By Wayne Schutsky for Scottsdale Progress
The days are numbered for the dilapidated, yet memorable pueblo-style buildings that make up the old Papago Plaza as a local developer prepares to demolish the structures to make way for a new mixed-use development.
Pivot Development President Lee Mashburn, who has owned the property since 2015, said demolition should begin at some point in September with construction on the first phase slated to start in January 2020.
The first phase of Papago Marketplace, which will go before the development review board on September 5, will include three commercial buildings and a four-story parking garage, according to city records.
The project will also include a 274-unit high-end apartment complex from Alliance Residential and a Springhill Suites by Marriott hotel.
The new Papago Marketplace was influenced by concerns of neighbors, and the developer ultimately added more open space to the project and increased the amount of retail space in response to those concerns.
Some residents said plans contained too much residential and not enough retail on the property at community meetings held earlier this year. The City Council required those meetings as a condition of approval for the rezoning of the property requested by the developer.
Resident Andrea Alley, one of the residents who met with Mashburn and pushed for more public input, said she was pleased with the developer’s willingness to work with neighbors.
The new development will replace the crumbling Papago Plaza with restaurants, retail, a hotel and apartments.
It will also include a grocery store — something residents in the neighborhood have been [requesting] for years.
Rumors had swirled in that the location would house an Aldi after renderings associated with the infill project featured the company’s logo.
Mashburn would not confirm what store would be occupying the grocery space, citing ongoing negotiations with multiple chains, though he did say the eventual tenant would be a boutique-style grocer.
Though Mashburn is remaining mum on the specifics of some tenants, he did reveal that Starbucks will occupy high-profile space on the southwest corner of McDowell and Scottsdale Roads.
Wells Fargo, which is currently in a building on the corner, will be sticking around and relocate to a new building further south on the property.
The development will include additional boutique retail and restaurant space as well as a large orchard-style plaza that will serve as a gathering area with seating and shade.
Read more at Scottsdale Progress.