精品麻豆

This column by the Arizona 精品麻豆鈥檚 Danny Seiden and AzLTA鈥檚 Kim Grace Sabow originally聽.

An out-of-state labor-affiliated group has cast a shadow over the Valley鈥檚 economic development future. Voters and elected officials can help clear things up.

An example is Glendale City Council鈥檚 recent approval of zoning for a 39-acre site on the west side of Loop 101 across from State Farm Stadium, which is set to feature a mix of multifamily housing, retail and hotels. It鈥檚 the type of development cities typically welcome. They create jobs, generate tax revenues and generally improve a community鈥檚 quality of life thanks to new amenities.

Worker Power, the Los Angeles-based political arm of the hospitality union UniteHere, opposes the zoning approval and is poised to thwart development at the site. A representative was at the April 22 Council meeting to express the group鈥檚 opposition, specifically calling out the inclusion of a hotel in the development.

If the name sounds familiar, it鈥檚 because it鈥檚 the group attempting to throttle development across the Valley. Worker Power was a significant player in forcing a referendum on the Axon corporate campus in Scottsdale, a development also anticipated to include a hotel. A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and Gov. Katie Hobbs stepped in to ensure the project could proceed.

The group testified at the state Legislature earlier this session in opposition to legislation that would keep the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix. It opposed the Tempe development that would have been home to the Arizona Coyotes and, perhaps not surprisingly, a hotel.

It was also behind last year鈥檚 Proposition 499, a measure that would have devastated Glendale鈥檚 tourism industry with new wage mandates, caps on hotel and event venue employees鈥� productivity, and the threat of stiff penalties. The motivation behind the proposal was made clear by a provision that would have exempted employers from the ordinance if the employer unionized their workplace. Voters wisely rejected the proposition by a wide margin.

Worker Power apparently hasn鈥檛 gotten the message that its narrow political agenda isn鈥檛 welcome in Glendale, hence its opposition to the 39-acre site approved in April, and its campaign against the VAI Resort near the 101 and Cardinals Way.

As it did in Scottsdale, the group forced a referendum on the zoning for a parcel of land adjacent to the new resort. The 10-acre dirt lot will feature an employee office building and parking lot. Before unanimously approving the parcel鈥檚 zoning and its inclusion in the resort鈥檚 overall plan, the City Council conducted regular public reviews and sought feedback from neighbors.

Despite support from citizens and the council鈥檚 unanimous approval, Glendale must hold a special election for voters to affirm or reject the council decision. Regardless of the election鈥檚 outcome, Worker Power鈥檚 actions threaten our cities鈥� economic development strategy. Must every routine hotel zoning decision first be validated by a California labor union?

We have two recommendations:

• In the near-term, voters should vote 鈥測es鈥� on Props 401 and 402 to uphold the council鈥檚 unanimous approval of the VAI Resort parcel鈥檚 zoning. Not only will it allow the project and the more than 2,000 jobs it will create to move forward, but it will once again send a clear message that Worker Power should pack its bags and head back to California.
  
• In the long term, we would urge state lawmakers and city leaders to work together to put a stop to the hijacking of the zoning process and the chilling of economic development. Developers won鈥檛 risk their capital if an expensive and drawn-out election campaign is going to be required even after a council gives the OK.

There鈥檚 too much doubt hanging over future development in Glendale and other Valley cities. It will be up to voters and elected officials to decide whether out-of-state labor unions will hold a veto over our ability to attract new jobs.

Danny Seiden is president and CEO of the Arizona 精品麻豆 of Commerce & Industry. Kim Grace Sabow is president and CEO of the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association.