Data Collection Report - Flood Control District of Maricopa County

study area. More detailed information for specific areas will becollected as alternatives are developed and refined.In addition to the Data Collection which has already taken place, publicsensing via Public (Neighborhood), Committee and Agency (ProjectStakeholders and Special Interest Groups) meetings will be an ongoingprocess through the course of the study. There are two PublicNeighborhood Meetings each at two different locations within the studyarea and three Review Committee Meetings scheduled over the courseof the study. An Aesthetic Advisory Committee consisting of landscapearchitects, a developer, engineers, and other planning and designprofessionals has also been assembled to offer ideas and provideaesthetic input at each phase of the project. The Aesthetic AdvisoryCommittee is scheduled to meet just prior to each of the ReviewCommittee meetings. Questionaires will be developed for PublicMeetings and meeting notes prepared from Committee and AgencyWorkshops and Meetings to document input. Input received will beused to generate ideas, designate and refine desired future communitygoals and character as well as to document feedback and responseregarding proposed alternatives and themes.Information derived from the above tasks has formed the basis for thenarrative and graphic depictions included herein.D. Data Collection and Existing Conditions AnalysisRegional ContextThe Durango Study Area is located in the southwest portion of thePhoenix metropolitan area. (Figure IV-1). The area is physicallybounded by the I-10 Papago Freeway to the north, the I-17 BlackCanyon Freeway to the east, the Salt and Gila Rivers to the south, andthe Agua Fria River to the west. The study area encompasses portionsof unincorporated Maricopa County as well as the Cities of Phoenix,Tolleson, and Avondale. All three cities extend beyond the boundariesof the study area - Tolleson to the north, Avondale to the west andnorthwest and Phoenix to the north, east, and southeast. Other adjacentcommunities include the Gila River Indian Community and Town ofLaveen immediately to the south of the Salt River and somewhat moredistant is Goodyear to the west and Litchfield Park to the northwest.Within the region, views of three mountain ranges strongly influence thecharacter of the Durango Area. They include the White Tank Mountainsto the northwest, the Estrella Mountains to the south and southwest, andSouth Mountain to the southeast. Views of the White Tank Mountainsand South Mountain are more distant while the views of the Estrellaswhich span the south side of the study area are relatively close up andform a dominant presence in the Durango Study Area.Study Area OverviewLand UseThe north and east portions of the Durango Study Area represent themajority of existing development with primary land uses consisting ofindustrial, residential, and some commercial uses, schools, and parks.The southwest two thirds of the area is currently agriculture and includesboth cultivated crops and livestock areas. The area is rapidly beingdeveloped with industrial development filling in open areas to the northand along the railroad corridor and residential development presentlyoccurring and planned for the agricultural areas in the southwest area.One unique feature of the study area relating to land use is the existenceof major municipal public works facilities within and adjacent to theStudy Area. There are three waste water treatment plants witin thebounds of the study area including the Avondale Water Treatment Plant,the Tolleson Water Treatment Plant, and the City of Phoenix’s 91stAvenue Water Treatment Plant. Just outside the bounds of the studyarea but certainly a visible presence along the southeast boundary is the27th Avenue Landfill. Also nearby to the east of the study area limitsis Phoenix’s 23rd Avenue Wastewater Treatment Facility, and MaricpaCounty’s Durango Complex.DIBBLE & ASSOCIATES 19 DURANGO ADMPDATA COLLECTION REPORT