Courtesy of Friends of the Scenic Drive
Despite the challenges created by the Great Recession the City of Scottsdale has continued to add acreage to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. It has continued to work with the Arizona Land Department and taken advantage the benefits provided by the Arizona Preserve Initiative and Proposition 303 (Scenic Drive Post 6. Two Game Changers ) and acquire land at less cost than anticipated.
Acres Added to Preserve
According to the city’s report, “Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve Update – January 2014,” a total of 15,585 acres of State Trust Lands were acquired since 2009. The most recent acquisition was on November 19, 2013 when the city was the successful bidder at a land department auction “for 2,365 acres of land located in the interior of the McDowell Mountains”. With this addition, the preserve now protects approximately 30,165 acres of the 36,401 acres included in the preserves study boundary, i.e. planned preserve. To date, all preserved land is east of Pima Road.
Process Started to Add More
The Scottsdale City Council has also directed staff to begin the acquisition process with the land department for two parcels of State Trust land. The first parcel, “Parcel 1” on the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve – Trails, Trailheads, and Land Status Map, Jan. 2014 is located on the northeast corner of Pima and
Dynamite Roads, both scenic corridors. A major access area to the preserve is planned at the location, which is also home to a power line corridor.
The second parcel, labelled “Parcel 1A” on the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve – Trails, Trailheads, and Land Status Map, Jan. 2014 protects land along the western edge/embankments of the Rawhide Wash corridor that extends to the northeast of the corner of Pima and Dixileta Roads. “Both parcels will enhance habitat and sustainability of the area, and expand the opportunity for passive recreational activities and appropriate planned access facilities for the northern section of the preserve,” the report states.
Future Acquisitions
To date, Scottsdale has not acquired any of the land west of Pima Road that is needed to link the McDowell Sonoran Preserve west of Pima to the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive and trails along Scottsdale Road. This land, which is referred to the “postage stamp” parcels, is adjacent to sections of the Pima Road, Scottsdale Road, and Dynamite Boulevard Scenic Corridors. It is colored light blue on the “Future Acquisition” on the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve – Trails, Trailheads, and Land Status Map, Jan. 2014. Also marked for “Future Acquisition” is land along Scottsdale’s Pima Road Scenic Corridor, north of Dynamite Boulevard.
Henchmen at Work?
Preventing urban sprawl by integrating scenic corridor roadsides with the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, remains a major task to be accomplished by the city and preservationists. It’s been difficult to preserve mountainside vistas, but it will be more challenging to preserve open space vistas along roads that offer valuable locations for commercial, resort-tourism, and residential development. (See Scenic Drive Post 4. Roadside Gorilla). It will take time, money, and state support. Meanwhile, urban sprawl’s henchmen – See Scenic Drive Post 3. Four Henchmen of Urban Sprawl — are working quietly and slowly.
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)
Arizona Preserve Initiative (from azland.gov website)
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