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Let’s face it, it’s probably the one thing that most cities, towns, counties, and other governmental agencies have in common – an often insurmountable sense of apathy in community planning and an even greater hurdle when it comes to involvement in long-range planning or visioning initiatives.  In general, people have too little time, too little interest, and/or perceive marginal relevancy or value.  So, it is imperative that city planners get creative to renew civic pride and participation.

Scottsdale has reached a major milestone in the maturation of its Downtown – over the past four years this area has generated more than 2.1 billion dollars of public and private investment and will soon be home to more than 2,500 residents – so now is the time to revisit the original Downtown Plan (adopted in 1984)

Scottsdale’s Downtown Plan Update is utilizing a broad range of activities to truly engage and involve community representatives. This fresh approach was initiated last fall with a Downtown Town Hall that involved 100 community representatives in an intensive three-day dialogue that capitalized on a broad range of perspectives and expertise.

Now Scottsdale is continuing the process this September with nine focus groups, four workshops, and multiple open houses, and continuing meetings with civic, stakeholder and community organizations. For this update process to be successful, broad community representation is needed.

What makes Scottsdale’s Downtown Special?

Scottsdale’s Downtown is an anomaly and an enigma. Incorporated in 1951, Scottsdale was primarily an agricultural community and the Downtown was the geographic and symbolic heart of the town. Since that time, the city’s staggering growth has resulted in continuous change on the Downtown. The challenge was and is how to keep the Downtown vital, how to proactively plan for new market conditions and increasing competition from neighboring cities while maintaining it’s prominence as a regional cultural center.

Since it’s adoption in 1984, the original Downtown Plan focused on raising the quality, character, marketability and overall viability of this commercial and cultural core. Now more than 50 years later, it is imperative to acknowledge the fruition of the 1984 plan and to identify a vision for the continued evolution of the Downtown for the next 20 years.

Fruition of the 1984 Downtown Plan:

• A combined public/private investment of more than 2.1 billion
• Activation of the canal bank area that bisects the center of the Downtown;
• Realization of a true 24/7 environment due to the influx of more than 2,500 residents;
• The emergence of a thriving and dynamic nightlife; and
• A renewed interest in a broad range of cultural venues.

Why is the Downtown Update process important?

Since Scottsdale’s incorporation in 1951, the city has experienced steady growth. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Arizona was the fastest growing state from July 1, 2005 to July 1, 2006. One of the primary challenges that comes from rapid growth is ensuring that the community retains a voice in the city’s objectives and remains an integral part of the planning and policy development that shape the community – especially Scottsdale’s downtown – which is viewed by many of the city’s residents and business owners as the heart and soul of the community.

Originally adopted by the City Council in 1984, the existing Downtown Plan still serves as the comprehensive policy document that guides growth and development decisions in Downtown Scottsdale. The Downtown Plan and subsequent community efforts have been successful at shaping the growth, both financially and physically, of Downtown Scottsdale for the past 20 years.

As with any successful planning document, the primary challenge in the Downtown Plan Update process is developing a process/program that:

• Ensures broad community representation;
• Engages stakeholders in a focused way to generate thoughtful, enlightened input;
• Provides participants with a firm understanding of both Scottsdale’s history and current market conditions; and
• Utilizes a proven facilitation/dialogue technique that builds trust, optimizes consensus, and instills objectivity/open mindedness.

As a long-time Scottsdale advocate, this is a call to action -- I am encouraging Scottsdale residents, business and community representatives to respond to the city’s invitation to be involved. This is the time to lend your thoughts, your expertise, your experience to ensure that Downtown Scottsdale continues to be a “highly functional mixed-use center” that provides a “creative environment in which people live, work and pursue leisure activities”.

Here’s your opportunity to speak up, to turn apathy into action, to be a part of designing the future of Scottsdale’s Downtown.