By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Wood Partners is proposing a new retail and residential mixed-use development in Old Town Scottsdale on 6.14 gross acres at the NWC of Goldwater Blvd. and Indian School Road.
According to the 5th & Goldwater project narrative submitted by Nelsen Partners, “This project proposes development of 232 luxury residential units and approximately 32KSF of a mixture of commercial uses including retail and restaurant. The site is located on 4.82 net acres of property at the northwest corner of Indian School Road and Goldwater Blvd. Existing buildings on site will be demolished and utilities relocated to the perimeter of the property. The construction type will be a five story above grade and one story below grade precast concrete parking garage with five levels of type 3B stick frame residential units wrapping the garage. Ground level commercial uses will be built along the public street frontages on Goldwater Blvd. and Indian School Rd.”
The submittal requests a design plan review by the Scottsdale Development Review Board.
There is no need to rezone the property, as it currently has Downtown/Office/Commercial-Type 2 Planned Block Development zoning in place, and development standards are based on a case approved by Scottsdale City Council in 2008. The narrative states, “Conformance to the approved zoning case has been the main influential factor in the building design and layout of this project.”
Parking is planned at 105 retail spaces and 407 residential spaces, all of which will be in the parking garage with the exception of five residential spaces in the entry court, according to the site plan.
In addressing the project’s design goals and need to fit with the existing area, the narrative says the apparent massing will be reduced by using a stepped back design with a combination of elements ranging from two-to-five stories along the public frontages, adding, “Particular focus has been put on the public pedestrian experience. A new pedestrian paseo is being created along the west property line.”
The Indian School Road, Goldwater Blvd. and Fifth Avenue frontages will feature a variety of storefronts with few residential uses. Any residential uses facing public thoroughfares will feature a stoop and a front patio alignment to visually enhance the streetscape and promote a walkable aesthetic.
The narrative says the architectural approach is intended to fit with the masonry facades on adjacent sites and create a more engaged pedestrian connection from Indian School to Fifth Avenue.
The proposed residential unit mix, per the submitted site plan, calls for 26 studio, 116 one-bedroom, 83 two-bedroom and seven three-bedroom units.
Wood Partners is the project owner. The design firm is Nelsen Partners. Lighting and landscape design is by ABLA Studio.
The proposal is expected to go before the Scottsdale Development Review Board at some point, but no public meeting or hearing dates have been announced.
