Challenge dropped, Artisan can move ahead
Jan. 28—The Artisan, a "mixed-use" development in Old Town, has been cleared to move forward.
On Dec. 7, the Development Review Board approved the project's site plan, including 81 "dwelling units" and 5,000 square feet of commercial space on the southwest corner of East Indian School Road and North Marshall Way.
The space is currently an empty lot used for parking, next to the Coach House, which boasts of being "Scottsdale's oldest dive bar."
t soon will have a new neighbor — though the Artisan's Development Review Board approval seemed in jeopardy when Mayor David Ortega asked for an agenda item "to initiate a formal City Council review" of the DRB decision.
But, at the end of a marathon Jan. 9 meeting dominated by debate over a rezoning request by Entertainment District restaurant/bar Swags, Ortega "noted the applicant made modifications to the project which were reviewed and accepted by staff," as the minutes from the meeting summarize.
"For this reason, Mayor Ortega did not make a motion on this item," they note.
The Artisan plans to bring rare apartments or condos to Old Town.
According to the plan, the development will be split into two buildings, one five stories tall and the other four stories high.
A key provision in the approved agree ment, following months of negotiations, is a parking plan:
"In addition to the parking that is required to serve the new buildings, the developer will be constructing 57 parking spaces that will be purchased by the city for public use."
The public parking spaces will be on the first floor of an underground parking structure on East 1st Avenue.
The developer also agreed to plant a row of trees, install a sidewalk and public art area, as part of concessions the city demanded.
At a 2022 council meeting, John Berry, an attorney representing the Artisan, promised an eye-popping transformation.
"At First Avenue and Marshall, we will turn a barren corner into a spectacular and meaningful public open space of our Old Town," Berry vowed.
Suspicious of Berry's promises, Ortega and Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield voted against the Artisan package, which was approved by a 5-2 vote May 3, 2022.
Nearly two years later, though he may not be a fan of the project, last-minute concessions on shade canopies convinced Ortega to drop a potential protest.
"I clearly stated my concern that covered walkways were omitted at the commercial corner," Ortega told the Progress.
"Subsequently, at the DRB stage, the applicant again omitted shaded walkways, so I Appealed the DRB case. The applicant responded and documented revisions, which I reviewed and approved."
