‘Visionary’ makes another power move Article originally posted on HERE on July 14, 2025 Kurtzdale, anyone? If Scottsdale was a board game, anywhere you landed on a stretch of North Scottsdale Road – you’d be paying rent to George Kurtz. In a strong bid to be the monopolist of this area, Kurtz has struck again, adding Scottsdale Quarter to an eye-popping Scottsdale Road portfolio that already included Scottsdale Promenade and the former CrackerJax amusement park. Two years ago, Kurtz was introduced as “a visionary” and “the man you want to transform Scottsdale.” The Parque, on bustling Scottsdale Road near the Scottsdale Airpark, was the CrowdStrike founder’s vision. With Barry Graham and Kathy Littlefield voting against, Scottsdale City Council gave Kurtz 5-2 approval for a mixed-use plan to convert the former amusement park into 1,182 apartments and condos, a “five-star hotel” with 223 rooms, offices and 253,000 square feet of restaurants and shops. The Parque is to be located smack between the Promenade, which Kurtz bought in 2022, and Scottsdale Quarter. The owner of Scottsdale Quarter? As of June 26: George Kurtz. Last week, FalconEye Ventures – a real estate investment company founded by tech entrepreneur Kurtz in 2020 – announced the acquisition of Scottsdale Quarter, “a premier, 755,000-square-foot open-air mixed-use destination encompassing retail, dining, and office components.” Scottsdale Quarter also is home to 600 apartment units. Added to the Parque, that gives Kurtz nearly 2,000 apartments/condos in a square mile. The $645 million sale closed April 4, with FalconEye putting down a whopping $245 million in cash to SDQ Fee. The Ohio company made a nice return on its investment: SDQ bought the Quarter in 2010 for $90 million. According to a press release, Kurtz will pump “a $100 million capital improvement program” into Scottsdale Quarter to “expand its Class-A office offerings to cater to technology and creative industry tenants.” Scottsdale Quarter is best known for high-end retail and restaurants, with the likes of Apple, Restoration Hardware, lululemon and Dominick’s Steakhouse. The Kurtz vision is “to create a vibrant live-work-play environment that blends contemporary luxury retail, chef-driven dining … and a hub for breakthrough technology companies.” Sound familiar? Nearly two years ago, the ginger-haired, mustachioed Kurtz pitched his North Scottsdale “vision” to Council. “In the case of the Parque, our vision is to create a true mixed-use project that not only represents how special Scottsdale is, but a project that respects residents’ values and embraces our community’s high standards of sustainability. “I believe the Parque will be a catalyst that attracts the country’s top innovators, technology entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and knowledge workers.” The council-approved plan calls for 35 feet of “bonus height” allowing for buildings 117 feet tall – at a cost of $15 million. Littlefield warned against the notion of building such tall buildings just off the Scottsdale Airport runways: “Allowing 1,200 apartments to be built that close to our airport will be putting them in jeopardy. It only takes one accident,” she said. Despite Littlefield’s dire warnings and Graham’s more muted concerns, the Parque received the green light. No race For a competitive racecar driver, Kurtz is moving at more of a snail’s pace. The reality here is a bit of a nightmare – by Scottsdale standards, at least. The “no trespassing” signs posted at the gates of the sprawling property look to be routinely ignored, as the ghost of a once-thriving amusement park is pockmarked with broken glass and litter. Graffiti marks dilapidated buildings, with no sign of demolition or any type of preliminary construction work. The project must be started within seven years, according to a 2023 development agreement with the city. “We intend to start construction as soon as possible,” John Berry – the project’s zoning attorney – told the Planning Commission Sept. 27, 2023. “The seven years is the worst case.” Almost one year before the Parque was approved, Council approved Optima McDowell Mountain Village, a similar-sized development – both have price tags of around $1 billion. Optima is putting the finishing touches on the first of six “luxury apartment” buildings at Scottsdale Road and Mayo Boulevard. Less than 3 miles south, nothing much seems to be happening – though there has been some behind-the-scenes movement. “The Parque Phase One” was submitted to the city March 10. It calls the first 159 dwelling units – about 15% of the total planned – with a modest 100,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space. According to a company spokeswoman, “The Parque has received all of its public approvals from the city and we are looking forward to starting construction.” The $1 billion cost of the project is certainly hefty, but for Kurtz hardly a checkbook breaker. His CrowdStrike continues to be a leader in the fast-growing world of cybersecurity, topping $4 billion in annual revenue. CrowdStrike advertises it “protects the people, processes and technologies that drive modern enterprise.” Kurtz, who is also a race-car driver, often is quoted on news networks and in newspapers on cybersecurity issues. Now writing checks for 7,000 employees, Kurtz co-founded CrowdStrike in Austin, Texas, in 2011 – when a modest amusement park on Scottsdale Road was going strong. After its business suffered during the pandemic, CrackerJax amusement park – which featured batting cages, mini golf and an arcade – ended its 30-year run in 2022. Kurtz, on the heels of purchasing the nearby Scottsdale Promenade, swooped in to buy the 33 acres on Scottsdale Road near Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard for $55 million.