full project come to completion.
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