A recent screed from Jason Rose (reprinted in-full below) peddling the notion of leasing a currently-unused, taxpayer-owned school property, to his soccer (and development) clients at Phoenix Rising, pre-aims blame for failure at the residents of surrounding neighborhoods. Somehow, the Scottsdale City Council (as the elected body in charge of development, though having nothing to do with schools) is being oversprayed, as well. Rose says, in part:
Let’s be real: development in Scottsdale has been hard to come by recently. Between incredibly high standards from elected officials and waves of NIMBYism, more projects are dying than thriving. But between the use of an unused lot (and financial windfall), as well as positive positioning in a growing sport with rabid followers, this partnership makes all the sense in the world. We only hope that the NIMBYs don’t invent some reason to be against it.
First of all, drive down Scottsdale Road from Old Town to McDowell, and tell me where “…development in Scottsdale has been hard to come by…”? South Scottsdale is looking more like Tempe’s Mill Avenue these days. And Jason (along with zoning attorney-wife Jordan) has been involved in many of the high-density housing projects that are plaguing us.
There are only TWO projects of which I’m currently aware that have had significant resistance from the city council, and both are asking for enormous reductions in development standards.
And second, the neighbors have every right to be concerned about a significant change of use for the old Tonalea Elementary campus, and I would be, too. Questions have been raised (and basically dismissed) about nighttime lighting and noise, parking, and traffic flow.
Lastly, despite making, “It’s for the kids!” the theme of his pitch to the Scottsdale Unified School District, Jason’s pontification mentions youth soccer exactly zero times. I think that pretty much cements the fact that this whole ploy is about getting cheap land in-town for a practice field for the pro club…and eventually (at some point after he’s tied up the property with a twenty-year lease) turning it into a high-rise housing project.
However, the biggest reason to be worried about this project is the huckster promoting it: Jason Rose. The guy lies for a living. When he’s telling the truth, he’s exposing himself as the jackass he is. Like when he made fun of developmentally challenged kids, and got himself fired from doing PR for Special Olympics.
And don’t forget that Rose was operating behind-the-scenes to try to bring Coyotes hockey to Scottsdale… an organization that ended up fleecing Glendale instead.
As much as he proclaims his love for Scottsdale, he’ll do it to us, too. From his home in… Paradise Valley.
From Jason Rose’s Arizona Progress and Gazette:
Scottsdale as the center of the Arizona soccer universe? It sounds crazy, but it may be closer to becoming reality, as the Phoenix Rising soccer team is considering purchasing or leasing the vacant lot near Oak and 68th Street for their junior league to use.
The Phoenix Rising Football Club is the highest-league soccer club in Arizona and is one of the more prominent clubs in the USL league, a “Division II” league which is one league under Major League Soccer. Founded in 2014, the team has built a considerable following with regular strong attendance and an energized fanbase of followers. In 2020 they made it to the league finals after a 11-2-3 season, but unfortunately the final game was cancelled due to a Covid outbreak on the opposing team.
Considering it’s a school property, the mechanics and decision-making must go through SUSD, with board members Cienewski and Greenburg giving positive statements about the possibility. The lot has not been used by the district since 2014, the same year that the Phoenix Rising FC began operations.
As soccer has risen in popularity in the United States and its coinciding with the exponential growth of Arizona’s population, Arizona makes a lot of sense to become a burgeoning soccer haven. With a large Latino population and a large youth population and our great winter weather, it’s not an impossibility to consider this team rising into the MLS, and Scottsdale becoming a winter training mecca not unlike it is for baseball. This may be Scottsdale’s foot in that door.
Let’s be real: development in Scottsdale has been hard to come by recently. Between incredibly high standards from elected officials and waves of NIMBYism, more projects are dying than thriving. But between the use of an unused lot (and financial windfall), as well as positive positioning in a growing sport with rabid followers, this partnership makes all the sense in the world. We only hope that the NIMBYs don’t invent some reason to be against it.