Life Coach in Green Valley, AZ

As expected, Phoenix City Council gave the green light for a development agreement with Phoenix-based Vestar to support a new 40-acre shopping center in Laveen.

Called Laveen Towne Center, the new 400,000-square-foot retail, dining and entertainment project represents an investment of $130 million and will be the the first phase of an overall 90-acre site. It will feature a department store, entertainment concept, restaurants, specialty shops and various services in southwest Phoenix.

The property is located at the southwest corner of 59th Avenue and Dobbins Road in a fast-growing commercial and residential corridor around the Loop 202 in Laveen, an area with a strong agricultural heritage that has been underserved with retail and commercial offerings.

The development will be centered around the historic Hudson Farmhouse, which was first developed in 1926 and is eligible for historic designation. It will be repurposed as a possible new restaurant or wine-related space and gathering spot for residents.

The Hudson farmhouse site is associated with the agricultural development era from 1910 to 1965 in Laveen and is a "rare surviving example" of the smaller family-operated farms that were common in the area before 1966, according to an Arizona Department of Transportation study in 2012. The Hudson family owned the farm through the 1980s until it fell into foreclosure.

Two existing cement-stave silos at the Hudson farm site could also be used to complement the farm house or create another use at the town center, according to Vestar. Laveen Towne Center is expected to break ground in 2024, be open to the public by the fall of 2025 and create hundreds of jobs over five years.

Kean Thomas, finance director for Vestar, said Vestar is "pleased" to receive the first approval from City Council for developing Laveen Towne Center. Other Council votes for zoning and infrastructure are expected to occur in summer of 2023.

"We look forward to fulfilling the needs of the community by creating a shopping destination with a unique blend of shops, services, restaurants, entertainment and gathering spaces surrounding the historic Hudson Farmhouse," Thomas said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Council unanimously approved an agreement that will allow the city to reimburse up to $25 million for public infrastructure improvements made by Vestar, which will build out 59th Avenue and Dobbins Road in addition to restoring the farmhouse and installing utilities, water, sewer and wastewater.

"I am very excited to start the new year with new and much needed investments in Laveen," said Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari during the Wednesday meeting, adding that she hosted a restaurateur bus tour in 2022 and said a couple of groups are considering the farmhouse for a potential restaurant.

"Let me tell you how excited some of our local restauraeurs were when they saw that historic farmhouse," she said. "We want to make sure we get the best possible, unique user in that space."

The developer will be reimbursed through the city's general fund portion of transaction privilege taxes collected from the commercial project, as well as development impact fees, over 25 years.

Laveen Towne Center is being developed by Vestar in partnership with Phoenix-based BRIO Investment Group. It will also be used to hold events and serve as a community gathering spot. Future phases of the site could include more commercial development as well as multifamily housing.

The project will add to a number of new industrial, residential and retail developments that have been proposed in recent months for vacant agricultural land around the Loop 202.

Vestar has developed other well known shopping centers across the Valley including Desert Ridge Marketplace and Tempe Marketplace and is in the process of developing Verrado Marketplace in Buckeye, which will feature 500,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space and be similar to Vestar's other projects.

Editor's note: This report was updated on Jan. 5 to include a statement from Vestar.

Here are the candidates for the WaFd Bank Arizona High School Boys Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 2-8 as nominated by coaches, fans and readers.

Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m.

If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email brittanyabowyer@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at @bbowyer07. You also can tag us on Twitter or Instagram at @sbliveaz.

Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.

Nigel Anderson, Junior, Dysart - Dropping a double-double for the Demons on Wednesday in the 74-55 victory over Paradise Honors, Anderson had 16 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and four blocks.

McGuire Andrus, Senior, ALA-Gilbert North - Friday’s game against Peoria was a highly offensive one, but Andrus helped ALA-GN snag the 80-67 win by dropping a big double-double Andrus finished the game with 26 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Andrew Bhesania, Sophomore, Boulder Creek - In Boulder Creek’s 71-63 victory over Brophy, Bhesania had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. He also had two assists, two steals and four blocks on the night.

Zane Gaul, Sophomore, Prescott - Posting a double-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two assists, Gaul helped Prescott pick up a 74-44 victory over Coconino on Thursday.

Carter Gittens, Senior, Sunrise Mountain - In Wednesday’s game against Willow Canyon, Gittens had a double-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks to help the Mustangs defeat the Wildcats 94-60.

Ky Green, Senior, Liberty - Helping Liberty to a huge 91-78 victory over Pinnacle, Green had 24 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and a steal on the night to help secure the win.

Isaiah Hill, Junior, Pueblo - Hill made sure Pueblo got the job done against Canyon del Oro on Thursday in the 58-44 victory, leading things on the floor with 31 points, eight rebounds, three assists and six steals.

Bobby Holcomb, Senior, Apollo - Averaging 72-percent from the field on Wednesday, Holcomb had 29 points, two rebounds, two assists and four steals to help Apollo defeat Paradise Valley 91-45.

Caden Hunter, Senior, Liberty - Just one rebound shy of a double-double on Wednesday, Hunter had 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists, a steal and three blocks to help Liberty defeat Queen Creek 74-47.

Amari Lawrence, Senior, Bradshaw Mountain - Leading Tuesday’s game in scoring, Lawrence had 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks to help Bradshaw Mountain pick up a 61-30 victory over Mingus.

Richard Legarra, Senior, Flowing Wells - Legarra did most of the heavy lifting for the Caballeros in Friday’s 63-58 victory over Marana. He finished up the night with 25 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double, along with a rebound, a steal and a block.

Connor O’Brien-Piubeni, Junior, Flagstaff - Leading things on the court in Thursday’s game against Mohave, O’Brien-Piubeni had 18 points, ten rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block to help the Eagles soar to a 60-37 win.

Noah Peterson, Senior, Highland - Bringing the excitement to the court in Thursday’s game, Peterson helped Highland pick up an 83-42 victory over Maricopa with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Andy Saeva, Junior, Mountain Ridge - Locking in a new career high of 30 points in Tuesday’s game against Deer Valley, Saeva had 30 points along with six rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Uriah Tenette, Sophomore, Prescott - Taking charge on the court in Tuesday’s 64-36 victory over Mohave, Tenette dropped 27 points, dive rebounds, three assists and three steals to help lock in the win.

Tony Willis, Senior, ALA-Ironwood - With 24 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block, Willis helped ALA-Ironwood pick up an 82-59 victory over Northwest Christian on Wednesday.

The start of a new year has brought several changes to Green Valley Justice Court, including expanded precinct boundaries and thousands more constituents to serve.

The changes come on the heels of a 2021 decision by the Pima County Board of Supervisors to slim down its 10 justice precincts to nine – dissolving Justice Precinct 5 in eastern Pima County and rolling it into neighboring precincts.

The redrawn boundaries, which took effect Jan. 1, added about 31,000 constituents to JP7 – a precinct that serves much of southeastern Pima County, including Green Valley and Sahuarita, and the communities of Corona de Tucson, Arivaca, Amado, Sasabe and now a significant portion of Vail.

Traffic violations along Pima County’s portion of Arizona Highway 83 and parts of I-10 will also now come through the Green Valley court, something the court’s administrator, Kristen Randall, said she’ll be keeping an eye on when it comes to the caseload.

While the Pima County Consolidated Justice Court (PCCJC) pools the workload among seven justice precincts based in Tucson – rotating which judges hear certain cases in a round-robin fashion – the county’s two independent justice precincts in Green Valley and Ajo do not.

“So, when they shifted the boundaries, they shifted more than just these precinct lines,” Randall said.

“As far as the pool of work (for PCCJC), it didn’t change that much except where JP7 took over parts of JP5. That workload was completely removed from the consolidated pool, and although we’re gaining 31,000 constituents, we’re also taking over basically the entire length of I-10 from the city center to the county line,” she said.

“I think while we will see an increase in papers (evictions, orders of protection, etc.) for Vail and the other areas, but I think it’s really going to be interesting to see what happens with I-10, because we’re going to get all those DUI checkpoints, all those speeding tickets – that’s all going to come through here now.”

Though the court is still waiting to see exactly how the changes will translate to caseloads, Randall said the Pima County Attorney’s Office estimated the Green Valley court’s workload could triple under the new boundaries.

Randall said the court could look to hire a few additional staff members to support the increase in the upcoming fiscal year, if the data and budget supports that need.

How these boundary changes impact the workload of the constables – the elected officials in charge of serving eviction notices, subpoenas and other legal papers throughout their precincts – also still remains to be seen, said Pima County Constable Thomas Schenek.

Currently serving his second term in JP7, Schenek said it’s still too early to determine how the new boundaries will affect his duties, adding that his workload balance often feels cyclical.

“December was absolutely really busy for me; January and February are usually my quieter months, and then I feel like around March, temperatures start to rise, people start getting more agitated and it just gets really busy again,” Schenek said.

Though he's only just received his first assignments within the new boundaries, Schneck said he’s already putting some miles under his belt.

“Just the other day, I served a few papers that took me from the Rancho Del Lago area in Vail, all the way out to Arivaca (about a 65-mile trip), all in the same day. So, geographically speaking, it’s a monster.”

But right now, communicating the new boundary changes to law enforcement agencies and constituents in the precinct remains the court’s first priority.

To assist individuals who may have outstanding legal issues, like active warrants, and to share more information about the boundary changes, the Green Valley court plans to host another travel court session in the Vail area this month.

The travel court program saw success last fall with sessions held in Corona de Tucson and Arivaca, and the court plans to continue those efforts to make it easier for residents in rural areas to engage with the justice system.

“We know that getting from Vail to Green Valley can be difficult,” said Joe Ferguson, program manager at Green Valley Justice Court.

“We plan on being back in Vail later this year to do another travel court, and we’re committed to that pledge to have another night court again here at some point,” Ferguson said, alluding to a Green Valley program that offers court services after-hours for those who can’t make it during a regular business day.

In addition to those programs, individuals may also appear at the Green Valley courthouse (601 N. La Cañada Drive) during normal business hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Santa Cruz Valley Regional Hospital in Green Valley announced Friday it will close the doors permanently at noon June 30.

The decision comes less than a week after notifying 300 employees that there was a strong possibility it could cease operations by the end of summer.

CEO Steve Harris said the decision came after they were unable to secure staffing for emergency room services over the Fourth of July weekend.

On Monday, the 49-bed hospital triggered a WARN Act notice, a federal action required at least 60 days before a mass layoff or plant closure. The hospital will pay employees through Aug. 20, in accordance with the act.

The slide to the end started in early June, when Tucson Medical Center announced it would not pursue purchasing the hospital after considering it for seven months.

Hospital owner Lateral GV, an offshoot of California-based Lateral Investment Management, sold the hospital building and land last year to Broadstone, a real estate investment trust in New York. Officials at Lateral, which continued to operate the hospital, did not immediately answer requests for comment Friday. An official from Broadstone said they had no comment.

Nearby medical buildings and physicians clinics planned for Tubac and Nogales are not affected by the closure.

The closure will leave the Green Valley/Sahuarita area with one hospital. The 18-bed Northwest Medical Center Sahuarita opened at Interstate 19 and Sahuarita Road in 2020.

The Sahuarita hospital released a statement Friday that read, in part, “Closing a hospital is never an easy decision, and we acknowledge and respect the team at Santa Cruz Valley Regional Hospital for the care they have provided to the community. Northwest Medical Center Sahuarita is strong, and we are continuously evaluating additional ways we can serve the community. We believe that it's important for patients to have access to healthcare close to home, and we will continue to provide that care locally.”

Northwest officials did not specifically address whether they would increase care options or open more beds in Sahuarita as a result of the Green Valley closure.

Pima County Supervisor Steve Christy, whose district includes Green Valley, called the hospital’s seven-year run “one of those ongoing dramas that never seemed to get better.”

“It’s been a long, painful, agonizing process basically since day one,” Christy said. “It kind of rocks you when all of the sudden you realize they expended every avenue and every pathway to try to stay open and there’s just nothing left.”

Christy said the hospital would be a tough sell to investors given its history of financial instability.

Sue Koeller said she’d gone to the Green Valley hospital once as a patient.

“The only time I went out there I needed an MRI and the machine was broken,” she said. They gave her a CAT scan; she had to get an MRI elsewhere.

Even so, Koeller sees a specialist who works out of the hospital and said the closure will have an adverse impact on the area.

A broken ankle sent Judy Moulton to hospital’s emergency room. She was told she needed surgery, but the appointment they scheduled her for in Tucson was set for just 15 minutes after her discharge in Green Valley.

“That was several years ago and they’ve been through a lot of ups and downs,” she said. “I am sad to see it close. It seems like it’s been in trouble since day one.”

“Tucson is available,” she said. “Sometimes, it’s inconvenient.”

Santa Cruz opened as Green Valley Hospital in May 2015, financed through the U.S. government’s EV-5 Investor Visa program.

It filed for bankruptcy in 2017, and was purchased by Lateral, the lone bidder in a deal finalized by the courts in July 2018. Shortly thereafter, Northwest Healthcare announced an 18-bed hospital in Sahuarita, nine miles north.

SAN FRANCISCO — Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes for his sixth straight game with multiple TDs and the San Francisco 49ers clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs with a 38-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Purdy overcame two sacks by J.J. Watt in the final game of the star defensive end's stellar career and connected with George Kittle twice and Christian McCaffrey once on TD passes to lead the Niners (13-4) to their 10th straight win to end the regular season.

San Francisco beat out Minnesota on a tiebreaker for the second seed, assuring the 49ers won't have to go on the road before the NFC title game. The Niners weren't able to secure a first-round bye because Philadelphia beat the New York Giants.

The Cardinals (4-13) ended the season going in the opposite direction with seven straight losses to tie a franchise record for losses in a season.

The game started well for Arizona when fourth-string quarterback David Blough connected on a 77-yard TD pass to A.J. Green off a trick play on the second play from scrimmage.

About the only other highlight for the Cardinals was the two sacks by Watt, giving the three-time Defensive Player of the Year 120 1/2 in the regular season and playoffs in his 12-year career.

McCaffrey answered Arizona's quick score when he caught a short pass from Purdy and turned it into a 21-yard score to extend his touchdown streak to six straight games.

The first of two interceptions by Tashaun Gipson Sr. set up the 49ers' second touchdown when Elijah Mitchell ran it in from 5 yards out in his first game back from injured reserve.

Mitchell added another TD run in the third quarter as he tunes up for the playoffs.

Purdy found Kittle from 4 yards out with 19 seconds left in the half to make it 21-13 on Kittle's 10th TD catch of the season. The two connected again late in the third quarter, giving Kittle seven TD catches from Purdy in the last four games.

Purdy finished 15 for 20 for 178 yards.

FITTING FAREWELL

Watt took a ceremonial bow in the first quarter after bringing down Purdy — the 50th QB he has sacked in the regular season or playoffs.

Watt announced his decision to retire late last month and responded with three sacks in his final two games to reach 12 1/2 on the season.

BIG PLAY ISSUES

The Niners allowed a long TD pass for a second straight game and that has been one of the few issues that has plagued one of the stingiest defenses in the NFL this season.

The TD pass to Green was the sixth pass play of at least 50 yards this season allowed by San Francisco, tied with Green Bay for the most in the NFL and one more than the Niners allowed in the last two years combined.

Cardinals: Blough left in the third quarter to be evaluated for a concussion and didn't return. He left after losing a fumble on a sack by Jordan Willis for his third turnover of the game.

49ers: LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (neck) left in the first half and didn't return.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: The offseason.

49ers: The wild-card round against either Green Bay, Seattle or Detroit next weekend.

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The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.

The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.

The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Cactus Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.