By Patrick O’Grady | Daily Independent
A controversial project aimed to provide workforce housing near a local hospital was denied by the Scottsdale City Council amid resident complaints about traffic and abandoning the area’s character.
Artist rendering for the Mercado Courtyards. On Dec. 7, Scottsdale City Council denied rezoning that would have allowed the project.
The Mercado Courtyards, a 262-unit multifamily project proposed by Scottsdale-based Caliber Cos., was pitched as a way to provide housing for essential workers — nurses, firefighters, teachers and police officers — with a location across the street from HonorHealth’s Shea campus.
Councilors voted 5-2 to reject the project, with Councilmember Linda Milhaven and Vice Mayor Tom Durham dissenting. The denial came after a failed vote to continue the project.
About 45 speakers shared their opinions on the project Caliber would have developed to replace an essentially empty shopping center it had bought out of bankruptcy a year ago.
Many who opposed the project cited traffic, neighborhood and water concerns regarding a project they said was a rehash of similar proposals for the site during the past few years.
“We’ve heard this all before from developers,” said resident Anthony Levy, who opposed the project.
“With our economy in a recession, interest rates on the rise, projects already approved by our council that may not even get the financing to finish their jobs, why the rush to approve this project?” he asked.
Chris Loeffler, CEO and co-founder of Caliber, also lives in the area. He told councilors the company developed what it thought was the best project for the area.
“We came to the table with what we thought was best,” he said.
Read More (subscriber content)
Some stories may only appear as partial reprints because of publisher restrictions.