Senior residential facility OK'd for North Scottsdale
Feb. 14—Over the objections of a couple who insist it is simply an apartment building in disguise, Scottsdale City Council approved the Headwaters Residential Healthcare Facility.
A unanimous vote Feb. 6 approved rezoning to "allow for a new minimal residential healthcare facility consisting of 172 units."
The senior apartments will be in a main building, with "five duplex-style cottages adjacent to the south property line."
The "undisturbed desert land" fronting Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard is across 100th Street from Aztec Park and next to Headwaters' partner, the Belmont Village Senior Living.
A "synergy" will be crucial, according to developer Southwest Commercial Property's application.
John Berry, an attorney representing the development, said it is planned to develop "land that has been a vacant dirt eyesore for the community and neighborhood for nearly 50 years."
He said Headwaters will provide independent living opportunities for seniors, as opposed to the higher level of services of Belmont Village.
He pointed to a report ranking Scottsdale top in the Valley for those 55 and older.
"Not only are our existing residents looking to retire," Berry said, "but Scottsdale continues to be a place people want to move to, to retire."
A stretch room and "wellness concierge" are part of the design, Berry noted of the upscale senior facility.
Lee Cooley, who lives in Stonebrook, across from Headwaters, said the plan sounds great to him: "I wholeheartedly support it."
"They are taking extraordinary steps to make sure this is beautiful," Councilwoman Tammy Caputi said.
And Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield spoke highly of the concept, noting her parents lived in independent facilities as they aged.
"It serves a need," she said, of Headwaters. "People of Scottsdale are aging, and a lot of them need this kind of help. They don't want to be in a nursing home."
But Peter and Rose Petrinovic spoke irately, echoing "very detrimental effects" they raised in a Feb. 4 email to City Council members.
"After reviewing in detail the proposed project case file and application, it is obvious that it is not a 'healthcare' project but is instead just a proposal for 172 new apartments in disguise, albeit apartments targeted at seniors," the Petrinovics wrote.
They fear "a traffic nightmare."
Prior to the Planning Commission's October approval of the facility, Carolyn Kinville also fired off a critical email.
"Too many units packed into a small area," she wrote. "And there is the ongoing water supply problem. Developers conveniently forget about the drought that will not go away."
The three-story residential facility is at 13870 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd.
City Council members attached stipulations recommended by the Planning Commission, including prohibiting construction prior to 7 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends.
The proposal insists it mixes well — yet fills a void.
The residential healthcare facility "integrates well with the balanced mix of land uses along the Frank Lloyd Wright corridor by providing a new senior housing option for area residents allowing them to 'age in place' and "continue to enjoy area resources," the proposal states.
The facility also addresses "an underserved population."
"The area currently has few independent senior living options as Belmont Village provides for more specialized senior care ..."As Scottsdale's population continues to age, there will be a growing need for alternative residential options for our residents."
The narrative boasts of "custom-designed carports along Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard evocative of Wrightian design."
