Courtesy of Friends of the Scenic Drive
Scenic Drive Exhibit Area, Just Off Scottsdale Road
If you live near Scottsdale Road in north Scottsdale and read the Scottsdale Republic then you might be wondering if the Scenic Drive might be sprawled upon? Could it be that the south end of the drive will be marked by commercial buildings rather than a desert vista, open space, and an exhibit area?
If you’re really curious, you might wonder why the 21-mile stretch of mostly urban development along Scottsdale Road from the City of Tempe line to Happy Valley Road (See Scenic Drive Post 2. Road to Groundhog Land) and existing businesses on the Scenic Drive, don’t suffice. Is it really necessary to develop the last available open space on Scottsdale’s signature road.
According to the Republic‘s June 13th edition, the Arizona Land Department (See Scenic Drive Post 4. Roadside Gorilla) is requiring “more value,” i.e. up zoning, or it will not move forward on the city’s application to rezone 4,000 acres of state trust land that the city wants to include in preserve. The land that would be added to the preserve is east of Pima Road and will not include any land on Scottsdale’s “signature” road. The Republic article states that if the state and city agree, the Scenic Drive will have 40 acres of land zoned commercial and 26 acres of land zoned resort-tourism along the Scenic Drive; another 50-acre parcel east of Pima will also become resort-tourism .
The Scenic Drive property that will be up-zoned is across Scottsdale Road from MacDonald’s Ranch and near residential neighborhoods that include, Monte de Paz, Monterra, and Bent Tree. Of course, the up-zoning is a “camel’s nose” that will encourage future commercial development along the drive (See Scenic Drive Post 3. Four Henchmen of Urban Sprawl). The Desert Foothills Scenic Drive was established more than 50 years ago by Maricopa County residents to showcase desert vegetation, vistas, and open space. At the time, a vast expanse of vacant desert separated Scottsdale from the tiny villages of Cave Creek and Carefree. As Scottsdale and Phoenix have expanded northward, most of the “vast expanse of vacant desert” has been replaced by residential and commercial development. North Scottsdale and Desert Foothills residents had hoped that the Scenic Drive would provide a “line in the sand.” Alas, the rising tide from the south – might once again – push the line further north. Carefree or bust!
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
Recent Comments