Good Morning,
Thank you for your time and support for the community of South Tempe! Most of you probably received an email from the City of Tempe (see below) about the proposed Valvoline Project on the southeast corner of McClintock and Warner.
👓 Here’s a quick summary of the email ✉️
- The property owner filed a lawsuit against the City of Tempe.
- The city felt that the lawsuit would be expensive and ultimately they would lose in court.
- The city opted to negotiate with the property owner and win better setbacks of the service bays, as well improved paving. (Not sure specifics on this.)
- Thus, the Valvoline will be going in.
😕 There are some troubling realities here to sort through 😕
- Like you, I feel like South Tempe deserves something better than a Valvoline. This is the obvious.
- I am disappointed that this email went out last minute, only 24 hours before the meeting.
- I am certainly proud of how our community rallied together, and this will have a lasting, positive impact on our community…
- ….however, this Valvoline project could serve as an example of how developers can overpower a community and the city itself: threaten with big-dollar lawsuits. This sets an uncomfortable precedent.
- It’s unclear how and when the City of Tempe chooses to engage in a legal battle.
👉 What now? What can we do? 👈
- There is a City Council meeting tonight (May 27), but there’s no vehicle to block this thing.
- Thanks to fellow South Tempe resident (thank you Ron!) the members of council will need to go on record for being “for” or “against” the Valvoline project.
- Because of COVID-19, I do not believe that anyone can attend tonight’s City Council meeting. However, you can share your opinion with quick email to the mayor and city council: councilcommunicator@tempe.gov
💡 Does anyone have ideas? 💡
In conversations with some of you this morning on the phone, some have suggested a boycott of Valvoline if they move forward and build. Others have shared that we’ve made our point, and we should stay vigilant on future projects. Please let me know your ideas!
Best,
Matt Smith, MBA
