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March 23,
2007
By Brian Powell for East Valley Tribune
Jennifer Herndon likes the
idea of new, high-end condos near her downtown Scottsdale
single-family home. But in reality, she says there's a major
downside to the proposed 81-unit
Z
Lofts being built on less than two acres at the end of her
quaint 1950s neighborhood street.
"Our main concern is there will be more traffic going up and
down the street and cars parking on the street," said Herndon,
adding that it increases safety concerns for her two children,
who are both younger than 2.
Fifth Street resident Leslie Walch said with only seven planned
visitor parking spaces, the street is going to become a parking
lot.
"This feels like a neighborhood, and the density coming down is
going to take away that feel," said Walch, a 26-year resident of
the street.
This conflict is one that is beginning to play out at other
sites in downtown Scottsdale, as continued interest in
constructing urban hotels and condos is pushing development to
the edge of the downtown area and adjacent to, or even into,
established neighborhoods.
Downtown Scottsdale has started welcoming the first of
what's expected to be 5,000 to 6,000 new residents choosing an
urban lifestyle, not to mention an influx of new and remodeled
hotels.
The first major residential projects to open, including Third
Avenue Lofts, the Scottsdale Waterfront residences and Main
Street Plaza, were built in more commercial areas.
But as development spreads to the edge of the area, plans for
taller and higher-density buildings - and the additional traffic
and parking needs that accompany them - is creating an
uncomfortable dynamic for some residential areas, much as it did
a few miles to the west in Phoenix's Biltmore district.
Z
Lofts, which attracted about 20 neighborhood residents to
its latest meeting, is just one of a number of projects moving
toward - or in one case going beyond - the city's established
downtown boundary adopted in the 1980s.
Others include:
• The proposed Waterview hotel and condos planned northeast of
Camelback and Scottsdale roads. The developers have acquired a
number of aging apartments along the Arizona Canal and plan to
raze them to make way for a 72-foot hotel and 65-foot
condominiums across the street from other apartments,
single-family homes and near the Villa Monterey age-restricted
community.
• The 1 Hotel and Residences, a new upscale brand from Starwood
Capital Group, plans to start construction sometime early next
year on a roughly 200-unit project on the Scottsdale Waterfront
property along the canal, said Bret Sassenberg, director of
development for Starwood Development. The hotel and condominium
project, which is on the downtown border and across the six-lane
Goldwater Boulevard from town home residences, can be as high as
85 feet and will need city Development Review Board approval.
• A proposed condominium development to replace Orchidtree
apartments on the southeast corner of 68th Street and Camelback
would back up to ranch-style, single family homes. No
application has been filed with the city, but project consultant
Susan Bitter Smith said International Capital Partners' plans
call for owner-occupied condominiums, ranging from three to five
stories, with the tallest portions fronting Camelback Road.
The plan also includes asking the city to extend the downtown
boundaries, which would allow greater height and density than
currently allowed on the site. Bitter Smith, a former Scottsdale
councilwoman, is also doing consulting and neighborhood outreach
for Z Lofts, Waterview and 1 Hotel and Residences.
• The approved five-story Earll Drive condos at the southern
edge of the downtown area did not back up to any neighborhood,
but nonetheless drew the ire of some city activists opposing
greater density. The 99-unit project narrowly passed the council
last month because of its density and what some members thought
was a mediocre design, an indication that future projects may
face increased scrutiny.
Scottsdale's downtown land use plan was established in the 1980s
to allow for greater residential height and density with the
hope of revitalizing the area. The downtown properties were not
automatically rezoned, Scottsdale principal planner Mac Cummins
said, but developers are now seeking the designation allowed
under the plan. Z Lofts, like Waterview and Earll Drive, for
example, are not asking for variances beyond what is allowed
under the downtown zoning.
As these latest projects seek City Council approval, city
planners are working on a downtown master plan update. The city
plans to hold public workshops this spring to discuss downtown
land use, transportation and open spaces, with a draft of the
downtown update expected to be given to the council by the end
of the year.
The developer of Z Lofts, which is building
X Lofts nearby, has heard enough feedback from the
neighborhood to look at adjustments in its plans.
Steve Davidson, a project management consultant working for
Grace Communities, said the group is doing a traffic study and
looking at new designs, entries to the underground parking
garage and density.
"We are seriously looking at what we can do to make neighbors
more comfortable with the intensity and use," Davidson said.
Cummins said communities that have seen a significant increase
in property values in a short time have seen similar growth
patterns. As land becomes more valuable to obtain, developers
need additional height and density to turn a profit.
"They can coexist. The question 'What's the best way to achieve
that?' " Cummins said.
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