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Scottsdale's downtown mobility draws critics
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How easy is it to get around downtown Scottsdale? That’s the question city planners posed to a group of 20 Scottsdale residents and business owners Wednesday afternoon at their latest public outreach workshop.
The answer: it could be more pedestrian-friendly.
The majority of participants at the afternoon “mobility and connectivity” session at the Old Adobe Mission in downtown Scottsdale said traffic congestion and better access to public transportation are issues city officials need to explore further.
“The city needs to be aware of the traffic speed in downtown as the traffic in that area increases,” said Marty Lage, who lives and works downtown. Lage said she’s noticed that southbound Goldwater Boulevard has become a speeders’ hot spot and said that type of recklessness could be an increasing problem as thousands of people prepare to move to downtown neighborhoods.
The session was one of three workshops held Wednesday that examined pedestrian issues. It was part of a series of public meetings that city planners have been hosting since the summer. Nearly 400 Scottsdale residents and business owners have voiced their opinions at these meetings on elements of the city’s Downtown Plan, said John Lusardi, advance planning director for Scottsdale’s planning and development services department.
Principal planner Erin Perreault said public feedback from previous sessions has called for more pedestrian amenities downtown, including shade trees, benches and covered walkways.
At Wednesday’s session, Perreault and her colleagues added public transportation to their list of concerns.
“The times and routes of the trolleys aren’t that clear,” said participant Jim Kempski, who runs a luxury condo rental company in downtown Scottsdale.
Other focus group members said it’s odd that in Scottsdale, a city that prides itself on its night life, it’s virtually impossible to hail a cab downtown late at night. Some participants called for taxi stands near popular nightspots.
City planners will host their next public workshop early next year.
A draft of the amended Downtown Plan — not updated since the mid-1980s — is expected to be ready for public viewing by March, Perrault said.
The final version of the new Downtown Plan is expected to go before the City Council in April.
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