General Plan 2035 outlines plans for growth, redevelopment

Scottsdale AZ

06 December, 2021

9:03 AM

Description

It's been nearly two decades since the residents of Scottsdale approved a new general plan for the city. Back then, the Arizona Diamondbacks were reigning World Series champions, Utah was hosting the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and Kelly Clarkson was winning the first season of American Idol on TV. This November, Scottsdale voters approved the city's General Plan 2035 by a 5% margin, 52.3% to 47.7%. However, voter turnout for the plan was less than 30%. Taylor Reynolds, the project coordination liaison for the city, and others who worked on the plan believe most people misinterpret what the document does, and what it means for growth in the city over the next 10 years. "I think a lot of folks confuse that this plan is only the land use element and only concerns land use decision making or concerns zoning…which it's not," Reynolds said. The general plan is Scottsdale's guide for where a city is heading in the future. "It contains the community's goals and policies on character and design, land use, open space and the natural environment, business and economics, community services, neighborhood vitality, transportation, and growth," the General Plan 2035 reads. "It shapes the physical form of the city, yet also addresses other aspects, such as human services, education, protection of desert and mountain lands, arts and culture, community health, and the character of neighborhoods." Adam Yaron, the principal planner for the new general plan, added on to how the document is used by the city. "As a policy document, it can help departments make sometimes day-to-to decisions or help reinforce decisions that get presented to council to help communicate how decisions are effectively implementing the policies of the community's general plan on a variety of different items," Yaron said. Simply put, the plan is a base for the city, its departments, and private entities to make decisions while zoning ordinances and other plans for certain areas, like Old Town Scottsdale, provide more explicit specifications, goals and regulations that need to be followed. "These do live under the guides of the general plan, so they would never contradict each other," Reynolds said. Yaron said that residents won't see immediate changes from the plan since it is a guidebook for operating, but with land in Scottsdale nearing build-out, it focuses on defining Growth Areas of the city that would be best suitable for redevelopment and revitalization. According to the plan, "The Growth Areas Element identifies specific locations within the community that are most appropriate for development focus, and will best accommodate future growth, new development, revitalization, and redevelopment." The plan outlines three major Growth Areas: Old Town Scottsdale, the area surrounding the McDowell Road and Scottsdale Road intersection, and the Greater Airpark area that encompasses places like the Scottsdale Quarter and Scottsdale Airport. The plan also defines 13 Activity Areas which are where development is pursued, but to a lesser extent than Growth Areas. Manjula Vaz, an attorney and teacher of land use law in the Master of Real Estate Program at Arizona State University, believes there is a conflict within the community of increasing the economic growth of Scottsdale and preserving the neighborhood identity of the city. "There's a lot of conservation still about the growth and the apartments," Vaz said. "Developers, they want to come in and build apartments, but I don't know that neighbors are ready to accept of it." Vaz explained from a planner's standpoint that as Scottsdale continues to grow and bring in employment, "these people will have to live some place." Kathy Littlefield, a current city council member, expressed similar concerns when talking about Growth Areas in an opinion piece in the Scottsdale Independent in October prior to the election. "It is ironic we are having this debate at the same time these three too-tall, too-dense traffic-clogging apartment proposals are being considered by the City Council," Littlefield wrote. "Because this sort of over-development is exactly what voters said in the last two city elections they do not want, many citizens are, unsurprisingly, skeptical of the City Council's commitment to upholding the will of the residents…" Reynolds explained how the plan guides developers and the city in choosing areas that are suitable for developing high-density where economic parks and tourism is more prominent which would limit the commercial growth in large and medium lot neighborhoods. The guidance for the cost of the growth and development on all aspects in the city is also a concern for some when it comes to the new general plan. In October, Tim Stratton, a small business owner who is running for Scottsdale City Council, wrote an opinion piece in the Scottsdale Independent warning Scottsdale residents about the increase of taxes that will come of the plan. "Bad land use policies and policies that reduce property values and cost the city of Scottsdale revenue in the form of reduced sales and property taxes can cripple the city's budget," Stratton wrote. "When that happens, the dollars to support our great amenities and public safety budget will have to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is an increase in your taxes." Reynolds wanted to assure community members that the ratification of the plan does not in bring an increase in taxes with it. "The General Plan does not impose a new tax or increase existing taxes," Reynolds said. In most chapters of the plan that apply, a policy on cost efficiency and cost consideration is added to ensure this is an important part of future public projects and amenities. The Scottsdale General Plan 2035 will guide the city for the next 10 years. Then, Arizona state law requires voters to readopt the existing plan or ratify a new vision for the city. According to the city of Scottsdale's website, "In early 2022 the City Council will align budget objectives and performance measures with the new plan, as well as prioritize the Implementation Element with efforts that the Mayor and City Council want to focus on in the next 12-24 months."