By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
The Clayton Companies are proposing a new commercial and residential mixed-use infill development on 1.46 acres at the SEC of 1st Avenue and Buckboard Trail in downtown Scottsdale.
The developer has requested a rezoning from Central Business Downtown Overlay to Downtown/Downtown Civic Center Type 2 Downtown Overlay. One of the two parcels in the request is currently used as a 123-space parking lot. The other has “an old and obsolete two-story office building,” according to the narrative submitted earlier this month.
The two lots are separated by an alley that will feature prominently in the new development. Coordinated with the project request, the developer is seeking an alley abandonment to allow those improvements. In addition, the developer is requesting Development Review Board approval of the proposal.
The Clayton Companies has developed several commercial and residential projects in downtown Scottsdale over the years, including:
- The CLAYTON on the Park on Civic Center Plaza,
- The CLAYTON House at the SEC of 75th & 2nd streets,
- The Peppin Redevelopment, currently under construction on Civic Center Plaza, and
- The Clayton on 2nd (also known as 75 on 2nd).
Project Details
The project site plan for The Clayton on Civic Center Plaza shows 20.9KSF of commercial space on the first two floors comprised of 14.2KSF of office and 6.7KSF of restaurant uses. Three floors of apartments would occupy the remaining above ground area, featuring a unit mix of 41 one-bedroom and 31 two-bedroom spaces. Plans also call for two basement parking levels of approximately 50.6KSF each.
The existing building and site improvements would be demolished to make way for the new development.
In establishing context for the plan, the narrative says, “The Old Town Districts and The Civic Center Plaza provide regional appeal for future commercial tenants and residents. This application is driven by the site’s prime location and a strong demand for new commercial space and residential living units in the area. The proposed project is a natural fit and compliments (sic) the fabric of existing land uses found within the area. It will promote an integrated, sustainable character for the area with a strong live, work and play component.”
The City of Scottsdale has a $30M project currently under construction to improve the infrastructure and the event and public space in Civic Center Plaza. The developers specifically target how their plan will complement the revitalization benefits.
The project design, according to the narrative, looks to “create a sense of arrival from both the street and plaza sides.” Attention was focused on creating visual connection and “activating the streetscape through interpretive art and design.”
The alley is intended to serve as the site’s main access for both pedestrians and vehicles. It will be increased from the current 25-foot width up to 36 feet and will have an eight-foot-wide sidewalk on the west side. Pavement will be set in a pattern to represent a flowing river, and the alley will be lined with tree sculptures along its length to the plaza. Two large murals by “an emerging local artist” will be integrated into the west elevation facing the historic district and the alley.
The overall building design elements are intended to evoke Arizona history with elements representing the Salt River, Arizona Canal, historic materials, Mid-Century Modern architecture, and saguaro ribbing, among others.
More than 15% of the project’s net site area is set as hardscape, landscape and open space at the ground level, even though open space is not required under the ordinance. The second will also feature an amenity deck overlooking and allowing access to the Plaza.
The proposal specifically takes into account and addresses several points in the voter-approved Scottsdale General Plan 2035. In particular, the submittal outlines how it complies with
- Five goals of the Character and Design Element,
- Six goals of the Land Use Element,
- Three goals of the Arts, Culture and Creative Community Element,
- Three goals of the Open Space Element,
- One goal of the Environmental Planning Element,
- Two goals of the Energy Element,
- One goal of the Community Involvement Element,
- One goal of the Housing Element,
- Two goals of the Circulation Element,
- One goal of the Bicycling Element,
- Two goals of the Neighborhood Preservation and Revitalization Element,
- Two goals of the Conservation, Rehabilitation and Redevelopment Element,
- Three goals of the Growth Areas Element,
- One goal of the Economic Vitality Element and
- Two goals of the Tourism Element.
The proposal goes into similar levels of detail to explain its accordance with the Old Town Scottsdale Character Area Plan, the Old Town Scottsdale – Urban Design and Architectural Guidelines, and Scottsdale’s Sensitive Design Principles.
It concludes by explaining how the project satisfies 10 criteria from the Development Review Board.
In summarizing the proposal, the submitted conclusion says, “The proposed development achieves a wide range of goals including revitalizing an underutilized property, integrating high-quality, high-design, vibrant architecture and site planning to the area, and creating pedestrian synergy that will complement the surrounding land uses, and contribute to the live/work/play land use balance promoted by the Old Town Scottsdale Character Area Plan.
“The development of this site will continue the revitalization of the surrounding community and provide attractive new housing options. It will also be a catalyst for future redevelopment in the area. Reinvestment and redevelopment in this mature area of the City is critical to its future success.”
Editorial and Outside Opinion: It’s a Long Shot
We write about development issues in Scottsdale a lot. It’s not that we have anything against the city or advocate a political stance of any kind. However, City leadership has established Scottsdale as a bulwark standing against high density development, particularly in multifamily residential, and that stand warrants discussion given the current crises of housing demand, affordability and NIMBYism/protracted entitlements processes.
After reviewing this proposal, we emailed some area professionals who are regularly involved with multifamily and mixed-use developments in Scottsdale. In that they regularly work with Scottsdale officials, boards, commissions and City Council, we agreed to not publish their specific responses or to quote them in any way.
No one was sanguine about The Clayton on Civic Plaza’s chances for approval. While the proposal would likely be greeted enthusiastically by leaders in any other Valley jurisdiction except Paradise Valley, the current degree of opposition to density and multifamily development in general in Scottsdale – catering to a vocal segment of the population and led by Mayor David Ortega and his allies on City Council – indicates it will have a tough row to hoe.
In particular, even though neither the Scottsdale General Plan 2035, 2018 Old Town Character Area Plan nor the mixed-use zoning ordinance language specify a percentage of land use for residential versus non-residential space in mixed-use development, according to educational materials provided by the City, ratios and maximum percentages have become a point for debate and recommendations of denial on an increasingly frequent basis.
The most often cited reason for “No” votes in Council, however, falls to density. The voter-approved Scottsdale General Plan 2035 – while a guiding document without the force of law and not intended as a deterministic factor in project approval or denial – sets a residential unit/acre density of 25 as the outer limit for “high density” projects. Projects of more than 25 units/acre are listed as “highest density,” and the document makes no provision or mention of this development type other than to include the definition in its glossary.
Mayor Ortega, however, has intimated at least as far back as the approval and hearing process for the Greenbelt 88 (Lucky Plaza) proposal – which was approved on a split vote in May after multiple downward revisions to its proposed unit count and other plan element changes – that he views the 25-unit cap as a mandate, a point he specifically referenced in his opposition statements during the May hearing. (AZBEX, May 13)
With a unit count of 72 and a gross site area of 1.46 acres, the proposed density at The Clayton on Civic Plaza comes out to 49.3 units/acre – almost exactly double the maximum recommendation mentioned in the general plan and set as an acceptable volume for anti-density forces in the Mayor and Council’s chambers.
When Arizona legalized sports betting last year, it largely drove underground bookmakers out of business. While that is certainly a net positive, it does have an interesting unintended consequence. Given advanced notice to establish a line, private bookies would take bets and set odds on nearly anything, whereas legal outlets like FanDuel and DraftKings are limited to sanctioned professional sports. As a result, it’s hard to find a line of mathematical odds on non-sporting events, such as whether a project proposal will be approved.
Even without established odds, it is a safe bet this proposal will encounter significant resistance from “resident groups” and officials based on its density.
In the interests of getting a clear view on the proposal’s prospects, we also emailed Protect Scottsdale and Safeguard Scottsdale – two residents’ groups that have been vocal in their opposition to high-density development – with the City’s document links and asked for comment. Neither group responded by press time.
