The Dealmaker: 7/16/2018

A chip off the tax block: Frito-Lay, county settle tax dispute. Frito-Lay, “a major employer in Casa Grande for decades,” has reached an agreement with Pinal County that will “result in a lowered tax burden for the company.” But some area officials say Frito-Lay should never have had its GPLET challenged in the first place. PinalCentral. http://bit.ly/2mlbhws

Pursued amendments push back Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley debut. (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Shea Homes at Azure in Paradise Valley.) “I am feeling less comfortable with the Ritz Hotel progress lately,” said Town Manager Kevin Burke recently. Others, also, are starting to “wonder when the latest five-star resort will become operational.” But PV Independent reports “work has begun — so far most of it underground and invisible to the casual observer.” And Five Star Development says the resort “will begin to sprout sometime over the next calendar year.” http://bit.ly/2JpqsO9

Metro Phoenix draws homebuyers from LA, Seattle and Denver. “So many… that the Valley topped a recent list of areas expected to see the biggest inflow of residents from those cities and others.” AZCentral real estate reporter Catherine Reagor looks at housing prices and income levels that are drawing folks to the Valley, away from “beaches and cool temperatures.” http://bit.ly/2JsKQOo

2017’s best & worst places for first-time home buyers. “WalletHubcompared 300 cities of varying sizes across 27 key indicators of market attractiveness, affordability and quality of life” — and FIVE Valley locales land among its top 30 BPFFTHBs! http://bit.ly/2Lhgsvo

City seeks AG review of land deal after DiCiccio’s criticism. The City of Phoenix sold “10 vacant lots in the Garfield Neighborhood Initiative effort at $5,000 apiece to Texas-based Trellis Company for development of ‘affordable, single-family owner-occupied residences…’ ” The rub? The lots were worth “at least $700,000.” Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio calls the deal “as bizarre as it gets.” AFN. http://bit.ly/2JrHBqJ

Cleveland investor buys retail center, land adjacent to regional mall site in Goodyear for $49.1 million. Stark Enterprises has purchased The Market at Estrella Falls, a “40-acre retail complex” at the NE corner of PebbleCreek Pkwy and McDowell. “Officials say the sale [which also includes ‘nearby land’] indicates optimism for the Southwest Valley.” PBJ. http://bit.ly/2urjUdv

Foothills Mall redevelopment moving forward. “The 22-parcel, 68-acre Foothills Mall in unincorporated Pima County will undergo a massive renovation and restoration as a multi-modal live/work/play destination under an ambitious master plan submitted… by owners FHM Partners, LLC.” Details in AZBEX. http://bit.ly/2L9BXyr

47-unit subdivision planned on S Woody Mountain Road in Flagstaff. Because of location and the “shape” 47-acre  property, houses in this Capstone Homes’ subdivision called The Wedge “are likely to be on the higher end when it comes to pricing.” Meanwhile, Arizona Daily Sun reports that “Capstone also is moving forward on another development on the other side of town.” Will it offer more affordable homes? http://bit.ly/2zJS1Cq

Baseball stadium could boost CRE investment. “Chase Field, formerly known as Bank One Ballpark, cost more than $360M in 1996 — but the explosion of commercial real estate activity following the current stadium’s construction should be enticing to stakeholders throughout Maricopa County.” Reonomy via AZBEX. http://bit.ly/2KYfyEN

In appeals court, resident argues legal standing to sue City over Apex zoning.  (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Apex Motor Club.) “If the court waives the ‘standing’ requirement, the City and Private Motorsports Group would have to again defend [Maricopa’s] action on permits and zoning.” InMaricopa has the full wrap-up of last Wednesday’s appellate court action. —> http://bit.ly/2LhhdEK

Prescott’s Greenways are scenic, but do residents want to use them? “Foreboding, seedy, inhospitable. These are just a few of the negatives used… to describe one of downtown-Prescott’s most prominent features — its creeks.” However, “residents and community leaders” — including Mandalay Homes’ co-owner Kristy Everson — “agree that the winding, shady creek beds” have “unlimited potential.” The Daily Courier, http://bit.ly/2NWur8r

Arizona rancher says ‘dysfunctional’ rules hurt environment, ranchers.Are “laws meant to protect and conserve wildlife” actually “doing the opposite”? That’s what “Stefanie Smallhouse, president of the Arizona Farm Bureau, told a House subcommittee” last week. “But others at the Subcommittee on Federal Lands hearing said the ranchers are creating more problems than they are solving…” Cronkite News. http://bit.ly/2L1EgUT

Queen Creek voters to decide if town can set budget or follow state limit.Queen Creek Independent takes a look at the upcoming vote on “Home Rule renewal” and what a “yes” or “no” vote will mean for residents of Queen Creek and the Town’s ability address “priorities and needs.” http://bit.ly/2zLbH94

Peoria mayor answers Times’ candidate questionnaire. “Seven candidates are running for Peoria City Council, along with Cathy Carlat running unopposed for mayor…. The Peoria Times recently sent questionnaires to all candidates.” Here’s what Mayor Carlat had to say: http://bit.ly/2JslCjt

Nextdoor is betting a social network can still be a platform for politics.“Nextdoor has a reputation for being a home for cranky neighbors, people trying to find a reliable plumber, and frantic pet owners looking for their lost dogs.” The New York Times explores how it has “increasingly become a place where people discuss politics and other civic issues.” http://bit.ly/2zJNnnV

Don’t miss anything… follow multiple winner of the Arizona Republic’s tweet of the week contest, and Senior Partner at Rose Law Group and Director of RLG Renewable Energy Department, Court Rich. http://bit.ly/Court_RichTwitter 

As a supplement to the Dealmaker, we thought you might enjoy these articles!

Power to the drones: Utilities place bets on robots; Rose Law Group Cybersecurity, Privacy and Emerging Technologies Chairman, Troy Roberts, expresses support. “Utilities in Europe are looking to long-distance drones to scour thousands of miles of grids for damage and leaks in an attempt to avoid network failures that cost them billions of dollars a year.” Reuters reports, however, that “the technology faces major safety and regulatory hurdles…” Still, Troy Roberts is hopeful: “It’s exciting that EU policy makers recognize beyond-visual-line-of-site drone operations in Europe is beneficial to society, and are working to make it easier for more entities to conduct such operations.” http://bit.ly/2uEW513

Arizona education initiative’s tax hike on rich could take away tax break for others. “An initiative proposing to pay for education improvements by hiking taxes on only the most wealthy also appears to remove a small income tax break available to those with fewer financial resources who are just trying to keep their incomes even with inflation.” A  Cap Media Services/Howard Fischer report in Arizona Daily Star. http://bit.ly/2Nk6ve0

[IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS] Is THIS the year Arizona finally turns blue?“Democrats have been expecting Barry Goldwater’s home state to flip for years now. Powered by a Latino electorate fired up by Donald Trump, they just might do it — as long as they can actually get them to the poll.” POLITICO. http://bit.ly/2NT3Zg1

Twitter purge hits John McCain, Ruben Gallego most among Arizona politicos. This latest purge is in line with “Twitter’s effort to maintain what it calls a ‘healthy conversation’ by eliminating followers whose accounts were locked with no attempt by the owners to regain access.” Get the rundown on the number of lost followers for Arizona pols in AZCentral. http://bit.ly/2JrUVeH

What’s the greatest political novel? Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich and other politicians weigh in. When former U.S. Congressman and novelist Steve Israel “asked America’s leaders to name their favorite political books,” for this WaPo piece, he “encountered a literary divide that didn’t necessarily reflect party lines.” http://bit.ly/2LoktLt

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