Below is a copy of the newest proposal/letter written by Dale Keiser offering an explanation and history of the various I-11 Corridors/Maps, and why the newest corridor VR2 is the Most Preferred Corrider:
I-11 Tier 1 EIS Study Team c/o ADOT Communications 1655 W. Jackson Street Mail Drop 126F Phoenix, AZ 85007
June 25, 2019
Re: Updated Comments on I11 Study in Wickenburg area
Prepared for the Vista Royale I-11 Study Team by:
Dale Keiser
35600 S. Antelope Creek Road
Wickenburg, AZ 85390
Tel: 928 684 1013
I-11 Tier 1 EIS Study Team,
HISTORY:
I last wrote on May 7, 2019 a few days after the Tier 1 Study presentation in Wickenburg on April 30, 2019. I explained that my wife and I, as well as a number of Vista Royale residents, were shocked by the corridors that were detailed on your maps. We were told that the Tier 1 Study comment period had been extended to July 8, 2019, a few weeks away. That date placed a priority on organizing a prompt response from residents of Vista Royale and nearby communities.
My letter of May 7, 2019 was an attempt to gather some preliminary data, to generate a logical thought process, and to propose an Alternative corridor that would serve as a starting point for discussion.
The May 7 letter did become a starting point for discussion. A number of Vista Royale (VR) residents united to create the Vista Royale I-11 Study Team. The Team created a web site (www.ProtectOurWickenburgLifestyle.com) and a postcard mailer. Both of those media formats encouraged Wickenburg residents, residents of Vista Royale, and residents of nearby communities to contact ADOT and voice their opinions about the ADOT “Recommended Alternative”. They were asked to also recommend the Vista Royale proposal which was referred to as the “VR Green Alternative”. The “VR Green Alternative” is a document that not only shows a compromise corridor drawn on a map, but it is also a request that ADOT do all that it can to move the corridor as far from Vista Royale as possible.
After the “VR Green Alternative” document was completed, it was sent to the I-11 Study Team and to the Town of Wickenburg. A “Letter to the Editor” plus a detailed article in the Wickenburg Sun newspaper caught the attention of the Town Council. They studied the data and came to the conclusion that their intent had been misunderstood by ADOT. An emergency I-11 Task Force meeting took place resulting in a recommendation being given to the Town Council. The Wickenburg Town Council voted to pass a new Resolution that clearly represented its intent. That Resolution has been submitted to the I-11 Study Team and to ADOT.
THE NEW TOWN OF WICKENBURG RESOLUTION CLEARS A PATH TO THE FOLLOWING LOGIC:
1) The direction of the I-11 is dictated primarily by NEED and PURPOSE, terms described by the Study Team (EIS) Guidelines.
2) ADOT has been under the impression that the Town of Wickenburg has a NEED and PURPOSE for the I-11 to be near its Town Limits. The current Recommended (Blue) corridor certainly reflects that fact!
3) Until now, the NEED of Wickenburg has been in opposition to the NEED of Vista Royale.
4) The Town of Wickenburg has passed a Resolution that officially and clearly states (or at least strongly implies) that:
a) the Town of Wickenburg has no NEED for the I-ll corridor to be near its Town Limits.
b) the TOW supports the NEED of Vista Royale to have the corridor tie point at HWY 93 moved 5 miles Northwest of VR
c) the TOW supports moving the path of the corridor westward to return open space to VR
5) The NEED of the Town of Wickenburg is no longer in opposition to the NEED of Vista Royale
6) We find no other entity that has a NEED in opposition to the NEED of VR.
7) Given that VR is the only "entity" presenting a NEED to ADOT for this section of the I-11, it is a logical conclusion that ADOT should honor that NEED.
Beyond NEED and PURPOSE, ADOT consistently talks about trying to avoid solving one problem while creating another. Moving the corridor westward into open country (vacant State Trust Lands) does not create another problem!
NEEDS:
Following is a list of some of the NEEDs that have been expressed by Vista Royale residents:
1) LIFESTYLE: By now, the Study Team and ADOT should be well aware of the types of homes that are in Vista Royale and the lifestyle of their owners. All of the residents of these upscale homes have moved to Vista Royale because of its moderate isolation, the openness, the beauty, and the accessibility of the adjacent desert. Some build and invest here to escape the cities with their crowded housing and crowded streets. Others build here to escape the weather in their home states where they had already become accustomed to a life with open spaces, beauty and accessibility. A highway like I-11, within 5 miles of Vista Royale will be devastating to the lifestyle of all of these residents.
2) ECONOMIC HARDSHIP: For the same reasons just listed, people seeking the current Vista Royale dream will no longer consider buying or building in Vista Royale when a highway blocks the view and closes access to the open land to the west. The recent appearance of a detailed corridor, just a line-on-a-map, has crossed the threshold where buyers will no longer accept the risk of a super highway in their backyard. Property values are quickly declining. That fact holds no matter how many years away actual I-11 construction might be.
3) DISTANCE: The only things that the I-11 can offer Vista Royale are things that are bad. Vista Royale NEEDS distance; distance from bright lights that ruin the dark sky, distance from the noise of constant traffic that ruins the peaceful atmosphere, distance from the structures and fences that block access to the open desert, distance from a multi-level interchange that would block out the mountain views, and distance from all the things that VR residents thought they had escaped when they left the cities and moved to Vista Royale.
WHAT HAVE WE MISSED?
At this point, we think we have provided very logical and convincing reasons for moving the I-11 corridor 5 miles away from Vista Royale. But, we need to ask, have we considered everything?
Politics:
We have no way of knowing what politics are hidden out of our view. It is curious to think about why Highway 93 has been upgraded to I-11 standards out to the exact location that the corridors under study are slated to attach. Has a tie point decision already been made without the public input required by the study? That and a dozen other “conspiracy theories” have been brought to our attention but are things that we are unable to address. We trust that the EIS Study will be fair to the Needs of the citizens and not to the needs of the politicians.
Unofficial data:
VR has participated in discussions with Wickenburg that are pertinent to the Needs of VR but were not officially relayed by Wickenburg to ADOT.
The Wickenburg Resolution implies that Wickenburg has no need for the I-11 to be near its northwest Town Limits. It doesn’t specifically make that statement. It also does not specifically make the statement that moving the I-11 tie point will benefit Wickenburg. Wickenburg has talked about that benefit. The benefit is based on the fact that Wickenburg cannot afford to annex Vista Royale (hence part of the reason that the Town never intended for the I-11 to be close to VR). And, it cannot afford to annex beyond Vista Royale. However, Wickenburg has said that commercial interest at MP186 could be attractive to, and financially supported by, Yavapai County. Development near MP186 and between Wickenburg and MP186 would mean more business for Wickenburg at no cost to Wickenburg.
Following that line of reasoning, it can be said that more development within VR would also mean more business for Wickenburg at no cost to Wickenburg. Conversely, the location of I-11 to a point near VR would stop construction on the 50+ vacant lots in VR and that additional business for Wickenburg will be negated.
Engineering / Eliminated Options:
There have been dozens of calls to move the corridors back to an Eliminated Option. We realize that this is not likely an option at this point, although that might satisfy the NEEDS of VR. There have been discussions that the mistaken NEED of Wickenburg to have the I-11 corridor near its northwest Town Limits may have been a deciding consideration in the elimination of other corridors. If so, perhaps it is logical to revisit those corridors.
There has been considerable input regarding specifically how and why the corridor should weave through the terrain west of VR. We recognize that these points are an ADOT Engineering responsibility and we recognize that input of this type will likely do little to support our plea.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE VISTA ROYALE PROPOSED CORRIDOR
Map 1: April 30, 2019: ADOT designs a corridor with the belief that the Town of Wickenburg needs the I-11 corridor to be as close as possible to the Wickenburg Town Limits.
Map 2: May 7, 2019: Vista Royale presents a compromise corridor (VR Green Alternative) to ADOT assuming that the connector point at Highway 93 was permanently fixed. This was our starting point on a plan to revise the ADOT corridor.
Map 3: June 17, 2019: In response to the outcry from Vista Royale residents and friends, the Town of Wickenburg passes a Resolution indicating that it DOES NOT need the I-11 corridor to be near its northwest Town Limits. The Town supports moving the tie point to Mile Post 186 and it supports moving the corridor path more westerly.
Map 4: June 25, 2019; Vista Royale agrees with the Town of Wickenburg’s Resolution to move the Highway 93 connector point to Mile post 186. Vista Royale requests that the path of the corridor be moved a distance to the west in addition to that proposed by the TOW. This will meet the Need and Purpose of Vista Royale, and is the Preferred Solution!
THE RIGHT THING TO DO:
The overall I-11 project is no doubt good for our country. The cost to certain individual citizens will be high.
The EIS online map of the I-11 presents a very scary overview. The I-11 highway creates a path of unavoidable destruction, hardship, and anguish for probably many hundreds of people.
That doesn’t have to be the case for Vista Royale. The Vista Royale case presents an opportunity to easily resolve one conflict without creating another!
Instead of degrading the lives of a hundred people, make a hundred people happy! Simply move the I-11 corridor to the open desert 5 miles away.
Thank you,
The Vista Royale I-11 Study Team
With the support of:
Every concerned citizen who has written, emailed, or called the I-11 Tier 1 EIS Study Team or ADOT expressing opposition to the location of I-11 near Vista Royale.