Mayor Elaine Scruggs’
2006 State of the City Business Address

February 9, 2006
Glendale Civic Center

(Find a specific section of the speech by clicking the links below:
Introduction | Downtown | Jobing.com Arena | Westgate & Zanjero
Stadium | Annexation | Jobs | City Council Goals)

IN MY STATE OF THE CITY BUSINESS ADDRESS LAST YEAR, I SAID THAT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT POLICY DECISIONS FACING THE CITY COUNCIL IN 2005 WAS WHETHER TO MOVE GLENDALE’S CITY LIMITS FURTHER WEST IN OUR STRIP-ANNEXED AREA.

GLENDALE’S STRIP ANNEXED AREA WAS LEGALLY ESTABLISHED IN THE LATE 1970’S. IT IS GENERALLY BOUNDED BY PEORIA AVENUE ON THE NORTH, CAMELBACK ROAD ON THE SOUTH AND PERRYVILLE ROAD ON THE WEST.

GLENDALE’S POLICY REGARDING ANNEXATIONS HAS ALWAYS BEEN FOCUSED ON PREVENTING LEAP FROG DEVELOPMENT.

WE HAVE ANNEXED LANDS WITHIN THE TOTAL AREA AVAILABLE BASED ON DEVELOPMENT PLANS BEING PRESENTED. ALSO WE HAVE ANNEXED LANDS WHEN WE WERE CERTAIN WE COULD AFFORD TO PROVIDE SERVICES, WITHOUT NEGATIVELY IMPACTING EXISTING RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES.

RECENT ANNEXATIONS IN OUR WESTERN AREA INCLUDE LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, ---- AND ALL THE LAND ON WHICH OUR ARENA,---- WESTGATE,---- THE FOOTBALL STADIUM, ----ZANJERO, ----AGUA FRIA CENTER, AND OTHER PROMINENT DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN 83RD AVENUE AND 115TH AVENUE HAS BEEN BUILT IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS .

WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY PUSHING FURTHER WEST, THE CITY OF GLENDALE BEGAN RECEIVING AN INCREASING NUMBER OF INQUIRIES ABOUT OUR WILLINGNESS TO ANNEX PROPERTY WEST OF 115TH AVENUE AND, IN PARTICULAR, IN THE AREA OF THE PLANNED NORTHERN AVENUE EXPRESSWAY AND THE LOOP 303 FREEWAY.

AFTER DISCUSSING THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE DURING FOUR PUBLIC STUDY SESSIONS, THE COUNCIL DIRECTED OUR PLANNING STAFF TO PURSUE VOLUNTARY ANNEXATION WITH INTERESTED PROPERTY OWNERS ALONG THE LOOP 303 CORRIDOR.

SINCE I LAST SPOKE TO YOU, SEVERAL PROPERTY OWNERS HAVE ASKED TO BE ANNEXED INTO OUR CITY. THESE PROPERTIES ARE:

• 105 ACRES AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF PEORIA AND THE LOOP 303. PLANNED FUTURE USES FOR THE SITE INCLUDE RETAIL AND EMPLOYMENT. THIS ANNEXATION HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
• 738 ACRES AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF OLIVE AVENUE AND THE LOOP 303. A MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FEATURING RETAIL, EMPLOYMENT AND RESIDENTIAL IS PLANNED.
• 445 ACRES AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF NORTHERN AVENUE AND COTTON LANE PLANNED FOR SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT.
• IN ADDITION THERE HAS BEEN A CITY-INITIATED ANNEXATION OF 159 ACRES AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF 115TH AND GLENDALE AVENUES. AN EXISTING CITY OF GLENDALE RECYCLING FACILITY IS LOCATED ON THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SITE AND WE WILL BE CONSTRUCTING A NEW REGIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING FACILITY ON THE SOUTHERN PORTION.

PROPERTY OWNERS INTERESTED IN COMING INTO THE CITY OF GLENDALE CONTINUE TO CONTACT US AND EACH ARE GIVEN THE INFORMATION NEEDED FOR THEM TO MAKE THE BEST DECISION TO SUIT THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES.

I WOULD LIKE TO TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT HOW SMALL IN LAND SIZE GLENDALE REALLY IS. ORIGINALLY GLENDALE’S STRIP ANNEXATION AREA CONTAINED ABOUT 55 SQUARE MILES. SINCE THE COMPLETION OF RECENT ANNEXATIONS, THERE ARE ONLY 35 SQUARE MILES LEFT. OF THOSE, ONLY ABOUT 15 SQUARE MILES CAN BE DEVELOPED. THE REST OF THE AREA IS EITHER ALREADY DEVELOPED OR HAS SEVERE LIMITATIONS DUE TO SUBSIDENCE PROBLEMS, SALT MINES AND OTHER NATURAL LIMITATIONS.

HOWEVER, EVEN IF ALL 35 SQUARE MILES WERE ANNEXED INTO OUR CITY, GLENDALE WOULD BE LESS THAN 100 SQUARE MILES IN SIZE. I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT WEST VALLEY CITIES SUCH AS BUCKEYE WITH A 600 SQUARE MILE AREA AND SURPRISE WITH OVER 300 SQUARE MILES. THE TENDENCY IS TO THINK ALL WEST VALLEY CITIES ARE GROWING INTO MEGA PROPORTIONS. THAT IS DEFINITELY NOT THE CASE IN GLENDALE.

THEREFORE, OUR ZONING DECISIONS FOR LANDS ANNEXED INTO GLENDALE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE WELL THOUGHT OUT, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE LOOP 303 CORRIDOR --- JUST AS THEY WERE ALONG THE LOOP 101 CORRIDOR. WE MUST MAXIMIZE EVERY OPPORTUNITY IN ORDER TO CREATE GLENDALE’S BEST POSSIBLE FUTURE.