Apartments to replace vacant medical offices in Scottsdale

A vacant medical plaza is set to be demolished to make way for a 264-unit apartment complex northwest of Scottsdale Road and Lincoln Drive.

In January, the Scottsdale City Council approved a zoning change to allow the mixed-use development, named Broadstone on Lincoln. The Development Review Board this month approved the site plan, architecture and design of the complex.

Bryan Cluff, project coordinator for the city, said this will be one of the first multifamily complexes under construction in Scottsdale.

"The only other one I think may be ahead of it would be Optima Sonoran Village on Camelback Road," he said. "They're moving forward as well. Optima Sonoran Village does have (construction) permits for Phase 1 and that portion of the project is under construction."

Broadstone on Lincoln is among 18 apartment projects that would add about 5,700 apartments citywide.

The property is owned by Cam-8 LLC and the developer is Alliance Residential Holdings. The plan calls for multilevel apartment buildings and one story of retail along Scottsdale Road.

The apartment complex includes six buildings totaling 225,562 square feet on 5.3 acres. The overall project is 7.5 acres. The site of the future Ritz-Carlton is just west of the property in Paradise Valley.

The development excludes the 48,000-square-foot lot at Scottsdale and Lincoln, which houses two separate commercial office buildings.

The property was zoned for commercial use in the early 1970s and was developed with multiple office buildings, which now are vacant and deteriorating.

The developer hasn't yet submitted construction documents to obtain construction permits for the apartment complex, Cluff said.

Once the existing buildings have been demolished, construction will begin on the new apartment buildings, said Jason Morris, a zoning attorney representing the project.

"We're moving on to construction drawings and we're doing that right now," he said. "Construction is to begin later this year. It will be built all at once. We will open while construction is still occurring. All of the units will be phased in."

The apartment complex will be set back from Scottsdale Road,

The first units should be ready for occupancy in either the first or second quarter of 2013, Morris said. The complex will have luxury units supported by an underground parking structure, he said.

Building heights will be greater just west of Scottsdale Road, while heights will be lowest on the north side of the property, according to the Development Review Board application. The maximum building height will be 48 feet.

This will be the first multifamily residential development in the immediate area, Morris said. The location is intended to attract a "social" resident who frequents area retail, restaurants and other development.

The retail portion of the project, two one-story buildings along Scottsdale Road, will be under a separate Development Review Board application, he said.

"The retail won't take as long to build as the residential, so it's very possible that it could come out of the ground together with the residential," Morris said.

Nearby residents expressed concern to the council about the complex this year, saying it was too dense and would increase traffic congestion in the area.

"I think we're able to communicate answers to the majority of their concerns," Morris said.

by Edward Gately - Apr. 20, 2012 09:44 AM The Republic | azcentral.com



Apartments to replace vacant medical offices in Scottsdale