Want to give a quick shout out to My Friend John at Original Breakfast House in the 032.  He received a very nice write up in the Phoenix New Times last week.

Check it out: http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/restaurants/original-breakfast-house-in-north-phoenix-is-a-cozy-neighborhood-breakfast-spot-7602514

While the OBH continues to flourish and offer hope for revitalization in the 032. Just next door the defunct Circle K continues to sit, complete with lovely chain link fence.  I’m sure potential home buyers rolling into the 032 are really encouraged when they see an abandoned convenience store sitting. Seems to be the yin and yang of the 032.

That said, I do want to continue to encourage people that home-ownership is still a great investment.  It offers an opportunity to build equity in an asset that you may be able to use as leverage towards a bigger investment down the line.  But you got to get an iron in the fire.  Starter homes in North Phoenix are a great place to begin.

Check out this article from az central.com. Provides some basic metrics for someone who is thinking about taking the plunge.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2015/06/10/what-salary-do-millennials-need–buy–house/28772943/

https://sonvoltprop.wordpress.com/

My Friend “El Cuy” in the 032 responded to “More on 032 in Ghana,”

My Friend Josh sent this over.

Hi folks, Josh in the 032 here with a couple of thoughts on the recent post titled “Support the 032.”

I live in the 032. My parents live in the 032. I go to church in the 032. I worked in the 032 for several years. I met some of the greatest people you’ll ever meet in the 032. (This blogger is top shelf.)

Yes, I recently returned to the 032 from a mission trip to Ghana Africa to play with and be rejuvenated by kids who used to be slaves. They embrace life in incomprehensible ways. A group of total strangers travel 36 hours to see them and are instantly embraced as family. They all have a life of brokenness from their families; grueling, dangerous manual labor from an early age; and stories to make you cry. But they are NOT crying. They rejoice in their freedom every day. They are happy to do their laundry. Happy to go to school. Happy to play soccer with a flat ball. They have found community.

Returning to the 032, it’s home and it’s the same of course, but things change. There’s a fence around the Circle-K on T-Bird and 32^nd street. More of 32^nd street is paved. Missed some family I hadn’t seen in years who were in town while I wasn’t. I walk through neighborhoods in the 032 and only wish we had the sense of community and welcoming we received from former slaves. One place I find community is Genesis Church. Right behind the now defunct Circle-K. Good people. Searching.

Here’s hoping you find your 032. And for those of us who live, work, worship and/or play here…let’s make the 032 a better place to come home to.

In the 032,

-Josh.

Well said my friend!

Not sure how I feel about the Circle K being gone.  Have enjoyed a soda from there a time or two.  With no offense to Circle K, their business model is bottom shelf.

Wondering what the plan is for that building? If you have ever been in there think you will agree, it needs to be demoed. Here is a picture of a defunct Circle K sitting in south Phoenix.

Hoping this doesn’t happen in the 032.

Does anyone remember the movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” with Steve Martin and John Candy?  There was a scene where it was late at night and they were unknowingly driving the wrong way on the highway. Some guy pulls up along side of them and is franticly yelling, “You’re going the wrong way.”  They sort of mock him, think he drunk or something. Steve Martin asks himself, “How does he know where we are going?”

Weirdly, it feels that way in the 032 some days.  Love 32 Shea, but not real happy with Walgreens building on top of it. Which way are we going??

Reminds me of the infamous words of Ice Cube from “Boys in the Hood.” “Either they don’t know, they don’t show, or they just don’t care what’s going down in the ‘hood.”

Lastly, stock market down 1000 points at one point this am.  That’s harsh.  Keep your heads up and your hearts strong.

Over and out.

My Friend Kelsey in the 331 sent this over.

“The cheese curds at Casey jones are some of the best around. The cheese is straight out of Ellsworth WI. Unfortunately the 032 lost one of the best Mexican restaurants around in Leneros, but if you’re up for sushi check out sushi ave right next to the bowling alley. The garlic tuna is amazing and they have reasonable prices.”

Funny, I used to substitute teach in Ellsworth WI.  Small world eh?

Haven’t had a post for awhile.  Have been busy working off the back of my truck “Goldy,” servicing rental properties for people that I help self-manage. It’s been a hot summer folks.

Was heading out for dinner last evening with My Friend Sarah, when she suggested we hit one of the restaurants at Desert Ridge. I had to pause for a moment and think.  Yeah, Desert Ridge has a couple good places to eat.  Nori Sushi is good and the enchilada stack at Yard House is definitely a favorite of mine.  But here’s reality and why I had to think twice.  With the Marriott next door, most of the places at Desert Ridge tend to feel touristy and often they treat you as such, prices and all.  Can feel like I’m paying for fine dinning when I’ve only had a cheese burger.

So I said, “Hey, why not head to Casey Jones in the 032?” She said, “I’m ok with that.” Then she said, “And hey, after we can go bowling across the street.”  “Sounds good to me!” So off we went.

I’ll admit all day long I’m a creature of habit. I find things I like and stick with’em.   But there is something to be said for people and places not taking themselves too seriously.  The folks at Casey Jones are as salt of the earth as you’ll ever find.  Not everything on the menu is great.  You just have to navigate it a little.  But stuff like the guacamole and chips are freshly made and recently I discovered the sweet potato frys! The service is generally really good and there is a steady stream of classic rock playing over-head and usually not too loud. It’s simple and not expensive. What’s not to like? (Other than it’s a Packer Bar).

As we finished up eating and were heading over to the bowling alley, we made a pit stop at the Frys at 32nd and Bell so Sarah could get some socks. As I waited in the car looking at the newly paved 32nd street and all the hard working people hustling to and fro.  My heart felt a little heavy.  I love what this community is trying to do.  Urban renewal gives people hope.  It’s not just investment in streets and businesses, but investment in people, investment in property values.

So why does my heart feel a little heavy?  Urban renewal aint no slam dunk. We can re-pave roads and put in bike lanes, but if people head up to the Desert Ridges or over to the Scottsdale Corridors for their dinning and entertainment, the 032 might come and go all over again. That would be a shame.

We finally arrived at the AMF Desert Lanes.  I commented on how good the place looked and they said they had put quite a bit of money into their remodeling.  Good for them, it shows.

Overall it was a great night.  Good food, good fun, great company.  I beat Sarah in both games we bowled, though she had an opportunity to get me in the 10th frame after getting a strike on her first attempt.  But no go. Maybe next time.

Lastly, want to give a shout out to My Friends Josh, Patty and Pat from Genesis Church in the 032. They recently returned from a mission trip to Ghana.  One of Josh’s big take-aways was how resilient the people are.  Despite having been enslaved and only recently freed, they are happy and appreciative for their lives.  Amen to that.

http://caseyjonesgrill.com/

http://www.amf.com/deserthillslanes

http://www.genesis-church.com/

https://sonvoltprop.wordpress.com/

My Friend Sarah sent this article over from the Arizona Builder Exchange.  If you are interested in what the overall vision for the future of the 032, this will give you a pretty detailed idea of what is planned.

View 32 will be a multifamily residential development proposed for 4 acres north of the northeast corner of 32nd Street and Shea promises to be a step toward fulfilling Phoenix’s sweeping vision to transform 32nd Street to a magnet for residential and commercial investment and a place where residents can live, work and play.

The proposed urban infill project near the intersection, View 32, would comprise 60KSF consisting of 147 units for a density of 36 dwelling units per acre.

Design to highlight Phoenix Mountains Preserve

View 32’s architecture and character have been designed to highlight the view of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve south of the site. The building is oriented north/south to maximize the solar orientation. The height of the building increases on the eastern portion of the site, adjacent to the SR51 freeway.

View 32 is planned as a high-quality, gated, urban development to include about 89 one-bedroom units and 58 two-bedroom units ranging in size from about 723SF to about 1,067SF.

Amenities would include a pool and spa, a 4KSF clubhouse, courtyards and plazas with outdoor kitchens, barbeque area and fire pits, a private dog park, and other gathering and entertainment areas. The clubhouse includes a leasing area, modern fitness center, clubroom, conference room, computer room and mailroom.

The building is contemporary in style, materials and color, which is consistent with the North 32nd Street Corridor Plan’s vision and character of the area.

Public, private effort to rejuvenate 32nd Street

Continual efforts between public and private entities are expected in the rejuvenation of 32nd Street.

Phoenix plans road improvements to Shea Boulevard between State Route 51 and North 32nd Street, a road diet for 32nd Street, and branding signs at the entrances to the corridor on light poles.

The Shea Boulevard improvement project will re-purpose the one-eighth-mile corridor of Shea Boulevard by reducing the curb to curb width to about 64 feet from the existing width of 94 feet.

Bike lanes would be added in both directions along North 32nd Street and wider sidewalks would be built. The target date for beginning construction is January 2016.

The road diet calls for the removal of one vehicular northbound travel lane and addition of bike lanes on both sides of North 32nd Street between Shea Boulevard and Hartford Avenue.

The project includes a microseal of North 32nd Street from Hartford Avenue to Shea Boulevard except between Greenway and Thunderbird Road, which will receive a rubber overlay. The project is expected to be completed this spring or summer.

The poor quality of the street between Thunderbird Road and Greenway Road requires the street to be milled and resurfaced with rubberized asphalt. The project also includes modifications to several traffic signal poles and the addition of traffic cameras at several intersections.

To bolster the visual identity of the area, the Phoenix Arts and Culture’s Public Art Program will choose artists to work with the community to design artworks to be attached to light poles along 32nd Street from Shea Boulevard to Bell Road. The design process is expected to begin this spring.

Say it aint so? My Friends Kelsey and Mason have left the 032. No worries though, they are moving on to greener pastures.  After exhaustively scouring the 032 for their first home and even making an offer on one, we decided to head north to the 331 in Tatum Ranch.  Values have been soring in in both zip codes, but the proximity to Cave Creek and the fact that is a bit more scenic than inside the belt-way, can make it a little more desirable to buyers.  And reality is: there are only 4-6 houses available under 300K north of the 101. If history repeats itself there soon wont be any.  With this in mind we thought it would be a good idea to see what those 4-6 houses looked like.

Long story short; Kelsey and Mason found a gem of house in the 331 (1800 sq ft, a pool, and a scenic wash behind the property) for under 300K.  The house is not new and will require some deferred maintenance and there-after they will have a chance to build some sweat equity by updating the second bath and so-forth. But there is a tremendous upside to their investment.  As we say in real estate, “you make your money when you buy.”  Good job you two!

Not all is lost for the 032 though. Mason, a big Packer fan (we call them evil G’s in my house) is sure to return to Casey Jones the notorious Packer bar at 29th and Bell.  And Kelsey, who has more of an urban bent remains excited about the re-vitalization plans in North Phoenix and plans to visit often.

Welcome to your new home!

Rock-n-roll

My Friend Sarah in the 032 sent this over this morning.

Looks like bicyclists in the 032 have a smooth ride ahead. Lighting McQueen would be proud!

https://sonvoltprop.wordpress.com/

My Friend Josh in the 032 sent this over.

Team Genesis fighting child slavery in Ghana

Local church in the 032 is impacting peoples lives far and wide. It’s interesting because before Genesis partnered with Alice Cooper, the sw corner of 32nd and T-Bird was occupied by a mostly vacant commercial center that hosted an array of illegal activity and was an overall blight on the community.

Fast forward 5 years later: Genesis Church led by Pastor Pat Stark, formerly located in an elementary school gym just to the north in the 050, purchased the property in 2010-11 and moved in as the anchor tenant. Through a partnership with Alice Cooper’s foundation, The Rock, Genesis created a free youth center that offers multiple programs such as dance and guitar lessons to the local kids in the comminity.  That commercial center on the sw corner of 32nd and T-Bird now has occupancy of 90%. What an asset Genesis has been to the 032.

Now this little Church is going global.

Check it out.

http://www.genesis-church.com/