10 Dec 4th-Dec 10th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | about restaurants causing disruptions. “The southwest corner of Camelback and 30th was one big empty lot where they used to sell Christmas trees,” she said. “But now everything has been developed in that area.” She also remembers when the east side of 31st Street was a residential home. In the early 2000s, it was demolished to make way for Donovan’s Steakhouse. If Brentwood Estates successfully steers the Joey Biltmore development to their liking, it will be because they cut their teeth on Donovan’s. “We went through the same thing with Donovan’s some years ago,” Bitsoi said. “One of the big concerns was people leaving the restaurant and turning into the neighborhood to exit.” Michael Kirkpatrick, a 41-year resi- dent, remembers those issues well. “We had to put these ‘no parking’ signs up in the neighborhood because there were limousines, patrons, buses, whatever, all parked in here,” he said. Donovan’s bought and razed a house in an adjacent lot to create more parking, but that was just a further intrusion on the neighborhood. “They tried to get all four homes on Mariposa,” Resch-Geretti said. “They were successful in getting one. I was able to stop them from getting the other three.” According to residents who were around at the time, the newly developed parking lot didn’t alleviate the overflow. “There were people here until 12:30 a.m. or one o’clock in the morning,” Kirkpatrick said. Tellingly, there haven’t been any issues since Donovan’s went out of business in 2018. “We love our neigh- borhood,” Kirkpatrick said, “and don’t want to be encroached by all the stuff that (Joey Biltmore) will bring.” The proposed Joey Biltmore develop- ment is much bigger than Donovan’s, and residents worry the disruption will be bigger, too. (Things could get even worse if the Donovan’s lot is ever redeveloped by Hillstone Restaurant Group, which bought it after it closed.) A lot must happen before any concrete is poured, however. Rezoning the lot is a 12-step process that ends with a decision by the Phoenix City Council. The city requires the restaurant group to conduct two meet- ings with the neighborhood to address issues residents might have. One such meeting has already occurred. The next one is supposed to occur sometime in January. In the meantime, Resch-Geretti has thrown herself into the fray. She has met with the zoning attorney for the project, Nick Wood, to get more information about the restaurant’s capacity, happy hours and operation hours, which are not included in the proposal. She’s met with folks from the city. She keeps her neighbors informed. The effort sometimes wears on her. “I’m sorry to get emotional, but I’m exhausted,” Resch-Geretti said, speaking through tears. She’d recently spent a weekend collecting signatures in opposition to the development. “I’m just tapped out. I’m a marathon runner, and this is taking more from me than a mara- thon.” But she loves her neighborhood and is determined to protect it. “As much as I dread these cases and the time and energy that it takes away from my life — it’s not fun — it’d be easy to say, ‘Forget it,’” Resch-Geretti said. “But I will see this one through and, hopefully, we’re successful in getting it denied.” The office building at 31st Street and Camelback Road. (Cheyla Daverman) Not Welcome from p 8
