The council in October rezoned the course, 18 holes just west of Loop 101 and south of Camelback Road in west Phoenix, to only allow it to be used for a golf course or open space. Before that, zoning would've allowed homes to be built on the land.
Residents living in the neighborhood around the course, who have been trying to preserve it for years, celebrated the decision. But the rezoning was against the will of the property owner, Virtua Partners, who had plans to build homes on the land. A legal battle now brews that will take time to resolve.
This doesn’t bode well for the neighborhood, since the crime there has been skyrocketing since the course closed in April 2018.
Violent crime has more than doubled in the one-mile radius around the course, increasing from 20 homicides, rapes, assaults and robberies in the first six months of 2018 to 45 in the first six months of 2020, according to The Arizona Republic's review of city crime data. Comparatively, citywide violent crime has increased by about 7% since then.
Councilwoman Betty Guardado says the course's closure has contributed to the increase in crime and the deterioration of the neighborhood since the vacant space is not monitored.
Therefore i propose, golf courses be built, simply as crime-prevention measures until there is no crime . . . funds should be diverted from other areas, in fact to further this ambition.
I mean, Villa del Paz may be an uninspiring track, but even i had underestimated its power.
