The New Kid on The Block

Lakeview Trails North is our newest community, and also our largest to date. It is located south of Elliot Road, west of Recker, east of Lakeview Village and north of the grain tanks. When it is finished, there will be 733 homes in this neighborhood, of varying sizes.

One unique feature of this community is the area carved out along Elliot that we call Uncle Hugh's house. If you are interested in some history of this house, you can check out this post from a couple of years ago:



One of the builders in Lakeview Trails North, or LTN, as we abbreviate it, is Ashton Woods. They will have three separate sizes of product, and their models will be in three different places. The smallest product is being modeled on Morrison Ranch Parkway:


As of the beginning of this month, they had sold 6 of these smaller homes, and 14 of the middle size and 26 of the large size; all before the models are even up and running!

As with every project, there are times you have to scratch your head and wonder. Here is one example:



It isn't paved yet, but if it were, this lamp post would be a pretty formidable obstacle in the road. But wait, there's more:


Two poles in the middle of the road in one project?! Yes. This one, of course, is not because of a mistaken plan, but because the power pole was there first. Most of our power lines are buried; this one will be moved instead of buried. The cost to bury it was $1 million per mile, according to SRP, so that won't be happening. The trucks were there the day we took this picture and the new poles laying on the ground, so it may already be moved. Unfortunately, the placement of the new poles means we won't have our signature trees between the sidewalk and the road along this stretch. There will still be the trees behind the sidewalk, so there will be shade.

Now we are entering the "use-your-imagination" zone. Imagine an elementary school here:




...and a volleyball court inside this square:





And last, but certainly not least, imagine a sidewalk and grass and trees along this curve, that will lead to the sidewalk around the lake:



Lakeview Trails North has the distinct advantage of already having its lake built, landscaped, fountained and ecologically balanced; the big lake at Town Center North provides the irrigation for the landscape in LTN. We will be keeping close tabs on this neighborhood as it goes up.

Through Highland Groves

As we continue our tour of Morrison Ranch, our next stop is Highland Groves, located north of Elliot and east of Recker Rd. This project is still in progress, though it's about 80 percent built. The northern boundary is the big power line that abuts Highland High School. Trails and pedestrian access are very important to us, and Bias For Action worked very hard to make sure there is open access to the school from the community. It's small, but on the left side of this picture you can see the gate that is the end result:





As in our other communities, there is a large park lane boulevard that extends the length of the neighborhood. At the end of Park Lane, you can see Big League Dreams going up. This is the joint-use project between the privately owned Big League folks, who will maintain the park, and the Town of Gilbert, who is funding the construction.



To recap briefly, this site (where Big League Dreams is located, on the east side of Highland Groves) is owned by the Town of Gilbert, and has always been intended to be a park. With funds being tight for park maintenance, this opportunity seemed like a good fit for the residents of Gilbert to enjoy during the day, with the operator able to make a profit on its use in the evenings. There have been some difficult discussions of late due to cost increases and confused expectations between the town and Big League Dreams, which is not surprising in a deal of this complexity.

Highland Groves has 469 homes, and therefore plenty of children. I love to sit at the ramada at either lake and look at the tot lots, and I've posted about our bike routes before. But I usually don't turn and look south; it's also a beautiful view (though I must warn you that the mountains will not always be this visible):




As great as this view is, I still need to turn north to the fountains; much like Town Center Lake and the grain tanks, I never tire of this view:



We have dear friends who live in Highland Groves, and on Sunday, our friend passed on how much he enjoys living there. He's a young fellow; you know, one of those who runs long distances just for fun, and he detailed for us a running route that he had tried and loved. It involved going around these lakes, crossing Elliot and running along the burgeoning Lakeview Trails North neighborhood, and then down around the Town Center Lake and back. Gee, maybe I'll try it.

When it isn't 110 degrees.

On my bike.

A Small Detour

We are going down a different road today, pun fully intended. There is an article in today's East Valley Tribune that is talking about subdivision road upkeep, and I thought some of The Mister's insights might be enlightening for us all. First, the gist of the article:

At least 90 subdivisions in Gilbert are facing a “ticking time bomb” when it comes to their privately owned roads, town officials say.

The problem comes after several years of wear and tear start to show and residents start wondering when the town’s government is going to get around to fixing their streets. But in developments with private streets, residents or their homeowners associations are responsible for maintaining the roads.

And as these neighborhoods grow older, their deteriorating streets become a problem for the entire town. As a result, the problem has been dropped in the Town Council’s lap as Gilbert helps look for solutions.

“It’s a time bomb because, basically, these homeowners associations don’t know what the costs are,” Gilbert Town Manager George Pettit said.

For years, developers have pushed through projects with private streets that generally don’t meet local municipalities’ standards for size or quality.

The Town Council recently decided to require contractors who win road maintanence contracts to perform the same work for HOAs at the same price charged to the town.

“They’re still fully responsible for the cost,” Pettit said. “Except now they have a vendor that they can call that we know is credible, is licensed and bonded, and will be performing work at the contract rate.”

And for now, town officials say it’s the best they can do for private-street neighborhoods since the state constitution prohibits spending tax dollars on private projects.

The Mister explained to me that if you have a gated community, you have private streets. If the public is not allowed to use the streets, the public ought not pay for their maintenance. That makes sense. In some cases, there are communities that are not gated, yet have private streets for one reason or another. But wherever there are private streets and an HOA, there are supposed to be reserves to repair those streets down the road. It is conceivable that the developer used incorrect figures for the reserves, or that the figures needed to be revised upwardly as costs rose; but there is a mechanism in place to meet a need that is easily foreseen. The problem arises when an increase in HOA fees is required, and residents are opposed. The new laws enacted the last couple of years in AZ limit HOAs in their efforts to collect assessments, so if there are some recalcitrant homeowners, the burden ends up on the compliant homeowners.

And if you are wondering, this is a moot point for Morrison Ranch residents; all of our roads are public and maintained by the Town of Gilbert.

Our Signature Tanks

An emblematic feature of Morrison Ranch are the four grain tanks situated just east of Higley Road and south of Elliot. As we continue our tour of the Ranch, the tanks deserve some air time, since they hold such history and symbolism for us.

The tanks were constructed in the early 1960's to provide storage for grain delivered by rail to a spur near Higley and Williams Field Road. Here is a picture taken back then when they were being used for their original purpose:



The quonset in the foreground was used to keep the cattle feed dry; not shown in this picture is the mill which was used to mix the feed. Our feedlot was located to the right of this picture. If you want to hear about The Mister's experience running the mill, you can find that post here.

After building the lake, the tanks were framed nicely in all our pictures, but the quonset had fallen into disrepair, and the mill just wasn't all that attractive. We began to discuss how to improve the look:



After much hand-wringing and discussion (change is so hard!), we decided to take down the quonset. Repairing it and making it fit for a commercial use ended up in the too-hard-to-do box. Some of the outer skin can now be seen down the road at Joe's Farm Grill, on one of his quonsets. After removing the mill and the quonset, we had this picture:



Standing in open like this really accentuated the fact that they hadn't been painted in a while. Next on the list: hire someone to paint 80 feet of tank and go up 120 feet to paint the elevator:





Longtime readers of The Front Porch will remember the next job on the list, which Bias For Action persevered on until completion - the lights on the top:





And this is the view today, one of which we are proud:



For now, the tanks are fun to look at and we have no items on the do-list. In the future, we envision having retail and boutique shopping... maybe. But that will be far down the road, if it happens. For now, I'll just enjoy the view, take lots of pictures, and reflect with fondness on their past and present raison d'etre.

Look Ma! No barricades!

I don't know if either of these pictures capture the idea, but we can now drive the mile between Higley and Recker on Elliot without dodging the barricades which permitted construction on the median. There is still a barricade at Recker. The big power poles will be moved - soon, I hope.

Lakeview Village

As we continue our tour around the Ranch, we turn from the lake to the shopping center adjacent:


This is an inviting picture, I think. The center was built in 2004, anchored by the Albertson's that opened in the summer of that year. This was before I was blogging, so I am using my memory to recall that time - a shaky proposition, at best. If you have been in the area for any time at all, you know that the Albertson's management sold the company nationwide, and the fallout of that was shuttering their store at Lakeview Village. Basha's has stepped in the gap after about a year, and now the shopping center is back on track. The anecdotal word from the other businesses is that sales are picking up, and should only increase now that there are 700 plus new homes going up right behind the center. Here's a closer look from the parking lot:




The trees are providing more shade every summer. There was an article in the paper a couple of years ago that got me going on the shade issue. Here is my post on it, but I'll reproduce the key thought:

I've mentioned a time or two before that I am a shade seeker during the hot months here, as obvious as that sounds. My kids moan when I start roaming a parking lot looking for the tiniest sliver of shade to park in, and they delight in mocking my attempts to park in the shade of a neighboring Suburban....

...And then comes the key sentence (at least it should be key to my kids):

We should also come to grips with the critical need for shade in parking lots, not just to shade our vehicles but to reduce the buildup of heat.

I think I can safely say that I have come to grips with the critical need for shade in parking lots.

This quest for shade is actually one of the hallmarks of our planning in Morrison Ranch. It is one reason we plant so many trees - along with the desire to be a reminder of our agricultural roots - that will shade the sidewalks and eventually the streets of our residential communities. It's one reason we've asked the home builders to include front porches in their designs for our communities. It's one reason that the sidewalk and overhang are so large at Lakeview Village, along with the row of trees planted in front; even though the shopping center faces the west, which is the toughest situation to shade in Arizona, there is shade in the morning from the overhang, and when the trees grow there will be shade in the afternoon as well. And, most important to all of us parking lot wanderers as gas prices are rising, it's the reason we fill our commercial parking lots with trees. I was stunned to hear that the reason shopping centers don't install trees in the parking lots was because their name signs would be obscured from the road. I assured The Mister that every person I know who shops for groceries would memorize the stores that had some shade in which to park! I guess he passed that on, because I am starting to see more trees that actually shade something in more parking lots, even outside of Morrison Ranch. There are still some that plant Mesquite trees and then chop them to death so that they provide hope but no relief from the sun, but more often I am seeing honest to goodness shade trees. I welcome it, and look forward to the day when this becomes the norm rather than the exception.

On the other side of the shopping center is the Oasis, and the new palm lights are much more attractive:



Now that Basha's is open, we hope to fill things up with places offering good things to eat, to join Subway and In The Raw. There are conversations going on with some eateries, but I will wait until things are more definite before going into detail.

To summarize in a realistic fashion, we hit a speed bump with the closing of Albertson's, but we are optimistic now that the parking lot is again filled. I love the Basha's products and layout; the other business owners in the center are friendly and offer good service and products; the food is good, if not yet abundant in options; once again it is convenient to buy gas; and for most of the year, it's a pleasant walk or bike ride to get there. And once you do, it's shady.

Town Center North Lake

Considered by many (especially anyone related to The Water Expert) to be the jewel of Morrison Ranch, here is a picture of the lake and fountain with the tanks in the background, taken last week:


Actually, I have to agree that it is one of the most beautiful sites in the Ranch, and no doubt will be the most photographed scene for years to come. The Mister and I were addicted to a daily visit when it was being built back in 2002, getting excited about the most mundane issues, like culverts for fish houses, and the edges and drains, and especially, the fountain. Here is a snapshot of The Water Expert standing next to the fountain base, at a depth of 9 feet:



He could recite all the statistics you would ever want to know and many that you would not, but the basic idea is that the lake covers about 6 acres and is about 12 feet deep in some spots. It holds 55 acre-feet of water which, for the non-farmers among us, is around 18 million gallons of water. All the water is reclaimed water and is used for irrigation of the landscape in Morrison Ranch; and the lake's ecosystem is balanced with the use of various types of fish. Residents can fish the lake, but it is catch and release.

It was designed with a constant radius, smooth curve edge to remind people of the farm ponds used for water storage re-use in agriculture. It is supposed to look man-made, not like a natural pond, because we want to hearken back to the agricultural theme. Here's a shot taken from the air in March 2005, when it was still very new, but the landscaping had taken root:



Okay, I'll admit to being related (by marriage) to The Water Expert; I think it's the jewel of the Ranch.

End of an Era

A brief personal note today, and then tomorrow we will return to our tour of Morrison Ranch.

The Mister and I are very blessed to have 4 kids; today is the end of an era for us, as our youngest turns 20. How quickly we go from this....



.... to this....



There were a few years when we had 4 teenagers at once; now we have none. We are really looking forward, though, to the next era. There is nothing on earth as rewarding as watching your kids live life, and each phase really has been exhilarating, even in the difficult moments.

Farm Bureau Building

Our tour around Morrison Ranch has been somewhat chronological, and definitely geographical, but in today's visit geography trumps chronology. The Farm Bureau building is actually one of the first things to happen in Morrison Ranch, at least that you can see; that process started in 2002, and seemed like a natural fit.

The Farm Bureau is actually an organization created by farmers to promote farming and solve collective problems in agriculture. It turns out that one of the problems farmers had was getting insurance, and Farm Bureau created specialized insurance to meet those needs; but they now serve the general public as well. So most of the folks that work in the building above work in the insurance industry.

The company's home base is Des Moines Iowa; when we were talking about building design, we stressed the rural theme of Morrison Ranch, and the Iowans immediately thought of corn cribs. But you may notice that a corn crib in Iowa looks very similar to a cotton seed bin at the gins in Arizona, and we were pleased with the stylistic design of the building.

They have been approved to build a second, similar building to the south should the need arise. There are about 200 employees there now, and we hope that some of them are living in Morrison Ranch - commute by bike! - but we are very happy with the quality of the building and the folks involved there.

And, by the way, we are estimating that Morrison Ranch Business Park on Power Road, when it gets cranked up, will provide 24,000 jobs; I'm certain some of those folks will be living in Morrison Ranch as well.

Touring The Estates

As we continue our tour around the Ranch, our next stop is Higley Estates, which pretty much finished up construction in 2006. I saw a couple of houses still working on installing landscape, and there are no doubt still folks putting in pools, but for all intents and purposes, the 162 homes in this neighborhood are complete. Here is the entry at Morrison Ranch Parkway off Higley Road:


The west edge of the community sports a trail that is smaller than the greenbelt in Higley Groves West, but a very pleasant walk nonetheless. It will eventually connect to what we call the backbone trail system throughout Morrison Ranch, connecting with Lakeside Groves, and if you follow the ditch all the way, you can get to the Town of Gilbert trail system. This, of course, means that it goes past the Circle G neighborhood that is immediately south of Higley Estates. If you are wondering how the Circle G folks ended up in the middle of Morrison Ranch, the explanation is quite simple; we did not own that land, and that community was built before we were very far along in our process. There is a road connecting the interior of the Circle G development with the interior of Higley Estates, which is both a blessing and a curse: a blessing when folks are able to access their houses, and a curse when drivers go speeding along through Higley Estates. Here is a picture of the trail looking north toward Elliot Road:



If you visit the archives of the Front Porch during the time that Higley Estates was being built, you will see that I have serious tot lot envy. I still think this is one of the best tot lots in Morrison Ranch, and the park is nice and green at the moment:



Higley Estates went up during the height of the housing frenzy, with lotteries and harried salespeople; it was built more quickly than Higley Groves because of that. It was also our first project where we were overseeing the final plat process and therefore able to ensure that things were built according to plan. It was well worth the work, as this peek down Morrison Ranch parkway proves:

Welcome to My Neighborhood

The Mister and I reside in Higley Groves West, and we will have been here 7 years this November, which somehow seems astounding! The Sixth Man always says that the landscaping makes a big difference in only 5 years, and can totally change the complexion of a neighborhood in 10 years. The entrance pictures from below would indicate that we are nicely beyond the 5-year "making a difference" moment:


One unique feature of Higley Groves, on both the east and west sides of Higley, is the use of traffic circles, commonly known as roundabouts. They serve a dual purpose of adding greenery to the view corridor, as well as slowing traffic through the neighborhood. We initially had difficulties with the jacarandas in the circles, but here is one roundabout in our neighborhood that has flourished:




If you are wondering why the roundabouts are unique to Higley Groves, it's because folks find them so difficult to navigate, so we didn't put them in the other neighborhoods. Having recently returned from some overseas travel where roundabouts are common, I still think that they are an efficient way to route traffic. Many of my fellow Americans, however, disagree with that premise. And then there are the knuckleheads who insist on driving right across them; don't get me started on those folks. Suffice it to say, you won't see any more true roundabouts in the other neighborhoods (Highland Groves has some traffic calming features near the playgrounds that are similar, but not at intersections).

Another unique feature is that Higley Groves West is next to the irrigation canal. That provided the impetus for a large greenbelt that extends all the way from Elliot Road to the power lines. Apart from the view, it's a fabulous area for ball practices, Thanksgiving football scrimmages, and the occasional work on the golf swing. My neighbor, who knows a thing or two about landscaping as he has greened up several golf courses, pointed out as I was taking pictures that this is the greenest time of year (since we haven't been overseeding this area in the winter) for the greenbelt:




Higley Groves West has 348 homes in the neighborhood, not counting our office on the corner of Higley and Elliot. It feels smaller, I suppose because it seems like we have some idea of who most of our immediate neighbors are, and it's a pretty quick trip to get to either of the arterial streets.

I was snapping photos in the morning during the off-to-school hour, and it warmed my heart to see so many kids walking to the bus stop or heading to Greenfield on foot or bike, in many cases with a parent standing outside waving. I'll finish up this tour with an outside shot of our own Sherwood Forest in the background, and in the foreground, a couple of bike-riders on their way to school:

Around the Ranch

If you mark the seasons according to the school year, the summer is over. Okay, it doesn't really feel like that with the newscasters posting the excessive-heat warnings, but for a large segment of the population, a new routine is starting. It is time to stop thinking about vacation, and time to start thinking about getting back to work.

I mentioned that we have friends who have been preparing to move to Gilbert, and it has caused me to think about how I would explain the various neighborhoods in Morrison Ranch. So I thought a tour around the Ranch might be instructive for the neophytes, and a touchstone for those of us living here already ("my, how the landscape has changed since the beginning!").

Our first neighborhood is Higley Groves, which is situated east of Higley Road and north of Elliot. Technically, Higley Groves is all one neighborhood, including the part on the west side of Higley Road. They were constructed separately, however, and so I am starting with the east side first.

We sold this property in 1998, and construction started the following year; it's hard to believe that the ten year anniversary is not too far off. The trees have grown tremendously; I remember when some of the trees along the street below (Park Avenue) were mowed down in the middle of the night by some mystery vandal. Thankfully, they were young enough that the replacements have grown to the same height. Today, the entrance looks like this:



One of the distinctives of our land planning is that when you look down a street, you will mostly see something green at the end rather than a wall or a garage. Here is a sample of the "pocket park" at the end of the street; yes, there is a garage there, but it is not dominant:




I posted quite a while ago about the concept of view corridors; and here is a link to the picture I used as an illustration, which is actually from Higley Groves. Of course, that picture was taken in March when the trees were bare. Today's view shows the trees much larger, and therefore the tanks are not visible. Unless you enlarge the picture and look very hard right in the middle of the tot lot cover, that is:




There are 588 homes in this neighborhood, and the residents have an easy walk to Highland Park Elementary school within the community.

We have some good friends who live in this neighborhood, and it is, of course, one of our favorite places to meander through on a bicycle when it isn't so hot. There are a few small battles that The Mister lost in this neighborhood (don't even ASK about railings on top of the headwalls in the park space), but overall it is a lovely neighborhood, and with every year of maturity on the trees, more shady and pleasant for pedestrians.

If It's In The Paper...

...it must be true, right? Well, in this case, it is. All of those trips to California by my office mates have yielded an agreement to carry out the development of the industrial sites on Morrison Ranch. Today's AZ Republic has the official press release:

A California company has been chosen to develop Morrison Ranch Business Park in Gilbert.

Birtcher Development & Investments and Lunsford Group have formed a new entity, Birtcher::Lunsford, LLC, which will develop the 600-acre property on Power Road between Elliot and Warner roads.

The project will bring 8.2 million square feet of office and industrial space to Gilbert. A groundbreaking for the first phase of the development is scheduled for summer 2008, according to the company.

The business park will be part of Morrison Ranch, a master planned community covering more than 2,000 acres. The community includes residential, retail, office and industrial properties. The master plan should be completed in five phases over the next 25 years.

You can check out some of the accomplishments of our partners here, and of course our website lays out the vision for the park.

The Business Park will evolve over the next 25 years, as the article states; that takes some adjusting for our "get-it-now" mentality; but that is normal and customary for that type of use. We are excited about the Birtcher:Lunsford Group and will let you know when something starts to happen.

Growing in Gilbert

We have some dear friends moving to Gilbert (hopefully in Morrison Ranch) and as we've watched them do the house-hunting drill the last few days, I've been reminded of some of the positive aspects of Gilbert and of our neighborhood.

The house itself is usually the primary issue when couples look for their next home. It must meet the needs of the family at that time, in space and living area, and also in amenities such as pools and playrooms. The environment around the house is generally next on the list. If there are children, school choice becomes important, both for academics and for extracurricular opportunities. And there is always the question of proximity to the wage-earner's place of employment.

When The Mister began to envision Morrison Ranch, he declined to delve into the designs of floor plans of homes. He figured that home builders make their profits by making their customers happy, and the demand would dictate the floor plans. He was more interested in developing the community around the houses, encouraging folks to be involved with neighbors as they picked up their mail or walked the dog or threw a ball with the kids. Even though community is not usually at the top of the list of prospective home-buyers, there is a way to enhance that feel and promote the opportunity for folks to get to know one another. What we do with the opportunity is up to us.

So as our friends were house-hunting, we found it is actually possible to feel the difference in communities, especially if you are on the look-out for the differences. I am, without a doubt, one of the biggest cheerleaders for Morrison Ranch; how could I not? But there are also other communities in Gilbert - I am thrilled to say! - that promote community and neighborhood.

In a perfect world, the job opportunities would be very close to the desired community. There is some good news on that front, as The AZ Republic points out today:

One of Gilbert’s newest business parks is expected to generate at least 800 highly skilled jobs, town officials said.

“That’s pretty substantial,” said John Zupon, a business development specialist for the town.

The Reserve at San Tan, a 350,000 square-foot office and flex-space development under way near Gilbert and Germann roads, will provide an additional boost to an area of east Gilbert that’s rich with highly paid professionals, Zupon said.

Phoenix-based developer Orsett Properties is working on the first of several construction phases and expects to finish the first 155,000 square feet by the end of the year.

The first phase costs $29 million and project officials said it could eventually host a hotel.

Our own business park gets a mention later in the article:

Other business parks that are expected to draw some lucrative jobs include the Morrison Ranch Power Tech Center near Elliot and Power roads, and Banner Gateway Medical Center and its adjacent campus at Higley Road and U.S. 60. Tracy Clark, an economist with the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, said Gilbert has passed the threshold from a bedroom community to an area that draws wealthy families and companies based on its own attractiveness.

That's what I'm talking about.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

There's a commercial for an office supply store that is a classic, and gets replayed every year about this time. It shows a dad taking his two kids shopping for school supplies; he is smiling and riding the shopping cart around, and the kids are frowning and shuffling alongside, all while the Christmas song is playing - "It's the most wonderful time of the year..." Yep, it's time for school to start up again.

Depending on your school district, your kids may already have started, are starting today or tomorrow, or will start Wednesday for most Morrison Ranch residents. The traditions have changed for The Mister and me with our empty nest; this season is not marked by school supply shopping, nor medicals for sports, nor band camp or football camp. Now we mark the change of season by diligently observing the school zones and driving slower through them and through our neighborhood, and by readying our checkbook for all our friends' kids and their fundraisers, and by vowing once again to do Christmas shopping early (an empty vow, in my case) since fall must be here even though it is still very hot outside.

Whether it's the Most Wonderful Time of the year is in the eye of the beholder; but it is an exciting time, full of promise and optimism. At least for the parents.

New Airline at Gateway

The mystery airline that is set to start service from Williams Gateway airport is Allegiant Airlines, and I found the East Valley Tribune article to be the most informative on the topic:

Valley travelers will be able to fly directly from Mesa to 13 new destinations — many of them likely to be in the Midwest and Northwest— by year end.

But anxious passengers will have to wait another week or so to find out where they can book their next vacations.

Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air, which flies to and from more than 50 destinations around the United States, said Tuesday it is establishing a hub at Williams Gateway Airport.

The first landing spot will be revealed Aug. 9, and a dozen more will be announced by mid-September, said Ponder Harrison, Allegiant managing director.

Flights on two 130-seat jets dedicated to the Mesa airport will begin Oct. 25, and Allegiant will be flying to all 13 destinations by Thanksgiving, said airline spokeswoman Tyri Squyres.

For most routes, round-trip service will be twice weekly, she said.

While McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is the company’s home base, it will not be one of the 13 new Mesa routes, Squyres said. Vision Air, now the Mesa airport’s only scheduled passenger service carrier, already flies twice weekly to North Las Vegas.

Read the rest for more information, but it is highly possible that Bellingham Washington, the Chicago area, Colorado Springs, and Billings Montana are non-stop destinations for the airline.

The Mister and I both think this is very good news, not just for the airport, which we hope succeeds, but for the entire East Valley. The thought of driving to Williams, parking, and hopping on an airplane to say, Billings, feels more palatable than driving to Sky Harbor, parking, and heading to the proper terminal and gate for the same flight. So, personally, it seems beneficial.

But it also sends the message that the East Valley is a player in the corporate world, with accessability and with its own identity, separate from Phoenix.

We are stuck in the days past when the airport was known as "Willie" and therefore were hoping that Williams would remain part of the moniker. The (almost surely - to be voted on Sept. 17) new name "Phoenix-Mesa Gateway" will do fine, however, and I understand the need to identify with the larger area.

This seems like good news all around.