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Viewing Category: Growth
Phoenix is 5th-biggest U.S. cityPhoenix has elbowed out Philadelphia to become the fifth biggest city in America and one of six Arizona cities, including Tucson, to make the top 100 list, according to Census Bureau population estimates being released Thursday.With more than 1.5 million residents, and more than 43,000 new residents between 2005 and 2006, Phoenix's population increased more than any other city in the country, according to the Census Bureau.
Only New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston were larger, according to the study.
Tucson ranked 32 on the list, with a population of 518,956.
Permalink [Filed under: Growth, Phoenix]
Posted by Editor at 07:56 AM
Bypass considered to ease traffic on I-10"The I-10 is the Valley's most important transportation corridor, and it's overburdened and deteriorating," said Richard Hubbard, executive director of Phoenix-based Valley Partnership and past deputy director of the State Land Department.Permalink [Filed under: Growth, Traffic, Transportation]About 120 miles separate the downtowns of Arizona's two biggest cities. But planned developments already stretch more than 60 miles south of metro Phoenix deep into Pinal County. In Tucson, housing projects already reach 40 miles north of the city, so there's less than a 20-mile gap between the two cities' growth.
Posted by Editor at 07:55 AM
Arizona gets 12 new ZIP codes as well as realignment of 3 othersIn terms of things we care about, the ZIP code ranks below the area code and above which day of the week we get our garbage picked up. It matters. But just a little bit.Permalink [Filed under: Growth]There are 12 new ZIP codes in Arizona, and three others that have been significantly realigned.
The state now has 535 of the nation's 42,569 ZIPs. The reshuffling of the deck here is primarily the result of our continued growth.
Posted by Editor at 06:19 AM
Fuel-efficiency, mass transit key to state's futureThe financial future does not look bright for consumers or government institutions, such as school districts, that use large amounts of gas. Federal energy policy and trends in the oil industry suggest that alternative means of transportation are essential to the future of Tucson and Arizona.Permalink [Filed under: Economy, Energy, Growth, Opinion, Traffic, Transportation]
Posted by Editor at 01:31 AM
How will Arizona grow? That's up to all of usTalking about growth is a stroll through a garden of flowers and weeds. The stunning prospects of prosperity fed by newcomers can be choked by misinterpreted data and lack of public policy.Permalink [Filed under: Growth, Opinion]Economists and public officials exposed 57 Western-state journalists and association executives to the thorns of growth Friday during "Covering Growth in the West," an educational symposium held at the Star.
Posted by Editor at 01:55 AM
Sahuarita shows a town can grow too quicklyOur view: Lack of vision leaves it close to exceeding its wastewater capacity and having to pay mightily to play catch-up
How Sahuarita is handling its population boom is a good case study of what happens when towns don't adequately plan for growth.Permalink [Filed under: City County Local Govt, Growth]The town has asked Pima County for permission to ship its raw sewage to the Green Valley wastewater treatment plant, because its own plant is about to hit its limit and a planned expansion won't be completed for months.
Sahuarita, a bedroom community south of Tucson, has exploded from a rural town just topping 4,600 people in 2001 to a suburb of nearly 18,200 by 2006. The driving force is Rancho Sahuarita, a planned development that heavily advertises family-friendly parks, pools and schools on television, billboards and in newspapers.
Posted by Editor at 08:28 AM
Growth is overwhelming some Tucson-area schoolsWest of Interstate 19 on La Cañada Drive sits a 66-acre plot of desert inhabited by quails, creosote bushes and a few saguaros. The plot is destined to become a high school, designed to ease overcrowding at Sahuarita High School. However, Sahuarita school officials don't expect it to happen anytime soon. And the district isn't alone.Permalink [Filed under: Education, Growth]
Posted by Editor at 06:55 AM
Mega-developments create 'Sun Corridor' controversyAnthem is symbolic of the kind of development that planners and environmentalists love to hate but that many home buyers simply love.Permalink [Filed under: Growth]It is at once self-contained and a bedroom community, about 35 miles north of Phoenix near the rural settlement of New River. Nine years after its development started, traffic is much worse on neighboring Interstate 17 and its water costs a bundle, but the community's atmosphere is low-key and laid-back, and the place is loaded with amenities.
Those are the pros and cons as new Anthems are being built or planned by Pulte Homes in Arizona's "Sun Corridor," the booming stretch in which the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas are expected to merge within the next 30 years.
Posted by Editor at 08:19 AM
Massive growth requires some difficult choicesOur view: Tucson voters, politicians failed to face reality for three decades.
An apocalyptic story in Sunday's Star painted a picture of an enormously urbanized and traffic-choked Arizona that, by contrast, makes today's growth problems seem trivial.Permalink [Filed under: Growth, Opinion]The predictions referred to population growth and a boom in housing and commercial developments, and government's likely inability to deal with transportation demands that come with such growth over the next 30 years.
Posted by Editor at 06:12 AM
With growth boom, 24-lane freeways may be in AZ futureFreeways up to 24 lanes wide, new interstate bypasses, commuter rail — none will prevent a quagmire of traffic congestion through the coming Tucson-to-Phoenix "megalopolis."Permalink [Filed under: Growth, Rail, Traffic, Transportation]That's the warning from a longtime Pima County transportation official, who says there's no way officials can find the money or physical space to build a road-and-transit network big enough to handle Arizona's projected growth over the next three decades.
Posted by Editor at 11:56 AM
Commuters struggle day to day with non-stop growth in Valley"Hello. I commute 30 miles one way from Buckeye to downtown Phoenix. Now, I have been doing this for nine years, never dreaming of how bad it would get when we first moved out there."That's from Deborah Kurth, who e-mailed me recently about her increasingly congested daily drive. Her plight has become a common one in the Valley, especially at the outer reaches, as burgeoning population expands faster than our ability to construct roads to accommodate them.
Permalink [Filed under: Growth, Phoenix]
Posted by Editor at 01:56 AM
Water initiative could curb growthA group of residents wants to place on the November city ballot an initiative that would limit new development during lengthy water shortages.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Environment, Growth, Water]The Tucson Water Users' Bill of Rights is similar to an initiative proposed two years ago that fell short of the necessary number of registered voter signatures to make the ballot that year.
Organizers said forecasts of continued drought and nonstop growth prompted them to try again.
Posted by Editor at 06:44 AM
'City of Brotherly Love' spouts unfriendly words about PhoenixForget the "City of Brotherly Love." We may want to start calling Philadelphia the "Municipality of Sore Losers."Permalink [Filed under: Growth]Turns out, folks there have finally decided to acknowledge what we here have known, oh, for about eight months: Phoenix is now the nation's fifth-largest city based on census population counts.
And they're not happy about it.
Posted by Editor at 06:18 AM
Maricopa County population boomingMaricopa County holds the nation's top spot for population growth in a county and that has created a not-too-far-off need for seven-digit license plates.Permalink [Filed under: Growth, Traffic, Transportation]The county, which added 696,000 residents to the Valley between 2000 and 2006, is now the fourth-largest county in the nation with 3.8 million residents, according to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau. These figures translate into an increase in Arizona car registrations originating from other states.
Posted by Editor at 03:06 AM
Maricopa County was nation's growth capital between 2000-06WASHINGTON - Maricopa County gained 696,000 residents between 2000 and 2006, the largest numerical increase of the nation's 3,141 counties, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.Permalink [Filed under: Growth]This increase surpasses the total population of all but 15 U.S. cities.
Pima County added an estimated 21,362 residents from 2005 to 2006 to end up with 946,362 as of July 1. It grew that year at a rate of 2.3 percent, placing it ninth among Arizona counties in growth rate.
Posted by Editor at 02:53 AM
Pinal population likely to pass Pima's in 20 to 30 yearsPinal County, now the United States' sixth-fastest-growing county, will likely surpass Pima County's population in 20 to 30 years, officials said Wednesday.Permalink [Filed under: Growth]A heftier supply of developable land, lower housing prices, a brighter water picture and looser development rules are likely to boost Pinal over Pima, officials in the two counties said.
Posted by Editor at 02:41 AM
Conservative group blasts McCain as 'anti-growth'A leading right-wing group has criticized Arizona Sen. John McCain's record on taxes and questions his conservative credentials despite the Republican's ardent support for free trade and fiscal restraint.
In a new report, The Club for Growth faults the 2008 presidential contender for his opposition to Bush administration and business-backed tax cuts and his opposition to a full repeal of federal estate taxes. The group called McCain's opposition "anti-growth."
Posted by Editor at 01:27 AM
East Valley feels state budget pinchThe East Valley’s wish list for state money will have to get shorter this year. Threats of a nationwide recession, coupled with less money coming into state coffers, have created financial obstacles for East Valley lawmakers wanting to bring projects back to their districts.Permalink [Filed under: Budget, City County Local Govt, Growth]It marks a sharp difference from last year when the state was swimming in a $1 billion budget surplus.
Posted by Editor at 04:58 AM
2 bills would trim rights of HOAsPHOENIX -- State senators voted Monday to strip homeowner associations of the power to decide what can be parked on city-owned streets and for how long.Permalink [Filed under: Growth, Legislature, Miscellany]The 29-1 vote for SB 1360 came over the objection of the Community Associations Institute, the organization which represents homeowner associations. Michael Lerch, executive director of the Central Arizona chapter, said these are decisions best left for the residents.
Posted by Editor at 12:53 AM
Students share visions for tomorrow's ArizonaThe teenage leaders who gathered at the Capitol last week are the people who will be leading the state in the coming decades, Gov. Janet Napolitano said.Permalink [Filed under: Education, Growth]"You are the Arizona of 2030," the governor told the teens. By that time, Arizona's population is expected to be 12 million, about double today's population, she said.
Posted by Editor at 09:05 AM
Vitu : Region Town Hall will seek our input on major issuesThe lesson has been learned: A small core of community leaders will never win community-wide support to map Tucson's future.Permalink [Filed under: City County Local Govt, Growth, Transportation, Tucson]It took widespread public involvement to assemble a transportation plan and then get voters to approve the Regional Transportation Authority plan.
With that lesson learned, the community at large is invited, even urged, to roll up its sleeves and take part in the Tucson Regional Town Hall, which will attempt to set the region's future course, from Sahuarita to Oro Valley.
Posted by Editor at 12:25 AM
Send us your upper-middle class, well-tanned masses?ASU.
They come to Arizona in droves, journeying through the desert seeking a better life. Most are unwilling to surrender their core beliefs to assimilate with the natives of their adopted homeland. If their immigration continues unchecked, their presence will alter the Grand Canyon State beyond recognition.Permalink [Filed under: Growth]I write, of course, of Californians. According to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, Arizona surged in population more than any other state last year, adding about 213,000 people. Half were newborns, 32,000 arrived from foreign countries, and 130,000 moved from another state.
Posted by Editor at 02:06 PM
AZ Senate president talks about water, growth issues at Lincoln Day dinnerThe biggest issues Arizona legislators are facing are related to growth, State Senate President Tim Bee said at the annual Graham/Greenlee Lincoln Day Dinner.
“Water is a critical issue in our state,” Bee, who was the keynote speaker at the Feb. 23 dinner at the Eastern Arizona College, said. “We’re in danger of losing Fort Huachuca (in Cochise County) because of the water situation.”
Posted by Editor at 01:37 PM
Property rights law brings call for waiversProposition 207 aimed to expand property rights in Arizona. If the government changed the rules for how you could use your land, you could ask for compensation for any lost value.Permalink [Filed under: Growth, Legislature]Now cities and counties across Arizona, including Tucson, Marana and Pima County, are asking property owners to waive those rights if they want to develop their property.
Posted by Editor at 06:11 AM
State asked to preserve NW landsThe lower slopes of the Tortolita Mountains' west side are blanketed with saguaros and ironwood trees. The ridgeline climbs steeply uphill toward Tortolita Mountain Park and its brown, rocky hillsides.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Growth, State]It's a picture postcard scene. But will this state-owned land stay that way?
Posted by Editor at 06:08 AM
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