Another Scottsdale City Council meeting – another parking garage petition.

In making a March 24 presentation to City Council, Steve Sutton – leader of a group hoping to quash an Old Town parking garage – noted this was the fourth petition “on the subject of building a garage on top of the Parking Corral.”

This petition, he said, “has 4,628 signatures of individuals telling you to stop” building the garage.

On the April 12 Scottsdale City Council agenda:

“Authorize Contract No. 2026-048-COS … with Chasse Building Team for Bond Project 63 Brown Ave. Parking Structure.”

Scottsdale City Council first approved turning the modest First and Brown parking lot into a four-level garage in 2024. The project moved forward in 2025 – despite Mayor Lisa Borowsky’s repeated, failed attempts to have the project delayed to find “a better alternative.”

If City Council approves the contract, construction on the $20 million project is scheduled to begin this summer and be complete in about nine months, according to the city’s project website.

Sutton’s latest petition:

“We, the undersigned Scottsdale residents, petition the City Council to cancel plans to build a garage extension at the Brown Avenue Parking Corral. We are telling you:

“Do not move the Farmers Market from its current location to the inconvenient City Hall parking lot.

“Do not risk causing the Farmers Market to leave Scottsdale due to an insufficiently profitable location.

“Do not harm Old Tower businesses that benefit from sharing the Farmers Market’s Customers.

“Do not degrade Historic Old Town’s resident, visitor, and customer attracting charm and ambience.

“Do not disrespect the cultural significance of Old Adobe Mission, Scottsdale’s oldest standing church.

“Do not damage Old Town business revenues with months of garage construction activity.

“Do not waste $15,000,000 to $20,000,000 on an unnecessary Parking Corral garage extension.”

A brief, lively debate followed Sutton’s presentation.

“Do we vote to agendize to just cancel the project?” Councilman Barry Graham pondered.

Graham challenged many points, including that the City Hall parking lot would be “inconvenient.”

“We’re here to vote, not to dissect,” Mayor Lisa Borowsky interrupted.

Luis Santaella, the interim city attorney, said each council member has the opportunity to speak once on proposed petitions, but recommended focusing on the three options: 1. Direct

the City Manager or responsible Charter Officer to agendize the petition for further discussion; 2. Direct the City Manager or responsible Charter Officer to investigate the matter and prepare a written response to the Council, with a copy to the petitioner; or 3. Take no action.

“I for one am in complete support of a parking study,” stated Borowsky.

“I continue to support a parking study,” Councilwoman Solange Whitehead added, asking to agendize the petition.

“I’m going to second this – I’d love to get this settled,” Borowsky added.

Councilman Adam Kwasman made an alternate motion for option 2, having City Manager Greg Caton give a written response. Though Borowsky, Whitehead and Maryann McAllen voted against it, Kwasman was joined in support by Graham, Jan Dubauskas and Kathy Littlefield.

Though Sutton’s parking plea did not make an agenda, as Borowsky and others hoped, it showed progress, avoiding the “take no action” fate of previous petitions.