A Tale of Two Sunnysides...
Fellowship Square Phoenix was built in 1981, and before construction began, Maricopa County recorded our address as 2002 W Sunnyside Drive. Twelve years later, in 1993, Manor III was constructed and that address was recorded as 1944 W Sunnyside Drive.
Forty-plus years later, we haven't been able to determine why our address was recorded that way - did the sign always say Avenue, and the recorder simply chose Drive for some unknown reason? Or did the sign originally say Drive and at some point, it changed to Avenue without our knowledge? It will probably always be a mystery.
With the advent of technology...
As the ability to search for directions online grew, so did the discrepancy between street names.
As search engines' cars drive around the city, the cameras strapped to the roof of the car record street and building signs exactly as they appear. We first noticed the issue with Google Maps, and in the beginning, we could flag the street name as being incorrect and they would change it online right away.
This worked for a few years...until it didn't.
Just a few blocks west of us, the street name appears as Sunnyside Drive. When visitors started using directions online, depending on which search engine they used, they could end up in the correct location on our campus or somewhere west side of the I-17. We spoke to a Google rep over the phone, and they said they would be able to change it back as soon as the physical sign read Drive.
COVID keeps on giving
During the pandemic, when everything shut down, and package deliveries on campus tripled, the street discrepancy suddenly amplified to a new level. Depending on the search engine their company used, delivery drivers, ride-share providers, and taxis were getting lost. Some mail addressed to Sunnyside Drive was arriving on campus, and some was not.
Oddly enough, various local and state government agencies recognized one or the other - Drive or Avenue. To make it even more confusing (frustrating?), a few departments within the same agency disagreed on the name. At this point, we reached out to the Phoenix City Council and other local agencies.
We have arrived, but not where we hoped
After working with local, city, and state government officials, and attempting all the steps to make 'Drive' final, we reached the end of the road. Yes, pun intended.
So, we have begun switching our address and documents from Sunnyside Drive to Sunnyside Avenue.
For our residents, families, and staff we understand this is highly frustrating. We wish there was more we could do to avoid this; we have genuinely made every effort to keep our address as it has been for the last 40-plus years. If you haven't already, please visit our Sunnyside FAQ page, which provides answers to some of our most frequently asked questions. We will add more as we receive them.
