Andaz Scottsdale moves forward with next chapter of luxury hospitality
By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press
Paradise Valley Town Council — with a vote of 5-0 — Thursday, May 25, approved an intermediate amendment to an existing special use permit allowing for 10 luxury single-story guest units from 2,853- to 5,410-square-feet in size with private spas on a 5-acre plot of land found along Quail Run Road.
That 5-acre plot of land is governed by the Town of Paradise Valley, is adjacent to the Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows and is owned by Gary Stougaard, principal of PV Hotel Venture SPE LLC.
Paradise Valley Councilwoman Ellen Andeen and Julie Pace were not present for the vote but did speak to approval earlier that afternoon during a work study discussion.
The zoning in the Town of Paradise Valley is relatively simple as the majority of the dirt is zoned residential meanwhile a handful of commercial properties exist — resorts, houses of worship and educational entities — and are regulated through what locals call “the Special Use Permit.”
Town officials report the 5-acre plot of land in question carries a residential zoning component found part of the Andaz Scottsdale Resort campus, which is 22 acres and accessible from Scottsdale Road.
In general terms noise mitigation efforts are spelled out in entitlement stipulations, an 8-foot wall will be erected to shield neighboring residents from existing noise issues and the orientation of each casita is in way to promote privacy, town officials say.
“Thank you to everyone,” said Mr. Stougaard at last night’s public hearing. “There was a tremendous amount of work after the 27th as you see here. I think we are at a point where everyone understands what I want to do.”
Paradise Valley Town Council calls upon a member of its advisory Planning Commission to serve as liaison to the local governing board amid development and contract negotiations.
“We are in complete support of this project,” said Paradise Valley Planning Commissioner Jim Rose who served that role last night. “We can all be proud of this project now that town council has put their fingerprints on it.”
Town Council fingerprints on Andaz Scottsdale grounds
The gears of development grind both exceedingly slow and exceedingly fine in the Town of Paradise Valley.
Paradise Valley Town Council takes this fact of development life very seriously.
Local policymakers, in recent weeks, has held three work study discussions on the pending SUP application where local policymakers discussed certain stipulations for support of the proposed zoning entitlements.
Paradise Valley Town Council deliberations revolve primarily around noise and the height of a proposed wall along the southern portion of the property.
Paradise Valley Senior Planner George Burton provided the local governing board with an update to new iterations of the project. Those items of consideration include:
- Guest unit utilities;
- The southern wall;
- Potential deed restriction prohibiting sale of the guest units;
- Noise mitigation;
- Lot combination; and
- Landscape plans.
“The applicant did update all of the plans and provided all of the improvements requested by council,” Mr. Burton said during an earlier work session Thursday, May 25. “Most of this does specifically address the concerns expressed by the neighbors … the southern and western walls are raised to 8-feet tall.”
Paradise Valley Vice Mayor Scott Moore, who has been the most vocal critic of the originally proposed plans, pointed out how the hard work of both town staff and the development team working with the municipality has changed his mind.
“I don’t have any questions either,” he said. “I want to thank the applicant and Mr. Stougaard for the hard work he has done.”
