New Vision Center for Spiritual Living Guidelines for letter to Village Planning

Individual letters to Village Planning in favor of the rezoning of our property by Phoenix residents will be very helpful in obtaining the rezoning which we need to complete the sale of our property.

The letters should come from individuals, if a couple lives at the same address, letters from each are the best.  E-mail or snail mail works. Please include your name and address, that you are a Phoenix resident, that you are in favor of the rezoning proposed  in  case #Z-72-18. If you live in Phoenix but your mailing address is not Phoenix (Glendale, Scottsdale) please say so in the letter.

The letter should be addressed to:

David Simmons, MA

Planner II Village Planner

Paradise Valley, Deer Valley & Maryvale

City of Phoenix Planning & Development Department

200 W Washington St., 3rd Floor

Phoenix, AZ 85003-1611

The first sentence of the letter should state that you are in favor of rezoning case #Z-72-18 which is for a Senior Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care facility.

Following are some of the reasons to support the rezoning. Please choose 1 or 2 that speak to you rather than including the whole list. If you think of some other reasons you want to include please do so.

1. Traffic-the amount of traffic to be expected from a retirement facility would be much less than the church is currently generating. The church presently fills the parking lot several times a week, not just for Sunday services but also for weekday services, for events such as presentations, Scottsdale Philharmonic practices, etc.. In addition, the regular in and out of vendors, people visiting the office, people coming for classes, meetings with staff & committees, and working in the office are much greater than the traffic to be expected by a retirement center.

2. The increase in economic activity in the neighborhood will increase. 160 residents requiring spending for their upkeep will generate more local spending than the approximately $280,000 total the church spent in 2018 on the local economy. In addition, visitors and staff we be contributing to the local economy.

3. Taxes paid by the retirement center will far exceed the current taxes paid by the church. Construction is estimated to generate $2,000,000 in sales tax. The retirement center will be paying City, and County Real Estate Taxes. The church, as a 501 c 3, organization pays no real estate taxes. The only taxes the church pays are on bookstore sales, items purchased locally other than food, and payroll taxes (mostly federal).

4. The retirement center will employ about 100 people staffing the facility 24 hours a day. These people will be earning above the minimum wage with top salaries in the $100,000 plus range.

5. Appearance. The retirement center’s attractive building with enhanced landscaping is a definite upgrade from the church. Since the location is no longer economically viable for the church, the appearance will continue to degrade.

6. The retirement center will provide an additional option for the expanding aging population of the area.