volume 14, issue 9 • september 2012
www.northcentralnews.net
Billboard denied, heads to appeal By Teri Carnicelli A proposal to change the standard billboard located at 4711 N. 7th St. to a two-sided digital billboard was blocked by a city of Phoenix zoning administrator. The billboard in question is adjacent to Urban Cookies and across the street from Xavier College Preparatory. Shaun Breese, co-owner of Urban Cookies, says they don’t believe the digital billboard itself will negatively impact the business—which only operates during daylight hours—and they have no opinion one way or another on the billboard conversion proposal. “Frankly, I think the suicide lane itself poses more of an issue to my business and to the safety of drivers on 7th Street than a digital billboard would,” Breese adds. Zoning hearing officer Ray Jacobs heard the arguments for and against the use permit request to change out the billboard at a July 19 public hearing. Opponents argued that the digital billboards are distracting to drivers, and placing one on a street that has reverse lanes during commuting hours will make an already dangerous situation even worse. They also felt that the highly visible billboard would be intrusive to adjacent apartment and condo residents, and that some of the ads themselves could be inappropriate for the nearby student populations, which include Xavier, Brophy College Prep, and Central High School. Marty Aronson of Morrill & Aronson, represent-
POSTMASTER: DATED MATERIAL. PLEASE EXPEDITE IN-HOME DELIVERY BY SEPTEMBER 7, 2012.
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PHOENIX, AZ PERMIT NO. 5059
please see BILLBOARD on page 11
Army veteran Michael John Cestone, 65, is assisted onto the Sunnyslope SMART shuttle by driver Ernie Alvarez, while Mel Kenney, left, waits his turn in the summer heat. Both men were waiting in front of the Acacia Public Library branch (photo by Teri Carnicelli).
Free shuttle may increase in frequency By Teri Carnicelli They ride it to pick up groceries. Or to visit the doctor. Or go to school. Or to the library to look for jobs posted online. The free Sunnyslope Multi-Area Access Residential Transit (SMART) shuttle bus has become a vital part of the Sunnyslope community since its introduction in July 2007. It travels where regular transit buses typically do not—into the neighborhoods, along neighborhood streets. It stops at the Sunnyslope Transit Center, where riders can connect to major transit routes to travel to jobs or other important places. And not so long ago, it faced being eliminated. Were it not for a vocal group of local supporters and the efforts of District 3 Councilman Bill Gates, the SMART shuttle would have become a mere memory. “The Sunnyslope Circulator (SMART) is a popular means of transportation for our residents—of all ages—in Sunnyslope,” Gates said. While it didn’t get the axe, it did face some major schedule changes that have greatly impacted ridership in the last two years. In July 2010, service was reduced to run hourly instead of approximately every
30 minutes. In addition, the operational hours were reduced to 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. “It’s not right, stopping only once an hour,” says Army veteran Michael John Cestone, 65. “It makes it hard to get anywhere, and making people wait out in the heat, especially in the summer, is wrong, especially if they have little kids.” Cestone often catches the shuttle in front of the Acacia Public Library and hopes the city will increase the shuttle’s frequency as the library is a busy stop, please see SHUTTLE on page 10
in this issue Cell phone tower use permit sought, page 3 Runners of all ages go the distance, page 4 Local adoptive dog owner wins contest, page 6 Allstate office donates to teachers, page 23 Wine bar offers wood-fired fare, page 44