Scottsdale delays vote on substation, resort

The final vote on the proposed Solis Scottsdale Resort - and the relocation of an electric substation - has been pushed back until January.

The City Council was scheduled this week to postpone a hearing from Tuesday to Dec. 9, but at the urging of residents and the acting city manager the council agreed to delay the vote even further untilJan. 27.

The proposal is to build a $600 million high-end resort, which would also include condos and penthouse single-family homes, northeast of Camelback and Scottsdale roads along the south bank of the Arizona Canal.

To do so, a Salt River Project electric substation would need to be moved from that prime downtown corner. The developer is proposing moving the substation to the northeast corner of 68th Street and Indian School Road, which has upset residents who live in that area.

One of the reasons for the delay was the residents asking for more time in light of a Nov. 15 neighborhood meeting involving the developer, SRP and residents where new information was shared.

In addition, the development agreement between the developer and city that will lay out issues such as maintenance and public access, has not been released and was not expected to be available until about a week before the Dec. 9 meeting.

Both the council and city officials agreed that was not enough time for a thorough public review.

"This has got a lot of moving parts and I'm delighted finally late in the game we got that (outreach) process going in a meaningful way and I don't want to short-circuit that," Councilwoman Betty Drake said. "I don't want to drag this out forever ... but I don't think the Dec. 9 date is anywhere near enough time."

This proposal has sparked controversy in two neighborhoods. When Waterview, which was the name before Solis, was first announced, the plan included moving the substation to the northeast part of the project along the canal, directly across the street from single-family homes. Those neighbors objected, and the developers bought a commercial site at 68th Street and Indian School for the substation, only to face objections there. Neighbors near the proposed seven-building resort were also frustrated that demolition was slow to begin on the aging one-story apartments that would be replaced. But after warnings from the city, the demolition did begin.

John Berry, an attorney representing developer Scottsdale Canal Development, said the developer's preference was the Dec. 9 date.

The delay until January also means there will be a new City Council making the final decision.

Mayor Mary Manross and Drake were defeated Nov. 4 and will not be voting. Councilman Jim Lane will be the new mayor and Councilwomen-elect Lisa Borowsky and Suzanne Klapp will be seated on the council dais.