Work on SkySong garage expected to begin soon

SkySong is close to starting construction on a parking garage needed for future workers and residents, ending a months-long delay caused by the inability to reach a deal with a contractor.

The Scottsdale City Council will vote today to concur with the selection of Sundt Inc. to build the five-level garage, which is expected to contain about 1,000 parking spaces.

The vote will take place nearly seven months after the council concurred with the selection of Mark Taylor Residential to build the$6 million garage.

Mark Taylor won the bid to build the garage, but SkySong and the company could not come to an agreement. After the company withdrew, SkySong reached an agreement with the bid's second-place finisher Sundt Inc., which has built the center's first two commercial buildings.

Still, SkySong spokeswoman Michele Irwin said the garage should be completed by the end of May.

"Things are on track and they are ready to start immediately," Irwin said.

Irwin said the garage is expected to be done around the same time the second commercial building will open and the SkySong shade structure is installed.

SkySong has not yet invited bids on the 325 apartment units that will be built around the parking garage, Irwin said. The plan is to start construction this year and finish the first units by the middle of 2009.

While SkySong may be sticking to its most recent construction schedule, in July 2006 the developers were projecting the apartments and parking garage would open by last fall.

In July 2006, the City Council voted to allow apartments on the site, two years after it had approved an agreement that had disallowed residential units on the former Los Arcos Mall site on the southeast corner of Scottsdale and McDowell roads.

SkySong is a planned high-tech research center that's a collaboration between the Arizona State University Foundation, Scottsdale and private developers. It is expected to bring 1.2 million square feet of research, office and retail space to the site.

The center has a number of small, international high-tech companies, along with major companies like Canon and Ticketmaster. No retail tenants have been signed.

Scottsdale is expected to contribute about $120 million, including interest, to the project.