With thousands of new residents expected to nest in downtown Scottsdale, nearby businesses are clamoring to send a plushy welcome wagon. Residents of Optima Camelview and Waterfront all receive lavish gift baskets with items like plush bath robes and trendy totes.

And the developers of Safari Drive plan to give free memberships to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

“Besides the fact they are purchasing high-dollar residences, they’re also going to be right here in the community with us,” said Eileen Wilson, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts director of development.

“We see an opportunity to connect with them because they live here and we will be a part of their life.”

Waterfront resident Mary Logan said she’s aware that she and her husband, Joe, represent an attractive clientele.

“Some people in here are the last people who would need a gift,” she said, laughing.

When they first arrived in March, the couple would pick a different direction every night to explore the neighborhood.

“It’s amazing how close everything is,” she said.

Along with coupons and samples from Scottsdale Fashion Square shops, the Logans received gift cards to Waterfront restaurants, complimentary champagne and luxurious robes from the Waterfront developers.

“We’ve been eating for free for the past month,” Joe Logan said.

The welcome basket given to Optima Camelview residents on Scottsdale Road and Highland Avenue includes a book by Camelview architect David Hovey, spa robes and coupons from merchants, especially furniture stores.

“The nice thing is the Optima model probably has half of our furniture in it, which is a nice selling point,” said Diane Berg, sales executive at Design Within Reach. “And it’s kind of a nice marriage because we’re right across the street.”

Berg said the modern design and simple lines fit the look of the homes.

“If you have a smaller floor plan as a lot of lofts do, you’re not going to go with the overstuffed furniture,” she said. “They’re moving away from the Tuscan look ... especially the young and up-and-coming adults.”

Architecture and design are selling points at both the Safari Drive residences and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, so it was a natural partnership, said Alexandra Parker, museum development director.

The museum also plans to offer memberships to Valley architecture firms, she said.

“A lot of people buying in that area will be using that as a permanent residence and we want them to feel like part of the community,” she said. “They chose Old Town because they didn’t want to be too far out in the desert. There’s close proximity to shopping, unique restaurants, art and theater.”

The buzz around downtown also is starting to change the types of establishments shopping for a Scottsdale locale.

Barney’s has already committed to Scottsdale Fashion Square, and Bloomingdale’s is right on its heels, said downtown planner Jon Chase.

“Everyone is going to want to be ready for next season,” he said. “People will be moving into the Waterfront over the summer and Optima over the summer. Next September and October there’s going to be a significant change in the kind of traffic in the downtown area.”