Dino Cotton returns to the show for a wide-ranging talk about where Anthem is headed. As chairman of the Anthem Community Council, now in his sixth year, he lays out the scale of development approaching the area: a Walmart gas station, a Fry’s station near Boulder Creek High School, and a massive planned community south of the TSMC plant that could add roughly 19,000 homes, nearly double Anthem’s current count, along with an auto mall, Target, and Costco. Dino explains how the council’s growth committee is trying to steer that expansion so Anthem keeps its small-town feel.
Closer to home, he previews locker room renovations at the community center and floats fun ideas like a cold plunge. The trio also digs into why small businesses struggle locally, the value of mentorship, and Eric’s memory of founding the chamber back in 2002. Lighter moments cover Independence Day fireworks, a children’s theater moving into Pioneer Village, and Dino’s turn as a detective in a locally shot film.
Key takeaways
- Dino Cotton is in his sixth year as chairman of the Anthem Community Council and also chairs the City of Phoenix Rio Vista Planning Committee and Anthem's ad hoc growth committee.
- A planned "city within a city" south of TSMC (Halo Vista) could bring about 19,000 new homes, nearly doubling Anthem's roughly 10,000, plus an auto mall, Target, and Costco.
- New gas stations are on the way, including a Walmart station and a Fry's near Boulder Creek High School, which Dino hopes will lower local gas prices.
- The community center is getting roughly $330,000 to $350,000 in locker room renovations, with new sinks, toilets, and dedicated changing rooms.
- Eric founded the Anthem chamber in 2002, and the group is reworking its leadership academy into a small business academy focused on mentorship.
- Banzerini House children's theater signed a 10-year lease for the opera house at Pioneer Village, with an opening planned for October.
Related: More Eye on Anthem episodes