2025 Land Use Law Update

Cameron C Artigue Related Seminars and Products

Gammage & Burnham PLC

Cameron Artigue has spent his entire career at Gammage & Burnham and has over 35 years of experience in zoning and land use litigation. He has handled well over 100 appeals in state and federal courts, and his name appears on more than 75 published opinions. This includes many notable cases in the areas of zoning, land use, and state lands. For more than 20 years, he has taught Land Use Law at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU, and also teaches at the W.P. Carey School of Business. Cameron is on the Advisory Board for the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute and is assuming co-authorship of Arizona Land Use Law, published by the Arizona State Bar as the definitive authority in this field.

Hannah Bleam Related Seminars and Products

Hannah Bleam, AICP is a land use planner at the law firm Withey Morris Baugh, PLC. Prior to joining Withey Morris Baugh PLC, she held positions with the City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department as the sign section supervisor and a Village Planner for Central City, Encanto, Paradise Valley and North Mountain villages. These positions provided her with extensive knowledge of rezonings, planned unit developments, general plan amendments, text amendments, signage, community outreach, zoning adjustments, and other land use matters. Hannah is a graduate of Elon University, B.A., 2009, and the University of Oregon, Masters of Community and Regional Planning, 2012.

Christina Claire Rubalcava Related Seminars and Products

CHRISTINA C. RUBALCAVA, Senior Assistant City Attorney, City of Flagstaff. Christina joined the City of Flagstaff in March 2016 and represents the Community Development and Engineering divisions. She previously was a partner in Phoenix at the law firm of Osborn Maledon where she represented clients in the areas of employment, education, and general commercial litigation. Before that she clerked for the Honorable David G. Campbell on the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. Christina is a graduate of Arizona State University, B.A., 2005, and Stanford Law School, J.D., 2008.

Jason B Morris Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Withey Morris PLC

Jason Barclay Morris is a graduate of the University of Arizona, College of Law, and a founding partner at the law firm of Withey Morris Baugh, PLC. His past experience includes work as a congressional staff member, and as partner with the Land Use Section for a major Phoenix law firm.

Mr. Morris’s practice is exclusively in land use, planning and zoning and government relations in Arizona, as well as the Southwest region. His client list includes significant development in every asset class and representation in some of the state’s most high-profile land use cases. His clientele includes national homebuilders, multi-family developers, master plan developers, landowners, family offices and Fortune 100 companies. Mr. Morris has also successfully litigated land use cases on behalf of property owners against Arizona municipalities.

He served as Chair of the City of Phoenix License Appeals Board and was the District 3 representative to the Maricopa County Transportation Advisory Board. He was also appointed by the Mayor to serve on the City of Phoenix Development Advisory Board. Mr. Morris was past-chair of Valley Partnership’s State Legislative Committee. In that capacity, he worked extensively on the Growing Smarter Legislation as well as opposing the Citizen’s Growth Management Initiative. He also served as an Ad Hoc Committee-member advising on the combination of the Planning & Development Services Departments at the City of Phoenix. Jason’s other honors include recognition as an outstanding community leader by the Phoenix Business Journal’s “40 under 40” Issue, and he was honored as one of the “Best of the Bar” by the Arizona Business Journal.

Mr. Morris is currently on the Board of Trustees for The University of Denver Sturm College of Law Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute. Additional outside boards and activities include Valley Leadership, Urban Land Institute, ASU Real Estate Council, and the Arizona Town Hall. He also served as President of the Arizona Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs and is a member of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Board of Trustees.

Tiffany Antol Related Seminars and Products

Tiffany Antol, AICP, is the Zoning Code Manager for the City of Flagstaff. She has more than 25 years’ experience working in planning and the public sector. Tiffany began with the City of Flagstaff in 2013 and has held various planning positions during that time. She holds a BA in Geography/Urban Studies from San Francisco State University and a MS in Planning from the University of Arizona.

Joshua Bednarek Related Seminars and Products

JOSHUA BEDNAREK is the Director of Planning and Development of the City of Phoenix. Josh was previously Planning and Development Department Assistant Director and has been with the City for more than 20 years, 15 of those years with the Planning and Development Department. During his time with Planning and Development, Josh oversaw the creation of the City's Transit-Oriented Development policy framework for expanding the light rail system and the related Walkable Urban Code, which supports pedestrian-friendly amenities, business opportunities and more diverse housing options. He oversaw the update of the City's General Plan in 2015, and as Director will oversee the current process of the 2025 update to that plan that will go before voters in November of 2024. Over the last five years, Josh has been promoted to Deputy Director and then Assistant Director within the department. During this time, Josh led the transition of Planning and Development's public meetings and hearings to virtual formats. He and his team members updated several sections of the Zoning Ordinance including an expansion of the Walkable Urban Code, enhancements to landscape requirements to address the City's tree and shade goals, and the allowance for interior suites with cooking facilities in new residential subdivisions. Josh has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of Arizona and a Master's Degree in Urban and Environmental Planning from Arizona State University.

Tom Dorn Related Seminars and Products

Tom Dorn, President of Dorn Policy Group Inc., has a diverse background in government and politics at the federal, state, county, municipal, district and tribal levels. His firm represents numerous multi-national corporations, trade associations and government entities. Major current and previous clients include 3M, American Medical Response, American Insurance Association, Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Highway Users, Aviation Coalition of Arizona, Barstool/Penn Gaming, Becton Dickinson, Cigna Healthcare, City of Phoenix, GlobalMed, HDR Engineering, Macquarie Capital USA, McLane Company, Netjets, Peabody Energy, Roche Diagnostics, Stride/K12, TC Energy and The CORE Institute. Prior to starting Dorn Policy Group, Inc. in November 2000, Tom was a Partner for three years at the Arizona public affairs firm Jamieson Gutierrez. There he was the chief legislative strategist and lobbyist for the firm’s notable clients including America West Airlines, City of Tucson, Cox Communications, Fiesta Bowl, Hitachi Data Systems, Hopi Tribe, Reliant Energy and Southwest Student Services. From 1994 to 1997, Tom served as the State and Federal Lobbyist for the Arizona Department of Transportation under Republican Governor Fife Symington where he was instrumental in the STEP 21 Coalition, a Washington D.C.-based effort to secure equitable highway financing nationwide. Tom also initiated development of federal legislation enabling the ultimate construction of the Hoover Dam Bridge now spanning the Colorado River. These significant policy efforts have led to subsequent opportunities for increased commerce along the CANAMEX Corridor and the future Interstate 11 connecting Phoenix and Las Vegas. From 1990 to 1994, Tom served Democrat Governor Rose Mofford as Legislative Director for the Arizona Department of Commerce where he
advanced business legislation pertaining to international trade, housing, finance, economic development and sports promotion. He also served as Legislative Director for the Arizona State Land Department where he advocated for policies relative to natural resource management, water, grazing leases, forestry, urban planning and environmental protection. Early in his career, Tom served as a Congressional intern Washington for the late Arizona Congressman Jay Rhodes and then as a Government Relations Assistant to legendary Arizona lobbyist, Ambassador P. Robert Fannin from whom he learned honor, knowledge, skill and tenacity are the pillars of successful advocacy. Tom holds both a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Arizona State University (ASU). He is active in numerous organizations including the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Tax Research Association, Arizona Town Hall, Economic Club of Phoenix, Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Scottsdale Bible Church, State Society of Arizona and serves on the boards of the Arizona Highway Users and Paradise Valley Christian Preparatory. Tom has three daughters and lives in Phoenix.

Christine Mackay Related Seminars and Products

Christine Mackay - Phoenix Community and Economic Development Director, Christine Mackay, has served the people of Phoenix since August 2014. She is responsible for leading and fostering an environment where businesses can create and retain jobs, make capital investment and reinvestment in the community, and connect our workforce to employers and training opportunities. During Mackay's tenure with the City of Phoenix, the department has facilitated the creation of over 84,000 high-value jobs, seen the average wage of those jobs increase from over $30,000 in 2014 to more than $84,000 in 2024, and closed deals worth nearly $75 billion in capital investment. Christine leads a department of over 70 full time staff that encompasses the full spectrum of economic development areas including: business attraction, business retention and expansion, community development, international relations, Sister Cities, the Phoenix Business and Workforce Development Board, administration, research, marketing, the City-owned PHX Arena and Phoenix Bioscience Core. In 2021, Christine was named as one of the Top 50 Economic Developers in the Country by Consultant Connect. She is a three-time honoree as "Economic Developer of the Year, Large Community" by the Arizona Association for Economic Development. Mackay was recognized as "Leader of the Year in Economic Development-Public Policy" by the Arizona Capitol Times, and "Industry Leader of the Year - Economic Development" by Arizona Commercial Real Estate Magazine. She has also been on the list of the Arizona Business magazine's "50 Most Influential Women in Arizona." She is a member of the Economic Development Director's Team for Greater Phoenix, Maricopa Association of Government's Building a Quality Regional Community committee, Flinn Foundation Biosciences Roadmap committee, the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), Commercial Office Real Estate Executives (CoreNet), and the Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED). Christine has nearly 28 years' experience in economic development overlapping 35 years of commercial real estate experience. Mackay has spent both her personal and professional life here in the Valley.

Chloe Alexandra Plaisance Related Seminars and Products

Chloe Plaisance is an associate attorney at Gammage & Burnham, where she specializes in real estate. Chloe received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2018, and a Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in 2023. While in law school, Chloe was honored as a Willard H. Pedrick Scholar and served as a Staff Writer and Articles Editor for the Arizona State Law Journal. In her law practice, Chloe focuses on transactions for landowners and real estate developers, including purchase, sale, leasing, and development of real property.

Meredith L Vivona Related Seminars and Products

State Bar of Arizona

Meredith L. Vivona is the Ethics Counsel for the State Bar of Arizona, where she advises lawyers through the Ethics Hotline, presents ethics related CLE programs, acts as legal advisor to the Fee Arbitration Program, serves on the Ethics Advisory Group and acts as liaison to the Arizona Supreme Court’s Attorney Ethics Advisory Committee. Prior to becoming Ethics Counsel, Meredith served as Practice Management Attorney for Practice 2.0 and the Trust Account Helpline, the State Bar’s confidential practice management and trust account advice program. Before joining the State Bar of Arizona, Meredith served as Independent Bar Counsel, investigating and prosecuting misconduct allegations brought against attorneys, when the Lawyer Regulation Office had a conflict. Part of Meredith’s responsibilities included serving as Acting Disciplinary Counsel for the Commission on Judicial Conduct where she investigated and resolved judicial misconduct complaints. Before serving as IBC, Meredith enjoyed a varied career in private practice, with experience in civil litigation matters throughout the state. Meredith is admitted to practice in Arizona and the U.S. District Court for the State of Arizona. Meredith received her Juris Doctor from Wake Forest Law School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Jessica Sarkissian Related Seminars and Products

JESSICA SARKISSIAN, AICP is a land planner with more than 22 years’ experience and is the owner of Upfront Planning & Entitlements, LLC an Arizona based land planning and entitlement firm serving public and private sector clients throughout Arizona. Ms. Sarkissian's experience is grounded in working between the private and public sector to process entitlements efficiently as well as provide public outreach efforts in conjunction with code and policy updates. She is an active member in the American and Arizona Planning Association where she sites on the Arizona Planning Board and was past President for the Chapter. She also is active with the local Arizona ULI Chapter donating her time to the “AIR” local product council as well as with Urban Plan in the local high schools. She currently sits on the City of Mesa Historic Preservation Board, is a past Chair of the Mesa Planning and Zoning Board and Mesa Board of Adjustment, was previously on the Town of Gilbert Planning Commission as was also the Town of Gilbert Hearing Officer when it was a separate position.

Debra Stark Related Seminars and Products

DEBRA STARK has dedicated her life to public service. After receiving her master's degree
in planning from Arizona State University, her entire career has been as a planner for local governments in Arizona. She was the Planning and Development Director for the city of Phoenix and the Director of Planning and Development for Maricopa County. She also worked in the city of Peoria. This background has made her keenly aware of how local government operates. She has devoted her profession to finding ways to cut through the red tape to assist property owners in starting a business or building a dream home. As a City Council member, she hopes to continue to advocate for ways to provide more responsive government. Debra has served or serves on a variety of commissions or boards both professionally and civically. Debra is married with two adult children and has lived in the same residence for 30 years.

Brian Connolly Related Seminars and Products

Brian J. Connolly is the NBD Bancorp Assistant Professor of Business Law at the University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business. His research and teaching centers in real estate, land use, and development law. His primary research interests include issues of public and private regulation of land use and their relationship to housing affordability and urban redevelopment. Professor Connolly has also written on First Amendment issues related to local government regulation – including signs and outdoor advertising and other free speech issues – as well as fair housing matters in local planning and zoning. Professor Connolly’s work on these topics has included filing multiple U.S. Supreme Court amicus curiae briefs and serving as an expert witness in cases involving these and other land-use topics. Before entering academia, Professor Connolly was a partner in a Denver, Colorado law firm where he represented public- and private-sector clients in zoning, planning, development entitlements, and other complex regulatory matters. In private practice, he worked on projects that, taken together, included over $20 billion in real estate investment and created over 10,000 housing units, industrial facilities, and resort and recreational opportunities. During his time in Colorado, Professor Connolly also co-founded and led the Colorado Housing Affordability Project, which succeeded in pressing for research-backed changes to the state's land-use laws to facilitate the development of more affordable forms of housing. Before his legal career, Professor Connolly served as an urban planner in local government. At Michigan Ross, Professor Connolly teaches courses in real estate law.

Steve Betts Related Seminars and Products

Steve Betts is the Managing Director of Development for Holualoa Companies, a 35-year old real estate investment and development company which has a prominent portfolio of commercial properties throughout the Phoenix and Tucson markets as part of its three-quarters of a billion dollars in national and international real estate holdings. Betts had previously been working with Holualoa as a senior advisor the previous. In his current role, Betts is responsible for new development and redevelopment projects undertaken by Holualoa, as well as working to pursue new investment opportunities for the firm. Betts is also Founder/President of Betts Real Estate Advisors, where he serves as counsel to Concord Wilshire Capital, redeveloper of Metrocenter Mall, and previously as a senior advisor to Hines Development Southwest Region and the PHX Rising and Fortuitous Fund, and as development director for Helios Education Foundation. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Tejon Ranch Company (NYSE:TRC), and the Chairman of the University Realty (ASU) Board of Directors. Mr Betts is the retired President and CEO of the SunCor Development Company, the former half-billion dollar plus asset base subsidiary of the Fortune 1000 Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, and developer of master planned communities throughout the Mountainwest and largescale office, industrial, retail and mixed use urban projects in metropolitan Phoenix. He served as President for the year of 2005, and President and CEO from 2006 through May of 2010. During his five-year tenure leading SunCor, the company experienced unprecedented growth, and Mr. Betts was named Developer of the Year by the Arizona Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Park Developers (2008), as well as a Most Admired CEO by the Phoenix Business Journal (2009, inaugural year for the award), and his company was awarded Developer of the Year by Southwest Contractor Magazine (2007). After selling SunCor, Betts signed on to assist the ASU Foundation to be more strategic in real estate acquisition and development as its Senior VP and Managing Director of Assets. Subsequently, he served for five years as Director of Development for Chanen Development Company, and briefly as CEO of the PhoenixMart project. He is a board member of the Arizona Community Foundation, past Chairman and current Trustee to the Nature Conservancy, chaired the Urban Land Institute AZ District Council and serving on its Advisory Board, served as Chairman and now on the board of Teach for America AZ, serves on the Greater Phoenix Economic Council Executive Committee, appointed by the Governor to the Transportation and Trade Corridor Alliance, Chaired the Interstate-11 Coalition, Vice-Chaired the AZ Town Hall and served as Deputy Campaign Manager and Senior Advisor for Senator John McCain. Steve has served in lead roles on several landmark legislative enactments in Arizona, including the Growing Smarter Acts, the Tourism and Sports Authority Act and the Community Facilities District Act. He was the recipient of the 1989 and 1999 Planning Recognition Award from the American Planning Association, a 2000 Governor’s Proclamation for State Planning Initiatives, a 2015 AFP Spirit of Philanthropy Award and 2021 Phoenix Zoo Good Partner Award, and is a frequent speaker locally, regionally and nationally on development and policy issues. Prior to joining SunCor, Steve was a shareholder with Phoenix law firm Gallagher & Kennedy and headed the firm’s land use/governmental affairs practice group. He received his undergraduate degree with honors from Augustana College and his law degree with honors from the De Paul University School of Law.

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