We have hopeful news. GPPA-Friends of the Scenic Drive is temporarily suspending the Save the Scenic Drive petition drive. The drive is being suspended because the Arizona State Land Department is amending its City of Scottsdale zoning request (19-ZN-2014) that, if approved, would have resulted in a “transfer” of commercial and resort/tourism zoning to east of Scottsdale Road, between Happy Valley and Jomax Roads. This “transfer” would have resulted in the first new commercial zoning on Scottsdale’s Scenic Drive since the city annexed the area in the mid-1980s.
The revised 19-ZN-2014 request will include 38 acres of resort tourism along the Scenic Drive between Happy Valley and Jomax Roads and 38 acres of resort/tourism east of Pima and Dynamite. All 40 acres of commercial zoning will be shifted to areas north and south of the 101 between Scottsdale and Pima Roads. The zoning request for these 40 acres will likely be for office space development. There will be no new commercial zoning on the Scenic Drive and the revised request supports a linkage between the Scenic Drive and the preserve.
From a City of Scottsdale procedural standpoint, the shift of 40 acres of commercial zoning will be a separate proposal and application from that of the state’s original request (19-ZN-2014).
The new requests still must be formalized and move through Scottsdale’s approval process but it appears to have smore support than the state’s initial request. It is expected that GPPA’s board, which met with state and city officials last week, will vote to support the new request at its December 15th meeting. Mark Edelman of the Arizona State Land Department said that he would do his best to have the revised proposal to GPPA by the 15th.
The request only impacts zoning. It is still possible that some or all of the land west of Pima Road could be included as part of Scottsdale’s preserve in the future. This is a separate question that will involve considerable discussion by leaders and Scottsdale residents. In fact, at the November 21st meeting with state and city staff, GPPA’s representatives dicussed a city+citizens group to study the possibility of purchasing some or all of the land in the planned preserve west of Pima Road.
GPPA-Friends of the Scenic Drive thanks everyone who has supported the Save the Scenic Drive initiative. This good news would not have been possible without your support.
Additional Details
Refer to Map from 19-ZN-2014 Including Land East of Pima Road (top). If the revised 19-ZN-2014 request is approved, the 50 acres of resort/tourism zoning will be decreased (K-4) from 50 acres to 38 acres.
Refer to Map of Proposed Rezoning Areas from ASLD 19-ZN-2014 (bottom). If the revised 19-ZN-2014 request is approved, the 40 acres of commercial zoning (M-9) will be removed and the amount of resort/tourism zoning will be increased (K-9) will be increased from 26 acres to 38 acres.
Resort/tourism zoning R-4R allows for resort/hotel, timeshare or townhouse development. With the Environmentally Sensitive Lands (ESL) and Foothills Overlay (F-O) Ordinances, the building height maximum is 24 feet and there would be overlay design requirements to maintain the rural desert character of the area, as well as open space requirements.
Map from 19-ZN-2014 Including Land East of Pima Road
Map of Proposed Rezoning Areas from ASLD 19-ZN-2014
Related Articles
Sign, Share Our Petition to Save the Scenic Drive – Published/Updated: October 11, 2015
December 6, 2015
This is such good news. I am so grateful for all the time and hard work on the part of GPPA to accomplish
this very important development.