Pursing the recent publication of HOME, a publication dedicated to the local housing industry, I noticed what is going up development-wise in Fountain Hills. Keystone, a creative apartment complex surrounding Bashas’ shopping plaza in the heart of the downtown area; “mostly single story and detached” and have a park-like plaza. Nice.

Adero Canyon, below CopperWynd, is a gated new home neighborhood of single family homes; prices begin under a million and match the ambiance found in the area’s high-end homes.

The Overlook at Firerock, a gated area of 64 paired villas, are set back from, but parallel Shea Blvd. The units begin at $750,000; upgrades puts them over a million for this luxury brand nestled in an area of gated, multi-million dollar homes.

Both Adero and Overlook projects are just a short distance from where the 400-unit, three-story Daybreak apartment project at the lower end of the market is proposed to be built. While the Keystone apartments provide, some say, needed “affordable” apartments for families, they blend in well with nearby Park Place apartments. Daybreak with its lack of amenities, three-story height, density and stark architecture cannot hold a candle to the single-story Keystone apartments.

So, why is it that on one of the most prized pieces of ground in Fountain Hills, the corner of Shea and Palisades, has the Town given the green light to a project that in no way blends, compliments or enhances its surrounding neighborhoods? I have yet to hear any of the five Council members who voted for Daybreak – Brown, Tolis, Magazine, Leckrone and Scharnow – clearly articulate their rationale for approving Daybreak while going against its own P&Z Commission.

Referendum signatures have been approved, the Town Council will determine when you will vote on Daybreak.