By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
A recent report from Scottsdale City Manager Greg Canton shows the multifamily construction pipeline in Scottsdale is roughly half as large as development opponents have claimed in recent years.
While anti-apartment activists have claimed for at least the last four years Scottsdale has 15,000 units waiting to be built, Canton’s report puts the actual number at 7,592, according to a local news report.
The report shows 1,345 proposals currently seeking zoning entitlements or approval by the Development Review Board, 2,699 units with DRB approval but that have not yet submitted final plans or pulled permits, and 3,578 units under construction.
The report does not include the 1,895 units proposed for the Axon Corporate Campus and approved by the last Mayor and Council, as there are several outstanding legal issues concerning whether or not that development will proceed.
Canton reported there have been 47 new units approved under the entitlement process since January. Those units were for the Artessa Scottsdale at Pinnacle Peak development.
Scottsdale’s slowing overall growth could be one contributor. Census data from earlier this year shows the city only grew 0.4% between 2023 and 2024. The entire state showed an overall rate of 1.3%.
Councilmember Kathy Littlefield suggested some proposed projects may have been dropped off the pipeline count because some developers are not moving ahead with projects due to the current economic climate.
Councilmember Barry Graham questioned the new number and wondered whether some projects or units were missing or if some new projects were counted as delivered. He also questioned how the report defined “pipeline.”
Former Councilmember Tom Durham said of the 15,000 estimate, “I always thought some of those numbers were overstated because they include projects that go way, way back that are obviously not going to be built.”
A Look at the DATABEX Numbers
The councilmembers’ questions may be valid. The article notes some approved projects, such as the highly controversial 228-unit Greenbelt 88 development, have been approved but have not moved forward and do not appear in the report list.
The DATABEX project database, which is regularly updated but relies primarily on official agency actions and submitted development and proposal documents, also trends higher than Canton’s report.
DATABEX’s current numbers for Scottsdale break out as follows:
- Under Construction: nine projects, 2,951 units;
- On Hold: five projects, 1,399 units;
- Pre-Construction: five projects, 1,260 units;
- Phase Completed, Phase Under Construction: two projects, 264 units;
- Pending Procurements: two projects, 320 units;
- Design/Plan Review: 15 projects, 3,130 units;
- Design, Pre-Construction: 1 project, 443 units;
- Design: 13 projects, 2,953 units.
DATABEX also shows 13 projects totaling 1,781 units that have been cancelled since the database launched in mid-2016. Conversely, 29 communities totaling 7,109 units have been marked Completed.
Not counting master plans, projects that have already delivered or those that have been confirmed as cancelled, but retaining those marked as On Hold, DATABEX shows a current overall pipeline of 52 projects and 12,270 units.