More cranes, construction, condos coming to North Scottsdale Article originally posted on HERE on June 8, 2026 Get ready for even more cranes, construction and citizens, North Scottsdale. Axon recently announced it will start construction soon on a mammoth residential-commercial project at Hayden Road off the Loop 101. Meanwhile and nearby, a rather complicated request boils down to more condos. Prominent Scottsdale zoning attorney John Berry described One Scottsdale’s request as an extraordinary opportunity for the city. “This is a zoning unicorn,” Berry declared. As he likely will before Scottsdale City Council at its Tuesday, June 9, meeting, Berry a few weeks ago pitched the Planning Commission on the latest from One Scottsdale. With steady movement over the last decade to transform desert land into a residential-commercial boomtown, this is perhaps the most dominant mixed-use project to hit North Scottsdale. One Scottsdale is on the north side of the Loop 101, across the freeway from the planned – and much-debated – Axon development. A strong argument could be made that the success of One Scottsdale lit a fire under Axon founder Rick Smith. Driving to work past the booming, 120-acre mixed-use development, perhaps he mused, “Hmm, why just do an office? Why not more?” Indeed, after buying 74 acres of state land at Hayden south of the Loop 101, Smith and company originally planned just an office – albeit a futuristic, spaceship-inspired one. Over the last two-plus years, Smith and Axon dominated headlines after flipping their script and asking for rezoning to allow upwards of 2,000 apartments, a hotel or two, retail and restaurants to go with the headquarters. One Scottsdale could be forgiven for smirking at Smith and company, “Copycats.” According to DMB, the One Scottsdale developer, the completed project “will include up to 2.86 million square feet of space for commercial tenants. “One Scottsdale will feature retail, restaurants and Class-A office space and hospitality to support a variety of residential choices for those seeking an urban lifestyle in close proximity to amenities.” The project also includes 400 hotel rooms and 2,000 “residential units.” Again, the echo of Axon is resounding: The Taser-maker originally planned a hotel and just under 2,000 apartments-condos – since reduced to 1,200 with a city-Axon agreement. A little over 2 miles away, the 350 DMB proposed condos would add to the One Scottsdale ritzy living neighborhood of Atavia, an 88-unit “luxury condo project with private elevators, attached two-car garages and rooftop decks,” and the 112-condo Portico. On the north end of One Scottsdale, DMB has hundreds of rental units, including the One North Scottsdale Apartments. Flashback The “zoning unicorn” referenced above is a request “to amend the existing Planned Community District (P-C) zoning with comparable Planned Regional Center (PRC) zoning for the purpose of amending the regulations, including amendments to the One Scottsdale amended development standards (density) …” Berry had an exaggerated wink when he told the Planning Commission, “I don’t want you to remember this case. “I want you to have amnesia after tonight is over,” the attorney continued at the May 13 meeting. “And the reason I say that – tongue in cheek – is because this is a request for less development than can go on that property …” The One Scottsdale developer has been pondering and revising its plan to flip commercial for residential for two-and-a-half years. DMB hosted a Nov. 29, 2023, meeting at the Boys and Girls Club in Thompson Peak Park. The presentation on trading 1 million square feet of commercial space for 500 residential units – leaving unanswered the apartments or condos question – emphasized its water savings. One Grayhawk neighbor was not impressed: “I think it stinks.” After that meeting, Michael Burke of DMB told the Progress he would not commit to the extra 500 residential units being condos or apartments. “The markets there will tell us if we can sell more condos or apartments,” he said. Berry acknowledged DMB has worked with its neighbors. “The original request was filed back in December of 2023 for this application, and it included adding 500 apartments to our request,” Berry said. “We listened, then we made some changes … two years later to eliminate about 1.4 million square feet of non-residential land uses, and to add these 350 for-sale units.” Indeed, One Scottsdale’s written request is “to add 350 additional for-sale only residential units and to decrease non-residential square footage by 1,372,145 square feet on … One Scottsdale south of Legacy Boulevard.” As Berry successfully sold it to the Planning Commission, “This is a request for less development than otherwise could be built today.” Neighbors also bought into the compromise, apparently. Absent from the Planning Commission meeting were the furrowed brows and grumblings of Grayhawk neighbors near the end of 2023. Indeed, the only public speaker was wildly enthusiastic about One Scottsdale’s plan. Paul Alessio is vice president of the Grayhawk board of directors, but emphasized to the Planning Commission he was speaking on his own. “As an 18 year Greyhog resident, I am pleased to support the One Scottsdale request,” he said. The bid to add 350 condos aligns with “current market conditions that I support,” Alessio said. And, he added, “DMB, the developers of One Scottsdale have been excellent to communicate with over the years.” Echoing a recent presentation he gave for the Mayo Clinic, which hopes to build townhomes behind its east Scottsdale facility, Berry said the rezoning One Scottsdale is requesting will use far less water and generates a huge amount of less traffic by building residential units – rather than putting up commercial use on a portion of its property. On several occasions, Berry referenced the purchase by the Arizona Cardinals of a huge chunk of city of Phoenix land across Scottsdale Road from One Scottsdale. In a February post, the Arizona Cardinals noted the groundbreaking on 217 acres of desert land – west of Scottsdale Road and just north of the Loop 101 freeway, purchased by the Cardinals at a state land auction for $136 million. “Of the 217 acres, 30 acres will contain both the team’s football facilities and its business offices,” the post noted. While the football facility is scheduled to be up and running next year, Scottsdale neighbors are interested in the non-sports action: “The remaining acreage will be mixed-use, with housing, various company headquarters,” the Cardinals said, “and an entertainment district among the development over the next several years.” The back story According to the Planning Commission request, “In 2002, the city approved DMB’s request for a development proposal that would create a retail based, mixed-use core … The approval created flexible zoning entitlements that allowed approximately 1.8 million square feet of commercial, office and retail uses, 400 hotel rooms and up to 1,100 residential units.” The developer contributed to road improvements “including the widening of Scottsdale Road on the east side, new traffic signals at Scottsdale Road … and at the intersection of Legacy Boulevard and Scottsdale Road, construction of Legacy Boulevard, coordination of Legacy Boulevard to Hayden Road through Arizona State Land parcels and the Loop 101 Freeway frontage road from Hayden Road to Scottsdale Road.” Ten years ago, the presentation continues, the city approved an amendment to the development plan for 900 additional residential units “as well as the ability to go up to 90 feet in height in certain areas …” Boomtown In addition to apartments and condos, One Scottsdale is flourishing with activity from the Loop 101 to Thompson Peak Parkway. Near the north end of the sprawling development, the four-story, 130-room Home-to-Suites hotel was constructed and opened in 2023. Just south of Thompson Peak Parkway, the Ryan Company recently opened a medical focused, two-story, 101,000 square foot office building – home to the City of Hope Cancer Center and Exalt Health. Restaurants and shops dot the area, with construction underway on a Quick Trip gas station/convenience store. Back in 2016, Burke noted, DMB asked the city for 2,500 residential units at One Scottsdale – but Scottsdale City Council put a cap at 2,000 apartments/condos. Burke said close to 1,000 apartments were nearing completion at One Scottsdale, with a few hundred more apartments and condos to be built by the summer of 2024. Last week, Burke told the Progress “to date 200 condos have been built or under construction and 1,304 apartments are built or are under construction” at One Scottsdale.