Desert Bloom Releaf Center Meeting

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Harold Hallikainen

On Tuesday November 14th, Board Members of Thunderbird Heights and Mitman went to the neighborhood meeting regarding the Special Exception to relocate Desert Bloom Releaf Center to 5851 E Speedway Blvd (previous Platinum Fitness). Below are links to documents provided by Desert Bloom Releaf Center.

The representative of Bloom presented that they would like to remodel the space to include a Café, Market, and Marijuana Dispensary.

The main entrance will be on the north side of the building. When walking into the building you first would enter the café/ patio, walk through an organic grocery store (envisioning a Time / Flores market), then in the far back of the building (southside) would be the Dispensary. After customers would make the purchase from the dispensary- they would walk through the grocery store/café to exit. No plant growing would occur on the premises.

An entrance will still be on Speedway, but people would be encouraged to use the north entrance.

If approved, they believe the 3 establishments would be open from 7am-10PM and open in 12-15 months. Currently, Bloom Dispensary has about 500-600 customer a day. They believe the customer base would move to the new location. The working hours are from 7am-10pm with 3-4 security guards working.

During the meeting the support and concerns were brought up they were:

Support

  • No longer a vacant building
  • Increase traffic to minimize crime in area.

Concerns

  • Loitering and using marijuana in the Café area
  • Business plan of main entrance being on Northside of building
  • Parking along Sahuara Ave and increased traffic

Desert Bloom responses to Concerns (in order)

  • Security would manage loitering, current regulations regarding smoking would not allow smoking in Café area
  • Yes, dispensary and product customers will enter the dispensary area through the café and organic market
  • At current location, approximately 500 customers/day are seen during a 15 hour business day.

If you have specific questions about the project you can contact Aari Ruben who is the POC for Desert Bloom Releaf Center at 520-982-9212 or aarrbn@aol.com or you can contact your ward 6 rep Steven Kozachik at ward6@Tuconaz.gov

Reference Documents




Posted in Hearings, Zoning | 1 Comment

Mitman Update

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Harold Hallikainen

by Ali Bickford, Mitman Neighborhood Association president

Hello Mitman,

Last week the board met to review what items were brought up at the annual meeting. Thank you to everyone who came. Meeting notes can be found at Mitman.org.

Our next board meeting will be on December 6th from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM at the Ward 6 office (3202 East 1st Street). A proposed agenda will be sent out the week before the meeting

Desert Bloom Meeting

A request has been made to relocate Desert Bloom Releaf Center (a dual license medical/ adult use marijuana dispensary) to 5851 E Speedway Blvd, Suite 101 (previously occupied by Platinum Fitness).

A meeting to discuss has been scheduled on 11/14/2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM the proposed business location. See the meeting notice.

Mitman Neighborhood Garage Sale December 2nd

At the annual meeting, we received interest to have a Mitman Neighborhood Garage Sale. We look forward to meeting neighbors and finding treasures. Be prepared for buyers from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Mini Grant – Safer Streets

The city of Tucson has allocated funding for Safe Street Mini Grant Program. Attached is a draft application. Part of the scoring is neighborhood buy-in. If you support this project, please respond with Letters of Support using the contact form or replying to this email. Please review and provide feedback by 11/17.

5th Street Update

Did you hear about the 5th/6th Street Pedestrian Safety and Walkability plan? The project is from Campbell to Alvernon. You may give your input on an  interactive map or here

The Fifth Street Reconstruction project from Country Club Road to Wilmot has a number of factors that were discussed with Tucson City employees at a public outreach event. Prop 101, Tucson Delivers Better Streets is funding the project. The first phase will be redoing the waterline (this will take 12 months to complete), then repaving the road where they will paint a road diet. IF positive feedback is given it will become permanent. In addition, the city is planning to revamp the Craycroft to Wilmot section by having a crossing for the Alamo Wash Greenway,  Sahuara Ave Bike Blvd, and updating the Chantilly and 5th intersection to prevent flooding.

Special Projects

At the annual meeting, several great ideas were given. If you are interested in championing any of these projects please let us know!

Plant Cutting exchange

Food Sharing (Citrus Fruits)

Historic Neighborhood

Block Party

Artwork in Traffic Circles

Etc.

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Mitman Neighborhood Association Board Meeting, November 1, 2023

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Harold Hallikainen

Mitman Neighborhood Association Board Meeting

November 1, 2023

PRESENT: Ali Bickford, President, Robin Steinberg, Vice President, Mary Martin, Chief Financial Officer, Susan Patania, Chief Information Officer, Jennifer Beard, Advisor, Harold Hallikainen, Advisor

The meeting was held at Ali Bickford’s house from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. It was dedicated to reviewing ongoing projects from past years and establishing goals for the future. Transparency and providing access to all neighbors were identified as priorities.

The discussion began with basic logistics:

  • Board meetings will be held monthly according to a fixed schedule, e.g., first Tuesday of the month. The schedule and agenda will be posted on Mitman.org., along with minutes of previous meetings. Meeting rooms at Murphy-Wilmot library or Ward 6 offices were suggested as future locations. Ali Bickford will follow up.
  • All neighbors will be invited to the monthly meetings and will be encouraged to participate, however only Board members will formally vote. Board decisions will be made by a simple majority vote.

Ali presented an informal agenda of issues carried over from past year(s), and those raised by neighbors at the Annual Meeting:

  • Advisor Jennifer Beard gave an update on the ongoing multitude of problems caused by the Love Cabaret strip club on Speedway. The latest nuisance is intense glare from lights recently installed in the back parking lot. Jennifer has advocated on behalf of her 1st St. neighbors for years. To date, the club’s efforts to get a liquor license have failed.
  • Advisor Harold Hallikainen is looking into the requirements for obtaining 501(c)(3) status for the Association.
  • Robin Steinberg and Harold Hallikainen are working on a final draft of the Association Bylaws. Their draft will be reviewed and voted on by the Board.
  • Electronic applications like Venmo or Paypal will be made available for payment of dues or donations.
  • Ali described her successful effort last year to obtain funding to turn the empty lot just N. of 5th St. on Van Buren into a pocket park with greenery and water harvesting. Board leadership at the time was not supportive, and the grant money was returned. It may be possible to re-submit the grant application.
  • Traffic circles and speed bumps have improved the safety of our streets. The Board would like to expand neighborhood improvements to the next level by participating in the city’s GSI (Green Stormwater Infrastructure) and Street Calming infrastructure programs.
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