By Dustin Gardiner | The Arizona Republic
Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher has temporarily halted a deal to sell a prime piece of city-owned land in downtown Phoenix, putting the sale on hold while an outside law firm investigates complaints that City Councilman Michael Nowakowski failed to disclose a conflict of interest.
Last week, The Arizona Republic published a story in which a team of developers made allegations about Nowakowski’s conduct related to the sale of a $8.5 million piece of land. Robert Lyles, a real-estate developer who bid for the land, said his team met with the councilman in April to get his feedback on their plans to build a mixed-use development.