By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Optima, Inc.’s rezoning request to allow for a new 1,390-unit multifamily/36KSF commercial space development on nearly 22 acres at the NEC of Scottsdale Road and Mayo Blvd. is scheduled to go before the Scottsdale City Council this week.
The Scottsdale Airport Advisory Commission has found no conflict with the development, and the Planning Commission recommended it to Council for approval in its meeting last month.
The proposal has generated opposition from various groups opposed to dense development, “urbanization,” and multifamily projects in general. Stated reasons include the buildings’ heights – which could reach 133 feet when rooftop features are factored in – as well as water usage, traffic, area impacts and density concerns.
Optima says in its most recent submittal: “This site is specifically identified in both the City of Scottsdale General Plan 2035 (emphasis added) as a ‘growth area’ and the Greater Airpark Character Area Plan as ‘Regional Core – Greatest Intensity’. This is also supported by the growth assumptions in the Integrated Water Resources Master Plan, which accounts for the Greater Airpark as a high growth area.”
Optima has made several revisions and resubmittals to its original plan. Based on feedback from several City sources and community outreach efforts, the plan currently before City Council is the seventh set of designs for the development.
The proposal makes generous allowances for open space on the site. According to the staff report submitted in the review of the plan, the required open space is 5.12 acres. The open space provided totals 14.26 acres.
Since reductions to Arizona’s Colorado River water allotments were announced, water has become a more intense point of opposition focus. Optima’s plan addresses water concerns by purchasing 10 years of water rights it will donate to the City, implementing the largest residential rainwater harvesting application in the United States, and implementing high-efficiency fixtures and features.
The developer also compared water use by units in its nearby developments against use by single-family homes. The study found Optima apartments generally use one-quarter the water of a traditional house.
Despite the concessions and designations, Optima’s proposal could encounter opposition from the Mayor and Council, which is largely comprised of members opposed to dense development. Even though the voter-approved Scottsdale General Plan 2035 is intended as a guideline and lacks the force of law, it defines “high-density development” as up to 25 units per acre. The only reference to densities greater than 25 units is in the plan’s glossary.
Optima McDowell Mountain Village’s proposed density is 64 units/acre.
In discussions from the dais concerning other project proposals, Mayor David Ortega in particular has cited the 25-unit cap in the General Plan as grounds to reject requests, and several Council members have also rejected dense development as a matter of policy.
The staff report prepared for Council in review of the proposal recommends its approval, citing its conformance with various City planning guidelines and findings by other boards and commissions.
