4th hotel in Surprise City Center step closer
By Jason Stone | Surprise Independent The addition of a fourth hotel in Surprise’s City Center is another step closer. The Surprise Planning and Zoning Commission gave its approval June 18 for the Marriott Springhill Suites at Surprise Center project near Civic Center Drive and Bell Road. The four-story hotel, which would be the second […]
Read More →Surprise receives $16 million shot in the arm
By Jason Stone | Surprise Independent If there’s any good news during the COVID-19 pandemic, it could be that it hasn’t been as devastating to the Surprise city budget as first feared. The $16,263,957 the city recently received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act certainly helped that outlook. READ ON:
Read More →Surprise council candidates election Q&A
Surprise Independent Independent Newsmedia | Surprise Independent Rank your top three issues for Surprise voters: Skip Hall, mayor • Public safety • Jobs • Smart growth Cheryl Packham, write-in challenger • Public Safety and Health — We need to ensure our community has a properly equipped and trained public safety department. Our city must remain […]
Read More →New Surprise fire station to be art destination
By Jason Stone | Surprise Independent The new firestation being built in north Surprise will be known as much for the art in front of it as the building itself when it opens this fall at 24900 N. 163rd Ave. That’s exactly what the city’s art experts where hoping the monument-type piece in front of […]
Read More →Surprise passes $415.5 million budget
By Jason Stone | Daily Independent Keeping an eye on an uncertain financial situation because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Surprise City Council approved a “flat” budget June 2 — while adding some flexibility in case things get better faster than expected. The council unanimously passed a $415.5 million budget for fiscal year 2021, which […]
Read More →Affordable housing still among big needs in Surprise
By Jason Stone | Daily Independent When city of Surprise officials last month put together its plan for funding to help it rehabilitate older homes and find more affordable options for some residents, it only confirmed what it already knew. The city, just like the Valley and state as a whole, has a shortage of […]
Read More →Surprise considers budget while reopening in phases
Surprise City Hall By Jason Stone | Surprise Independent Initial tax numbers for March are showing the city of Surprise’s budget didn’t take as much of a hit that month as expected, but officials are still bracing for an unknown April and May. Surprise Finance Director Andrea Davis told the City Council May 18 that […]
Read More →Surprise Original Town Site revival anchored on Heritage
Volunteers with WHAM put the finishing touches on the artwork at the Heritage at Surprise affordable housing project in the Original Town Square earlier this month. The hand-done artwork took more than six months and thousand of hours to complete./JASON STONE/INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA By Jason Stone | Surprise Independent COVID-19 has slowed or stopped the way […]
Read More →Surprise braces for budget changes due to COVID-19
Surprise City Hall By Jason Stone | Surprise Independent Surprise City Manager Mike Frazier probably summed it up best when he started his presentation at the recent city council budget retreat by saying, “What a difference three weeks makes.” The COVID-19 pandemic that has wreaked havoc across the globe has trashed Surprise’s previous budget plans […]
Read More →Rezoning, residential development proposed in Surprise
By Mike Sunnucks | Rose Law Group Reporter The city of Surprise is considering rezoning 19.92 acres of land at the Windstone Ranch property at Happy Valley Road and 151st Avenue for a proposed residential development. DKJ Desert Oasis LLC (Kent Xander) and Pensco Trust Company LLC are for a zoning change for the land […]
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