By Don Hadder, Sr.

 As the process moves forward to seek community acceptance of an updated General Plan, it is important to recognize the rich and complex legacy of General Plans in Scottsdale. This is a unique story and heritage in Arizona. It is also has created the setting each of us enjoys and depends on as we live, work, play and learn in Scottsdale.

The beginnings of general planning in Scottsdale were not notable. In 1961 the Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Department came out with Chapter 1 of “A Comprehensive Plan for Scottsdale, Arizona.” It included an economic and physical review of the Scottsdale area through 1960 and a “Future General Land Use Plan.” It had seven land use categories and covered what were unincorporated areas that were later annexed by Phoenix. At the time Scottsdale had no planning staff, so this was done as a service to the fledgling but rapidly growing Town of Scottsdale.

A year later a second chapter subtitled “Major Streets, Highways, and Parking” was prepared.  This analyzed existing and projected traffic conditions and included alternate highway and street plans, street cross sections and a “Suggested Central Business District Plan of Development.” These plans were used to guide decisions by the county and to a degree those by the new City of Scottsdale, but there is no indication the city ever adopted these plans.

In 1964, the City Council retained the planning firm of Eisner and Associates to create a “Comprehensive General Plan” for the city. Up to this time, most plans prepared for cities focused on two components: land use and transportation. The new plan as outlined by the consultant and envisioned by the city would include a broad range of components that would guide the city in all of its various aspects. 

For a city that essentially had no parks, no municipal water system, had relied on the county for road construction and did not have a clear economic foundation, this was a great hope.  Through the process of creating this plan, an Arizona Town Hall session was held in 1966 to develop citizen-based goals and aspirations for the community. Finally, in July 1967 the Comprehensive General Plan for Scottsdale was adopted. To assure this plan had standing, provisions were added in November 1967 to the City Charter establishing the General Plan as a function of the city. This was the first comprehensive plan adopted by any city in Arizona and later became a guide to the creation of state statutes enabling general plans for all cities and towns.

Soon, however, it became apparent to the City Council, Planning Commission and planning staff that it was not keeping up with the dynamics of a rapidly growing and changing community. A major Scottsdale Town Enrichment Program (STEP) community involvement gathering was held in late 1969 and early 1970 in order to continue to identify the goals and aspirations of the community.

This led to the city hiring another consultant, Wilsey and Ham, to prepare an update to the General Plan. They retained the Brookings Institute to conduct another public outreach visioning program, which built on the earlier Town Hall and STEP efforts. The city over time decided that the consultant was not being responsive and set out to establish an updated General Plan using internal staff resources. This resulted in a parallel course of south (south of Indian Bend Road) and north portions of the General Plan to be developed, reviewed and adopted as one plan in July 1974.  Unfortunately, given the way this plan was prepared, there is no remnant available for review.

The next key component of the General Plan was the NorthEast Area Plan (NEAP) that was adopted in the fall of 1976. This was the first comprehensive general plan prepared by city staff. It included significant environmental analysis, transportation modeling, water resources analysis and economic forecasting. It also established ongoing city policies such as mountain preservation, protection of washes and other desert areas, scenic corridors, collocated parks and schools, neighborhoods oriented around shopping centers and community service centers, and many other planning concepts. It also became the map-oriented model of general planning that would prevail for the next 25 years.

Since the city-wide general plans had become a series of separate individual function plans, the city reformatted the General Plan into a consolidated format in 1980-81. The map approach was used to guide the physical direction and character of the rapid growth continuing to occur in Scottsdale. This plan base soon became expanded when the city essentially doubled in area from 1981 to 1984. Through the Scottsdale and Tonto Foothills mega-area plans, the city’s General Plan was expanded to cover the roughly 184-square-mile area of the city.

Throughout this “big picture” process, a number of other planning activities were conducted.  To respond to growth hot-spots, several area studies were prepared. Some were fully adopted as parts of the General Plan, while others served as unofficial guides for development activity.  In addition to these studies, the city created a series of infrastructure “Master Plans” that, although not adopted into the plan, became critical elements of evaluation and planning to assure the General Plan was viable and reasonable. Among these were plans for parks, water systems, sewer systems, transportation components and flood control.

The “Scottsdale Visioning” and “CityShape 2020” citizen involvement programs of the early to mid-1990s were intended to build on the earlier STEP activities and consider the changing future, economic conditions and evolving physical conditions of the community. These efforts created vision statements and guiding principles. In response to this, the city produced an updated General Plan in the late 1990s that re-introduced the many policies and goals that were guiding the community but not spelled clearly in a document. Combined with the State Growing Smarter Act, the General Plan went through a full review process in 2000-01 that led to the currently adopted General Plan.

Key questions for the General Plan

• Have we recognized those parts of our city that likely will not change in the foreseeable future?
• Have we accurately considered those parts of the community that need improvement, will be subject to change or are likely no longer going to be viable or desired?
• Have we recognized all the differing ages, lifestyles, economic engagements, trends in business activity, regional trends, changes in adjacent communities, etc. that will impact how and where our city functions?
• Have we considered what we need to do to maintain and sustain what we already have and enjoy in our city?
• How are we assured that the plan reflects and respects the needs and aspirations of all residents?
• And most important, what kind of community do we want to grow into in the future?  A community that stands still ultimately fails – our city could be so much more than what it is.

By Don Henninger

In the spirit of the season – and despite all the challenges the world is offering to us right now – there still are plenty of reasons why all of us in Scottsdale can be thankful.

Be thankful that:

–The election campaign for the City Council is over. Starting with the primary in August, it’s been a long haul. What began with five candidates for mayor and nine for council has ended with new faces in the mayor’s office and on three council seats. We hope everyone wishes the winners well and offers support so the “rookies” get up to speed quickly. The challenges ahead are as daunting as any the city has faced in many years.

–There are signs our new leaders are embracing a collaborative spirit. At least that seems to be the message as they get acquainted with each other and prepare to take office. That’s refreshing after a campaign that got bogged down in the mud from time to time. We hope that once in office they put a few early wins on the board (an anti-discrimination ordinance could be one) and set the tone for the way they’ll work together.

–There still are a few investors willing to launch projects in the city. The Scottsdale Collective downtown is one promising development that is working its way through the city bureaucracy. But the investor pipeline is drying up, and that’s not a good sign for the city’s economic health. We hope that our new city leaders remain open to considering worthy developments and send clear signals that the city is not returning to its “stops-dale” days.

–Scottdale Arts is surviving the pandemic crisis, and is one of the few, if not only, arts organizations in the Valley that has not had to lay off employees or make severe cutbacks. That’s testament to strong leadership and fiscal management. We hope that trend continues as the arts are a dynamic part of the city’s culture.

–We’ve made it through a fire season with little to no damage to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. We may be living on borrowed time, though. Fire officials now say it’s not a matter of “if” a fire strikes the Preserve but “when.” Let’s not take our good fortune for granted. We hope we all will support efforts to keep our preserve safe.

–We have a strong city manager in Jim Thompson. The city will need his steady leadership anchor as there are three important vacancies right now — city clerk, city treasurer, police chief. We hope good replacements are found soon for those jobs, critical to the ongoing operation of the city.

–There are a lot of big hearts in our city that are showing up to support worthy causes. Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale is one. It has given $5,000 donations to five non-profit groups recently and plans to do more. Being on the board of Family Promise, I’ve seen many individuals and businesses support that homeless organization with in-kind supplies and cash. We hope that spirit of generosity continues at a time when our non-profit providers need it most.

–Over 86 percent of eligible voters in Scottsdale cast a ballot in this race. That’s an amazing voter turnout and suggests that the vast majority of residents are engaged and care about the future. We hope that spirit stays active and does not grow complacent in between our four-year election cycles.

As we move through the rest of this exhausting year of 2020, let’s remember we have a lot of reasons to be grateful, and we need to keep adding to the list.

Don Henninger, executive director of SCOTT, can be reached at donh@scottsdale.com

By Don Henninger

It’s fair to say that election fatigue has set in.

From the national level to the local city races, that theme is resonating from voters as Election Day closes in. Many of the candidates are hearing that from their constituents. Many of the candidates say they are feeling that, too.

This has been a long, grueling campaign. And while we can acknowledge election fatigue, one thing we should never accept is leadership fatigue. This election season will end in a few days. The need to continue developing leaders will not.

Focusing on Scottsdale, we say hats off to all the candidates who have persevered through this run. Residents owe them gratitude for sticking it out. No matter who you like or dislike, they all stepped up and served their city. It takes a lot of work and dedication and you have to admire them for their efforts.

In a few days, we’ll know the Scottsdale results and the city can move forward with a new mayor and likely three new faces on council. It’s a crossroads moment for the city as their leadership abilities will be tested. They will have their hands full. There is a lot of hard work ahead.

But in two short years, we’ll have another election with three council seats on the ballot, and before we even end this election cycle, people already are quietly discussing options for 2022.

It never ends, nor should efforts to develop leadership pipelines that prepare residents for future seats on the City Council or mayor’s office. In the business world, it’s good practice to put succession planning in place, and while it’s no different for cities, it can be more challenging.

One of the best ways to do this: the city has leadership opportunities on more than two dozen boards and commissions, and that hands-on experience with city issues and personnel is invaluable training for anyone aspiring for higher office. These panels – from human relations to planning; tourism to transportation; preserve to personnel – provide advice to city leaders that directly affects Scottsdale’s quality of life and future economic prosperity.

Any resident can apply for these positions. The City Council then considers applicants and makes appointments. Staggered terms mean there are openings on most all the boards and commissions throughout the year. You start the process with this standard application. 

A week from now, we’ll know who our new leaders in Scottsdale will be. They’ll take office in January. Even before they are sworn in, we’ll be talking about the next round. Like it or not, the 2022 election season starts on Nov. 4.

Don Henninger, executive director of SCOTT, can be reached at donh@scottsdale.com.

Statement: Citizens will not be able to provide input to the General Plan after 12/31/2020.

Fact: Citizen input is state-mandated through the in-process citizen’s review committee and subsequent phases through 2021.  

·      The Citizen Review Committee (CRC) began reviewing the draft 2035 General Plan in April 2020 for strengths, weaknesses and new content that is relevant today. 

·      The content to be discussed is released the week before each CRC’s meeting; see here for the schedule through 2020.

·      State statutes requiring public participation will be followed in all steps throughout the process.

·      Citizens may send in comments online prior to the meeting and as of Oct. 12 are able to call in during the meeting.

·      The final 2035 draft plan will make its way through a six-month state required public hearing process that includes extensive public involvement along with multiple Planning Commission and City Council hearings. 

·      The General Plan is expected to go before the City Council for adoption in June 2021.

·      Per state statute, once the City Council adopts it, the General Plan must be placed on the next regular ballot to be ratified by the voters.

·      Should City Council adopt the Plan in June 2021, the next regular ballot would be November 2021.

Statement: It’s easy for developers to get their projects approved in Scottsdale.
Fact: Scottsdale has established rigorous standards for design and development projects:

• Scottsdale’s design and architectural guidelines include the Design Standards and Policy Manual (DSPM) developed by local architects, the city, community members and other stakeholders and the Citywide Design Standards Overview. 
• To submit a new proposal, the developer must complete the Development Application Checklist, and provide required documents.
• Applicants need to conform with Scottsdale’s revised code including the zoning ordinance, the city’s design standards and other stipulations. The process includes a series of reviews with the city, community members and other stakeholders.
• After the application has met the checklist’s criteria, the documents go to the Development Review Board (DRB) at a public meeting to review, discuss and determine if all requirements were met.
• If criteria are met, the DRB recommends the application go forward to the Planning Commission for additional reviews before being sent to City Council.