We just keep growing and growing! With all the homes being built and all the people moving into the neighborhoods of Anthem, Desert Hills, New River and Tramonto, there is a also need for new business ventures to support the burgeoning population. Here, then is an update of what we discovered is coming to our North Valley area.

Eastside, Westside, All Around The Town

The commercial property located on Anthem Way called Anthem Eastside Shops has Tutor Time as its biggest tenant. On the same property another building of four-units just east of Tutor Time has just been completed. By the time you read this, Creative Corners, a framing shop, should have moved into their new premises. Three of the other four units are to be occupied by Versus Mortgage Company, Assist-2-Sell Real Estate Company and Cartridge World, a shop that will sell printer cartridges.

De-liver De-letter, De-sooner, De-better

Just past the Anthem Outlet Mall and the Chevron Station, turn right (north) on 43 rd Street and take it almost to the end and you will see a delightful sight - the construction site for the new U. S. Post Office in Anthem to service residents of Anthem and the surrounding communities. With the closing of Blossoms n' Bears, their satellite postal service, it couldn't have come at a better time. The 29,000-square-foot building will house a full-service post office, complete with 3,000 square feet of retail space, post office box service, and three or four postal stations. Imagine - no more having to trek all the way to the post office on Union Hills for your larger postal needs!

Firefighters Fight Fires

The groundbreaking ceremony for the newest station of the Daisy Mountain Fire Department was held on February 9, 2006. Located on the NW corner of Daisy Mountain Road and Memorial Drive in Anthem, Fire Station No. 142 is projected to be finished by October or November of 2006. The new 9,000 square-foot facility will have three bays to hold an engine, ladder and a ladder tender. The nine firemen who will man the station are all trained in EMS or as paramedics. The land the temporary station is located on at Gavilan Peak Parkway and King Street will revert back to Del Webb to be developed as a commercial enterprise in the future.

This station will be the fourth Daisy Mountain Fire Department station in the area. Station No. 141, located on New River Road and Circle Mountain Road also serves as their administrative center; Station No. 145 is located on 11 th Avenue in Desert Hills; and recently opened Station No. 146 is located at 31 st Avenue in New River .

Tramonto is also getting a new fire station. The city of Phoenix has begun construction of the new Tramonto Fire Department station, which should be completed by about mid-May. It will be located next to the apartment complex on North Valley Parkway , just behind the Tramonto Marketplace.

Venture Court Courts New Ventures

A 60,000 square-foot office building is scheduled to begin construction in May 2006 at the SW corner of Venture Court and Anthem Way. Independence Plaza will be a smart-looking, two-story building that will feature for-lease offices, ranging in space from 1,200 square feet to 30,000 square feet. The developer of this new addition to Anthem's prosperous business community is the Voit Development Company. A CD Rom will be made available to anyone interested, which offers a virtual tour of the building's facilities. Independence Plaza is expected to be completed by May or June of 2007. The Trammell Crow Company will handle property management responsibilities for Independence Plaza . INFO> Thomas Kimsey, 480-922-0443, tkimsey@voitco.com. Patrick Devine, 602-222-4000, pdevine@trammellcrow.com.

The Plaza Companies is developing a top-quality professional office complex in Anthem called Venture Court Professional Plaza . The project will include a two-story, 30,000 square-foot building and several smaller one-story buildings. The project is located on 8-1/2 acres on Venture Court in Anthem. These offices are available as condominiums for sale or for lease. The for-sale condominiums can be as small as 1,000 square feet in size. The Plaza Companies plans to break ground in late summer of 2006 and the project will be completed by summer of 2007. The Plaza Companies has sold off one acre to another party. INFO> Peter Spier, 623-972-1184, peter@theplazaco.com.

Fry's Is Finally Coming!

Good news, folks! This coming April the Barclay Group, developers for the property located on the NE corner of Daisy Mountain Road and Gavilan Peak Parkway, will finally break ground for the new Fry's supermarket. This Fry's will be a Signature store, only one of two in the Valley built by Fry's. More upscale in ambiance than the other Fry's Supermarkets, the store will be elegantly decorated and feature attractions like a gourmet food section, a bistro and a coffee shop. Fry's should be ready for customers by late September or early October of 2006.

And, that's not all! The shopping center in which Fry's will sit will not be the usual straight-box style of most strip malls, but a village-style marketplace, complete with fountains, fireplaces and sitting areas under ramadas. The Barclay Group says that 60% of the space has already been committed. Chase Manhattan Bank is coming in, as well as a financial firm, mortgage company, wine bar, hair salon, cleaners, jewelers and nail salon.

Long Island Seafood Restaurant is scheduled to come in and Brian Ford, a well-known chef in the Valley, is planning to open an upscale "white tablecloth" restaurant called " Madelyn's " - named for their 22-month-old daughter. Brian and his wife, Heather, also have a three-year-old son and live in Tramonto. Madelyn's will be open five nights a week, as well as for Sunday brunch. Other dining choices will include a pizza place and a casual Italian restaurant.

A section of the shopping center has been reserved for a home décor business, and one or two boutiques featuring ladies' accessories and clothing are planned. The Barclay Group is also looking for a high-end day spa and art galleries to round out this upscale marketplace. So, if any of you out there have any ideas, please contact them! INFO> James Gardner, 480-596-9399, jgardner@barclaygroup.net.

Across the way, on the NW corner of Gavilan Peak Parkway and Daisy Mountain Road , CVS will join the newly-opened Bank of America and Jack-In-The-Box .

New Church in Anthem

Cross of Christ Lutheran Church recently completed construction of their new church and day school in Anthem. The beautiful worship building and two-building educational complex totaling 25,000 square feet were designed by Dick & Fritsche Design Group and built by Rowland Companies. Rowland Companies is an award-winning Construction Development Manager and General Contractor specializing in religious, healthcare, university, and other commercial facilities.

The new campus is located at 39808 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway , just north of the public transit system "Park and Ride." The church was able to negotiate a joint parking lot agreement with the "Park and Ride" that allows each to use the same parking lot and ultimately save both taxpayers and the church money.

The main worship building includes a high-ceilinged, multi-purpose room that accommodates over 500 seats for worship, complete with a state-of-the-art theatrical stage with lighting, video and sound. This multi-purpose room, which was constructed with retractable basketball hoops and a maple floor, is also used as a gym. Additionally, the main worship building includes the church's administrative offices and related meeting and restroom facilities. The Christian School located on campus serves preschoolers, kindergartners and children in primary grades in a day-school setting. INFO> 623-551-9851

What's Happening at Carefree Highway and I/17?

As most of you know by now, an auto mall has been proposed by Westcor to go in on the NE corner of Dove Valley Road (which is one mile south of Carefree Highway ) and I/17. The auto mall would sit on 80 acres and house about ten auto dealers. The residents of Tramonto and the surrounding neighborhoods have protested vehemently against its development to Westcor and the Phoenix City Council. People are concerned about the adverse impact they think it could have on their nearby neighborhoods and family lifestyle and the resulting noise and traffic they fear will be a by-product of an auto mall. As a result of their protests, the City Council has granted a continuance of the Westcor Auto Mall project and has postponed further discussions until June 2006. Westcor is preparing a more detailed concept plan for the site and will review these planning documents with City Council staff. Most likely, there will be additional neighborhood meetings held to get feedback. These plans should be available for public review when their special permit and zoning request is considered by the City Council, probably before the Council breaks for the summer.

The other property owned by Westcor, between Dove Valley Road and Carefree Highway , is slated for development as a retail center, although no firm plans for the development have been disclosed yet.

What's Happening at Happy Valley and I/17?

Two new stores will be opening soon in the Happy Valley Town Center, located on the SE corner of Happy Valley Road and I/17 -- Old Navy and that marvelous trove of fashion and gifts items for the budget-minded, T. J. Maxx . Danny's Family Carousel Car Wash will be opening very soon and an Applebee's restaurant will join the other eating establishments already there.

Driving past the Happy Valley Town Center , you can see the big box going up on the NE side of I/17 and Happy Valley Road . Yes, Home Depot is going in there - presumably to compete with the Lowe's that recently opened in the Happy Valley Town Center .

Slated to move next to the Home Depot and the 573-acre USAA office complex will be the Harkins Norterra 14 Cineplex, which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2007. The shopping center where the movie theater will be housed will be called the Shops at Norterra, a 325,000 square-foot development by RED Development and USAA Real Estate. The shopping center will feature a village-like atmosphere with pedestrian walkways, including a path to the USAA corporate campus. Specialty shops, a bookstore, and casual and sit-down restaurants are planned for the center. A lot of people in the North Valley will be looking forward to the addition of a movie theater and more shops and restaurants so nearby.

The Big Screen Coming to Anthem?

Last year there was a mention in the Desert Advocate about a proposed development in Anthem to include a 10- or 12-screen movie theater and three nationally known restaurants. The development was to be located on the land that had been occupied by the Desert Hills Equestrian Center . The 90,000-square-foot building was to be preserved as a historical building and relocated - possibly to Florence , AZ. Residents of Anthem, New River and Desert Hills will have to hold their excitement down a bit, though. While the project is still a "go," it will probably be a while until we see construction happening on the site - or what businesses will actually be built there.

Neighborhood's Goin' to the Dogs!

Attention please, Dog Lovers of the North Valley ! A new state-ot-the art pet resort is moving into Anthem to service Anthem and the North Valley . Sonoran Desert Sport Dogs has actually been serving the North Valley area since 2001 and has provided mobile pet grooming, pet and home sitting services. The company has also bred and trained Labrador Retrievers. The new pet resort will have private suites (well, lah-de-dah!) and an indoor dog park for man's best friend. Their pet-sitting and home-sitting services include feeding and playing with the pet on a regularly scheduled basis and bringing in the mail and newspaper once a day. Sonoran Desert Sport Dogs also will care for hamsters, gerbils, birds, guinea pigs and ferrets, as well as other small pets. INFO> 623-551-5299; marc@sdsdogs.com; www.sdsdogs.com

On The Road Again

Carefree Highway , you've seen better days . Gordon Lightfoot's lyrics to his song about Carefree Highway were written in the 1970's, but he must have looked into the future when he wrote it. The intersection of Carefree Highway and Interstate 17 has been an irritating and dangerous part of the morning commute for many drivers traveling from and to Tramonto. However, ADOT listened and work was completed on some temporary traffic lights at the intersection, which were turned on the morning of February 14. A monumental traffic jam was the immediate result and the traffic lights had to be turned off to do some more tweaking on the timing of the signals. But, by the next day the timing was fixed and traffic was flowing smoothly. The $462,000 project to install the temporary lights should help clear up the delays and, most importantly, it will definitely be much, much safer for commuters trying to make their way across the intersection. The traffic signals are part of a temporary fix until the ADOT constructs the partial cloverleaf that is planned. Design of the partial cloverleaf will begin this spring and take about a year to complete. Construction is estimated to begin in late summer 2007 and finished by summer 2008.

So Little Road, Such A Long Time

It looks like we'll also have to wait a bit longer for the widening of Interstate 17 from the 101 Loop to Carefree Highway to begin - it will be the fall of 2007 before we see road equipment starting the work. The project to widen I-17 to three lanes in each direction plus an HOV lane is in the design stages, with completion of the design projected to be the summer of 2007. The cost of the construction, which is expected to last a couple of years, is estimated at about $200 million. That includes work to construct an interchange linking the Loop 303 to I-17, two miles south of Carefree Highway .

Two other I-17 widening projects are currently in the final phase of the Maricopa Association of Government's 20-year Regional Transportation Plan, which uses funding from a countrywide half-cent sales tax, as well as federal and state sources. Those projects are the widening of I-17 to three general-purpose lanes and an HOV lane in each direction between Carefree Highway and Anthem Way ($72 million programmed) and the widening of I-17 to three general-purpose lanes in each direction between Anthem Way and New River Road ($26 million programmed). A bill was recently sent to the State Senate to accelerate these existing plans. Sponsored by Republican Senator Dean Martin, Bill 1504 would appropriate $75 million per year for five years from Arizona 's general fund to widen the Interstate 17 from Carefree Highway to Maricopa County 's boundary line with Yavapai County in Black Canyon City. Funding would start in the 2006-2007 fiscal year and construction would be overseen by the Arizona Department of Transportation, if Bill 1504 is passed.

Well, t-t-t-that's all, folks! Those of us who moved here five or six years ago, when you had to drive thirty miles and more for shopping and entertainment, are mighty glad to see these wonderful businesses coming into the North Valley neighborhoods. Now, if only we could improve that traffic problem...