Scottsdale street scene opens up on Craftsman

A small downtown Scottsdale street that has featured annual New Year’s Eve and Super Bowl block parties will now be allowed to bring people into the street every day of the year.

Three restaurants and bars along Craftsman Court, nestled between Third and Fifth avenues, west of Scottsdale Road, were given unanimous approval by the Scottsdale City Council Tuesday to construct outdoor patios where diagonal parking spaces now line the street.

The establishments include Upper Deck Sports Grill, Dos Gringos and a restaurant to be determined at 4237 N. Craftsman Court — all of which will be required to serve lunch and dinner. The latter is an empty building whose owner is searching for a restaurant, said Michelle Korf, acting executive director of the city’s Downtown Group.

The three patios, which will feature umbrellas, decorative landscaping and railings, will take away 10 of the 72 parking spaces along the street, but the sidewalks will stay in place.

“Certainly the street will benefit,” Korf said. “What was particularly appealing was the commitment to food and especially to lunch. What it will do is generate daytime pedestrian activity that other businesses will benefit from as well.”

Korf said there are about 500 parking spaces within walking distance of the street, including about 400 in a parking garage just to the east. In addition to the restaurants and bars, Craftsman Court features shops, salons and galleries.

The three establishments, which first proposed the idea in 2006, will pay a combined $18,500 to Scottsdale each year for licenses to lease the public space. Such agreements are already in place with restaurants that have patios along the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall, within the Salt River Project right-ofway along the Arizona Canal and in other pockets around downtown.

Upper Deck Sports Grill owner Tom Anderson has been pursuing ways to bring more business to the street, especially during the lunchtime hours. He received City Council approval last year for a license to offer off-track horse racing wagering at his bar, which occurs during the day. However, his recent attempt to have off-track betting on dog racing in the evening was not approved by the council.

The street, which now has a 28 percent vacancy rate, does not connect to either Scottsdale Road, Indian School Road or Goldwater Boulevard. That means the street may be hard to find for visitors, but it also creates a natural atmosphere for events.

In addition to the block parties that have been held, downtown Scottsdale has landed the Third Thursday Concert Series that had been held at Tempe Marketplace. The first Scottsdale event will start at 7 p.m. Thursday on Craftsman Court.

ACME Bar and Grill had originally applied to be the fourth establishment included in the agreement for an patio, but chose not to participate.