By Don Scott.
My sadness over Petco’s departure from Fountain Hills was soon replaced by excitement that Sprouts Farmers Market is moving in. Known for fresh, organic food, wellness products, and extensive plant-based options, Sprouts saw a 22% jump in plant-based sales—no surprise given its delicious variety.
In the company’s Impact Report, its CEO stated: “We’re sourcing more innovative products that are healthy, attribute based, and have a lower environmental impact and higher societal benefit. We’re reducing waste and donating more meals to those in need than any year in our company’s history. And we’re making meaningful strides in fostering our culture of caring and inclusion while also investing heavily in team members’ development and well-being.”
Sprouts likely wouldn’t be coming had the rezoning application—enabling Sandor’s development of upscale, market-rate apartments at Four Peaks Plaza—not been approved in 2024 in a 4-3 vote by Mayor Dickey, Vice Mayor Grzybowski, and Councilmembers McMahon and Kalivianakis. Without that approval, it’s also feasible that Target would have departed.
Mayor Friedel touted the Sprouts intent in his June 6 video. Yet he, along with Councilmembers Skillicorn and Larrabee, voted against the very rezoning that made it possible. Their political action committee, ROT, tried to thwart the project. ROT filed suit to stop it, and it was Skillicorn who then pushed a resolution instructing Town Attorney Aaron Arnson to step aside in defense of the Town. Friedel and Larrabee supported the move—effectively abandoning the Town’s legal defense—but were, fortunately, again outvoted.
So, when Friedel in his video enthusiastically listed potential benefits like “permitting fees,” “construction sales tax,” “development impact fees,” and “retail sales tax,” I shook my head at the hypocrisy.
“This is huge for Fountain Hills,” Friedel said.
But he hopes you’ve forgotten who tried to stop it.
