Page 40 December 2 014 By Danika Worthington Photo by NTK Photography The City of Phoenix approved zoning for a neighborhood center on the southwest corner of Indian School Road and 56th Street, sparking speculation among community members of a new drive- thru Starbucks, which has been met with varying concerns. Firebrand Group LLC and Frontera Development have a joint venture to build a 5,000 square-foot neighborhood center set to start construction in early 2015, according to Andrew Miller with the Firebrand Group. Although Miller said he could not comment on any specific businesses planned for the center until projects break ground, the approval for a drive-thru and the property’s leasing rate have many members of the community guessing that a Starbucks will fill the space. A two part zoning hearing ended on June 5 when the city approved zoning for a drive-thru and outdoor dining under the stipulation that the buildings stay below 20 feet, a “pork chop” feature is added to ensure right turns only, the Zoning Administrator approves the wall and landscape plans, and that building permits are applied for and paid for within a year. The hearing did not approve variances to reduce the street setback. A handful of community members attended the hearing to voice their concerns about the possible drive-thru Starbucks. Among them was Richard Rea, president of the Arcadia Camelback Mountain Neighborhood Association. Rea said he had concerns regarding the setback, landscaping, size of the buildings and lack of appropriate parking. He mentioned that Kitchen 56, the restaurant across the street, already uses the lot for additional parking. He also said some neighbors are concerned about the safety of a drive-thru Starbucks considering Hopi Elementary Busy intersection has rumors flying, parents concerned School, Veritas Preparatory Academy and Ingleside Middle School are nearby and have students who use that intersection to walk to school. “The time people typically go to Starbucks…is the same time a number of people are going through [the intersection] and kids are walking to school,” Rea said. He said Ingleside currently has a crossing guard but Veritas does not. Nicole Rizkallah, assistant headmaster of operations at Veritas, said the school board, neighborhood associations and current traffic guard are looking at the possible impact of the neighborhood center before deciding if they need to provide extra safety, such as an additional crossing guard. Among the concerned neighbors at city hall was Amy Owens, who expressed concerns that the intersection was already unsafe and more kids could be hit if a drive-thru Starbucks was added. Owens’ son was hit while walking to school when a car did not pay attention to the crossing guard. “For local people, we understand the corner. We get it,” Owens said. “We know there are schools nearby. If you don’t know that, you would not be as careful.” She said she is ok with a Starbucks, although she wishes it were a more local venue. She said her main concern is the drive-thru because she fears people will not be as careful. Roughly 100 people have emailed her in support of her view, she said. Susan McCartan, who also attended the hearing with her husband, shared similar concerns about the drive-thru. She said she was worried people would not be as vigilant when pulling out of the property with their coffee or while putting away their money. “I’m against this drive-thru because it’s a busy and dangerous intersection,” McCartan said. “Kids have already been hit there. To even add one more potential danger, such as a drive-thru, is not worth any child’s life.” She said a traffic study was not done in the area, so the group did not have any evidence to support their view at the hearing. Rea, Owens and McCartan all expressed concerns about the added traffic a Starbucks would bring, especially during the morning when the intersection is already crowded with school traffic. Kerry Wilcoxon, who works at the street transportation department of the City of Phoenix, said he had not heard if a study had been done for the area but he doubted that one would be. He said the new development would only add some traffic and would not be enough of an impact to require a study. Miller said Frontera Development and Firebrand Group welcomed people to voice their concerns. He said, however, that the new development would not exasperate traffic and safety issues, but rather, possibly alleviate some concerns. He said the group consulted a traffic engineer who said there was no correlation between a drive-thru and safety issues. “In fact, vehicles in drive-thrus move forward very slowly and do not back up like most parked cars,” Miller wrote in an email. “As a result, there are some who believe that this provides greater safety in a retail center.” He also said the small retail center would cause only a minor increase in traffic. The center is also located at the sole light in a 2-mile stretch between 48th and 64th streets and in an area with few commercial buildings. He said many cars drive quickly through this stretch, typically averaging 50 mph instead of the posted 40 mph. “We believe that our development will actually have a calming effect to local traffic,” he wrote. “When drivers see a commercial property, they naturally tend to slow down and this improves safety.” Miller also mentioned that the corner used to serve as a high-volume service station for about 40 years. At this point, many are in agreement that only time will tell if a new Starbucks will aggravate or calm safety and traffic concerns.

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