A Vision for Downtown Scottsdale

Downtown Scottsdale is a pedestrian-friendly collection of one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants, galleries, clubs and cultural attractions. There are hotels in the heart of Downtown and a range of residential options from lofts to luxury condos to affordable spaces for working artists. It’s an active 24-hour place that includes boutique grocery stores and other resident-oriented shops and services. It’s easy to get around on foot or by trolley. There’s convenient parking.

There are great public gathering places Downtown at Civic Center, along the Arizona Canal and at Scottsdale Waterfront. These places are connected by shady tree-lined main streets with smaller gardens and plazas located between them.

There’s art everywhere…galleries, working studios, artist residences, the Scottsdale Artists School, outdoor displays, the ArtWalk, art demonstrations, public art and special events. Art-related uses can get some sort of special incentive for locating Downtown. In addition to the traditional Western art and representational works, there are more “incubator” and cooperative galleries with work by young, emerging artists.

Each historic specialty district has its own distinctive character, whether the Old West of east Main Street or the contemporary Southwestern look of Marshall Way. These districts have in common a small-scale, pedestrian-oriented character perfect for window-shopping, with shaded arcades and benches.

The shops Downtown are one-of-a-kind, an eclectic mix of antiques, junque, clothing, western wear, Native American art, crafts and who-knows what. These are shops you can’t find at Kierland or back home in Duluth. You can spend days exploring them.

There are great restaurants, coffee bars and nightclubs, catering to a wide range of ages and preferences. You can get an inexpensive lunch at an outdoor café, dine at the Culinary Institute or enjoy a memorable gourmet dinner. You can listen to jazz, smile n’ style at a bar or sip a latte and people-watch.

In the evening, in addition to the clubs, you can enjoy a performance at the Center for the Performing Arts, one of the amphitheaters, Theater 4301 or other performing art venues.

Downtown Scottsdale becomes a “must see” draw for visitors, a great place to live, an increasingly important generator of sales tax revenues and the cultural heart of the city.

How can we bring this vision to life?

1. Push for extension of canal bank improvements and trails

2. Continue to add public parking downtown

3. Develop programs to support and promote art-related businesses and artist studios Downtown

4. In cooperation with the business community, develop and publicize a program of low-interest loans, fee waivers, grants and other incentives to support existing businesses and Downtown organizations

5. Provide City/Cultural Council programming and management of the new Waterfront amphitheater

6. Work toward construction of the Museum of the West

7. Work closely with downtown developers to bring new projects on-line as quickly and efficiently as possible

8. Make sure that the Downtown Plan establishes guidelines for building height, bulk, pedestrian amenities, parking, street design and character

9. Push for improvements to Camelback Road, Scottsdale Road and Indian School Road that beautify them, increase safety and comfort for walking and strengthen connections among the various Downtown districts

11. Create better ground rules for transitioning between Downtown developments and the surrounding neighborhoods

12. Encourage addition of resident-oriented shops and services Downtown

13. Refresh the Downtown streetscape improvements on Fifth Avenue, West Main Street and in Old Town.

14. Keep the trolleys free!