Peter Corbett
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 11, 2007 11:58 AM
SCOTTSDALE – Developers of Waterview at Scottsdale have resubmitted a plan for their hotel and condominium project after city planners called their initial proposal “too massive” for the downtown neighborhood.
Scottsdale Canal Development LLC on Monday turned in its latest plan for three 72-foot hotel buildings and three 65-condominiums along Camelback Road and the Arizona Canal.
The size of the project has been scaled back about 9 percent to 703,000 square feet. But that still is 10 percent larger than allowed under the downtown zoning for the 11-acre site, according to city staff’s previous plan review.
“The real issue is whether they have met the zoning requirements,” said Mac Cummings, Scottsdale principal planner, adding that it will take several weeks to review the latest plan.
Waterview’s density, height and open space were among 83 issues city planners criticized last month . after the plan was submitted in July.
That sent the developers back to the drawing board for revisions.
“We feel we have responded to all of the 83 issues raised by (Scottsdale) staff,” Mark Madkour, a principal of Scottsdale Canal Development, said earlier this week.
Public meeting likely this month
Residents will have a chance to review the Waterview plan at a public meeting the developers are planning later this month.
No date has been set.
Cummings declined to comment on the specifics of Waterview’s revised plan because he had not reviewed it, but he made some general observations.
“The big picture is how this fits with the neighborhood,” the planner said.
Waterview’s contemporary architecture would replace a row of aging apartments along the Arizona Canal a block east of Scottsdale Road. The 50-year-old neighborhood includes single-family homes, apartments and townhouses, including Villa Monterey to the north.
Scottsdale Canal Development would move a Salt River Project electrical substation away from Camelback Road to the north side of its project in an enclosure intended to be unobtrusive to the neighborhood.
But residents have objected to allowing a substation near their homes.
The current substation site would be replaced with the hotel buildings, which would include restaurants, retail shops and a public plaza at the canal and Camelback Road.
2 bridges would span canal
A new pedestrian bridge would be built just north of Camelback. A second bridge would connect Waterview with the 200-unit Safari Drive condo project, west of the canal.
Neighborhood residents east of Waterview would have four access points between the condos to get to the canal, which will be improved with trails and landscaping.
City planners were concerned that the condos would tower over the canal, creating a canyon effect. Waterview’s revised plan calls for a stair-step design so that the upper floors do not loom over the canal.
Large penthouse units planned
Waterview, with a total of six buildings, is planned for nearly 200 residential units. That includes large penthouses or “sky units” on the top floors.
The sky units will range from 3,250 square feet with a 1,700-square-foot terrace to 5,200 square feet with a 2,700-square-foot terrace. Each will have a three-car garage with a private elevator.
Scottsdale Canal Development, after objections from planners, has proposed scaling back the size of part of the northernmost condo building, which is adjacent to single-family homes.
The northern end of that building would be reduced from 65 feet to 35 feet but it would rise to 65 feet on the southern end.
Cummings, the Scottsdale planner, said city staff will determine if the Waterview plan complies with city zoning requirements and is eligible for public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council.
No dates have been set for hearings.
Scottsdale Canal Development is hoping the council reviews its Waterview plan by January or February, Madkour said.
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