Save the Scenic Drive: Attorney, Scottsdale Property Owner Opposes Money & Land Grab

Roadside Entry Monument, Desert Foothills Scenic Drive

Roadside Entry Monument, Desert Foothills Scenic Drive, Scottsdale, Arizona

Have you signed and returned GPPA’s petition opposing the City of Scottsdale’s rezoning of State Trust Land?   You can download and print a copy of the petition under “Related Articles” at the end of this article. You can also Contact Us. The Scenic Drive and its neighborhoods needs your support BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.

Join Mr. and Mrs. Paul Wallace and support our campaign to save the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive.

On August 12, 2015, GPPA and The Peak received the unsolicited letter below from Scottsdale property owner Paul Wallace. Mr. Wallace and his wife have made long-term plans and  a substantial commitment to retire to Scottsdale. They currently live in Evanston, Indiana where Mr. Wallace is with the law firm of Jones . Wallace LLC  We appreciate their support. Mr. Wallace’s letter is published here in its entirety.

“Dear Mr. Conklin:

“Enclosed please find the Petition in Opposition to Scottsdale Rezoning of State Trust Land signed by my wife and myself. Over 10 years ago we purchased our vacation and future retirement home in Scottsdale. At that time, we had traveled widely throughout the world and the United States, and chose Scottsdale, and in particular, north Scottsdale, over southern California, Florida, the Carolina’s, the Gulf Coast and other choices. We did so because we not only love the Sonoran Desert, we love that Scottsdale had chosen to protect wide swaths of it through the State Trust Fund and through the Scenic Drive initiative.

“We have happily paid property taxes in Scottsdale for 11 years , even though we only get to enjoy our Arizona home a few weeks a year. We pay those taxes because we have been proud to be part of the Scottsdale community, and wanted to pay our part of the costs of maintaining the Scenic Drive and other protected areas.

“From our standpoint, either the commitment made previously by each of us, the City of Scottsdale and Arizona to protect these areas means something or it does not mean something. I don’t know how to make it more clear that the changes like the proposal for commercial and resort zoning in this area indicate that either some persons at the state and developers don’t understand the meaning of Scenic Drive and the State Land Trusts.

Group Shout Out, Sunday, February 8, 2015 - SAVE THE SCENIC DRIVE. Photo courtesy of Peter Cherry.

Group Shout Out, Sunday, February 8, 2015 – SAVE THE SCENIC DRIVE. Photo courtesy of Peter Cherry.

“We appreciate your efforts and everyone’s effort at GPPA and others to make clear what this money and land grab truly is, and to expose it to the light of day.”

Very truly yours,

Paul J. Wallace
Jones . Wallace, LLC

Related Articles

Petition in Opposition to Scottsdale Rezoning of State Trust Land

Cave Creek Residents “Vehemently” Object to State’s Commercial Development Proposal – Published: July 24, 2015

 

 

 

 

Author: Les Conklin

Les Conklin is a resident of north Scottsdale He founded Friends of the Scenic Drive, the Monte de Paz HOA and is the president of the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association. He was named to Scottsdale's History Maker Hall of Fame in 2014. Les is a past editor of A Peek at the Peak and the author of Images of America: Pinnacle Peak. He served on the Scottsdale's Pride Commission, McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission, the boards of several local nonprofits and was a founding organizer of the city's Adopt-A-Road Program.. Les is a volunteer guide at the Musical Instrument Museum.

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