Movie theater development gets green light

By SanTan Sun News staff

The Chandler City Council approved, during its March 9 meeting, the preliminary development plan, site layout, building architecture and rezoning of a 4.3-acre parcel near Chandler Boulevard and Arizona Avenue, paving the way for a movie theater, commercial retail and office buildings.

During the meeting, it also:

• Approved an agreement with the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) to enable Chandler Police to provide law enforcement security services at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The agreement provides officers with experience in crowd control and fosters cooperative working relationships with DPS and other law enforcements agencies.
• Approved a preliminary development plan to amend the site development standards on 9 acres located within the 100-acre Chandler Corporate Center at the northwest corner of Chandler Boulevard and McClintock Drive. The amendment will increase the allowable square footage of a single building from 75,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet.
• Approved an $835,305 agreement with Dimension Data North America Inc. for the purchase of a new Cisco-based phone system that will provide the City with a converged solution for call center applications, voice, data, video and other services.
• Approved a $129,493 purchase of artificial turf from Landscape Structures Inc., for installation at the Chandler Tennis Center. The turf will cover berm seating areas where grass failed to grow.
• Approved a use permit allowing operators of Casa de Montessori to provide child day care services to as many as 10 children at its facility at 410 N. Vine St.
• Recommended a liquor license be approved by the State Department of Liquor Licenses and Control for Max and Ted’s 480 Bar located at 480 N. Arizona Ave.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Mayor Jay Tibshraeny noted the Chandler Police Department will soon hold its annual awards ceremony to honor exceptional performance by department employees.

Vice Mayor Kevin Hartke said he attended a pre-opening event celebrating REI’s move to Chandler. He lauded the company for choosing the city and said he’ll be a frequent customer.

Councilman Terry Roe asked citizens not to forget the needs of local nonprofits when preparing their 2016 tax returns. He encouraged donations to the Chandler Christian Community Center, Boys & Girls Clubs, Matthew’s Crossing, ICAN and others.

Councilman Sam Huang invited the public to comment on the new Chandler Museum’s conceptual designs, which will be unveiled at a special open house from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, at the historic McCullough-Price House, 300 S. Chandler Village Dr.

Councilman Mark Stewart said he attended the first in a series of weekly HOA Academies being held this month at Snedigar Sportsplex and found the academy to be very educational. He encouraged residents to consider attending such academies. Information is available by calling 480-782-4348.

The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

During a study session on Monday, March 6, Tibshraeny proclaimed March 2017 as Disability Awareness Month.

Disability Awareness Month promotes the importance of disability awareness and the impact it has on our society. In conjunction with this initiative, the Chandler Mayor and Council honored recipients of the 2017 Disability Awareness Recognition Awards. These awards celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities and those who support them in our community.

Perry High School pupil David Solano was selected “Student of the Year.” Alex Smith was chosen “Volunteer of the Year” for his work with Camp Challenge and the Special Olympics Program. Lynn Wasley was chosen “Employee of the Year” for her work at Village Day Care, often filling in on extra shifts to meet the needs of her employer. Chosen as “Educators of the Year” were Emily Birecki, a teacher at Willis Junior High and Amy Stahl, a teacher at Santan Junior High. Chosen as “Employer of the Year” was FedEx Ground in Chandler.

The mayor and council also recognized Randall Greeley, a planning and research manager with the police department who is retiring after 24 years serving the city.

Roe joined the mayor in presenting employees of the City’s Budget Office with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association. This is the 29th consecutive year Chandler has received the award, which reflects the commitment of staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.

At February’s annual Volunteer Recognition Awards, the City, in

coordination with the Chandler Care Center and For Our City Chandler, recognized community members for their volunteer efforts. Award recipients were invited to the March 6 Council Study Session to be further recognized.

Award winners were: Jack and Joyce McCormack (Longevity Award), Kennedy Nicoll (Makes It Happen Award), Alan Zaben (Sunbeam Award), Mario David Giron (Youth Award), Ken Hawkes (Innovation Award), Crystal Ellison (Strong Arms Award), Larry Sebben (People’s Choice Award), Chandler Chamber Leadership Class #32 (Working Together Award), Mark Drez (Mayor’s Choice Award), and the Anguiano Family (Multitasking Maestro Award).

The City Council study session will be 7 p.m. Monday, March 20. Meetings are aired live, as well as replayed on The Chandler Channel, Cable Channel 11, and streamed on the web at chandleraz.gov/video.