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Get the latest information about what's happening in the Ocotillo District and the city of Glendale by visiting the Ocotillo District Weekly Update page. You can also sign up to receive these newsletters via e-mail.

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Coffee and Conversation

Join Councilmember Goulet as he continues his Coffee and Conversation sessions for residents of the Ocotillo District.   The next event will be Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009 from 5 – 6:30 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club, 6420 W. Maryland Ave.  Enjoy a drink while discussing your ideas, suggestions and concerns about your neighborhood and Glendale. 

The Swift Kids Branch of the Boys and Girls Club is one of the newest centers in the metropolitan Phoenix area and is next to Harold W. Smith School.  Take this opportunity to tour the facility and get information on  programs that are available at the club for members of our community.  Call (623) 930-2250 for more information.

National Register of Historic Places

Property owners in four separate subdivisions of Catlin Court will be presented with Bronze Plaques to indicate their homes have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Listing on the National Register requires that properties be associated with an architectural style, person or event of historical importance, that the property has maintained its historic integrity and generally be at least 50 years old. 

 About 118 “Contributing Properties” will be receiving this recognition at ceremonies in July and August 2009.

Ocotillo District Capital Improvement Projects

The following projects were completed and paid for with Ocotillo District funds.

• Signage is important and beneficial.  With the completion of Grand Avenue and the changes in traffic patterns that resulted, additional signs were installed in four locations to guide visitors to the downtown. 
• The Glendale Community Center is a vital community gathering place in the Ocotillo District.  New furniture was purchased for the lobby as well as tables and chairs for the activity rooms.  This has improved the aesthetics as well as the usefulness of the facility.  The Community Center is available for group rental and the new furniture will go a long way in making the facility more appealing and desirable.  Funds raised through rentals will be used for programming.
• Bingo is a favorite activity of those attending the Glendale Community Center.  A new Bingo Machine was recently installed which will be used for regular daily activities as well as special events. 
• There were several locations in the Heart of Glendale and the Orchard Glen neighborhoods that received a clean-up of the Rights of Ways.  Applications of Post and Pre-emergent solutions improved the appearance of these areas. 

Neighborhood Improvement Grants

• Design plans are complete for the first portion of the East Catlin Court Historic District streetscape project.  This is a large project that includes right-of-way landscaping such as the installation of new pedestrian lighting and trees.  The construction, due to start in the fall of 2009, will be funded by a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).  Historic street signs were recently installed.  Funding for additional design plans and the installation of driveway aprons was recently approved by the Commission on Neighborhoods.  East Catlin Court Historic District boundaries are Myrtle to Orangewood, 55th to 57th avenues.
• Design plans are underway for pedestrian lighting in the Floralcroft Historic Neighborhood (59th to 61st avenues between State and Myrtle).  The construction phase of this project has been recommended as a possible use of federal stimulus money.

Parks Update

Design plans for the redevelopment of Sands Park are nearly complete.  Plans will incorporate some “green” construction techniques such as solar lighting, computerized irrigation and xeriscape landscaping.

Northern Avenue Storm Drain Project

Construction has started on a project to install storm drains along Northern Avenue from 47th to 63rd avenues.  Traffic will be restricted (east and west) usually to one lane in each direction.  Some lateral lines will also be installed which are designed to bring water from the side of the street into the storm drain pipe. In order to reduce the impact on traffic at 59th and Northern avenues, the contractor will tunnel underneath 59th Avenue to insert the storm drain pipe under that intersection.  This will require the excavation of two large pits in Northern Avenue, one on either side of 59th Avenue for the contractor to be able to perform this installation.  This process will begin early July and take approximately three months to complete.  The entire project is expected to take about 13 months. Please click here to read the latest newsletter.

Visual Improvement Program (VIP) Check Presentation

On July 1 Councilmember Goulet presented a Visual Improvement Program (VIP) check to David Chang, owner of Zang's Asian Bistro, for improvements made to his newest building at 5819 W. Glendale.   

Glendale's VIP assists in the improvement of commercial and industrial properties by offering a rebate of up to 50 percent of any qualified improvement costs. These funds help support commercial and industrial property owners and long-term tenants who want to reinvest in and renovate their properties. The program is intended to improve the aesthetic nature of properties and to assist in bringing properties up to current building and property code standards. For more information about this program, including eligibility requirements, click here.

Glendale's Green House

Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona (HFHCAZ) has built its first Platinum Level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified home in Glendale’s Ocotillo District. This unique project is located at 54th Avenue & McLellan Road. Read more about the construction of this home and the new Glendale 11 program featuring the project.

Habitat for Humanity’s mission is to eliminate substandard housing and build affordable housing and community partnerships that promote spiritual values and individual responsibility. There are four criteria to quality for a Habitat for Humanity home, including need, ability to pay an interest-free mortgage, willingness to participate in the construction process and the ability to legally work within the United States.