Scottsdale Airpark multifamily housing plans advance

Three proposals that could bring more than 1,500 apartments to the Scottsdale Airpark area have obtained the Planning Commission's endorsement.

Commissioner Jay Petkunas stressed the need for housing in the Airpark area and said the three plans would accommodate that growth.

"The general gist is, we all feel it's a good area for (multifamily residential)," commission Chairman Michael D'Andrea said. "We've heard from three quality people in the community who have done great things."

The commission recommends the City Council approve the proposals, which all seek a change to the Greater Airpark Character Area Plan to allow mixed-use residential buildings. The change could lead to more than 3,300 residents in the area.

The council is scheduled to consider the proposals on Oct. 18. Last year, the council rejected including residential in the three areas targeted by the proposals.

They are:

- The Residences at Zocallo Plaza, which would be a four-building, apartment complex on 5.82 acres near the northwestern corner of Greenway-Hayden Loop and 73rd Street, north of the Scottsdale Quarter and south of the Scottsdale Promenade. The change could attract an estimated 543 residents and 240 units.

The owner of the property is Scottsdale Place LLC.

- An apartment complex on a 12.2-acre site south of Hayden Road and west of Northsight Boulevard. The change would draw an estimated 1,271 people and 605 residential units.

The owner of the property is Joe Cardinale.

- A mixed-use development, with residential and commercial, on the 32-acre site that houses CrackerJax Family Fun and Sports Park, on Scottsdale Road south of Paradise Lane. The change in land use could bring in 1,584 residents and 720 residential units.

The owner of the property is HGJ Investments.

Zoning attorney John Berry, representing Scottsdale Place, said residents of the proposed Zocallo complex would be able to walk to nearby retail, restaurants and employment. They would generate additional sales-tax revenue to the city, he said.

Sunrise Luxury Living, a multifamily residential developer in the western U.S., would develop the complex on the site, which currently houses an auto dealership that closed more than two years ago.

Michael Curley, an attorney representing Cardinale, said multifamily housing is badly needed near Scottsdale Airport.

"Retail on the east side of the airstrip is really suffering," he said.

The CrackerJax proposal would be a "true mixed-use project" in which residents could walk to nearby retail and office, said Mike Withey, the attorney representing HGJ Investments.

It would be developed by Woodbine Southwest, which developed the nearby Kierland Commons on the west side of Scottsdale Road.

by Edward Gately The Arizona Republic Sept. 30, 2011 12:00 AM




Scottsdale Airpark multifamily housing plans advance