Inaugural Issue of InBuckeye Magazine October 2024 InBuckeye.com Buckeye, Arizona's Premier Local News Source Welcome to the first issue of InBuckeye magazine, your go-to source for hyper-local news and information about Buckeye, Arizona. Stay informed with the latest community updates, events, and stories that matter to our city. InBuckeye is the only dedicated news outlet focusing exclusively on Buckeye, ensuring residents are always in the know.
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BUCKEYE BRONCOS Equestrian center
dons farming legacy mantle as international rodeo destination
HISTORY • WATER • AG • GOV’T • MORE
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LEADING OFF Editor’s letter 8 Contributors 8 PAST How did Buckeye’s roads get their names? We asked the people who know 11 Buckeye’s top headlines the day Al Capone left Alcatraz 14 The history of those who document history 16 There’s much backstory inside these walls, and outside 18 Without this, Buckeye would be named something else — or wouldn’t exist 20 PRESENT More in Buckeye leave city for work than anywhere in the state 23 Why city thinks fewer lanes support more cars in unpopular ‘new’ downtown 26 Most, lease expensive homes sold 30 The good, bad and ugly of Buckeye’s rep at State Capitol 32 Age of AI expands tech offerings at vocational school 37 This Buckeye builder became No. 1 in the Southwest for schools 38 They weren’t into ranching when they landed in Buckeye. Now, they’re not horsing around 40 How one Buckeye school district gets its students ‘future ready’ 42
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FUTURE Why Buckeye is about to lose most of the farmland it has left 43 Buckeye is the biggest city in Arizona, but that doesn’t mean it’s done growing 54 Events calendar 56
DIRECTORY Your guide to Buckeye businesses 62
PARTING SHOT Fall means football 64
ON THE COVER Photographer Caylen Haggard, a true Buckeye gal from a deep-rooted Buckeye family, captures 2024 Helzapoppin’ Rodeo Queen Kialyn Armstrong on a victorious horseback ride, regal sash donned, through downtown Buckeye Jan. 28. Like any big-time western event, the rodeo was held at the Buckeye Equestrian and Events Center, an exceptional equine arena and the West Valley’s premier rodeo venue.
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Editor’s Letter ELIAS WEISS
Past, present and future
U NIVERSITY OF PHOENIX POLLSTERS RECENTLY asked Arizona workers if they had their dream job. Only 14% said yes. Autumn is a season for giving thanks, and as I send this fall edition of InBuckeye magazine to press, I’m thankful to be part of that coveted septile of worker bees who get to live the dream, day in and day out. High growth market. Melting pot population. Thirst for local news. These were just some of the reasons why our team picked Buckeye. This amazing community has gone without far too long. There are so many stories begging to be told — so many, in fact, my brain hurts a little when I consider the scope of it all, like when you try to conceptualize the size of the universe, or where we go when we die. Buckeye hasn’t had a local news source for at least six years — how long it took to build the Burh Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper — and during that time, some 40,000 people have settled in Buckeye, making it their new home as we have. That’s a lot of disenfranchised might-be news consumers who surely, at times, want to know just what the heck what is going on around them. We want to fill that void by telling the stories that matter to you — even the ones seemingly lost in time. That’s why “Past, Present and Future” was the perfect I’ve been making magazines for the last eight years — community news in Virginia, bridal and tourism in North Carolina, politics in Phoenix — but never did my work feel so needed as it does in Buckeye.
theme for this, the inaugural edition of InBuckeye magazine. The late philosopher Robert M. Pirsig wrote in Lila: An Inquiry into Morals “the past exists only in our memories.” Counterpoint: It exists in a paper of record, for communities fortunate enough to have one. Cue our entrée.
Publisher SCOTT BARTLE
General Manager ERIN KUIPER
Managing Editor ELIAS WEISS
I had one of the most gratifying jour- nalistic experiences of my career working on this edition’s centerpiece, A legacy worth farming for , with Phoenix-based investiga- tive reporter Hanna Ghabhain. It’s the past, present and future, the voiceless and the powerful, all rolled into
Advertising VINCENT MANFREDI TAWNI PROCTOR Writers HANNA GHABHAIN JAY TAYLOR KYLIE WERNER Photographers CAYLEN HAGGARD BRYAN MORDT ANDY PEREZ
one. It is a vivisection on what is perhaps Buckeye’s most topical storyline, a balance of legacy and futurism told through the lens of complex characters coping with change and learning to accept failure without fault. Before I go, a quick anecdote: My friend D’Metrid James is a local real estate agent and a third-generation Buckeye resident. We met in the Arizona Cardinals fan community. It was something he said to me in September that reassured me we’re doing something right at InBuckeye . Looking back on his childhood in Buckeye, when James used to ride horses and hunt small game in the desert that today stands as a sea of houses and apartment towers, he said, “The fact that we have an NFL team where we didn’t before is a really big deal.” He added: “Same with having a newspaper.”
What is the difference between an Override Election & Bond Election? OVERRIDE = OPERATIONS (salaries and supplies) BOND = BUILDINGS (New construction, renovation, technology and buses)
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MISSION Inform readers/viewers. Enrich advertisers.
BELIEFS We believe in: • An informed citizenry. • Holding ourselves and others accountable. • The success of deserving businesses.
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• Integrity • Accountability
• Open, honest, real-time communication • Prosperity for clients, community, company
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HANNA GHABHAIN Buckeye beat reporter Hanna leverages her decade in journalism with a strong supporting role in this edition’s centerpiece on legacy farming and a breakdown of Buckeye’s representation at the State Capitol.
KYLIE WERNER One year out of the Cronkite School at ASU, cub reporter Kylie has been covering Buckeye since she got her diploma. This time, she writes about rush hour, wacky borders and a sour public reaction to the “new downtown.”
JAY TAYLOR Jay owns the business beat, penning a couple of easily digestible stories about the companies moving and shaking in Buckeye — from big-time builders to entertainers as wild as they are western.
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WHAT’S IN A (ROAD) NAME? BY HANNA GHABHAIN E ASON, WATSON, MILLER AND DEAN. No, it’s not a law firm — these are the roads Buckeye residents drive daily. But do you ever stop to wonder how they were named and what stories they tell? To find those answers and get a glimpse into Buckeye history, we talked to sixth-generation Buckeye resident Steven Bales, a partner at Bales Farming Ranch. During the city’s centennial celebration in 1988, Bales was tasked with giving the Buckeye Valley bus tour, which he revived in an oral history for InBuckeye , giving a special nod to Verlyne Meck, a former high school librarian and teacher who documented much of the town’s history.
Farmer Steven Bales stands on the corner of Verrado Way, still called Airport Road by longtime residents, and Beloat Road, named after his grandparents.
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Jackrabbit Trail is empty on a Friday morning, photographed at ground-level Sept. 13.
DEAN ROAD Back when it was still gravel and dirt and the freeway didn’t yet exist, Dean Road was supposed to swap names with Airport Road, now Verrado Way. However, Maricopa County accidentally put the signs in the wrong places and so the roads retained their names, said fourth- generation Buckeye resident Shawn Dean Wood whose family the road was originally named after. JACKRABBIT TRAIL As he drove the tour bus during the centennial celebration, Bales said one of the passengers told him her brothers named Jackrabbit Trail back when it was just a “trek,” a narrow horse trail. It was so skinny, in fact, it “wasn’t big enough for two jackrabbits to go down.” WATSON ROAD The road was named for Hugh M. Watson, Buckeye’s first mayor and founder of the Buckeye Valley Bank. He’s known simply as Banker Watson, said Bales, and his bank morphed into Valley National Bank where Chase Bank is today. PERRYVILLE ROAD Bales said he thinks of Perryville Road fondly as the site of his childhood home. It was named for the Perry family who settled in the area along that road. Perryville Road once was concrete, Bales said, and he recalls drawing pictures and playing tic-tac-toe with sidewalk chalk on the road with his brother when they were children. The road was paved to asphalt in the 1980s.
MONROE AVENUE Weaving through the southern portion of Buckeye, Monroe Avenue was named in honor of the man whose vision started it all. In 1855, Malin Monroe Jackson began building the Buckeye Canal with his partners Joshua L. Spain and Henry Mitchell, according to The History of the Buckeye Canal by I.H. Parkman. Jackson named the canal after his home state of Ohio, the Buckeye state, which led to the naming of the town itself. EASON AVENUE North of Monroe Avenue and weaving east to west through the heart of Buckeye, Eason Avenue was named by Jackson in honor of his in-laws — the Easons. VERRADO WAY If you still call it Airport Road, that’s a sign you’ve lived in Buckeye a long time. The renaming of the road is still a sore point, Bales said. The original namesake was an old emergency crash landing area for Luke Air Force Base that was established sometime around World War I. However, when the actual airport was built, people got lost on their way to the Air Fair, thinking they needed to turn on Airport Road. So, the city changed the name to Verrado Way, though longtime residents still call it Airport Road out of habit. NARRAMORE AND BELOAT ROADS When it came time for the city to found its first high school, local farming families were asked to donate land for the building site. Several families, including the Narramores and Beloats, offered a pasture on the far edge of town. In thanks, two of the adjacent roads were named after them, said Bales, who is related to the Beloats.
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BLAST FROM THE PAST This front page from the Buckeye Valley News , provided by the Buckeye Valley Museum, is dated Nov. 16, 1939, the very day Al Capone on Alcatraz Island. The defunct daily newspaper went under in 2015, according to was freed from federal custody unofficial sources, as even the Arizona Memory Project says the final publication date is unknown. The city’s museum and library assistant, Maria C. Johnson, informs us: “We had Aunt Jemima visit our grocery store, Abraham’s,” which is now a parking lot at 308 E. Monroe Ave. What shocked the editor most about this historical news clipping? The 70-cent Greyhound bus ride to Phoenix and just five bucks to L.A. He also couldn’t help but wonder — did anyone ever find out if Joe Marshall had any success on his deer hunting trip?
The Challenge
City Growth Buckeye is the second fastest-growing city in Arizona. It’s predicted to grow by 48% over the next 10 years.
District Growth The Buckeye Elementary School District is one of the fastest-growing districts in the West Valley, with more than 1,100 new students over the past eight years.
Education Quality As Buckeye grows, BESD schools need to keep pace to ensure our children continue to receive the quality education they deserve.
The Solution Passing the override will put more money into the classroom. The override will provide funding for:
Competitive Teacher Salaries so BESD can compete with surrounding school districts as well as retain high-quality teachers Maintaining Smaller Class Sizes Technology Full-Day Kindergarten $4.2 Million What if the Override Fails? If the override fails, BESD will be forced to cut more than per year from their operating budget moving forward.
Physical Education Music Art After School Athletics
THESE CUTS WILL LEAD TO: A loss of up to 6-7 teachers at each school
Programs to students being reduced or eliminated BESD struggling to attract and retain quality teachers due to the surrounding districts being able to offer more competitive salaries Overcrowded classrooms Kicking the can down the road instead of addressing the growth in a fiscally responsible way
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IF YOU GO 116 W. MC 85 No. 116 Open Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 623-349-6315 Museum@BuckeyeAZ.gov Free admission
The H. E. Kell Co. General store exhibit photographed October 2014.
AND THE REST IS HISTORY The Buckeye Valley Museum has been a landmark since 1930. Founder I.H. Parkman’s dream became a reality when the former Buckeye Town Hall was moved to its current site, 116 E. Maricopa County Road 85, and Mayor Jack Gable unlocked the doors in March 1953. What began as a one-room collection in the former government building with small living quarters for caretakers has evolved into a full-fledged museum dedicated to the history of Buckeye. Buckeye Valley Historical Society and the Buckeye community worked to expand and remodel the building to what it is today. The newest im- provement was a façade renovation in 2022. The new façade adds dimen- sion to the building with Old Western-style accents and gives visitors an idea of what they’re about to walk into. Inside the museum sit several dis- plays showing the historical eras of Buckeye, as well as an ever-expanding collection of hundreds of photos and local artifacts.
Owned and operated by lifelong Arizona resident
Inside the original museum, circa 1953.
(480) 360-1234
The Buckeye Valley Museum’s front façade as seen June 8, 2022.
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PAST The Ware Building – Built Circa 1910
JOiN US FOR THE SECOND ANNUAL FESTiVAL AT THE FARM FEATURING
The Buckeye Pharmacy Building – Built Circa 1920
Built by Wallace Joslin, the Joslin Building has also been known as the 3H Mercantile and the home of the San Linda Hotel. Like many buildings in downtown Buckeye, the Joslin has transformed with some frequency throughout the years. As if plucked from the movie It’s a Wonderful Life the Buckeye Pharmacy once served sodas and health supplies to the townspeople of Buckeye. Today, the building is shorter in stature than its former self, yet it continues to keep Buckeye healthy.
Formerly the home of the Buckeye Valley Bank, the Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce and Buckeye Restaurant, The Ware Building has worn many hats in its century old existence. Today, the building offers retail space for those looking to sell their wares in Historic Downtown Buckeye.
The Buckeye Valley Bank Building – Built Circa 1929
The Joslin Building – Built Circa 1909
Founded by Buckeye’s first mayor, Hugh Miller Watson Sr., the Buckeye Valley bank served as the financial institution for the town of Buckeye for decades. Much of the façade has changed over the years. Today, the stone exterior is clad in stucco masking its former beauty.
BUCKEYE’S HISTORIC BUILDINGS
NOVEMBER 23RD ALSO FEATURING: THE KRUSE BROTHERS, KC & THE MOONSHINE BAND, AND JACOB HYDE!
The Palms Café & Bar – Built Circa 1930
The Buckeye Tin Shop Building – Built Circa 1900s
Also known as the Old Courthouse & Jail, this small structure once housed Buckeye’s public library, hosted some of the first Women’s Club meetings, served as a food bank and offered a home away from home for local criminals. From tin shop to grocery, bath house, audio shop and burger joint, this 100-year- old building has seen a lot of changes in Historic Downtown Buckeye throughout the years. Today it hosts an assortment of vintage and handmade goodies.
Built during the Great Depression, this beautiful brick building located just to the east of the Joslin Building was once the home of the Palm’s Cafe & Bar. Today, the building continues to serve up delicious homestyle food and specialty coffee to Buckeye residents and visitors.
Scan to buy tickets!
The Buckeye Ice Company Building – Built Circa 1926
The Old Court House Building – Built Circa 1912
hosted by: buckeye equestrian & events center and bales hay sales
Once known as the “coolest” place in Downtown Buckeye, the Buckeye Ice Company supplied artificial ice to Buckeye residents for five decades before modern refrigeration forced demand to dwindle. During the 1960s and 70s, the building doubled as a local Meat Locker.
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Information and pictures provided by BuckeyeMainStreet.org
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Act followed by Buckeye farmers receiving water logging exemption status around the end of the decade. In 2006, the BWCDD claimed full management authority of the canal. Today, it consists of a 23-mile main stretch and a 7½-mile southern extension, providing water to nearly 22,000 acres. The canal remains an integral aspect of life in Buckeye, Carter said, sustaining the old and developing the new. Wood recalled family stories of how the canal wove its way into the thread of everyday life. Her grandfather cooled freshly picked watermelons in the water on summer afternoons, traded baskets along the riverbank with the Indigenous people and waterskied down the canal in the ‘60s and ‘70s. We asked: What would Wood’s life look like without the canal? She was speechless, unable to find an answer. The water is the mother, and Wood is a mother to three children she raised along the banks of the canal. The land’s ancient wisdom seeps through the soil and instills lessons she believes will carry with them no matter where they go in life. “The canal has been the life source of the entire Buckeye Valley from day one,” she said, finally finding words. “Water is life. I truly believe that. So, while water brings the
Buckeye in 1910. As such, the city itself is named for the canal. In 1907, the Buckeye Irrigation Company was founded to manage the water. “After 20 years of fits and starts, the Buckeye Irrigation Company emerged from the hopes and dreams of various irrigation speculators and would- be entrepreneurs and played a central role in this story of private capital harnessing the natural resources of the American West,” wrote I.H. Parkman in his book, The History of the Buckeye Canal . The canal carved Buckeye history — its fingerprints were on each drought, flood and economic downturn impacting the flow of development in the town and the lives of those who claimed the valley as their home. In 1922, a group of farmers founded the Buckeye Water Conservation and Drainage District to sustainably manage repairs and water use. Today, the district’s general manager, Noel Carter, carries on that century-old legacy as a fifth-generation Buckeye resident whose family homesteaded in 1899. The canal “was the function, the feature, that established the city of Buckeye,” Carter said. “It was essential to the farming community for many years and the water is really what has provided for and established for Buckeye to grow and bring it to where it is today.” Water supply rights for the canal were decreed just before 1920, securing water for the valley farms as the town continued expanding. One of the canal’s
“ It was essential to the farming community for many years and the water is really what has provided for and established for Buckeye to grow and bring it to where it is today. NOEL CARTER, GENERAL MANAGER BUCKEYE WATER CONSERVATION AND DRAINAGE DISTRICT
The Buckeye Canal, the community’s life source for centuries for which the city is named, was extended long ago to bisect Steven Bales’ Beloat Road alfalfa farm as pictured here.
opportunity to develop, it also brings the opportunity to grow things, and because we are able to grow things we are able to continue our business year after year.”
most pivotal moments was in 1944, Carter said, when the district won a lawsuit against upriver entities whose dams limited supply. Another important moment came in 1980 with the Groundwater Management
THE TRENCH REVOLUTION City of Buckeye named for the canal, not the other way around
BUCKEYE
BY HANNA GHABHAIN
T HE HISTORY OF IRRIGATION IS THE HISTORY OF THE BUCKEYE VALLEY ITSELF. Since humankind built settlements on the banks of the Gila River thousands of years ago, irrigating water has been integral to sustaining life through agriculture. Indigenous people lived in close relationship to the water as the civilization’s life force. However, after the Spanish invaded to establish colonies there, the land and its water were torn by conquest, eventually being absorbed into the U.S. in 1853. Two years later, three men named Malie M. Jackson, Joshua L. Spain and Henry Mitchell ventured into the desert with a vision of creating a canal for their crops. They identified the system’s head near the Agua Fria and Gila Rivers junction and named it the Buckeye Canal in honor
Liberty
of Jackson’s home state of Ohio, the Buckeye State. Construction began immediately. Fourth-generation Buckeye resident and farmer Shawn Dean Wood’s ancestors arrived not long after. She’s heard the stories all her life: How her great-grandparents were headed to California for the gold rush when their mule died in Buckeye, and they decided to stay; how they helped build the canal in those early days, creating the waterway that would nourish the family farm into what it is today. “Water is really a lifeline to the history of generations being able to continue to keep their livelihood in agriculture,” Wood said. The burgeoning farming community we now call Buckeye was originally founded as the town of Sidney in 1888. However, the canal’s impact was so powerful that the town eventually changed its name to
Palo Verde
Buckeye Hills Regional Park
The Buckeye Canal follows this yellow path.
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THIS IS JONES COUNTRY
M ORE THAN 88% OF BUCKEYE RESIDENTS COMMUTE OUT OF THE city for work — the most of any municipality in the Phoenix area, according to data from the Maricopa Association of Governments. “Obviously the city wants to have more citizens work in the city,” said Harry Paxton, deputy director of economic development for Buckeye. “Most people probably prefer to work in the city in which they live. Certainly, one of our goals is that.” Paxton noted current numbers are an improvement from the 92% of residents who left the city every workday at MAG’s last count in 2022. “We’re fortunate to have that number begin to trend in the direction that we want it to,” Paxton said. ON THE ROAD AGAIN More in Buckeye leave city for work than anywhere else in the Valley, finds study BY KYLIE WERNER
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Work, Maricopa Community Colleges and other entities to provide training and education that will help its citizenry land a job locally. “And then, of course, we’re working very hard to continue to attract more and more employment to our community,” Paxton said. “We see that happening in multiple ways with medical coming, with industrial coming and also some advanced manufacturing and that’s going to continue to come, which we’re very excited about.” Paxton emphasized the city wants to achieve balance with jobs spanning many industries and corporate ladder rungs. “We’re a really good choice for employers, plus that reverse commute, people find it easy to come here,” Paxton said. “If they’re living in the community, it’s very easy to get here to work. I think that’s one of the things we want to continue to emphasize is the fact that Buckeye is a great location for employers, and their workforce can get here easily.”
close to family. When we bought our house in 2007, it was before the growth curve moved to the west, so housing was more affordable than gas at the time. Those things are flipped now, but I love the small-town feel. ... It’s just more about the overall culture.” Gerak said he would like to see efforts to ease the traffic burden by expanding roads or adding jobs to Buckeye. The city, vying to see the percentage of commuters leaving town for work trend down, is hosting a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 14 at the West-MEC Nex Building. Paxton noted the city hosts job fairs two or three times a year to inform residents and those hailing from neighboring communities about job openings in Buckeye. “When we held this back in April, about a thousand people came,” Paxton said, evidence of the citizenry’s exasperation with daily intercity commutes. He added the city partners with Arizona
The Interstate 10 exchange at North Verrado Way and Papago Freeway, photographed from the southwest corner Sept. 27.
In the past, West Valley cities were billed as bedroom communities, especially the outer suburbs like Buckeye. “They weren’t really employment centers and that was just natural because you didn’t have some of the things that you have today,” Paxton said, citing freeway construction. “It’s starting to change as a lot of those infrastructure assets happen and communities are in a better position to attract employment.” He said the more developed communities in the area have become unaffordable. “To a large degree, a lot of what happened is that people were trying to find a better value of a home so they would locate in our community but then travel to work,” Paxton said. “Over time, as Buckeye has matured, it has developed some fabulous communities. Verrado is a great place to live — a lot of people like the amenities — and it will continue
“ People were trying to find a better value of a home so they would locate in our community but then travel for work. HARRY PAXTON DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR BUCKEYE
his meetings are, that trek can take anywhere from 35 minutes to north of an hour. Gerak admitted he never liked the commute, and he misses his old 15-minute drive when he worked in downtown Buckeye. But a combination of factors keeps him in the city. “It took an act of Congress to get my wife to move once, I know she won’t move again,” Gerak said. “My wife, as a native, wants to be
to attract people, as well as several other neighborhoods in the community. So, it’s certainly a desirable place to live.” Ed Gerak has lived in Buckeye with his wife — a Buckeye native — since 2004 and has been commuting outside the city for work just as long. Gerak lives in Verrado and commutes to the State Capitol where he works as a lobbyist. Gerak said depending on what time of day
Working adults commuting 30+ minutes each way
62%
Apache Junction Avondale
34%
A heat map released by the Maricopa Association of Governments this year shows where Buckeye residents work. The darker the color, the more people work there. Avondale, Tolleson and downtown Phoenix are where most Buckeye residents work, more than in the city itself.
74%
Buckeye Carefree Cave Creek
85%
82%
53%
El Mirage Florence Fountain Hills Gila Bend Gilbert Glendale Goodyear Guadalupe Litchfield Park Maricopa Mesa Paradise Valley Peoria Phoenix Queen Creek Scottsdale Surprise Tempe Tolleson
84%
68%
88%
35%
39%
45%
30%
53%
55%
27%
36%
47%
35%
57%
54%
66%
23%
33%
89%
Wickenburg Youngtown
53%
0
0.3
0.6
0.9
Source: Maricopa Association of Governments
Table 1
InBuckeye.com | Fall 2024
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Category A
Apache Junction
62%
PRESENT
PRESENT HATE AT FIRST SIGHT ‘New downtown’ leaves some taxpayers
< Eddy Contreras OWNER | BUY LOWCOST INSURANCE “We need to grow, right, and so does the attention to certain areas... the changes that they’re making, it’s going to be more pedestrian-friendly...with the new changes, people are going to be walking along more and it’s easier to kind of get an opportunity to go to these hole-in-the-wall places.”
YOUR VOICE
LOCALS’ TAKE ON ‘NEW DOWNTOWN’
Craig Heustis > COUNCILMAN | CITY OF BUCKEYE “We’re trying to make things better for the businesses and for the people...try to get a place that it would be a destination, more restaurants, more businesses down here.”
confused, with buyer’s remorse BY KYLIE WERNER T
HE CITY OF BUCKEYE IN AUGUST completed the first phase of its Downtown Specific Area Plan — a five-stage project meant to transform downtown Buckeye into a place that fosters
The Joslin Building at the corner of Monroe Avenue and 4th Street in downtown was built in 1909 and housed the Buckeye Hotel and Payless Market, a part of the building used as a bud- get grocery and deli. The building, photographed here Sept. 4, is listed as a historical landmark by the Buckeye Valley Historical and Archeological Society.
< Randy Cramer VOLUNTEER | MEALS ON WHEELS “I appreciate the effort, they’re trying...to get things going and revitalized.”
< Crystal Peyser RESIDENT | ESTRELLA VALLEY “It’s very confusing for some of our travelers, and especially now that we have more people in the town...there’s less road space.”
could reduce traffic overall, city planners argue. “There’s really no benefit to the community of traffic that’s just traveling from Phoenix to San Diego just passing through and not stopping at any of the businesses,” Galicia said. “We want, the traffic on Monroe to purely be local traffic.” He noted there were no concerns over emergency responders’ access to the area. Not everyone is buying the argument, though, like Cathy Porter Calvert, who has lived in Buckeye since 1967. “This is just about the dumbest thing I have ever seen,” Calvert said. “Local residents will avoid the downtown area like the plague. That will not help any downtown business, now or ever.” ‘Annoying as hell’ According to the city, the idea was to convert the old lanes into parallel parking spaces to drive business and event tourism and create a pedestrian buffer from the street. A more walkable downtown with better parking is worth the sacrifice. However, the public response has not been positive. One unhappy taxpayer is Ivan Carlson, who settled in Encantada Estates in 2021. Carlson “didn’t really like the idea” when he first saw it, he said. But the final product was
even worse. “It honestly doesn’t even look like the plan that they even put out,” he said. The city posted an educational video in August about the coming changes that garnered 260 comments from displeased and confused residents. “The population here is growing, so why would you restrict traffic?” Carlson asked. “That makes absolutely no sense to me at all. I understand the parking aspect, I totally get that, but we were managing just fine as it was.” Carlson said the street has already become jammed and he feels there wasn’t enough parking added — no more than four spaces to each business. “Even if they had just turned the parking diagonal, where there was a little bit of room to be able to come out and back into the streets,” Carlson said. “That would have made more sense than restricting it down to two lanes.” The Buckeye resident said driving down Monroe Avenue since the restriping has been difficult. “It makes driving down that street a pain,” Carlson said. “Having it to where the lanes are so restricted is causing congestion that makes no sense at all.” The city also reduced the speed on the street
community and economic growth. Phase one restriped Monroe Avenue from four lanes down to two, as it was in the 1950s, with designated left turn lanes at all traffic signals from Miller Road to Narramore Avenue. Buckeye’s population has grown 59-fold since the 1950s, however, and it’s going to nearly triple again in the next 15 years from 114,000 to 300,000. At full buildout, Buckeye will be more than 1.1 million in population, according to Buckeye’s Economic Development Department. More cars, yet fewer lanes downtown as the city works to draw more people there. Now, how does that work? Because Monroe Avenue isn’t meant to be a through street, said Ken Galicia, the planning manager for Buckeye. “Most downtowns, at least the successful ones, all kind of have a certain feel to them,” said Galicia during an Aug. 22 Downtown Buckeye Streetscape meeting, “where you are comfortable walking along the sidewalk, crossing the street, going to another shop over there, crossing back over the street.” The walkability that comes with fewer traffic lanes will attract new businesses to Monroe Avenue and keep unwanted traffic out, which
Davis Deussen > RECREATION SPECIALIST | CITY OF BUCKEYE “I’m looking forward to the Halloween parade... I’m a big fan of Halloween, and I think it’s just gonna be exciting.”
Jackie Redstrom > CO-OWNER | SISTERS N CLIPPERS “I live here, and I work here. Own a business here, so downtown is where my heart is...we understand the progress, and this is going to be a long-term solution to some downtown specific needs.”
< Andrew Heath CO-OWNER | IRIE ART IN INK “I think it’s good for downtown and brings some walking traffic. And I think that overall improvements will be good.”
< Yesenia Rios OWNER | NANA AND TATA’S RESTAURANT AND DESSERTS “I’d love to see more promotion over here for more people coming... from Colorado, different states... more people need to know.”
InBuckeye.com | Fall 2024
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W.T. Gladden Family Event Center
HERE’S THE TIMELINE
STAGE 1: Monroe Avenue Restriping (JUNE – AUGUST 2024)
PHASE 1: • Remove a layer of asphalt and current pavement marking and seal cracks • New designated truck route established • Speed limit reduced
Weddings ❋ Corporate Events ❋ Private Parties
PHASE 2: • Seal coat street
PHASE 3: • Repaint pavement markings • Restriping of Monroe Avenue to two lane road • Additional parallel parking added • Designated driveway access stripped PHASE 4: • Painting of future Parklet areas, no parking in this area • Crosswalk work • Thermal painting of road markings STAGE 2: Landscape demonstration IN PROGRESS SINCE MID-OCTOBER • This stage of improvements will introduce parklets in front of local businesses on Monroe Avenue between
A Sept. 24, drone’s-eye view of the “new downtown” looking west down Monroe Avenue from 4th Street.
trailers from using Monroe Avenue as an Interstate 10 detour. The city spokesperson noted the only semi-trucks permitted on Monroe Avenue will be for local deliveries. Carlson gave this prong a rare nod of approval, as trucks often dropped nails and screws in the road to the detriment of unsuspecting commuters. However, he emphasized he — and he feels a lot of other people — want to see Monroe Avenue return to the way it was before. “Simply restriping it back the way it was would be perfect,” he concluded. The makeover is supposed to make downtown Buckeye more attractive to the city dwellers, but Carlson said he feels the cons outweigh the pros. “Everybody is frustrated with it,” Carlson said. “I have yet to find anyone that likes it the way it is now.” The first parklets and some temporary landscaping come during phase two, which is in progress and will be completed next year. Phase three adds more parklets and landscaping from First Street to Ninth Street. Three design options will be presented for public feedback this fall with the final design revealed at a public meeting this winter ahead of the 2025 installation. The city does not know in which year the fifth and final stage will be complete. Landscaping demonstrations, including a sample parklet, will be on display on Monroe Avenue between Fifth and Sixth Streets this month. This preview will give businesses, residents and visitors a taste of what’s to come — love it or hate it.
from 30 to 25 miles per hour and 15 miles per hour near Buckeye Elementary School. “Honestly, it’s annoying as hell,” Carlson said. “There was no reason to drop it down lanes and restrict the speed limit so much like they did.” You can’t park(let) there! The city will convert existing curbside parking spots into dining patios and retail displays called parklets in a future phase. It has painted where the parklets will be. These parklets and landscaping are meant to transform Monroe Avenue from a highway to a relaxed, pedestrian-friendly main street. But today, the sites are just lines in the sand or, more accurately, grey lines painted on pavement, sparking confusion about parking for some residents. “People park there all the time,” Carlson said. “It really just needs to go back to the way that it was. Why fix what wasn’t broke?” The parklets are expected to be useful during events like Buckeye Days, Glow on Monroe and the Halloween Carnival when the city shuts down the street. However, several residents said, with the road capacity halved, there’s no room for such large-scale events that safety concerns will likely push them away from downtown as they would do more harm than good to businesses there. Others said they feared the parklets would become homeless encampments. Keep on truckin’ DSAP’s first phase ended with a new designated truck route that will keep tractor-
Fifth and Sixth Streets as well as temporary landscaping elements.
STAGE 3: Interim improvements (FALL 2025 – TBD) • This stage will continue the
introduction of parklets and temporary landscaping elements from First Street to Ninth Street. There will also be three design options presented for public feedback this fall and the final design will be presented this winter ahead of the 2025 installation. STAGE 4: Storm drain, fiber installation (TBD) • This phase will replace storm drains and install fiber along Monroe Avenue. STAGE 5: A new cityscape (TBD) • The final phase will include widening sidewalks, installing underground utilities and enhancing the landscape.
Scan code to request event center space
Please contact BWCDD at contact@bwcdd.com to inquire about pricing options.
InBuckeye.com | Fall 2024
Fall 2024 | InBuckeye.com
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PRESENT
MOST EXPENSIVE HOME SOLD
LEAST EXPENSIVE HOME SOLD
Get More For Less Out West
$
$
LEARN MORE AT N EW H OME C O B UCKEYE.COM
21470 W. Sage Hill Road
Sept. 17
$1,900,000
2000 S. Apache Road, Lot 201
Aug. 24
$115,000
This five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom McMansion in Verrado is not finished but still claimed the title of priciest
This multi-wide cul-de-sac home in Bueno Vista is the perfect place to “picture yourself relaxing under shade
1
1
BY THE NUMBERS 579 HOMES SOLD
sale last quarter. Walk through the front door and you are immediately greeted by a great room and connected kitchen, which will sport a breakfast bar and lunch nook. On the other side of the great room is a detached, spacious dining room for all those holiday feasts. The home also will boast a four-car garage and three air-conditioning units to keep all 4,700 square feet cool in the Arizona summers. The three-quarter-of-an-acre property will include a swimming pool and a covered patio with exterior stairs to a second-story balcony and next-gen room. The home sold for list price.
trees with a refreshing glass of iced tea,” according to the Multiple Listing Service. With three bedrooms and two baths, this home comes with a standard kitchen, dining and living areas and twin covered patios. The home is in a gated community with a pool. It sold for $10,000 below list price.
195
Builder: Sun Villa Year built: 1999
Community: Buena Vista Square feet: 1,275 sqft. Price per square foot: $90.20
Chart 1
THE RESIDENCES COLLECTION BY NEW HOME CO.
200
167
Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2
150
114
FROM THE LOW $400s 2,113 - 2,712 Sq. Ft / 4 Bedrooms 25334 W LaSalle Street, Buckeye, AZ 85326 480.470.8206
Lot size: 10,000 sqft. Days on market: 18
83
Builder: MMP Year built: 2024 Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 5.5
Community: Verrado Square feet: 4,711 sqft. Price per square foot: $403.31
100
3% BROKER CO-OP + SELECT BONUSES*
50
10
Lot size: 33,393 sqft. Days on market: 244
Hablamos Español
0
< $350,000 < $400,000 < $500,000 > $1,000,000
Category A
Table 1
Category A
< $350,000 < $400,000 < $500,000 > $1,000,000
83
195 167 114 10
1
2000 S. Apache Road, Lot 108, Buena Vista $130,750
19817 W. Amelia Ave., Pasqualetti Mountain Ranch $1,750,000
2
THE VILLAS COLLECTION BY NEW HOME CO.
2
FROM THE MID $300s 1,448 - 2,198 Sq. Ft / 3- 4 Bedrooms 25334 W LaSalle Street, Buckeye, AZ 85326 480.470.8206 Hablamos Español
2000 S. Apache Road, Lot 266, Buena Vista $155,000
19825 W. Mitchell Court, Pasqualetti Mountain Ranch $1,500,000
3
3
412 E. Eason Ave., Central Buckeye $165,000
3923 N. 197th Ave., Pasqualetti Mountain Ranch. $1,393,000
3% BROKER CO-OP + SELECT BONUSES*
4
4
Hablamos Español
405 W Baseline Road, Valencia $221,000
3952 N. Golfview Drive, Verrado $1,391,000
5
5
Source: MLS, July 1 – Sept. 20
View all terms and conditions online at www.newhomeco.com/disclaimers. Other restrictions and conditions will apply. Consult sales associate for additional information. Not an offer or solicitation to sell real property. Void where prohibited. Equal housing opportunity. Copyright © 2024 The New Home Company Inc. All rights reserved. Sales by Broker: TNHC Realty and Construction Inc. Construction by TNHC Arizona LLC, ROC #325111. A public report for Copper Falls is available on the Arizona Department of Real Estate website. *September 2024
InBuckeye.com | Fall 2024
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and campus engagement including facilitating speaking events with survivors, their families and liberators. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Sen. Anna Hernandez (D-Phoenix). HB 2779 requires Holocaust and genocide studies be taught for at least three school periods on at least two separate occasions for students grades seven to 12. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Sen. David Marshall (R-Snowflake). HB 2897 requires the Arizona Department of Public Safety to distribute funds for Law Enforcement Retention Initiatives to nine law enforcement agencies including $150,000 to Buckeye Police Department. The money will go for recruitment and retention services and software. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Rep. David Livingston (R-Peoria).
airport facilities. The vacation or short-term rental owner must reside on the property if the dwelling unit is constructed after Sept. 14. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Rep. Michael Carbone (R-Buckeye). HB 2721 requires all municipalities with 75,000 or more residents, by Jan. 1, 2026, to adopt medium-density housing controls permitting duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and townhomes on specific plots. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Rep. Michael Carbone (R-Buckeye). HB 2760 and HB 2779 establish the Education on the Holocaust and Other Genocides Study Committee, which will review study requirements, teacher lessons and trainings and public university incorporation of Holocaust and genocide teaching into courses
founded the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff in 1894 to support his research of the ninth planet, Planet X, which was discovered as Pluto later in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Rep. Justin Wilmeth (R-Phoenix). HB 2508 establishes a new classification of false reporting for anyone who initiates a report for an educational institution or place of worship or religious service knowing the report is false with the intention of instigating an emergency response. This act of false reporting is now a class 6 felony. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix). HB 2720 declares accessory dwelling unit requirements are not applicable to lots or parcels on tribal land or land near specified
HB 2325 prevents municipalities and counties from adopting regulations prohibiting residents from keeping fowl in their backyard. However, a municipality may restrict fowl numbers to no more than six, prohibit male fowl including roosters and prohibit fowl from “running at large.” Municipalities may also require specific enclosure restrictions, maintenance of the enclosure and manure use, adequate overflow drainage and that food be stored in insect- and rodent-proof containers. Buckeye began adopting new backyard fowl restrictions in August. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Rep. Kevin Payne (R-Peoria). HB 2477 names Pluto as Arizona’s official state planet. Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet by NASA in 2006. The selection honors Percival Lowell who
I’M JUST A BILL New laws, close calls for Buckeye at the State Capitol this year
A life you love starts with …
BY HANNA GHABHAIN
Visit our Watson Walmart Branch 1060 S. Watson Road Buckeye, AZ 85326 Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
The freedom of Free Checking. 1
passenger without wearing a helmet. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Sine Kerr (R-Buckeye). SB 1680 allows police to issue citations for 16- and 17-year-olds not wearing protective helmets while operating or while being a passenger of an all-terrain vehicle, motorcycle or motor-driven vehicle. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Sen. David Gowan (R-Sierra Vista). SB 1734 repeals the criminal statute which prohibited abortion services not necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman. The partisan bill was sponsored by Sen. Anna Hernandez (D-Phoenix).
expansion area, withdrawing water up to 1,000 feet and not exceeding existing withdrawal rates. It must not cause the groundwater table to decline more than 10 feet per year. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Sen. T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge). SB 1567 requires driver’s license and education requirements for people operating off-highway vehicles and prohibits operation while under the influence of alcohol or having an open liquor container in the vehicle. The bill allows citations to be issued to parents of minors under 12 or minors between 12 and 15 who operate an OHV without a license. It prohibits people under 18 to operate an OHV or be an OHV
Between the Arizona House and Senate, 1,660 bills were introduced this year, 259 of which were signed and 73 vetoed. While not comprehensive, the following list provides insight on the bills that will affect — or almost affected — Buckeye.
The savings of better rates and lower fees.
The convenience of over 50 locations in Arizona.
The ease of top-rated digital banking.
1181 requires districts to replenish groundwater at an amount equivalent to the obligation for its active management area, detailing timeframes and other requirements for the process. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Rep. Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert). SB 1242 permits a groundwater replenishment district to lease a well for groundwater from an irrigation district located within the Harquahala irrigation non-
● ● ● PASSED
The perks of a rewards program.
SB 1081, SB 1181 and SB 1242 were components of HB 2201 before being split and signed June 19. All were companion bills to SB 1172, which was vetoed the same day. SB 1081 allows a municipality to obtain assured water supply if certain criteria are met. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Sen. Sine Kerr (R-Buckeye). SB
The thrill of a no-down-payment mortgage. 2
Learn more at DesertFinancial.com/BetterBanking .
1 Checking is free; however, fees for overdraft or additional services may apply. Membership eligibility required. 2 Must be a first-time homebuyer (not having owned a primary residence in the last three years) with a minimum credit score of 680 to be eligible. Property must be located in Arizona. Jumbo loans and loans with non-occupant co-borrowers are ineligible. Additional restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. NMLS #509455
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