I respect Mike Scharnow and believe he is a good person to have on our Town Council. I do disagree with him, however, on the proposed apartment complex on Palisades Blvd., north of Shea Blvd. I have lived here since 1987 and have been a land owner since 1982 and the natural beauty of Fountain Hills is where the attraction lies for me, in addition to a small community feel.
The projected building site, in my eyes, is one of the most beautiful areas of the town and should not be utilized for apartment-style buildings. In addition, the traffic problems that will be caused on Palisades will cause problems for all of the surrounding neighbors, not just the neighbors who will have a view of the buildings. I do not live near this corner but utilize Palisades frequently and I can only imagine the problems caused by residents trying to turn left onto Palisades to access Shea. Residents heading to Highway 87 may forgo the left turn and turn right and drive through neighborhoods to access Fountain Hills Blvd., causing issues on the side streets.
If a large company was relocating to Fountain Hills, I believe the lack of affordable housing would be an issue, but this is not the case. However, apartments built on one of the most pristine hillsides in Fountain Hills will most likely not be considered affordable housing, so I might ask, “where is the need?”
I agree with Mike Scharnow regarding misinformation, and judging from voter turnout in the past, the word “majority” is very subjective. If you are going to vote, and please do so, do your homework, study the issues and ask yourself why you live in our beautiful community.
