A good first impression is everything and the developers of the Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley hope they made a favorable one with town officials. The Paradise Valley Planning Commission on Tuesday took its first formal look at the luxury project and were given copies of its special-use permit application, each weighing about 3 pounds.
"The applicant has submitted one of the most complete applications the town has ever received, especially for a project this large in scope," said Eva Cutro, town planning director.
Joy Berry, Marriott International’s senior vice president for real estate development, said everyone worked hard to complete a detailed plan. The Phoenix native said the project’s design will be indigenous to the Sonoran Desert. "We want to embrace the community and all the great attributes you have already today. We feel that we’ve designed something that enhances and blends in with today’s environment."
The Ritz-Carlton site is on 123 acres, 105 acres in the town and 18 acres in Scottsdale.
The Scottsdale portion will have condos and resort retail.
The parcel is bordered by Lincoln Drive on the south, Indian Bend Road on the north, Mockingbird Lane on the west and Scottsdale Road on the east. The resort’s main entrance will be on Lincoln, with secondary entrances on Indian Bend and Scottsdale roads.
The 225-room resort will be in the center of the property on 25 acres, Cutro said. It will be laid out in a sprawling design, set back hundreds of feet from any right of way and feature separate one- and two-story resort casitas.
Amenities will include a spa, pools, fitness center, tennis courts, a kids’ club, resort retail, ballrooms, meeting rooms, restaurants and a club for the residences.
Ritz-Carlton will be on the commission’s agenda April 17.
The goal is to open the resort on Dec. 31, 2009, said Scottsdale zoning attorney John Berry.
Diana Balazs
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 7, 2007 12:00 AM
