I love Cave Creek; I love driving through our town core with all our unique art shops, specialty stores, restaurants, bars, feed stores. Cave Creek is a very special place - nowhere can you find another town with the unique charm of Cave Creek.  As Cave Creek residents we need to support our town core businesses, or our town will go the way of the others.

Our town core businesses say YES to Walmart.

WHY Yes to Walmart ?? 

1)  No competition to our existing businesses. 

2) Walmart will be located in the Carefree Hwy. business district, joining Home depot, Lowes, Frys, and others. 

3) Walmart is a community friendly business giving over $10 million to communities around Arizona last year.  Walmart has already begun helping us, sponsoring the fireworks in July and our Film and Arts Festival.  Our town businesses need to survive to keep the Cave Creek we all love.  Our business community says Yes to Walmart because they feel it will give the town the economic boost it needs. 

As a town resident I say YES to Walmart.

WHY Yes to Walmart?? 

Our town needs sales tax revenue.  Walmart will give Cave Creek a Huge source of sales tax revenue, helping the town balance its budget.  The town, just like the state, is in trouble.  The only other places the money can come from is a property tax, which would effect every property owner.  Raising the sales tax, which further impacts business owners (we already have the highest sales tax in the state).  Another option would be raising water rates again, but realistically, I don’t think residents could afford that either.

Vote YES on 400 and 401: Walmart will allow us to support our town through tax revenue.

Terry Smith
Chairman, Friends of Cave Creek

The current economic climate has severely impacted our Town’s ability to pay for essential services.  The small businesses in Cave Creek have felt the distress of reduced tourism and economic activity.  There is no doubt that the residents of Cave Creek are very loyal to our local businesses, but tourists that we have heavily relied upon are currently a missing economic component for our Town.

While a struggling economy makes Walmart a sensible choice to bolster our tax revenue base, someone raised the question to me, “what happens when the economy recovers?”  I think the underlying statement was whether or not we would regret our decision to support Walmart when the economy improves.

I think it is important to realize that much is being made of the economy, fiscal environment, and tax revenue argument.  From the standpoint of the Town, we need more revenue, period.  When the economy recovers, and assuming we return to tax levels prior to the recession, our Town will still struggle to cover the costs of services and open space preservation.

Suzanne

Business, as with most things, is cyclical.  Our Town is struggling to stay afloat and local businesses have certainly felt the impact of the weakened economy. 

One of the biggest problems that come with recession is a reduction in discretionary spending.  Unfortunately for Cave Creek, most of our small businesses rely upon tourism and unrestricted dollars from visitors and residents alike.  During this recession, people have spent less and saved more in preparation for worse times ahead.  While this is somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy, the economy continues to trend downward and Cave Creek needs a unique solution to the increasingly difficult budget issue.  In good times or bad, Walmart would provide necessary additional tax dollars to the Town of Cave Creek.  Walmart would enable residents to spend less on necessary, daily items and allow them some additional money for discretionary spending in other local stores.  In addition, a Walmart in Cave Creek would draw a customer base from surrounding cities who would be retained in the town and spend supplementary dollars in our cafes and shops.  It will take a creative partnership between our stores and Walmart, and continued advertising from local businesses; however, it is not unreasonable to think all stores in Cave Creek will benefit from the addition of the Walmart. 

Walmart is not the only solution, but is the first of a long line of considerations that will lead to financial salvation of Cave Creek – Vote yes on 400 and 401 in November.

Michael

These are historic times for the Town and Citizens of Cave Creek.  The march of time brings us face-to-face with both challenging economic reality and new opportunity.

We, as a community, work tirelessly to protect our Western-Equestrian Heritage and Rural-Outdoor Lifestyle.  We aim to strike delicate balance with careful community planning, broadening prospects for sales tax revenue growth by fostering smart commercial development and nurturing tourism.

Our Town is extremely fortunate to boast dual-complimentary commercial enterprise zones:                                                                                   

1. The Historic Town Core, the ‘heart’ of Cave Creek, so richly exemplifies our Western Heritage, appreciation for the Arts, eclectic character and individualism.

2. The Cave Creek Road-Carefree Highway Intersection and Corridor on our southern boundary buffers our community from further encroachment of Metropolitan Phoenix, while offering the unique, ‘strategic advantage’ of best-accommodating and embracing select economic development in the most thoughtful and systematic means possible.

Wal-Mart is the catalyst development project in the anticipated build-out of this commercial enterprise zone westward along the Carefree Highway Corridor.

Both Enterprise Zones are VITAL to sustained economic security.

Assuredly, Town Management will strictly enforce Planning and Zoning Ordinances and “Citizens Participation” will guarantee ‘Best-Practice’, environmentally-sensitive building and aesthetics.

By voting to SUPPORT WALMART the Citizens of Cave Creek pro-actively:         

• Accept fiduciary and fiscal responsibility for today and the future
• Commit to the principles of planned, sustainable economic development
• Support sales tax-driven revenue generation
• Affirm Citizen’s position to avoid instituting a property tax
• Create new opportunities for community and cultural development

VOTE “YES” on propositions 400 and 401.

Gregory O.

Yes on 400 and 401!

The economic struggle the Town of Cave Creek is currently experiencing has opened the eyes of our residents and businesses owners.  Cave Creek has a unique town layout; the historic central core is separated from the commercial corridor that is located at Cave Creek Road and Carefree Highway.  The original downtown corridor houses Cave Creek landmarks, like The Buffalo Chip, Harolds, Cartwrights, and many popular establishments.

I do not think the commercial development along Carefree Highway has surprised anyone; even before Cave Creek incorporated, it was assumed that the Carefree Highway corridor would become commercial.  Phoenix and Scottsdale have welcomed Lowes, Home Depot, Chevron, CVS, and a number of other developments.  Cave Creek has been forced to sit idly by as our neighbors disregarded our high development standards and ordinances and constructed the abovementioned stores. 

The General Plan Amendment and re-zoning of the 20 acres southeast of Cave Creek and Carefree Highway is a natural evolution in our town zoning plan.  I support the commercial development of that corner and recognize that through the construction of Walmart, Cave Creek will diversify our tax base and circumvent a property tax while maintaining the integrity of our town and historic core.

I think Cave Creek is being threatened; not by Walmart, but jeopardized by the lethargic and antagonistic attitude of several residents toward the development.  I will continue to support my Town Council and Cave Creek by voting YES on 400 and 401 on November 3, 2009 – Join me and help maintain our town and high standard of living.

Larry Wendt
Owner, The Buffalo Chip

We have not had an opportunity to make such a meaningful contribution to our Cave Creek lifestyle since we came together to save Spur Cross Ranch 10 years ago. Voting yes on Propositions 400 and 401 let’s us once again buck the tide of well-intentioned - but misguided - interventionists who would have us believe we can maintain our safe, well-managed environment with no effort and no guaranteed revenue stream.

The approval of the General Plan Amendment and rezoning of the 20 acres southeast of Carefree Highway/Cave Creek Road, will allow the most successful retailer in America to contribute the largest amount of sales tax revenue per acre foot of any business in town – without a single negative impact on any of our existing businesses. This revenue will allow us to meet our normal infrastructure growth and maintenance needs without imposing a property tax, and will help ensure the acquisition and permanent preservation of the 4000 acres of open space we recently annexed.

The consequences of pushing Home Depot away from that location are obvious in hindsight: the lights eat up the night sky and the heat off the enormous footprint rolls out every evening; with no compensatory revenue stream. Walmart, adhering to Cave Creek’s environmentally sensitive building codes, will not repeat any of these offensive practices. They will create a business that exceeds the strictest national “green” building guidelines, while providing us with an “in-town” source of groceries, necessities and sales tax revenue. Walmart is not only the good neighbor we need, it is exactly the kind of neighbor we all should want.

Carole

Walmart, as a company, is excited at the possibility of constructing a store in Cave Creek.  Historically, Walmart has had a deep involvement in the local community, non-profit and neighborhood organizations.  Each new store that Walmart constructs creates hundreds of jobs, provides cities and towns with much needed tax revenue, and affords families the savings and convenience that accompany a Walmart store. 

The time I have spent in Cave Creek has been very meaningful; Walmart is happy to support the 4^th of July Fireworks and the Film and Arts Festival and I have come to understand what makes Cave Creek uniquely individual.  The Town core has a meaningful history, the open space initiative has enabled the Town to preserve the pristine desert, and the residents have irrefutable pride in their homes, town, and local organizations. 

The partnership between Cave Creek and Walmart will enable residents to sustain their characteristic way of life by bolstering Town revenues while improving convenience in the Town.  We feel that the location of the store is central, fundamentally vital to its success, and will best serve the largest amount of residents – including those that live in Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Cave Creek.

While Propositions 400 and 401 do not explicitly afford Walmart permission to build a store, the re-zoning and General Plan Amendment address in the propositions are vitally important to our ability to continue through the process.

Join me in voting Yes on Propositions 400 and 401; we look forward to a long-term partnership between Walmart and the Town of Cave Creek that will enable the town to better serve its population while simultaneously receiving the convenience of a grocery component and everyday low prices families have come to expect from Walmart stores.  

Delia Garcia
Walmart Senior Manager of Public Affairs and Government Relations 

In June 2009, the Cave Creek Town Council took necessary steps in hopes to mitigate the impact of the economy on our town.  The adoption of the General Plan Amendment and the decision to up-zone the Walmart property at Cave Creek and Carefree Highway by the Town Council was a tough, but essential decision for the future of Cave Creek.  While the current status of the economy has opened our eyes to the potential danger in remaining static in our approach to governing and relying solely on tax revenue from the town core and development fees, it is important to take steps to ensure sources of revenue even when the economy improves. 

I do not think it is a secret that the parcel of land in question was purchased by Walmart with the intention to construct a store.  I know there are residents who do not support the development of the property by Walmart, many residents have supported the Council’s decision, and many residents just want the convenience of shopping in Cave Creek; whatever the personal opinion of Walmart, I think it is important for residents to understand that this change is crucial to preserving our way of life. 

The Town of Cave Creek cannot afford, fiscally or fundamentally,  to repeat the mistakes we made with the Home Depot development.  Walmart has proven a viable and involved community partner and it is important for residents to understand our ability to leverage our relationship with the retailer.  Walmart will certainly provide vital revenue to our town, but we can also ensure the store will support our community events.

I support Propositions 400 and 4001 and I encourage you to do the same – Help ensure the future of our town.

Ralph M.