2001 Scenic Drive Website: Scottsdale’s Special Roads

Carefree Highway is considered a road of regional significance because it is one of the  few roads in the northern portion of the county that connects with Interstate 17. Approximately two miles of the 17 mile county-designated scenic corridor are in the City  of Scottsdale. Terravita, a master planned community in Scottsdale, incorporated a 100-foot scenic setback along this segment of the roadway.

In 1997, Maricopa County adopted a scenic corridor policy plan for Carefree Highway  from Scottsdale Road to Lake Pleasant. This plan establishes consistent policies for each of the five municipalities it runs through in order to preserve the scenic qualities and  sensitively integrate any future development with open space along its corridor.

The portion of Carefree Highway within Scottsdale that is designated as a Scottsdale  Scenic Corridor is 2 miles in length. 

In 1873, the original Cave Creek Road was constructed. At the time, it connected the  thriving town of Cave Creek with its smaller neighbor to the south – Phoenix. This route remains an important north-south artery between Phoenix and the northern communities.

The roadway in Scottsdale leads to the Tonto National Forest recreation sites at Seven  Springs and Bartlett Lake. In addition, it has some of the highest elevations and most expansive views of any roadway within the City.

The portion of Cave Creek Road within Scottsdale that is designated as a Scottsdale  Scenic Corridor is 3.5 miles in length.

Dynamite Boulevard is planned to link westward to Interstate 17 in the future, and  therefore, is considered a road of regional significance. Within Scottsdale this road bisects State Trust Lands that the City is attempting to preserve, several master planned  communities and large subdivisions east of Pima Road as well as several miles of unsubdivided lands where the ownership pattern is very fractured. This fractured ownership  pattern may cause some challenges when attempting to maintain expansive scenic setbacks  between 56th Street and Pima Roads. There are some opportunities east of 118th Street to  maintain wider scenic setbacks and preserve boulder features in the area.

The portion of Dynamite Boulevard within Scottsdale that is designated as a Scottsdale  Scenic Corridor is 10.5 miles in length. 

In the early 1920’s, many of the original settlers of the Pinnacle Peak area such as  K.T. Palmer used a primitive dirt road that undulated through the desert to their homesteads. In the mid 1980s, this road now known as Pima Road was finally improved and  extended to Cave Creek Road. Over the last decade, numerous master planned communities ,  subdivisions and custom homes have been constructed near or adjacent to Pima Road. The  challenge will be to maintain the sense of openness and unobstructed views to the nearby  mountains as development on this privately held land. There are some opportunities to  maintain wider setbacks and establish road splits where the road abuts State Trust Lands  north of Jomax Road to help preserve boulder features and deep washes.

The portion of Pima Road within Scottsdale that is designated as a Scottsdale Scenic  Corridor is 11 miles in length. 

Scottsdale’s namesake road has been experiencing a tremendous amount of development  pressure over the last decade. A number of master planned communities have established scenic setbacks ranging from 70 feet to 125 feet.

A citizen based organization, Friends of the Scenic Drive, has  been instrumental in preserving plant identification and scenic drive signs along the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive north of Happy Valley Road.

Some of the elements that have and will continue to influence the character along this  scenic corridor are land ownership patterns, land use types and pattern, environmental features, future developments such as the Pima Freeway and developments within the City of  Phoenix on the west side of the road between Jomax and Frank Lloyd Wright.

The portion of Scottsdale Road within Scottsdale that is designated as a Scottsdale  Scenic Corridor is 11 miles in length. 

Shea Boulevard was one of the first roadways in Scottsdale to be designated and provide  specific scenic setbacks. In addition, the adoption of the Shea Area Plan (1993) helped to further define some policies and goals for the development of future land uses within its  general vicinity. In 1994, a set of streetscape guidelines were established to give more specificity to the aesthetic treatments along the roadway. Typically, west of the CAP  Canal the plant palette consists of xeriscape, and native plant materials are used to the east.

The portion of Shea Boulevard within Scottsdale that is designated as a Scottsdale  Scenic Corridor is 9 miles in length.