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Residents raise traffic, flooding and transparency concerns over proposed housing projects and park easement
Summary
During call to the public, neighbors of East 26th Place and other residents urged the council to address drainage and traffic implications of proposed housing near Country Club Estates, questioned transparency about the East Mesa park easement and requested details on past spending and mayoral recusals.
Six residents addressed the council during the call-to-the-public period, raising concerns about traffic congestion, stormwater drainage, public-notice procedures and the use of city funds for new initiatives.
Virgil Ross urged staff to follow up on neighborhood flooding and traffic near a proposed Vista Apartments site on East 26th Place, saying existing streets lack adequate drainage and that additional vehicle volumes would worsen flooding and make roads undrivable during heavy rains. "There are absolutely no drains on Madison Avenue and 26th Place," Ross said, and requested staff follow up with detailed answers after the meeting.
Other residents, including Jackie Ruby and Kathy Bickel from Country Club Estates, said large multiunit projects adjacent to single-family areas would worsen congestion and create safety risks for schoolchildren and residents; they requested clearer notice and more outreach before development activity including surveying on the site.
Multiple speakers urged that basic city services and infrastructure (police, fire, streets, pools) be prioritized. Henry Valenzuela recommended multi-year plans for police and fire staffing and suggested focusing on essentials before taking on new projects.
Speaker Will (William) Katz raised conflict-of-interest concerns about the mayor’s prior recusals from capital-improvement votes and asked why the mayor voted on a later easement/ordinance if he had previously recused himself from CIP votes; the mayor responded on the record earlier in the meeting explaining he recused when there was uncertainty about whether his firm would benefit and that, in the East Mesa contract, his firm was not selected for construction staking so he believed he had no conflict.
One speaker representing attainable-housing interests urged the council to advance infill policy and fee reductions to reduce development costs for smaller housing types and requested a public hearing on utility tap fees.
What’s next: staff offered to follow up with answers to individual residents and to provide documents when possible; council welcomed follow-up briefings on infrastructure and requested a fire master-plan update at a future meeting.
