At this time last year, BASIS Phoenix North, a tuition-free charter school part of the BASIS network, was preparing to make its debut in the far North Phoenix Valley in a temporary school space on Anthem’s west side in the Commerce Park, serving grades K-5. One year later, building upon its expansion plan to eventually…
Author: Karen Goveia
Cool Summer Fun: New Play Place Open in Outlets North Phoenix
A giant ball pit, slides, swings, ball launchers, play houses, strobe lights, an arts and crafts area, library area, and a baby play section—all in the cool indoors—has arrived in Anthem. The new indoor playground designed to inspire creative play is the brainchild and hard workof a local family with young children who saw the need…
Business is Brewing on Anthem’s West Side
A new place to cool off with a cold one or unwind with a glass of wine is opening soon. Both a craft taproom and bottle shop, Homeland Brew Co. is planning an early June opening on Anthem’s west side in the Commerce Park, located next to Havana Cigar Bar. Inside the 3,200-square-foot space, patrons…
New & Coming Soon! Restaurant Scene Heats Up in the North Valley
Local retail shops and restaurants often feel the heat of the summer as the snowbirds have left for the season, fewer visitors are vacationing out here, and year-round residents often make plans to travel to cooler destinations during the triple-digit months. But for those who stay, it’s business as usual in terms of working,…
Low Enrollment Prompts Cuts
to DVUSD’s Online Academy
At the end of the school year, Deer Valley Unified School District will no longer offer its online elementary education program in grades K-5. Citing low enrollment in a letter to parents and the community, Aspire Online Academy Principal Juliet Amara said the difficult decision came after careful consideration by the district following the failure…
Mandarin Program at Gavilan Peak
on Verge of Phase Out
For more than 15 years, Deer Valley Unified School District has been known for its successful Mandarin Chinese Immersion programs offered at two specialty schools, but now the future of one of the programs appears dim. Dual-language immersion programs where students receive equal daily instruction in half English and half Mandarin from kindergarten through eighth…
DVUSD Prepares to Cut$11 Million From Budget
Since DVUSD lost its Maintenance and Operations Override measure that it had in place for the last 30 years, the district is faced with making difficult decisions to reduce its budget by $11 million a year for the next three years for a total of $33 million. DVUSD’s Governing Board is hosting a work session…
Retail & Restaurants Proposed in
Desert Hills/New River
A new commercial retail plaza is proposed on nearly 18 acres at the southwest corner of east Carefree Highway and North 12th Street in unincorporated Maricopa County. Preliminary plans have been submitted to the county, but the project requires a rezoning from RU-43 (rural, one dwelling per acre) to C-2 (commercial intermediate district) in order to…
First Look at Vestar’s Massive Planned Development & Roadways
Neighborhood Meeting Planned to Solicit Feedback In order to see significant road connections completed in the area, such as the highly anticipated connection of North Valley Parkway to Carefree Highway to alleviate traffic along 27th Drive—it’s going to require a $40-million bridge and a large-scale developer to fund a project of that magnitude, as the…
How You Can Help Shape the Future of Your Community
With all of the growth happening along the I-17 corridor since the arrival of the TSMC chip plant, and still so much available state trust land in the far North Phoenix region, there are several avenues for community residents to get involved and help shape the future of the hottest growing area within the city. …