volume 16, issue 3 • march 2014 www.northcentralnews.net Developer looks at Nancy Walker, Celebrity Fight financial options Nigh Foundation By Teri Carnicelli board member, Developers of an apartment complex planned for and her husband 3rd Avenue and Camelback Road have asked the City Jimmy Walker, Council to postpone its vote on a requested zoning longtime North change for the property until its March 19 meeting. Central resident The council was originally slated to review the rezon - and founder of ing request, which would change approximately 1.14 Celebrity Fight acres from commercial to multi-family residential, at Night, visit with its Feb. 5 meeting. boxing legend The continuance request stated that the develop - Muhammad Ali at ers wanted more time to explore alternatives to a previous event financing and to review possible further revisions to (submitted photo). the development. Larry Lazarus, attorney for the developers, explains that changes had previously been made to the develop - ment proposal that reduced the height of a portion of the project from four to three stories, which also elimi - North Central’s Walker continues ‘Fight’ of life nated six units of the affordable housing project. Representatives from the adjacent Medlock Place By Teri Carnicelli ed, but the real fight against Parkinson’s disease, historic neighborhood object to the height and the Jimmy Walker has spent decades working in the poverty, homelessness and childhood ailments con - density of the project, which abuts their 100-year- financial services business, which includes life insur - tinues to hold strong at this annual star-studded old, single-story community. ance. So it’s a little surprising when you see the long - event, set for Saturday, April 12 at the J.W. Marriott Lazarus says that Michael Stringfellow from the time North Central resident’s name associated with resort near the Desert Ridge mall. Chasse Building Team has contacted the project’s an event called “Celebrity Fight Night.” Such a title The individual ticket prices start at $1,500, which financing partners to determine whether, for example, evokes imagery of blood, bruises and occasional bro - includes a private musical performance by Michael reducing the height to three stories across the board or ken noses. One wonders what Walker is doing associ - Bublé, The Band Perry, and Kenny Rogers otherwise reducing the density of the units to below 50 ated with such a risky-sounding endeavor. (www.celebrityfightnight.org). Other celebrities who please see POSTPONED on page 8 Walker attended Central High School, where he will be in attendance include Robert De Niro, Billy was first team All-State in basketball, and later attended Crystal, Reba McEntire who returns as emcee, and of Arizona State University, where he received his educa - course the perennial man of honor, boxing legend tion on a basketball scholarship. He never lost his love Mohammad Ali. 9 5 E E of sports, which helped lead to the creation of Celebrity please see WALKER on page 8 Z 0 T I G A 5 D D A T , . E T Fight Night, which celebrates its 20th year next month. S X . D P I S O I 4 X T 1 N O E A N R 0 E The original concept was to get local celebrity P P S E 2 T I . R S O , S P A in this issue 7 M H . E athletes to duke it out with oversized boxing gloves in P R H U L E C P P R . a fun and charitable event, Walker explains. A L Car wash helps fund college dreams, page 3 A M I R Y A Phoenix resident since 1957, Walker has E B T A Y brought his years of experience of selling insurance to R Residents say ‘thanks’ to local police, page 6 M E D V I E professional athletes and entertainers to his position L T E A D D as chairman of the Celebrity Fight Night Foundation, Unique concept pairs wine and beauty, page 22 : E R M E O T which he founded 20 years ago. H S - A NJHS tackles ambitious service goal, page 30 N I M The mock fights that were once associated with T S O Celebrity Fight Night have long since been eliminat - Try these tasty handfuls, page 45 P Page 2 – North Central News, March 2014 www.northcentralnews.net E IC PR W NE 7334 N. Central Ave. - $849,000 150 E. Wagon Wheel Dr. - $829,000 1320 E. Lupine Ave. - $750,000 302 W. Kaler Dr. - $650,000 G IN ST LI W NE Coming soon! 621 W. Glenn Dr. - $499,000 509 E. Belmont Ave. - $469,000 341 W. El Caminito Dr. - $389,000 4250 N. 35th St. - $350,000 N O W W SO O O G CR CR IN ES ES M N N CO I I 908 W. Flynn Lane - $270,000 6025 N. 10th Pl. - $259,000 7 W. Berridge Lane - $ 1,070,000 511 W. Northview Ave. - $1,050,000 W W W W RO RO RO RO SC SC SC SC E E E E IN IN IN IN 601 E. Orangewood Ave. - $540,000 1232 E. Lupine Ave. - $435,000 6308 N. 7th Ave. - $399,000 1627 E. Butler Dr. - $385,000 OW R LD LD LD SC O O O E S S S IN 77 E. Missouri Ave. #53 - $295,000 5510 N. 4th St. 7115 N. Wilder Rd. 232 E. Medlock Dr. IF YOU ARE THINKING OF LD LD BUYING OR SELLING, SO SO WE CAN REPRESENT YOU. NOTHING IS TOO SMALL Cindy Shelley Steve Arend Caniglia Caniglia Lic. ® ® OR TOO LARGE! 317 W. Loma Lane 2059 W. Citrus Way Assistant Realtor Realtor • Top Selling, Double Diamond Female Executive in Arizona 2007 Shelley Caniglia: 602-292-6862 • Top North Central Realtors since 1982 Steve Caniglia: 602-301-2402 • Top Producing Residential Real Estate Team in North Central www.TheCanigliaGroup.Com • Top 20 Residential Real Estate Teams, Business Journal Check us out on Facebook! www.northcentralnews.net North Central News, March 2014 – Page 3 COMMUNITY Car wash assists with community-based planning effort to create walkable communities by guid - boxer’s college dreams ing future development along the Angel Baltazar is going through one Phoenix light rail system. of the hardest times in his barely 20 years The “opening event” is set for 6 to of life. His father was diagnosed with ter - 8 p.m. Monday, March 24, and the minal cancer and the doctors don’t “closing event” will be held from 6 to 8 expect he will have much longer to live. p.m. Friday, April 4. Both events will Angel’s dad wants to make sure that take place at the Phoenix Financial his son’s future stays on the right track. Center, 3443 N. Central Ave. That’s why he supported Angel when During the two-week workshop, he wanted to get into boxing. And residents are invited to provide input that’s why he’s asked Angel’s boxing any time between the hours of 9 a.m. to coach to help him make sure his son 6 p.m. or online at myplanphx.com. still has a bright future ahead of him, District plans create a guide for invest - despite what will be a devastating loss. ments in streets, parks, housing and The Chavez Boxing Gym, started business development based on a com - by former Golden Gloves Champion munity vision for the future. Pete Chavez, is more than just a youth The opening event will provide ini - program or a gym; for the kids and tial input on designs for walkable com - coaches, it is a family. And when some - Local boxer Angel Baltazar gets some help washing cars as part of a fundraiser for his box - munities along the light rail between one in your family is having a hard ing gym, the Chavez Boxing Foundation, at 7th and Missouri avenues. Another car wash downtown Phoenix and Bethany Home fundraiser is coming up on March 29 (submitted photo). time, everyone comes together to help. Road/Christown Spectrum Mall. The To help Angel stay on track, the father won’t have the chance to see it. program that offers the sport of amateur closing event will feature designs draft - Chavez Boxing Foundation, formed in Members, coaches, friends and sup - boxing as an alternative to destructive ed for this area, based on public input.. 2007, is giving Angel this year’s porters of the boxing club are helping behavior. You can Like Chavez Boxing Transit Oriented Development Melyssa Gastelum College Grant. to raise funds for this year’s grant with Foundation on Facebook and/or follow (TOD) is a method for building and Years ago, the foundation set up a car wash, set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. them on Twitter @CBF2012Boxing. preserving communities with the goal the grant in honor of one of Chavez’s Saturday, March 29 in the parking area of making walking, bicycling and using former clients. Gastelum was just 17 of Sylvia’s La Canasta, 5508 N. 7th Offer your views on public transit safe, convenient and when she died in an accident. “She Ave. It is in the same shopping center comfortable for daily living. This effort was such a good kid,” Chavez remem - as the boxing gym. light rail communities will be a model for developing other bers. “She wanted to go to college.” The proceeds from the car wash will Residents are invited to shape the walkable communities along future Her family helped him set up a schol - go directly to the grant and ultimately future of development along Phoenix’s light rail corridors arship in her name.