Petition Asserting Opposition

To the Proposed “Scottsdale Heights” Development

To be Located on a 14-Acre Site

Located at the Southeast Corner of North Scottsdale Road and Dove Valley Road

In North Scottsdale

Preamble: Shea 124 Investments, LLC is asking the City of Scottsdale to rezone (from commercial to residential) a 14-acre parcel of open land located on the east side of N. Scottsdale Road between the Summit Shopping Center and Dove Valley Road. Their current plan is to develop 78 residences (38 duplexes and 2 free-standing units) in a project to be known as “Scottsdale Heights”.

Many aspects of the proposed development fail to respect the hard-fought-for, long-established, environmentally sensitive and heretofore cherished and protected character of adjacent and area neighborhoods. In turn, the purpose of this petition is to let our Planning Commission, City Council and City Administration know that there is wide-spread opposition to the proposed project.

WHEREAS Scottsdale is a City known for the development and protection of unique, desirable, architecturally consistent neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS the planned Scottsdale Heights development is inconsistent with the character of adjacent and nearby neighborhoods in terms of density and architectural style; and

WHEREAS the adjacent and nearby neighborhoods are characterized almost exclusively by single family, detached homes while Scottsdale Heights’ style is that of an urban city block with rows of identical (“cookie cutter”), closely aligned, townhouse-like units; and

WHEREAS a characteristic of adjacent and nearby neighborhoods is winding rural roadways while Scottsdale Heights has what is very much an urban street grid with clearly defined, symmetrically parallel streets so narrow that City trash trucks cannot access the units, each of which will thus be required to dispose of its trash in one of the commercial dumpsters located at the end of several blocks; and

WHEREAS the proposed development has very limited open space with a density (5.6 dwelling units per acre) which is much greater than, and very much out of character with, surrounding neighborhoods (e.g. Terravita 1.7; Las Piedras 1.6; Ironwood Retreat 1.0, Winfield 3.0-3.5); and

WHEREAS for many decades, extensive time, money and community effort have been invested to develop and preserve the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive, minimizing the visibility of adjacent structures and maximizing expansive views of the Sonoran Desert landscape. In contrast the rigid, obstructive, commercial design of Scottsdale Heights will materially impact and detract from that vision; and

WHEREAS the developer’s verbal commitment that (a) Scottsdale Heights will not be developed as a rental apartment complex and (b) short-term rentals – less than 30 days – will not be allowed, have yet to be formalized; and

WHEREAS local residents have invested considerable sums to acquire, maintain and enhance their residences and the character of their neighborhoods – a character with which Scottsdale Heights is incompatible, thus having the potential to negatively impact residential property values of local neighborhoods,

NOW THEREFORE the undersigned residents of Scottsdale urge the Scottsdale Planning Commission and City Council to reject the referenced rezoning request as the currently proposed development is not in keeping with the character, density and architectural style of the adjacent and nearby neighborhoods.