Disclaimer: The comments in this blog are my personal opinion and may or may not reflect an adopted position of the city of Glendale and its city council.
On May 7, 2020, the Planning Commission will hear and will either approve or reject an applicant’s proposal to put a Love’s travel stop at the intersection of the Loop 303 and Bethany Home Road. I posted a blog on March 7, 2020, entitled A look at the Love’s site location. This blog is a follow up based upon additional information provided by the applicant.
Some people asked, why couldn’t the Love’s be sited on the east side of the Loop 303 and Bethany Home Road rather than on the west side of the Loop 303? The city possesses no magic wand that can order a land owner on the east side of the Loop 303 to accept a Love’s. Property owners are free to sell their land if they so choose and a developer has the right to accept or reject possible development as it sees fit. The city cannot mandate that the property owner on the east side of the Loop 303 accept the development of a Love’s.
Many objections to the proposed Love’s centered on the charge that it would bring crime to residential development one quarter of a mile away from the proposed location. I asked the applicant for crime statistics at a comparable Love’s. The applicant provided me crime statistics for the Love’s Travel Stop on 1610 S. Miller Road, Buckeye, Arizona. I will provide a summary of the data they provided below and where possible, include the exhibits they provided.
SUMMARY OF APPLICANT’S RESPONSE:
Five hundred and seventy-four (574) calls for service at Love’s were recorded by the Buckeye Police Department over a 5 year period. That averages approximately 115 calls per year or approximately one call for service every 3 days. 65 different categories were provided from 911 Hang Ups to Welfare Checks. I have listed below the top ten categories; total number of calls over the 5 year period; average number of calls per year and the percentage of the total call volume for each listed:
Type of Call # Call Over 5 years Average per year Percentage of total 5 year call volume
Accident 64 13 11.5%
Theft 41 8 7.4%
Traffic Stop 35 7 6.10%
Welfare Check 33 6.6 5.75%
Agency Assist 31 6.2 5.40%
Citizen Assist 29 5.8 5.05%
911 Hang Up 23 4.6 4.01%
Trespassing 23 4.6 4.01%
Business Check 22 4.4 3.83%
Suspicious Activity 20 4 3.48%
Unwanted Guest 20 4 3.48%
Suspicious Veh. 16 3.2 2.79%
Of the 574 total calls for service over the 5 year period, less than 25 calls were violent in nature. Of these, 9 were assaults (1.8 calls per year) and 8 were drug related (1.6 calls per year). Below is the complete listing of all crime categories (65) statistics covering a 5 year period provided by the Buckeye Police Department.
The applicant stated the following, “Love’s takes crime prevention and detection seriously. Accordingly, each employee receives training on how to identify and report illegal activity. Additionally, each employee is trained on how to detect and help victims of human trafficking. Love’s sees itself as a partner to local enforcement and therefore takes necessary steps to eliminate criminal activity.”
The applicant also submitted visual graphics depicting the Love’s proximity to the proposed location as well as comparing its proximity to residential at its Buckeye location. In case you cannot read the graphic, it is 1,355.2 feet from the nearest residences at the Buckeye location compared to 1,334.1 feet from residences at the proposed at the Loop 303/Bethany Home Road location. The Buckeye and Glendale locations are virtually identical with both being approximately one quarter mile away from the nearest residences.
The applicant also notes that at the Buckeye location there is also a Quik Trip Travel Stop immediately south of the Love’s location on S. Miller Road. The Quik Trip is 765 feet from the nearest residences.
Another factor for consideration is that there will be industrial/ warehousing/manufacturing buildings between the Love’s and the closest residences. The mass of those buildings may be 40 feet tall or taller and will act as a visual and noise buffer for the closest homes.
It appears that there are several facts that may make Love’s suitable for the proposed location. It is a quarter mile away from the nearest home. There is adequate buffering in terms of industrial buildings that will provide visual and noise buffering for residents. The Buckeye Love’s location seems to show that it does not produce greater crime for nearby residents. I would expect similar results to occur at the Glendale location.
I recognize that there are those who simply hate Love’s. It’s an emotional reaction. I cannot decide on the basis of emotion. Facts, in this case, are important. If any of the opponents have more factual information that has not been presented as of this date, then now is the time to present it.
I have provided all of the factual information that I have received. I will use it along with any other factual information provided to me to make my final decision. Part of that information will be to look at the Planning Commission’s decision and what factual information they used to arrive at their decision.
© Joyce Clark, 2019
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I have two comments: 1. As for the PD calls at Buckeye for the past 5 years, is Buckeye PD under investigation for under reporting ? I believe so wonder what the real numbers are. Second budget freeze wages for PD for a year their behavior towards Flendale residents have not been up to par.
I certainly appreciate facts. Thank you Ms. Clark. I don’t think emotions can be omitted from the conversation. The folks who will be affected by the development have emotions. Their emotions matter. That’s a fact. I am not implying that a decision be made solely on collective feelings. Only that they are considered with equal weight as other data and maps. The COG mission statement seems to make that clear. You are a parent. You know that balance is key. It’s not what’s best for the parent or what’s best for the children, it’s what’s best for everyone. That’s no easy task. Kudos to you and the council for being accountable for these decisions.
Thank you Vic for seeing that our emotions matter, sadly Ms. Clarke has yet to care about that side of the problem, I am assuming that since we are not Glendale residents plays a role in that but regardless this is our home and we are just trying to protect it. Instead we are presented as “Love’s Haters” according to her above statement. It has nothing to do with hating the company, it has to do with what this company will bring to our neighborhood and how it will effect our way of life as we have known.
I have yet to see what positive can come out of having a truck stop with many constant idling trucks feet from my home would bring.
Again, thank you!
Thank you Mrs. Clark for providing this information. Unfortunately this information does not address the crime in the surrounding areas and only addresses the Loves travel center incidents.
In a recent investigation Buckeye Police misclassified information. I quote from AZ Central, “senior police leaders, ordered officers to falsify crime statistics in an attempt to make the city appealing.” The article then goes on to state, “For example, burglary reports would be labeled as theft or lost property. Assault or robbery cases would be labeled as disorderly conduct.”
These are the facts and I hope you take this information into consideration when making your your decision.
Look at the density of housing on Miller Rd and then by the 303. There are way more houses and neighborhoods effected if at 303 and Bethany
This is almost laughable. You go to the person who wants to build a truck stop for data… on their truck stop. A quarter of a mile between a truck stop and PEOPLE’S HOMES is not a lot. I BEG you to imagine yourself living near a truck stop. It always comes down that – would you want to live there? I seriously doubt it. As for being emotional, would be as well if you had a truck stop going into your backyard. We live a very quiet, safe life out here. If you want to put up a gas station – great – we need it. But we do NOT need or want a truck stop and all the crime and traffic it would bring. Our way of life, our safety and our property values are at risk.
FROM THE FBI:
“The victims in these cases are primarily women who are living high-risk, transient lifestyles, often involving substance abuse and prostitution. They’re frequently picked up at TRUCK STOPS or service stations and sexually assaulted, murdered, and dumped along a highway.
The suspects are predominantly long-haul TRUCK DRIVERS. But the mobile nature of the offenders, the unsafe lifestyles of the victims, the significant distances and multiple jurisdictions involved, and the scarcity of witnesses or forensic evidence can make these cases tough to solve.”
https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2009/april/highwayserial_040609
From the Polaris Project, a National Human Trafficking Resource Center
“While sex trafficking occurs at state-operated rest areas and welcome centers, it is most often prevalent in
commercially-operated TRUCK STOPS where truckers are offered more privacy and access to more amenities such as
dining, lodging, and entertainment. Moreover, law enforcement is not as present in these locations unless responding
to complaints or incidents. ”
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/sites/default/files/Sex%20Trafficking%20at%20Truck%20Stops%20AAG.pdf
From the FBI:
“If you want to be a serial killer, then being a long-haul trucker is an excellent career choice, according to the FBI.”
https://www.fleetowner.com/resource-center/driver-management/article/21695112/truckers-make-ideal-serial-killers-fbi
Our main concern as neighbors to the proposed Love’s Truck Stop is the traffic it brings, potential crime, and noise level.
Currently the traffic is local and light relative to any truck stop. You have to admit increased crime potential is real versus current situation. How many Glendale police officers will be standing by at the new truck stop? Where will the closest Glendale police station be to the Love’s if it is located as projected? What will be the response time?
How much traffic does Love’s project at this new location? How many trucks? How many cars? What will the flow be by hourly count? How many people will be there in total by hourly count? What will the noise level be in decimals?
Lastly, how about the safety of those travelers who stop at Love’s if, and God forbid, one of the Air Force jets were to go down on the facility? It can happen. What happens if fuel tanks are ruptured if this does happen? How close is the nearest Glendale Fire Department facility? What is their response time?
Mrs. Clark you surely will take these questions into account to not only protect the good citizens of Glendale, but those next to this proposed facility, and the travelers who will stop there.
As a property owner and a neighbor in our community I am strongly protesting the rezoning attempt on Cotton lane between Bethany Home road and Glendale Ave.
This rezoning should not be allowed. This is a total injustice for the people who have spent a lot of money to purchased property in Citrus Glenn and Clear water Farms.
We have a nice quiet residential zoning for 1 home per acre with livestock and want to maintain our quality of life.
The intrusion of a commercial truck stop right next to our neighborhood should not approved.
The Devaluation of our property values should not be approved
The noise level from diesel trucks running 24 hours a day should not be approved.
The massive increase of particulates in the air is not acceptable and should not be approved.
The traffic and congestion for our rural community should not be approved.
The trucks trying to use our small 2 lane roads and easements should not be approved.
The Transients and homeless that hang around truck stops is not acceptable and should not be approved.
The drugs and prostitution that comes with a truck stop is not acceptable and should not be approved.
The parking and overnight sleeping areas, for diesel trucks idling all night is not acceptable and should not be approved.
Maryland Ave, Rose Lane, 175th ave, and all the roads in Citrus Glenn are not dedicated county roads they are easements owned by myself and my neighbors and we strongly protest the use of our property for public trucks and traffic associated with a commercial truck stop.
If this zoning change is allowed our property values will go down our rural way of life will be depleted, and all the reasons that we spent lots of money to purchased our property in Citrus Glenn and Clear water farms will be taken away.
If any of you folks on the planning and zoning council lived out here or purchased property in Citrus Glenn or Clear water farms you would not even be talking about this zoning change you would be protesting it.. We know that commercial buildings will be coming but please do not change the zoning to allow a Loves truck stop.
A Loves truck stop never turns off and causes crime prostitution noise pollution air particulates traffic and congestion and Loves truck stop is NOT something that the planning and zoning department and the city of Glendale and developers should be able to ram through on the backs of all the people that own property and live in our rural community.
Please DO NOT approve this zoning change.
Thank You Jim Marstall
So incredibly heartbreaking what you are going thru. I also live in an area where a Loves travel plaza has recently been allowed to come in. I feel exactly as you do. Your letter is extremely well written. This us truly a horrific situation that threatens your way of life. It’s so incredibly unfair.
This is an easy decision for the city of Glendale – all gain/little pain. This affects no one in the current city of Glendale except raising more tax $. No Glendale residents live around this sight; just those of us in Waddell. IMHO, This has NOTHIING to do with “Loves haters” – I have nothing against any truck stops and regularly frequent them on trips. But who can honestly say they want one in their backyard?!?!?
Bottom line, there are several other more suitable places to put this truck stop then 1300 ft from homes…that may seem like a lot to Glendale city dwellers, but in Waddell that is close. I had a conversation with the mayor about this issue- it really comes down to what suits Glendale best IRREGARDLESS of little Waddell residents… even though the center of Glendale is almost 18 miles away! One question for the city…how many 911 calls are u ready to respond to???? I have a feeling your tax $$ will be needed to respond to each one!!!!
Particularly laughable in that any retail put in the area is not going to be patronized by Glendale residents. They are in effect saying “We don’t want to hear about your issues, but when we approve retail in that area we want your tax revenue from shopping at those locations…we also don’t care that the truck stop is in your backyard, but hey…gas up there…it’s close”. The only lever we have to pull is to simply shop elsewhere. Surprise is close enough. I can drive to get gas on Bell or down off of Estrella. This is simply a short-sighted cash grab by the ‘leadership’ of Glendale. Any more sensible locations are not in their annexation grasp. We dumb kountry folk will just have to deal.
Shaun’s comments sum up the situation exactly. Congratulations to Glendale for grabbing area just to make money. Just remember that police & fire protection for the accessed area is Glendale’s responsibility. Sure hope they have the resources for that. The truck stop comparison in Buckeye councilman Clark used has police & fire within 2 miles of Love’s Truck Stop. Just exactly how close is Glendale’s police & fire protection councilman Clark?
Councilwoman Clark, you don’t care about the families in this area because we are not Glendale residents. Please don’t even feign that you do. The residents of Glendale have no skin in the game, other than to benefit from tax revenue while being far removed from any problems. This development will be right across the street from my home, so it is a very personal matter for my family and me. If you had tried to put in this truck stop and these warehouses across the street from the residents of Sunburst Farms in Glendale, you’d have had one hell of a fight on your hands.
You act like the developer is doing us a favor by providing a visual and noise barrier with the warehouses. They are monolithic monstrosities that are dull and ugly and offer no value to the residents in the area. So, please note, I am not only against the Love’s Truck Stop, but I am also against the warehouses. They detract from the area visually and will draw more traffic down Cotton Ln.
There are many reasons that I oppose this development, but for the sake of time, I will concentrate on one. What precisely will you do to prohibit the trucks from using Cotton Lane between Glendale Ave and Bethany Home Rd? Our house faces Cotton Ln, and I can hear every loud muffler, construction vehicle, or semi-truck that goes down the road. Right now, that isn’t very often. However, with the addition of the warehouses and truck stop, I fear this will create nearly non-stop noise and air pollution.
So incredibly heartbreaking what you are going thru. I also live in an area where a Loves travel plaza has recently been allowed to come in. I feel exactly as you do. Your letter is extremely well written. This us truly a horrific situation that threatens your way of life. It’s so incredibly unfair.
Carol, I am happy to report that Loves withdrew its application.