Wetta Ventures broke ground last week on a $5 million, multiple-restaurant development at SkySong, The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center with completion expected by the end of the year.

Prominently located at the northeast corner of Scottsdale Road and SkySong Boulevard, the new 12,000 square-foot development is expected to include three to four restaurants, one of which will be a chef-driven concept. A unique feature to the development will be a 3,000 square-foot garden that will be professionally installed, curated and harvested for potential use in the restaurants.

“This will be the only food and beverage amenity for the 42-acre Innovation Center, so there’s a lot of responsibility to make this a one-of-a-kind destination that will reflect the uniqueness of the overall development,” said David Wetta, founder of Wetta Ventures. “South Scottsdale is also an underserved area when it comes to dining options, so this project will help shape the evolution of the neighborhood.”

Modern in design, the building blends indoor and outdoor space with expansive operable glass and lush landscaping. A 45-foot cantilevered overhang, clad in translucent panel material, will provide ample shade to the massive outdoor area, which will be home to a combination of restaurant dining patios, the garden and public open space.

The development is a partnership between Wetta Ventures and the SkySong development team, which includes the Arizona State University Foundation, Plaza Companies and Holualoa Companies. Known for developing a variety of high-profile adaptive reuse projects across the Valley, Wetta Ventures is now working on two major undertakings including a retail and office project on the Camelback Corridor, CB20, as well as IS28 at Indian School and 28th Street, the former Maple House Furniture building.

“We are excited to be working with Wetta Ventures on this important addition to SkySong,” said Sharon Harper, president and CEO of Plaza Companies, the master developer of the project. “We have always had a vision for a thriving environment where you can live, work and play, and these restaurants will have an important and positive impact on that vision.”

Don Couvillion, vice president of Real Estate for The ASU Foundation, said that the restaurant component will make SkySong an even more integral part of the Scottsdale community.

“SkySong has emerged as not only a center of innovation and technology, but also a centerpiece for the community as well,” he said. “We look forward to seeing these restaurants thrive at SkySong and make a positive impact not only on the project, but on south Scottsdale as a whole. They will enhance the contribution SkySong is making not only as an economic development engine, but as a focal point for the community.”

SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, is home to a global business community that links technology, entrepreneurship, innovation and education to position ASU and Greater Phoenix as global leaders of the knowledge economy. SkySong is a 42-acre mixed-use development designed to:

  • Create an ecology of collaboration and innovation among high-profile technology enterprises and related researchers
  • Advance global business objectives of on-site enterprises
  • Raise Arizona’s profile as a global center of innovation through co-location of ASU’s strategic global partners
  • Create a unique regional economic and social asset

Michael Rumpeltin of Brick & West Design is leading the architectural design of the project. Beal Derkenne Construction is the builder.

“This is our first ground-up restaurant project in the Phoenix market and we’re excited to work with Wetta Ventures, a company that has a substantial track record for creating innovative adaptive reuse developments,” said Jimmy Tometich of Beal Derkenne Construction. “A new and unique restaurant venue is exactly what the employees and visitors of SkySong, and the surrounding area, needs.”