Loop 202 could affect cities’ revenue
Report estimates property, sales tax loss in road’s path

Tribune/Scottsdale News
2/5/06
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS -

   A report by the Arizona Department of Transportation shows that Phoenix, Tolleson and Avondale could lose millions of dollars in sales and property taxes from businesses displaced to make room for the proposed South Mountain Freeway leg of Loop 202.
   But economic development and transportation experts say the worried communities will benefit in the long run with new businesses, skyrocketing property values and decreased travel times.
   The freeway would link Interstate 10 in the west and east, bypassing Phoenix.
   Once a final alignment is determined, ADOT wants to start purchasing land in 2008, start building in 2009 and finish by 2015.
   If joined at Loop 101, the South Mountain Freeway could cost Phoenix, Avondale and Tolleson a combined $23.3 million annually in lost property and sales taxes by the time those areas reach buildout around 2030.
   Those numbers account for businesses displaced by the road and future development that could have occurred in the alignment.
   The other routes run only through Phoenix.