Courtesy Friends of the Scenic Drive
Established in 1994, when the Internet was new, the Friends of the Scenic Drive website provides information about the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive. It’s also a digital archeological site, with a treasure trove of information hidden beneath a surface of current information.
Scottsdale has far-sighted programs that can reduce urban and roadside sprawl: 1) the on-going effort to create the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and 2) its established scenic corridor program in north Scottsdale, and 3) efforts to protect and promote the 50-year-old landmark, the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive. The greatest opportunity to be truly distinctive and beat back sprawl is where these initiatives meet.
I was a member of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission, when the Desert Subcommittee of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission issued a report that proposed a link between the Scenic Drive (Scottsdale Road) and preserve lands east of Pima Road, and I posted information on the Scenic Drive site.
Read “Link Between Drive and Desert Preserve Envisioned” from Scenic Drive website
At the time, both Scottsdale’s scenic corridors and the preserve were included in the commission’s area of consideration. For an introduction,
Read “Scenic Corridors & Preserve” from Scenic Drive website.
If land is preserved adjacent to the scenic corridors, not only are the land and habitats saved, but access to the preserve is facilitated, roadside desert views are protected, and visitors can enjoy the distinctive benefits of Scottsdale’s preservation programs from their vehicles .
If completed as envisioned, land and roadsides along portions of the east side of Scottsdale Road, the north and south side of Dynamite Boulevard, and the east and west side of Pima Road will be protected from sprawl. Click on the link below to clearly see these areas. They are colored dark green in the diagram.
View 1999 Planned Preserve_Recommended Study Boundary Map
More than a decade has passed since the above information was posted on the Scenic Drive website; much has changed. The McDowell Sonoran Land Trust has become the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy. Friends of the Scenic Drive is now a division of the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association, Scottsdale has aggressively added acres to the preserve, and Scottsdale’s scenic corridors are still in place. Meanwhile, development has continued its relentless push north towards the Scenic Drive and other scenic corridors.
Related Articles
Scottsdale Scenic Drive Post 1. Roadside Sprawl Heading Our Way? – Published 5/27/2014
Scottsdale Scenic Drive Post 2. Road to Groundhog Land – Published 5/28/2014
Scottsdale Scenic Drive Post 3. Four Henchmen of Urban Sprawl – Published 5/28/2014
Scottsdale Scenic Drive Post 4. Roadside Gorilla – Published 5/31/2014
Scottsdale Scenic Drive Post 5. Dig Reveals Original Sprawl Solution – Published 6/1/2014
Scottsdale Scenic Drive Post 6. Two Game Changers – Published 6/11/2014
Scenic Drive Post 7. After the Crash, An Update – Published 6/12/2014
Scottsdale Scenic Drive Post 8. New Scenic Drive Commercial Zoning? – Published 6/29/2014
Related Websites
Friends of the Scenic Drive (www.scenicdrive.org)
McDowell Sonoran Conservancy (www.mcdowellsonoran.org)
City of Scottsdale, Preserve (www.scottsdaleaz.gov/Preserve
Arizona Land Department (www.azland.gov)
June 1, 2014
Please explain the difference between the “scenic corridor in North Scottsdale” and “the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive”.
June 1, 2014
Good Question.
The Desert Foothills Scenic Drive was established by Maricopa County residents in 1963. The drive included a section on Cave Creek Road and a section on Scottsdale Road. At the time, these two roads passed through a vast expanse of open Sonoran Desert and were the only paved roads into the then tiny towns of Cave Creek and Carefree. The county established scenic setbacks to protect roadside vegetation and two small parks at the two southern entries to the drive. Residents, working under the auspices of the Cave Creek Improvement Association (i.e. Chamber of Commerce), installed redwood plant identification signs on both sides of the drive to showcase the various species of desert flora that flourish in the area.
Information about the drive was published in tourist magazines and on postcards. Volunteers maintained the plant identification for decades. In the 1980s, the Cave Creek Road section was annexed into Phoenix (along with all the surrounding property) and the Scottsdale Road section was annexed into Scottsdale (along with surrounding property). In 1994, Scottsdale residents formed Friends of the Scenic Drive, with the support of Scottsdale, to restore and enhance the Scottsdale Road section of the drive and also create a visitor exhibit area. The Scottsdale Road section of the Scenic Drive is 6 1/2 miles long, stretching from Happy Valley Road north to Carefree Highway. Today, it’s a landmark that just celebrated its 50th birthday. It was one of the first preservation efforts in the Valley of the Sun. See http://www.scenicdrive.org for much more information.
The Scottsdale Road Scenic Corridor was designated by the City of Scottsdale after annexation for planning purposes. Scottsdale has sections of other major roads that it has designated as scenic corridors. Scenic Corridors are identified in Scottsdale’s General Plan and setbacks and other city regulations protect roadside vegetation. The Scottsdale Road Scenic Corridor stretches for 11 miles, beginning at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard to the south and ending at Carefree Highway to the north. The northern-most 6 12/ mile section of the scenic corridor is the Scenic Drive. You can find information about Scottsdale’s scenic corridors on the city’s website.