A downtown Scottsdale condominium and hotel project is "too massive" for the neighborhood and must be revised.
That is the message from Scottsdale planner Mac Cummins in nine-page letter listing problems with the Waterview at Scottsdale development plan.
Scottsdale Canal Development LLC submitted its plan in July for building nearly 200 residential units and a hotel on 11 acres northeast of Scottsdale and Camelback roads, east of the Arizona Canal.
Cummins urged revisions for the redevelopment project so that it "fits the context of the area and blends into the urban fabric of the city."
Waterview would replace an area of aging apartments along 73rd Street that are mixed with some single-family homes.
Scottsdale planners took issue with the height of some of Waterview’s six buildings, the distance between structures and the overall size of the project: 775,035 square feet. That is nearly 20 percent more than allowed under the city code.
Scottsdale also raised questions about a proposal to move a Salt River Project electrical substation from the south to the north end of its site, adjacent to homes.
Susan Bitter Smith, a spokeswoman for the developer, said the plans will be revised to meet the city’s concerns, but she did not know how long that would take.
Scottsdale planners say the buildings will create a "canyon" effect of condos towering over the neighborhood and an Arizona Canal path northeast of Scottsdale and Camelback roads.
Neighbors and activists are angry that the developer, Scottsdale Canal Development LLC, wants to relocate an electrical substation next to their homes.
"I find it unconscionable that they want to shoehorn an atrocity like this substation into the neighborhood," said Patty Badenoch, a longtime resident and activist.
Cummins criticized the developer for failing to conduct "any formal public outreach" to explain the project and gather input from neighbors.
Development spokeswoman Smith said the developer has met with neighbors individually and collectively.
A formal meeting will be scheduled once Waterview revises its plan for the neighborhood, Smith said.
No date has been set for resubmitting the plan.
The new plan will address the city’s concerns about the size of the buildings, how close they are to the canal and to neighboring homes, plus other issues about landscaping and pedestrian bridges over the canal, Smith said.
Waterview proposed six buildings on its 11-acre site with a total of 775,035 square feet. The city code allows only 629,028 square feet for the project.
The developer also proposed a 65-foot condo on the north end of its site, adjacent to single-family homes. That is 27 feet taller than the city allows.
Cummins urged Waterview to consider the context of the neighborhood with its redesign. "Overall height and/or density is not necessarily the issue, but rather placement and/or ability to blend into the environment of the community," he wrote.
Cooner, a project neighbor, and others took exception to Cummins’ comment about height and density.
John Washington, chairman of the Coalition of Greater Scottsdale, said Waterview is a huge change from a low-scale residential neighborhood.
"Neighbors are going to have to look at those buildings every day from their front yards and back yards," Washington said.
Washington said he was encouraged by the city planner’s criticism of the plan but remains cynical about the outcome of the project once it moves to the Planning Commission and City Council.
Hearings are still months away. A Planning Commission hearing could be set Nov. 28 if Waterview turns its revised plan in by Friday. But the first hearing could stretch into early January.
Waterview spokeswoman Smith said the city identified a lot of issues with the project because it is a difficult site to develop, long and narrow, with complications like the substation. She added that Waterview will be viable even under the constraints spelled out by city planners.
Jahna Berry
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0919biz-Whotel0919.html
