The head of the Tucson Chamber of Commerce Mike Varney recently penned a missive complaining about a recent decision by the City of Tucson to block the development of “a local McDonald’s franchisee who explored the opportunity to improve his business by moving his restaurant to a corner lot currently occupied by an abandoned, boarded-up and blighted former Shell gas station.”
In his rant, Varney complained:
“An entrepreneurial developer, a local real estate agent and the McDonald’s corporate hierarchy worked on this development for more than two years. City of Tucson PDSD staff supported the development throughout the two-year process and in December provided its formal recommendation of approval. The developers agreed to 29 development stipulations, the installation of enhanced landscaping and screening (decorative wall), creation of a neighborhood pocket park and 19 other development enhancements. These enhancements were done to mitigate some real and many perceived concerns from a handful of neighbors and one especially vocal community organizer.
Despite the lengthy negotiations, direction from PDSD, a number of continuances and the many concessions made to gain approval of the zoning change, the PDSD zoning examiner appeared to acquiesce to community opposition. Doing so seemed to run counter to the written word of the PDSD policy documents. It was at this point that the zoning examiner appears to have recommended denial of the plan.
With thousands of hours and more than $250,000 invested in plans, the development team pressed on toward a City Council vote on April 21 to approve of the conversion of the residential and office properties to commercial (parking) status with PDSD support and recommendation of denial by the zoning examiner.
Neighborhood activists, emboldened by the zoning examiner’s ruling, lobbied Ward 6 City Council Member Steve Kozachik with pleas to stop the project because of the adverse impact they felt the new McDonald’s restaurant would have on the designated property. Adverse impact!? The property is currently closed and employs no one. It is run down and a scar on the neighborhood. Eight of the 16 closest properties (including the Shell station) are either boarded up, vacant or in some stage of foreclosure. Lord help us if we should replace an eyesore property with a thriving new fast food restaurant that employs people of all ages, gives some the opportunity to become managers or owners and pays sales taxes!
Let’s get back to the City’s process. For roughly two years, the City of Tucson’s Planning and Development Services Department (PDSD) had worked cooperatively with all interested parties in the McDonald’s relocation. Processes were followed. Plans were approved. Money was spent. A vote was set to approve the final step in the rezoning process for Tuesday, April 21. A mere three working days before the City Council vote, the City published its agenda for the Council meeting with a notation that PDSD had reversed its position. Despite two years of support and their December report recommending approval, staff provided notice to the public that it would recommend denial of the plan at the City Council meeting. There was no courtesy call or other communication with the parties involved in the project. There was no explanation and no reason given. Anecdotal information indicates that officials in PDSD had “heard new evidence” about the matter. What new evidence? There is still no word six weeks later. Was it political pressure? Was it some kind of eleventh-hour revelation of new information? We still do not know.
In the end, a weary McDonald’s did what so many other companies do — they quit on the project. Too much controversy and too many hassles do that to people who want to risk their capital and create jobs. They just look elsewhere and hang out their shingle where doing so is easy. I have to think that most cities would have welcomed a corporate partner like McDonald’s to their neighborhood especially if it meant having a new building replace a blighted building. And especially if the new development meant greater employment opportunity and more sales tax revenue.
Too often City of Tucson officials listen to the voices of those who want to move our community backward. It is time they recognized that Tucson needs jobs — all kinds of jobs. It is time they recognize that our citizens earn less than their peers in other cities. It is time they recognize that jobs are the path out of poverty — and we have too much poverty in our fair city.
The City of Tucson owes McDonald’s and the people associated with this project an apology and an explanation. Moreover, they owe all of us a new attitude about community improvement and job creation. We deserve better!”
To Varney, we say yes. Tucson does deserve better.
It deserves a better chamber of commerce.
It deserves one that would not endorse Tucson Unified School District Governing Board member Adelita Grijalva for re-election, as the chamber did this past election cycle.
It deserves a leader in the business community that would encourage its members to come forward with the tales of being squeezed by City and County staff and elected officials. There is safety in numbers.
It deserves a chamber that could organize against the proposed Pima County bond measure because the taxes are no longer affordable to most small business owners.
Since the chamber seems to have little regard for the small business owners, and has ONLY now come out to complain that kids in Tucson might not be able to get the low-paying jobs at McDonalds, Varney’s complaints are meaningless.
Mr. Varney, when we see you out there fighting for new blood on the Tucson City Council and the TUSD Governing Board, you might be taken seriously again – until then you are just one more impotent whiner – with good hair.