[oliveurban]

Scottsdale planners OK center's height bid
Lesley Wright
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 12, 2006

SCOTTSDALE - City planning commissioners voted 6-0 to allow DMB Associates Inc. to break the city's height limit with One Scottsdale, a luxury shopping, work and living center at Scottsdale Road and the Loop 101.

The commissioners granted the developer a request to allow two of the buildings to reach 29 feet above the approved limit of 60 feet.Commissioners said they put their full trust in the reputation of DMB, which designed Scottsdale's upscale DC Ranch community.

"Quite frankly, if this wasn't DMB, this would be a dead fish on arrival for the height request," Commissioner David Barnett said.

The project still needs to be approved by the City Council, which is wary of both the height and the developer's request for a $50 million "investment" in the project's infrastructure.

DMB Associates first made plans for the 120-acre development in 2002. Council members, who were concerned about a regional mall planned for the Phoenix side of Scottsdale Road, agreed at that time that the buildings could range from 36 feet to 60 feet in height.

DMB executives said that competitive pressure from the Valley's booming retail market encouraged them to go very upscale and chic, with shops that might only be found in Milan, Rodeo Drive, and other exclusive spots.

The center will include the headquarters of Dial Corp and other offices, homes, hotels and a vast stretch of exclusive retail.

The developer employed eight architectural firms to ensure design diversity at the $1.5 billion project. Architects now want some of the buildings to rise to 89 feet to accommodate a slope in the ground.

The project has some important support, including neighbors in the adjacent housing development of Grayhawk.

But North Scottsdale's Coalition of Pinnacle Peak - a homeowner's group notorious for monitoring the area's low-height rules - said it does not want DMB to have another inch.

"We feel betrayed," said Bob Vairo, president of the coalition. "I don't understand what this is going to do for the character of Scottsdale."

Other residents, including some from DC Ranch, said that the variance should be allowed.

"I think I know the character of Scottsdale," resident Doug Zimmerman said. "Will this be a showplace? You bet."

Company executives said the city will see a return on its investments, estimating that about $12 million in sales taxes will go into Scottsdale coffers each year.

Commissioner Kevin O'Neill recused himself from the discussion and the vote.