Possible relocation of a downtown electrical substation for a hotel-condominium project has alarmed some residents northeast of Camelback and Scottsdale roads.
Canal Development LLC is working with Salt River Project to find a suitable site for the substation in the area to move it from its spot on the eastern bank of the Arizona Canal, just north of Camelback.
The Waterview developer is planning about 200 luxury condos and a six-story hotel on its 10.37-acre site along the canal. It would replace a number of aging apartment buildings along 73rd Street.
Helen and Steven Cooner, who live near the planned development, are worried that the substation and its transformers will be moved close to the remaining homes at 73rd Street and 74th Place.
"They’re planning to put me in a situation that will risk my health and devalue my property," said Helen Cooner, an acupuncturist who has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 10 years.
Susan Bitter-Smith, a Waterview spokeswoman, said the substation would create no health risk.
The transformers will be screened in a structure that looks much like a house, so that it would be difficult to even know it is there, she said.
Bitter-Smith added that no decision has been made yet on where to move the substation.
Dick Hayslip, SRP assistant general manager, said a consulting engineer is expected to report next month on possible sites for the substation and an SRP well. After that, the utility plans to discuss relocation options with the Waterview developers.
Ed Gawf, Scottsdale assistant city manager, said Scottsdale would review the relocation plan to make sure it is appropriate for the neighborhood.
"It clearly has to be in that area," Gawf said. "There are not a lot of options."
SRP wants to add capacity at the substation to meet heavier electrical demands from the Scottsdale Waterfront and other new downtown redevelopment projects.
This article was found at: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0326sr-substation0326-ON.html
