I suggest a compromise for the Daybreak project.

What’s right with the project? More than two-thirds of the land is set aside as green open space or common space; that’s remarkable. The height is significantly lower than would be the case with the already approved conference hotel design; that’s a plus.

What is causing concern? The style. When you drive up Shea, top the hill and look out over Fountain Hills, what do you see? A beautiful valley sprinkled with homes that blend into the desert landscape. There is harmony between the structures and the surrounding desert. The homes are earth tones and the overall feel is of territorial/modified territorial or pueblo design. That type of style is timeless in the Sonoran desert; it will never look dated. Why not follow that aesthetic?

The current design, though nice, is generic. It looks like it could be built in Omaha or Sacramento or Portland. It isn’t uniquely desert or uniquely Fountain Hills, and that’s what I’m hearing people say they want to see – a recognition of the unique beauty of this particular place. Also, this design may be popular today, but how fast will it go out of style, leaving us with a dated structure at the gateway to our town?

Why not rethink the design so that it would be widely accepted as being in harmony with the desert? When territorial or pueblo design is created by a talented architect, the result is stunning. This could be an interesting, exciting west entry to Fountain Hills.

My proposal: The town council approves the project on condition that some redesign be done so that it leans toward a territorial/modified territorial or pueblo style design – something with which most residents will be comfortable and which will stand the test of time.