A 14-story mixed-use development in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale cleared its last preconstruction hurdle earlier this month.
The Scottsdale Development Review Board approved the aesthetic elements of the project, known as the City Center at Scottsdale, by a 4-0 vote during its Dec. 11 meeting.
The project calls for a total of four buildings. The two buildings closest to the road, which will be 40 feet from the curb, will stand two-stories tall. They will house 35,288 square feet of commercial space. In the project’s center will come dual 14-story buildings comprising 138 dwelling units .
The entire project will be built on about 3 acres at 7201 E. Camelback Road. The project also calls for 491 parking spaces in a six-story garage, two stories of which will be underground. It includes two pieces of public art and 56,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space, and will adhere to the city’s green construction code.
All that’s left for developer the Smith Group to do is pull building permits before construction can begin; however, a spokeswoman for the city said it is unknown when that might be.
Oz Wagner with the Smith Group did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
The land for the project was rezoned in 2020 by a 4-3 vote of council. The Smith Group then submitted plans to the city in 2023 and revised them this year.
City Councilman Adam Kwasman, who chaired the meeting, told the Daily Independent a previous council approved the height of the project in the southeast corner of the intersection of Scottsdale and Camelback roads, but he did not feel it was out of scope with other buildings in the area, namely the 13-story Waterfront towers.
“It evens out the height on the other side of the road, and it has a good setback to it,” Kwasman said. “I think it’s high, but I think it complements the height right across the street from it, and I think it’s an outstanding project that was already passed by the council.”
The portion of the building closest to Scottsdale Road will be 58 feet tall with taller heights starting 45 feet behind that. The commercial buildings around the project will be 36-feet high.
The two buildings will be set back 40 feet from the street. They will be 45 feet tall there and step back to a maximum building height of 150 feet.
“I actually like this project very much,” board member Ed Peaser said during the meeting. “I liked it when I first saw it. This is going to be a real entryway into Scottsdale coming from the north. Scottsdale and Camelback is a premier site and to put two towers up there like that with the Water Front at 13 stories on the other side, it’s going to be quite an interesting, unique intersection there.”
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J. Graber
News Editor | Scottsdale
Meet J.
Graber joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in February 2023, starting his career as a staff writer covering the City of Scottsdale and was named news editor of the Scottsdale Independent in 2024.
Community: He serves on the alter guild as well as being an usher at St. Mathews Episcopal Church in Chandler.
Education: He earned his BA in creative writing with a minor in journalism from the University of Arizona. He then earned an MS in Mass Communications from the University of Oregon.
Random Fact: He enjoys reading novels by Russian authors.
Hobbies: Playing classical guitar, reading, fishing, going to the gym, watching sports and spending time with his family.