Nothing says spring in Arizona quite like the smell of hotdogs and the steady, rhythmic sound of a solid sphere smacking into the leather pocket of a baseball glove or the crack of a bat as your favorite team warms up on the field.

Like hiking South Mountain and climbing Piestewa Peak, spending the afternoon at one of the multiple Cactus League fields around the Valley is a rite of spring passage in Arizona.

The tradition started in the heart of South Phoenix when the Detroit Tigers were the first Major League Baseball team to set up camp and train here in 1929. The team played a few exhibition games with local teams and MLB teams at Phoenix Riverside Park, near Central Avenue and the Salt River.

Some community members yearn to awaken that history with a spring training facility on their “wish list” for the South Mountain/Laveen area. However, given the expense of building a stadium, it’s not likely to happen, even with the new South Mountain Freeway poised to bring in development when it opens in late 2019.

“It’s a nice fantasy, but not realistic,” says Phil Hertel, a longtime Laveen resident and a member of the Laveen Citizens for Responsible Development. “When you look at the price of hundreds of thousands of dollars per acre… well, I just don’t see it happening. It’s too expensive. I just don’t think it’s economically feasible.”

The City of Phoenix has only a single Cactus League facility–Maryvale Stadium–where the Milwaukee Brewers train and play each spring. City officials have shown little interest in stretching the city’s tight budget to accommodate something that pricey. Instead, suburban cities such as Goodyear, Surprise and Tempe have offered up state-of-the-art complexes to attract MBL teams.

At least for now, residents in Laveen and South Phoenix will have to get their spring baseball fix by driving to such nearby facilities, or from various youth sports leagues, including the Laveen Softball and Baseball Sports Association, formerly known as Laveen Youth Ball Association, that has served up recreational baseball, softball and T-ball to area children for 27 years in fall, summer and spring leagues.

The Laveen Baseball League was started five years ago and currently offers a spring season for area children. Both groups are registering now for spring. Visit www.lybaonline.com or www.laveenbaseball.com to learn more.

In Arizona, the baseball tradition started decades ago when in 1909 the White Sox were making their way home from training in California and stopped on March 30 in Yuma to play a game at the opening of the Laguna Dam in the Arizona Territory – statehood didn’t come until 1912. The dam on the Colorado River was no longer necessary by the late 1940s, but by then baseball had gotten a firm grip on the state.
According to the Society for American Baseball Research, after the Detroit Tigers spent the one season training in South Phoenix, there was a gap before the roots of the Cactus League took hold. In 1946 Tucson resident Bill Veeck purchased the Cleveland Indians and brought them to train at a guest ranch he owned.
The next year, the Giants came to Arizona to train at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, near the corner of Mohave and Central avenues. Four years later, the Chicago Cubs began training in Mesa.

Over the years, the league has grown and expanded to its current 15 teams in 10 stadiums. Andrew Bagnato, a spokesman for the Arizona Cactus League Association, said new stadiums in cities such as Surprise, Peoria and Goodyear offer homes to more than one team, which has helped the league to grow.
To bring a team back into South Phoenix or Laveen, the City of Phoenix would have to be willing to spend money, something that Hertel does not believe likely given the price of land.

Randy Policar, a spokesman for the City of Mesa, noted that when the Chicago Cubs were thinking of leaving the city because of the aging Hohokam Stadium, voters approved a $7.7 million package to build Riverview Park, adjacent the new state-of-the-art Cubs training facility, for residents to use year-round. The $99 million Sloan Park baseball stadium anchors a 146-acre sports complex that includes the stadium, practice fields and a player development center.

“The Cubs had a pretty significant offer from Naples, Florida,” Policar said. “Mesa had to make a good offer to keep them. The Cubs have trained in Arizona for more than 60 years. That’s a big of chunk of Cactus League and Arizona history that could have gone away.”

To persuade voters to support the new facility, Policar said the city added in all the park amenities that are used year-round by locals. “Reaction to the park has been incredible. It’s always busy, even when it’s 115 degrees.”

Mesa officials envision the multimillion dollar Sloan and Riverview complex as a destination itself for both locals and tourists. The park offers a lake with fishing, splash pads with multiple fixtures for different ages, a 50-foot tall Genesis climbing tower, a 60-foot long caterpillar mesh rope climbing structure, two playground clusters for ages 2-5, 6-12 and older, shade play and picnic areas, miles of accessible sidewalks and more.

Policar predicts that as new training facilities are built, the trend for dual purposes will continue. He points out the Peoria Sports Complex, which hosts two MBL teams, as well as the Peoria Javelinas, the Arizona League Padres and the Arizona League Mariners. The complex is also host a variety of events year-round. “It’s a regional draw, and just not for March,” he said.

The economic impact of the spring training on local tourism Valleywide is estimated at $544 million for 2015 (the most recent year the Cactus League has data available). Those dollars are specifically tied to out-of-town guests and expenditures. Another Cactus League study, which focuses on local expenditures, put the economic value at nearly $266 million.

This article first appeared in the March 2, 2017 print edition of the South Mountain District News.

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This is a guest column by Kevin Danzeisen, who owns and operates Danzeisen Dairy in Laveen with his family.

Many adults today think they can’t drink milk due to a lactose intolerance. At Danzeisen Dairy, we think our milk is so pure and fresh and bottled the old fashioned way, that you can drink our milk without experiencing discomfort.

So what is lactose intolerance? It’s different from a true milk allergy, which is triggered by the immune system, not our digestive system. Lactose intolerance is basically a discomfort that occurs when you drink more lactose than your body can absorb. All milk and dairy products contain natural (which is a key word here) milk sugar, which is called lactose.

Now, just to be clear, having a lactose intolerance is different from having milk allergies. If you are allergic to cow’s milk, that is triggered by your immune system and not the digestive system. Lactose intolerance occurs through the digestive process.

What’s interesting is that just 25 percent of people in the United States experience true lactose intolerance (according to the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine). That leaves a whole lot of people who should be drinking milk but instead are avoiding it! Remember, our bodies need calcium and vitamin D throughout our entire life to stay healthy and strong, especially as we age.

We hear from so many of our customers that they thought they couldn’t drink milk due to being lactose intolerant or experiencing discomfort when they drank other brands of milk. Time after time they write to us and say that once they tried Danzeisen Dairy’s milk, they have not had any problems with discomfort or intolerance.

Now, unscientifically, we think it’s because we bottle our milk the old-fashioned way using equipment from the 30s, 40s and 50s, which leaves our milk fresh and pure not to mention that we put that fresh and pure milk into glass bottles. Glass bottles ensure that you are tasting nothing but the milk itself.

Don’t believe us? Pick up a bottle of Danzeisen Dairy milk the next time you’re at the grocery store or at the creamery and give it a taste. We think you’ll agree!

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This article first appeared in the February 2017 print edition of the South Mountain District News.

For 2016, home prices in South Phoenix and Laveen galloped ahead with double-digit increases for all three ZIP codes in South Phoenix and a 9 percent price increase for homes sold in Laveen.

Home prices in Laveen increased from a 2015 average of $198,700 per house sold to an average of $216,400 for last year. In 85040, the average 2015 price was $132,500, up 12 percent from the $116,600 in 2015. Prices increased 13.6 percent in ZIP code 85041 to $187,400 up from about $162,000 the prior year. In 85042, the average sales price was $214,000 up 13 percent compared with 2015. All data is from the Arizona Multiple Listing Service, which does not include homes sold outside the listing service.

“Overall the Laveen and South Mountain real estate markets appear to have a firm foothold and continue to move forward at a healthy pace,” said Sam Lawmaster, a Laveen Realtor with the Realty ONE Group in Goodyear. “The continuation of historically low interest rates during 2016 has kept the momentum going in real estate by allowing buyers to purchase more home, as less of their mortgage payment goes towards interest.”

Real estate experts say the 2016 increases put the local housing market back on track to where it would have been if there hadn’t been a housing bubble that burst.

“Housing prices are consistently rising,” said Koni Gould, a Laveen Realtor with United Brokerage in Chandler. “The bottom line is all the graphs show that the housing prices are right where they would have been if we hadn’t had the bubble in 2004-2006.

“With that being said, the houses that were purchased in 2004 are selling for about what people paid for them. But the homes bought in 2005 and 2006 – at the height of the bubble – still have a way to go before values will match purchase prices.”

Gould said that if the housing market stays steady, home prices average a 4 percent annual increase – so it will take another six to eight years before the folks who bought at the high end of the market high will recoup their purchase prices.

Carlie Back, owner of the Carlie Back Team and a Realtor with Keller Williams in Phoenix, said the numbers reflect a “strong and balanced housing market.”

“Last year was a very strong year,” she said. She predicts 2017 will keep the same pace.

“We have good job growth. We don’t have national disasters like other places. Our prices are affordable and interest rates are still low,” Back said.

She believes the $180,000 to $200,000 price range will remain strong, as there still are not quite enough homes to meet demand for that market – making it a strong seller’s market.

For higher-price homes, such as $400,000 and up, buyers in that price range tend to overlook South Phoenix and Laveen.

“The higher end is more of a buyer’s market. There aren’t as many buyers looking … they would be pleasantly surprised if they did and they saw what they would get for the money,” Back noted.

One factor that may slightly slow home sales in the local area is that the Pathway to Purchase program is going away. Jeffrey Hale, a Realtor at Turf Realty in Phoenix, said the program has helped a lot of first-time buyers in South Phoenix and Laveen gain financing for their first home.

“With that gone, it’s not going to be as crazy as it was,” Hale said. “We had multiple people bidding on houses in the 85339 area.”

He predicts a more normal rate of growth for 2017 as foreclosures have tapered off to a small steady number. “Housing prices going up is a good thing. The housing prices in this area were way too cheap for a long while.”

All four realtors say it is difficult to predict how politics and a new president will play into the housing market. “Politics are a huge ‘wait and see’,” Hale said.

Nationally, Phoenix is predicted to be the top housing market in terms of growth and sales price, according to Realtor.com, a web site that tracks and analyzes data nationwide.

In its annual year-end article predicting what will happen in the coming year, Realtor.com said that strong local economies and population growth will continue to fuel the hottest markets.

The Realtor.com 2017 top 10 housing markets based on price and sales gains are: 1. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz.; 2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif.; 3. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H.; 4. Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, Calif.; 5. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif.; 6. Jacksonville, Fla.; 7. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla.; 8. Raleigh, N.C.; 9. Tucson, Ariz.; and 10. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Ore.-Wash.

This dovetails with Gould’s local predictions, too, especially as new home construction is popping up again all around the area. “This shows that we have a strong housing economy, and that we are still on track for a very strong market in the next few years,” Gould said.

Here are some breakdowns by ZIP code:

(Laveen) 85339

The average sales price of homes sold in Laveen rose 8.9 percent over 2015, going from a 2015 average of $198,700 to $216,400 in 2016. The number of homes sold also increased by 106 completed sales. Houses priced in the $200,00 to $250,000 range saw the most sales activity during 2016, accounting for 311 of the 980 homes sold during the year.

The month of December 2016 showed a reduction of 5.4 percent in number of closed home sales but 9.5 percent growth in sales price compared with 2015. Lawmaster said this may be an indicator of sales prices beginning to flatten as supply outpaced demand year over year. For comparison, the number of homes sold in December 2015 compared to 2014 had a massive 73.6 percent increase accompanied by a 13.5 percent expansion in sales price.

Based on statistical averages and means applied to data from ARMLS, the average home sold in Laveen last year had 2,150 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, was one story, had no pool, sat on a 9,746 square feet lot. The most active subdivision was Laveen Farms, and most homes sold had Betty Fairfax listed as the high school.

South Phoenix 85040

During 2016, the average home in 85040 sold for $132,500, up 12 percent from 2015. Sales activity also increased year over year with 354 homes sold, a 10 percent gain. It took an average of 42 days to sell a home in 85040, a decrease of 3 days from 2015, reflecting higher levels of buyer readiness to make a purchase. When comparing the month of December between 2015 and 2016, the monthly average sales price and volume were flat, with average price gaining 1.2 percent and volume of closed sales remaining the same with 26 closed sales in December of both years.

The average home in 85040 sold during 2016 was single story with 1,375 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, no pool, and an 814 square-foot lot. The most commonly occurring subdivision was Copper Leaf. There are several condominiums in the Copper Leaf subdivision and some smaller properties in the popular Hallcraft Villas subdivision that contributed to the average home sold in this ZIP having smaller attributes.

South Phoenix 85041

This South Mountain zip code saw increases in sales and list prices during 2016, but was flat in sales and listing volumes. The average sales price in 85041 increased 13.6 percent over 2015 to $187,400, while the average list price gained 15.3 percent year over year to $211,600. The busiest price range for both sales and listings was $160,00 to $180,000 with 209 sales and 244 listings.

During December 2016, 59 homes were sold, dropping 14.5 percent from 2015 which had 69 closed sales for the same time. The average sales price for the month, however, increased year over year to $186,200, a gain of 9 percent. “Like Laveen, the decoupling of sales price and volume may indicate a flattening of sales price soon. When you compare Decembers for 2015 and 2014 in 85041, the growth of sales price and volume were in lockstep,” Lawmaster observed.

The average home in 85041 sold during 2016 was a single-story with 1,906 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, no pool, and a 7,920 square-foot lot. The most active subdivision was Barcelona.

South Phoenix 85042

This was a strong ZIP code for sales price and volume during 2016. There were 604 homes sold with an average sales price of $214,000, seeing increases of approximately 13 percent in both sales volume and price from 2015 to 2016. It took 58 days on average to sell a home in 2016, 8 percent less time (5 days) than in 2015. The month of December saw a disconnect between sales volume and price. There was a 31 percent gain in homes sold during the month compared to 2015 (59 vs. 45), but an 8 percent decrease in sales price, dropping $18,00 on average between the two December reporting periods.

The average home sold in 85042 during 2016 was single story with 1,743 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, no pool, and a 4,950-square foot lot. The most commonly occurring subdivision was Raven Condominiums. “The fact that Raven Condominiums was the most common subdivision may have skewed some of the average home’s attributes downward, so keep that in mind when visualizing this imaginary home built by statistics,” Lawmaster said.

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This article first appeared in the January edition of the South Mountain District News.

Community leaders say 2017 will be a year of many positive changes for the suburban community that takes pride in a rural atmosphere set against the backdrop of South Mountain. From an improved housing market to more retail, leaders said we should see economic growth while maintaining the diversity that makes the community unique.

The South Mountain District News compiled a list of five questions that were asked of multiple members of the community, including leaders and both new and long-time residents. We are sharing a sampling of the responses here.

Question 1: For 2017, what do you predict will be the most pressing issue facing the Laveen community? Why do you consider this an important issue?

Question 2: What do you expect for the housing in market in Laveen next year and why?

Question 3: What are your economic expectations for Laveen as a result of construction starting on the South Mountain Freeway?

Question 4: What is one aspect of Laveen that you treasure and why?

Question 5: What is on your wish list for Laveen?

Councilman Michael Nowakowski, D-7

He has served on Phoenix City Council since being elected in 2008.

Kate Gallego 150 x 129 pixelsQuestion 1: There are many issues that the Laveen community is passionate about, but one of the most pressing is the need to increase patrol officers. In order to keep Laveen neighborhoods safe, we must have the necessary police officers on the street to respond to calls for service. We have increased sworn police officers, but we need to ensure every area has the necessary police staffing to respond quickly to the community’s calls for service and to keep officers safe during calls.

Question 2: The City of Phoenix has seen an increase in building permits this past year with the number of single lots submitted for preliminary site plan review up 70 percent, total inspections are up 25 percent, and our Planning and Development Department reports that construction activity in Laveen was up for 2016. Given the citywide trends in permitting and construction inspections, I expect a healthy housing market in Laveen for 2017.

Question 3: District 7 has experienced dynamic job growth along the Southwest Phoenix Industrial Corridor and continues to welcome companies like Medline, Stitch Fix, PAC Worldwide and Hadrian Manufacturing to the area. We are looking forward to continued growth and new investments in the Laveen area as a direct result of the South Mountain Freeway to usher in a high technology corridor and quality, high-paying jobs.  Major freeway infrastructure investments such as this will provide several opportunities for business that include improved access to a talented workforce, new utilities, and connectivity to the rest of the region.  All of these things are likely to attract new investment in both retail opportunities and employment-related sectors as a new, key high technology commercial corridor is created along the freeway.

Question 4: I treasure the diversity of Laveen.  When you come to Laveen you can experience an environment of rural meets urban with farms, dairies, ranch homes, new home subdivisions an influx of new restaurants and shops. I value how Laveen wants to keep a rural feel but at the same time welcomes new development to their community. I also treasure the unique community events that Laveen residents produce each year – the annual Laveen BBQ and community parade, as well as the Memorial Day event at Cesar Chavez Park to honor our fallen officers and firefighters. These unique events show off the spirit of Laveen residents and demonstrate our pride in our community and our city.

Question 5: My wish is to have safe neighborhoods across Laveen, including an increase in patrol officers and establishing the Estrella police precinct as a full precinct. It also has been a wish of mine and the community to secure funding to build and maintain a community center at Cesar Chavez Park. A community center will be a place where kids can join safe, supervised activities and get active in quality sports programs and where people of all ages can participate in affordable general-interest classes to learn new skills.

Councilwoman Kate Gallego, D-8

She has represented District 8 on the Phoenix City Council for the past three years.

Question 1: Recently we celebrated the beginning of construction of the 202 South Mountain Freeway, and 2017 is the year when construction will be in full swing.  As the Loop 202 extension progresses, we will finally begin to see the expansion of services that Laveen families have been asking for — new restaurants, construction of a movie theater, and the types of amenities that come with accessibility and connectedness with the rest of the Valley.  At the same time, we will have to do a careful job of balancing this with the things that make Laveen a unique community. This balancing act will be a delicate, but a critical one as this year kicks off what will be a consequential time in Laveen’s history.

Question 2: While I’m not a real estate professional and so am not qualified to speculate about the housing market, the Laveen and South Mountain areas are among the most desired places for young families in the Valley.  With access to schools, natural beauty, and a strong community, Laveen will continue to be a place where residents will come in 2017.

Question 3: The construction of the South Mountain Freeway will be the jumpstart to a period of economic prosperity in Laveen.  Business leaders from around the Valley and around the country have told me how they have plans to expand to Laveen with the coming of the freeway, bringing services and amenities that will be second-to-none in the Valley.  Laveen is at the outset of an economic era that will bring not just jobs, but improved quality of life.

Question 4: To me, what makes Laveen special is its people. It’s rare to find a community that, despite having over 100,000 residents, is still a place where people take care of each other.  The vibrancy of Laveen, and the warmth with which neighbors support neighbors, make it a place I’m proud to represent.

Question 5: In 2017, I hope that we continue to grow not just bigger, but better.  When neighbors take the time to get to know each other, get involved in their community, volunteer, and do all the things that make a community strong — that is what will make 2017 a great year in Laveen.  I hope to do my part, and look forward to what 2017 has to bring in Laveen.

Rob Olson

He is a Laveen resident and owner of Red Bus Realty.

Question 1: Traffic.  Baseline Road is already busy, with overspill onto Dobbins and Southern.  We may start to see construction too, as the freeway begins to take shape.  That will create its own set of headaches.  But, it’s a means to an end.

Question 2: I expect nothing but great things for the housing market in Laveen. Right now, we have an inventory crunch.  It’s a sellers’ market around here. Laveen is also a community that is covered under the “Pathway to Purchase” down payment assistance program.  When people are presented with the opportunity to buy a home with little, or no money down, I need houses to put them in.

Question 3: The Valley lacks a “big city” transit system.  We primarily travel by car everywhere.  So, freeway access is a premium.  Having a freeway through this community will certainly bring more retail.  We’re starting to see more development around 51st Ave and Baseline.  Retail also brings jobs.

Question 4: What is one aspect of Laveen that you treasure and why?

I still like that it’s semi-rural.  We have wide open fields so close to downtown.  There are ranches and farms. And there are the amenities and beauty of South Mountain, too.

Question 5: I’d love to see more community events.  We have great people living here.  Let’s all get together and do great things!

Jeff Hale, 12-year resident

He is also a partner at Turf Realty and co-leader of Laveen Soccer.

Question 1: I don’t think there will be a major problem in the Laveen area, but if I had to choose one thing that will be an annoyance, it would probably be driving in traffic that will get a little worse as the growth continues.

Question 2: The housing market will continue to be strong in Laveen.  In the Phoenix Metro area, the market for homes under $250,000 is still hot and with the incentive programs that encourage people to buy in Laveen, the market will just get hotter.

Question 3: The construction of the South Mountain Freeway will only strengthen the economy here in Laveen.  The easy commute from Laveen to other parts of the Valley will get even easier with the freeway and it will attract more people who want new affordable houses in a great location.  More houses will be built to accommodate that demand and a higher population will encourage commercial and retail to follow, producing even more jobs and economic growth.

Question 4: I love the diversity! I honestly can’t think of another part of the Valley that boasts such a mix of race, culture, religion, etc.

Question 5:  How big can my list be?  I’d love to see more parks that are lit at night, a Major League Baseball spring training facility, movie theater, Costco or Sam’s Club, restaurants, offices, etc.
Phillip Wooley, 16-year Laveen resident

He is principal at Betty Fairfax High School and a member of the Laveen Village Planning Committee.

Question 1: Corporate social responsibility. The residential and commercial developers must continue to take into consideration those of us that call Laveen home.

Question 2: I would expect that the housing market will continue to increase for 2017. We need to make sure our educational opportunities are prepared for the growth.

Question 3: The South Mountain Freeway will bring new positive growth and challenges for Laveen.

Question 4: Although growing all the time, Laveen still has that sense of a small-town community. That is rare in most areas around the Valley.

Question 5: A community pool is on my wish list.

Wendy Ensminger, 12-year resident.

She is also the president of the Laveen Association of HOAs.

Question 1: The most pressing issue is economic development. It is going to be a challenge to mix the small town feel that we have all lived with and the development that will be coming.

The Laveen character is “rural, equestrian and open space.” The open space will be gone with development. I hope that the City of Phoenix will not circumvent the other two, and ruin the character of Laveen and what makes us a unique village in the City of Phoenix.

Question 2: I do think the housing market in Laveen will pick up. I think existing home prices won’t climb very much, but with all the residential zoning requests that were approved we should see an increase in new homes.  We will probably see some apartment complexes going up as well.

Question 3: If the city does it right the economic development for Laveen should be considerable, but I don’t hold out much hope for that. Our representation for Laveen is lacking.  It is becoming a joke that the city only cares about downtown and the rest of the villages are taking a back seat.  Laveen could be an economic jewel, but I don’t see that happening.

Question 4: The small town feel in the big city (we are 20 minutes away for the airport, downtown, sporting events etc.).  Little story ? At Fry’s (51st and Baseline) I pulled into the parking lot and parked next to a truck with a goat and hay in the back, next to that truck a BMW was parked, and I thought what a unique place to live.  I also love the diversity of Laveen; we really have a great community in Laveen

Question 5: “We are going to grow as a Village (economically and population).  I hope that we grow thoughtfully and responsibly, this could be the best place to live in Phoenix.

Kevin Danziesen, Laveen resident

Danziesen and his family own and operate Danziesen Dairy in Laveen.

Question 1: Sounds weird, but traffic.  With the building of the Loop 202 (South Mountain Freeway) we could see substantial road closures.  Getting to major freeways is already a big issue and this could make it worse.  We’re glad this is a short-term problem.

Question 2: We expect the housing market to stay steady. It’s easy to get over confident because of the Loop; however, we feel steady is good!!

Question 3: Expectations are high.  It won’t take long for businesses realize the positive attributes of this community.

Question 4: We treasure the pride Laveen has in its agricultural roots.  Laveen is an awesome place to live and we are proud to be a part of it!!!

Question 5:To make Laveen the chocolate milk capital of the world!!!

Several Laveen residents also expressed their wishes for Laveen in the coming year:

Rick Hakes,12-year resident.

He lives in the Bougainvillea neighborhood.

QUESTION 5: I wish Laveen would stay green. There is almost a mile between my back fence and the next house. In between, lies a golf course followed by alfalfa fields, and then a great view of the mountains. To top all of that off has been the wildlife of coyotes, quail, an occasional skunk, hawks and cottontails. It is really sad to see that it will soon go along with the peaceful silence.

Mark Mitzel, 12-year resident

Mitzel lives in Southern Ridge.

QUESTION 1: The most pressing issue will be traffic. The city continues to not complete projects before they start the next one. The squeeze before our community (on Baseline Road at about 57^th Avenue) has caused dozens of accidents so we need that widened to four lanes ASAP. Leaving our community on Baseline is almost impossible after 7 a.m. They put the stop light in the wrong location. Kids cross right across Baseline to go to school from our community. I guess a kid will have to die before they make this right.

QUESTION 2: The housing market will boom with the freeway coming. I wish we would get actual sit-down places to eat. The fast food here is out of control and we rarely ever eat at any of them. We need a theater and big box shopping. We love Laveen but the crime is getting out of control. We need more patrols and we need to start pushing out people who are criminal elements in our community. See a crime call the police. Have neighbors that don’t follow the rules to our community? Report them over and over and push them out. We need to hold the city accountable to make sure we get the same sound control issues on the freeway as Scottsdale did. They will try to cheap out and due the minimum. We need to have sound walls, sound deadening asphalt, etc. Everything possible to make sure the sound is controlled.

Daniel Felix, 2-year resident.

Felix lives in Laveen Crossing.

Question 1: Crime and traffic.

Question 2: We are staying optimistic about the housing market next year but don’t see it rising until the freeway is completed.

Question 3: We anticipate that more restaurants, commercial business and hoping a movie theater will be built.

Question 4: My fiancé and I do treasure the beautiful views of the mountains and hope to see more parks and recreational places.

Question 5: Our wish list: Costco, Harkins theater, Olive garden, Target and shopping center.

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