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Yesterday, we were concerned about the status of Goodyear’s Estrella Falls Mall as the link was no longer showing. We contacted the Goodyear City Manager for clarification on the status of the mall. The "Estrella Falls Regional Center" link is now here. **UPDATED** While Estrella Falls Regional Center won’t have a traditional mall at this time, it will attract shopping, dining, and entertainment. No name change. The development agreement with the property owner requires additional square footage of retail/entertainment by 2021. The original agreement between the city, Macerich and Globe Investors was approved in 2006. With the impact of the economic crisis, the development schedule was put on hold. This coupled with the very rapid growth in online shopping, has changed the dynamics of the project (and retail in general) and it has not moved forward at the scale and pace once planned. However, retail developments have taken place in the area including the Market at Estrella Falls and the very successful Harkins Theater. We are also expecting the announcement of the development of a major full service restaurant shortly. There are obligations in the current development agreement for construction of additional retail by Macerich by 2021. Macerich has not presented any new development ideas for the site and Globe has not to date presented a plan for the land it owns. Currently the city is relying on the existing agreement but is open to new ideas for the overall area and development of a concentration of retail within its boundaries. What is the plan? We don't know. But, the City of Goodyear is still very committed to making this land a destination point. That's good to know as residents have always wanted more entertainment and dining options on this side of town.  When our family moved to Goodyear in 2005, one of the selling points was the up and coming mall. We were specifically told, “Goodyear is the next Scottsdale.” We saw several big businesses move into the Target shopping complex on Cotton Lane… with the hopes of capitalizing on the new shopping center. Then we watched them all move out While on Goodyear City Council in 2012-13, I voiced my concerns about the setbacks on construction of the proposed Estrella Falls Mall. I also raised the question in 2009 with the Arizona Republic. "We have too many empty and foreclosed homes in our neighborhood and not enough stores and jobs. I have to do a lot of my shopping online," said Jennifer Barber, who lives in Goodyear's Estrella Mountain Ranch. "The way we are growing is not working. We aren't getting many of the basic things we were promised." Over the years, I learned DON’T BELIEVE IT TILL YA SEE IT. And that appears to be the case with the Goodyear mall. Goodyear’s website boasted of the Estrella Falls Mall on its website for years. Visit the web page today… this is what you see.  I had a hunch that mall wouldn’t build. Malls are a dying breed. It doesn't make economical sense. (I still do a majority of my shopping online.) If the mall isn't coming, what happens to all the land around Harkins Theatre on McDowell? I’ve posed the question to the city.    12 years after an agreement was made, Estrella's 2nd fire station is getting closer to reality. Monday night, Goodyear lawmakers will vote on a resolution to move forward with hiring and training seven firefighters who would be stationed in Estrella. This would be for Estrella's 2nd fire station, 804 Station - a.k.a. Goodyear Fire Station 186. Goodyear's City Projects webpage shows the construction start date for this fire station is January 2019 with a budget of $5,050,000. It's estimated to be completed in December 2019. However, the fire chief tells me he expects opening in the Fall of 2019. WHY THE TIMELINE WAS MOVED UP Around 2006, the City of Goodyear, Newland, and then partner "Tousa" agreed to develop a second fire station in Estrella which was to be built and running by 2009. The economy tanked and the station was never built. It was to be constructed at Willis and Rainbow Valley Roads. In 2015, Fire Chief Luizzi addressed council about growing fire service demands throughout the City of Goodyear... and in Estrella. Over the next few months, he explained to council City triggers and thresholds which would cause the construction of an additional fire station in Estrella. At one point, Estrella 2nd fire station was not to be operational until 2025! Link Tragically, on March 26, 2016, an Estrella family found themselves the victims of a house fire early Easter morning. Their dog, Daisy, lost her life. The Estrella community pulled together raising over $20,000 in money and donations for the family. West Valley Families studied the response times for the house fire and reported on what really happened here. And the results left us asking... "What can we afford? We hope it's not lives."  At the Estrella house fire on March 27, 2016 - 9 minutes into the alarm - just 5 fire people were at the scene. Goodyear was first to respond at 8 minutes and 10 seconds. The national standard recommended 15 people weren’t on scene until 14 minutes and 58 seconds into the alarm. That’s 5 minutes and 58 seconds later than the NFPA 1710 standard. In June 2016, we were tipped that the City's agreement with local developers had lapsed. Our sources told us the agreement was "allowed to expire" and that funding for a second fire station was not in place. Report here. At the June 27, 2016 meeting, City Manager Brian Dalke revealed he spoke with a Newland representative just that week. And talking to Bill Olsen this week, there has been an understanding that the bones of an agreement are in place. It can be argued some of those elements may or may not apply. The fact of the matter is one of the partners - if you will - back to the earlier agreement is no longer there. So CantaMia for example - is AV Homes - will be part of any discussions.” ~GOODYEAR CITY MANAGER BRIAN DALKE, JUNE 27, 2016 THE CITY KEPT BUILDING During all of this, City lawmakers continued to approve building permits in the Estrella community.
We've lost count for more permits since we last checked. But, drive into Estrella and you'll see the tremendous amount of construction from Star Tower down through Montecito. Additionally, in Spring 2016, Goodyear City Council participated in a work session to discuss the FY17-26 Capital Improvement Program. About half way through the meeting, the presentation turned to "General Funded Programs - Projects Requests." City staff initially recommends fire stations be listed on deferral for future impact fees. We added fire stations to your list simply because of your recent conversations just to put it up here and let you know it’s on our radar… but that we know the study is pending and we’ll wait for that project. ~Lauri Wingenroth, Budget and Research Manager Priorities ahead of fire stations, listed at that meeting, included a recreation center and aquatics facility and ANOTHER STUDY TO THE TUNE OF $100,000 to find out where to place the train park. Coincidentally, Goodyear lawmakers also will hear a report this Monday night for the Recreation Campus Master Plan. Link KJZZ's Matthew Casey reported Goodyear taxpayers spent roughly $53,000 on a study to determine future fire service needs in Goodyear. The report was delivered in December 2016. Council called into question the study's metrics for the Estrella community... which led to a call for information about the lapsed developer agreement for the Estrella fire station. CHEAPER ALTERNATIVES In January 2016, Council quizzed the fire chief about a variety of ways to add service in Estrella without building a full fire station. We could do something smaller or different, could we not? ~Wally Campbell, City Councilmember
What would be the cost to add... a truck... or add additional personnel to the station we have? ~(Then) Vice Mayor Sheri Lauritano Councilmember Sheri Lauritano is an Estrella resident. She also said she was in Estrella and heard and saw the Easter morning fire which took place after this meeting. Adding just a two-man crew to the current station would be a "clock stopper" move. They'd be first to arrive. Because they'd be medical... they wouldn't be able to help on a structure fire at all. "So you're still waiting the time for additional support to come," states Fire Chief Luizzi. Even if you just put in a two-man crew, you still have a time and distance issue south of Ray Road. ~Fire Chief Luizzi Council member Bill Stipp has a great deal of knowledge on this topic and provided some thoughtful input that seemingly put this discussion on track. We know based on years and years of study that a two-person EMS companies are not nearly as effective as four-person EMS companies. So when we're talking about delivering service, what we're really talking about is just getting somebody there. That's it... Let's ask ourselves, 'What level of service do we want to provide?' If we want to provide just band-aids and a rub on the shoulder or rub your back, then two people is the way to go. If we want to provide advance life support, we need to be all in. ~Councilmember Bill Stipp LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION  In March, we reported a fire "team" reviewed the two potential locations for the Estrella fire station. Location #1: Rainbow Valley Road and Willis Road (Station No. 804) - Identified by Goodyear Fire
In addition to saving half a million dollars, a compelling reason Goodyear Fire wants the station be built on the original site location is due to convenience. "...the team evaluated turning movements to and from the site, access to the frontage and surrounding roadways, new short-term and long-term development of the area and proximity to other city facilities and infrastructure." Goodyear Staff Report JEN'S TWO CENTS Seeing Monday night's resolution on the Council agenda is encouraging. I'm proud to see the City of Goodyear keep this a priority along with the other needed fire stations throughout the city. Between fire stations, the rec campus, and water conservation, Monday night should be a good night for residents in this All-America City. OUR FIRE COVERAGE To get up to speed on what we've covered so far, please visit these links:
Recreation & Fire Services in Estrella: March 5, 2018 Estrella's 2nd Fire Station Could Be One Step Closer to Reality: February 26, 2017 Teamwork Will Bring Additional Fire Service to Estrella: January 24, 2017 Fire Service Future in Lawmakers' Hands: December 8, 2016 Patient Care Coordination Update: September 18, 2016 Waiting Game: July 11, 2016 CantaMia Growth and Fire Service Demands: July 10, 2016 Estrella House Fire Response Times: June 29, 2016 Goodyear Under Fire: June 28, 2016 Fire Station Funding: March 17, 2016 Triggers, Thresholds, and Fire Service Demands: March 10, 2016 Saving Lives, City Budgets, and Growth in Estrella: January 26, 2016 Community Paramedicine: December 2015
TAKING IT TO LAWMAKERS The committee came up with a plan of 12 recommendations for the Goodyear City Council to consider. The recommendations are:
It's time to get back to the original purpose of West Valley Families. In 2014, I started West Valley Families as a resource guide. As a parent, it was hard for me to find local events. Since then, our web calendar has been filled monthly with local events showcasing all the great things happening in the southwest and west valleys of Phoenix, Arizona. The other purpose of West Valley Families was to be the eyes and ears of the west Valley. Local news is sparse in this area. I'm a retired journalist and it's frustrating to me that we really don't know what's happening here. I was happy to see the West Valley View newspaper come under new management. But, it's impossible for the small outlet to cover some of the most important topics in this growing region. THIS YEAR 2018 has been a very challenging time for my family. I got away from covering Goodyear City Council meetings. I've grown my own company. And I'm the mom of a very social teenager. Even though I served on the local Water Conservation Committee in Goodyear for the past two years, my focus was pulled away from local politics. (I enjoyed the respite.) Unbeknown to me, a local councilmember went on a rant on a competing Facebook page for the past several weeks, thinking she was talking to me. When brought to light, the other page acknowledged I had no affiliation with it and stated, "Apparently, some councilmembers aren't very happy about it [their page] and want us silenced." I do not have any affiliation with Goodyear Guardian or Citizens for a Stronger Goodyear. (You can find those pages by clicking on the links.) But, I am the creator of West Valley Families and its Estrella counterpart. If I have something to say, my name is on it. I don't hind behind anonymous Facebook pages. You'll also find me taking my concerns to City Council meetings. You may recall my concern about longer than average response times and a request for fire stations in Estrella and the west Valley here. *By the way: Estrella's fire station is on track to open in fall 2019. The west Goodyear station would be open in late 2020. Track each station's progress at http://www.goodyearaz.gov/government/city-projects. MOVING FORWARD  With another spring election coming up and candidate packets being available soon, it's time to get back to covering Goodyear meetings. Councilmember Joanne Osborne is stepping down soon and I'm excited about one of the potential residents looking to fill the vacated seat. More on that later... I will always stay true to my vision of being a positive force in the west Valley. I saw Goodyear through the All-America City competition in 2008. There's so much good here. The City continues to collaborate to make great things happen here. But, it's time to get back to seeing what our lawmakers are doing. And that's the "why" I plan to get back to over this summer.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Barber is a Goodyear resident resident of almost 20 years and a retired broadcast news journalist. Involved in various nonprofit and city organizations since 2008, Barber has a unique view of what's happening in the West Valley of Arizona. 
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