AZCREW Scottsdale Airpark 1/19/10

Submitted by Carol_Shepard on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 4:27pm

Scottsdale Airpark – Looking Forward

AZCREW Luncheon Program
Arizona Biltmore Resort    11:30am-1pm

Speaker:  David Richert, Acting City Manager, Scottsdale

The City of Scottsdale is formulating a 2011 General Plan to accommodate growth for the next 50 years. Scottsdale Airpark is a major employment center in the Metro Phoenix market. Below are highlights from David Richert’s overview of proposed options for modifying Airpark densities, building heights and transportation corridors.

 

Citywide General PlanningAZCREW Luncheon Program

  • Let “ideas come to us…so that we’re not inadvertently restricted. We want to make Scottsdale easier to do business with. Today if you come in the morning (planning & zoning) we’ll try to have you out in the afternoon.  If it’s a larger plan, we try for 20 days.”
  • Raise awareness of Scottsdale for national and international commerce opportunities.
  • More emphasis on public-private partnerships between the city and business.
  • Zoning: create guidelines rather than restrictions, giving companies more opportunities for growth.

Aviation & Airport Business Strategy

  • “We’ve added more mixed-uses. One of the things we want to promote is a connection between the Airpark areas:  Southern, Middle, and Northern parts of the Airpark.”
  • Ring road concept: Loop road configuration around the airpark, including partial frontage road at north end of runway adjacent to Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. (Slide presentation showing potential road alignments).  “We’re trying to take pressure off the (congested) Hayden Road & Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. intersection.”
  • City council approved $110M budget in December 2009.  Working with MAG (Maricopa Association of Governments) to accelerate Proposition 400 funding.
  • Urgently need to improve the airpark runways. 
  • Proposed increase in aircraft weight from 75,000 to 100,000 pounds was adopted by the city council in October 2009, still up for review.  Purpose is to allow jets to load more fuel so that Scottsdale Airpark can attract long distance flights.

    Timeline and Next Steps

  • Airpark Planning – public hearings by August/September 2010; possible adoption by City Council in October 2010.
  • Ring Road – public outreach starting spring 2010. Goal is to begin spending on improvements starting fall 2010.