By Frayde Yudkowsky, LSW, LMSW, CCTP
Scottsdale’s LuckyPlaza, a 7-acre property, located at 3388 North Hayden Road at the southwest corner of Hayden and Osborn Roads is a 41-year-old shopping plaza. It has been controlled by an entity owned by Todd Silver for the past 18 years and has been kept in meticulous condition. The old plaza has become an outdated commercial site and big box retail is extremely challenging. Furthermore, there has been approximately 8,000 SF vacant for 10 plus years and the national tenants or local community tenants have not supported renting these vacant spaces. Greenbelt88 is being rezoned to a Planned Unit Development; redesigned into a mixed-use development establishing a brighter future for the Scottsdale community by creating a vibrant retail and residential property of 238 units and 28,000SF of new and exciting retail. Ownership is hopeful to retain some of the current restaurants and service tenants in the new development.
The project team envisions this quality mixed-use development as one that the community will enjoy and one that will be an asset to the city. Greenbelt88 includes retail, restaurants, modern apartments, a lit-up paseo for pedestrians, strollers and cyclists, shaded areas with benches, ample parking and the property backs up to a beautiful golf course that will have a new restaurant facing the golf course. There will be no short-term rentals, new traffic turn signals at the expense of the owner, new deceleration lanes, huge amount of city fees, ongoing property tax fees, a non-gated apartment complex with free-flowing open space to the community, two public art displays, and additional outdoor living and open space over and beyond city requirement. The retail stores and apartments will be completely redesigned with upgraded modern architecture designed by the acclaimed Nelsen Partners, a well-known USA firm who does work across the USA and internationally. Jeff Brand, a partner at Nelsen Partners and the lead architect, is a Scottsdale resident who lives walking distance to the proposed redevelopment and has personally invested countless hours to see this project benefit the citizens of Scottsdale.
The Scottsdale Planning Commission approved Greenbelt88 with 278 units and 25,000 SF of retail along with other architectural changes to the project. Ownership has made numerous and very costly design and project changes. Most recently, the project team reduced the units from 278, which was approved by the planning commission down to 253 units. The plan is now being modified down to 238 units, which include eight units of workforce for the benefit of the community. Greenbelt88 will meet all the building requirements of Scottsdale’s Green Building Program; environmentally-sensitive building techniques and has exceeded all the recommendations and requirements of the city.
Prior to moving to the Scottsdale City Council public hearing, there were some community activists concerned with height, density and traffic. The owner’s team has modified and mitigated these perceived issues. The traffic has been mitigated with traffic engineers and the city. According to a study by CivTech Inc., licensed traffic engineers, Greenbelt88 would generate fewer daily trips throughout the day than a solely commercial property. There was a false narrative floating around that the Greenbelt88 project would be a high-rise. Greenbelt88 is a low-rise development reaching 36 and approximately 48 feet at different points. The development is now being modified down to 45 feet and removing more units from the fourth floor. Thus, most of the outside perimeter of the building facing the golf course will appear to be three floors and approximately 36 feet. Other projects within several miles are substantially higher and denser.
Greenbelt88 has complied with the recently improved parking codes and will have abundant parking in a concealed parking garage that will not be visible from the street. Plus, there will be convenient surface parking near the retail and restaurants and will also accommodate extra guest parking.
Redevelopment of Greenbelt88 will ensure ability to contribute for the city to pay for preserves, parks, police and fire departments, amenities and may help keep property taxes low and property values stable. By adding apartments to the Greenbelt88 development, Greenbelt88 is contributing to the ease in which renters can rent modern homes at competitive rental rates. Additionally, adequate housing generates more employment opportunities in the community.
To keep the economy bustling and the community thriving for decades to come, Greenbelt88 is one way to ensure that Scottsdale remains the city we know and love for decades to come with quality redevelopment. Additional information could be found on our website at Greenbelt88.com or on our Instagram page instagram.com/greenbelt88. You are invited to complete the short survey at https://rb.gy/ll2utj.
