After three failed attempts in the face of opposition from Scottsdale City Council and vocal resident outcry, Caliber Companies has submitted another proposal for an apartment-centric development near 92nd Street and Shea Blvd. targeted at adding housing options for staff at HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center.
The planned project had previously been named 92 Ironwood and then changed to Mercado Courtyards. Past proposals have been repeatedly scaled down and revised to accommodate opponents’ expressed concerns about density and traffic impacts. Unit mixes had been revised to include both market-rate apartments and for-sale condominiums to address the perception held by some members of the public that rental units breed crime and undercut property values. Retail space and other mixed-use-style functions have been added. None of the past proposals were able to win Council approval.
Caliber representatives unveiled the latest revision—now called Mercado Village—at an open house Jan. 8. The plan now calls for 255 one- and two-bedroom apartments with no condo element, eight live/work units, 5KSF of co-working space, a traffic light at 92nd Street and Cochise Drive, and the elimination of previously proposed retail.
Representatives explained rising interest rates and construction costs make general office and medical office uses for the property non-viable and that there is too much assisted living space in the area for the market to support.
Most of the approximately 60 attendees remained hostile to the plan. Some complained about a lack of notice for the open house. Others brought up the standard opposition points about traffic impacts, water use, apartments and crime, too much multifamily in the area already and harm to neighborhood character.
Caliber staff countered each complaint with data points, showing that apartments use less water than single-family homes and would generate less than half the daily traffic the current medical office zoning would create, but attendees were largely un-swayed, with some saying that any apartment development proposal would be a non-starter.
Despite the overwhelming opposition, seven attendees spoke in support of the plan, saying the community is comprised of a variety of different resident types, that opposition is not universal, that apartments can build a sense of community and that the developer has been engaged with and responsive to area residents.
The project requests and proposals must go before the Planning Commission, Development Review Board and City Council for approval, which Caliber representatives expect to take at least four-to-six months. In the interim, there will be multiple neighborhood meetings and other public engagement sessions. (Source)
