We have all heard people’s first impression upon reaching the top of the hill at Palisades and Shea Blvds. and viewing the scenic overlook. The Daybreak site is the very heart and soul of what Fountain Hills represents and what makes it the most beautiful town in Arizona to live in.
In 1970, I first visited Arizona attending a business seminar at the Arizona Biltmore. My second trip was in 1972 for a national association to sign up new contractors. I stayed on a few more days and took in Scottsdale. As a builder and a major subcontractor, I saw the opportunity for growth in my types of businesses. In 1976, New York City went broke. The building industry was in a recession; I had to sue a state agency that owed my company a half million dollars. It was time to leave; I sold everything but my rental income properties.
A cousin-in-law of mine with whom I had built a college night club had a sister living in Arizona. Her husband was building on Dobson Ranch in Mesa. He had visited them in December 1977. As I was already considering California and Florida to move to and start new businesses, my cousin suggested I look in Arizona. In January 1978, we came here and, looking in Mesa, Phoenix and Scottsdale, we saw a sign, “12 miles to Fountain Hills.” As I came over the hilltop and saw the expansive view, natural desert and all the mountains, I was smitten that day. I put deposits on five building lots and told a realtor to find me a new home with four bedrooms and a swimming pool. The rest is history. Please read my “eminent domain” ad. Let’s save the site.
