(Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Caliber.)
By Patrick O’Grady | YourValley
A plan for a multifamily and mixed-use project near a central Scottsdale hospital drew a mixed reaction during a Scottsdale Planning Commission last week.
The plan for the Mercado Courtyards in the 10300 block of North 92nd Street was pushed through to council by a 4-3 vote on two zoning changes that would allow the project to proceed.
Caliber Development originally requested a change from commercial to mixed-used residential and making it a planned-unit development instead of a mix of developments.
The project, just east of HonorHealth’s Scottsdale Shea campus, initially asked for 273 multifamily units on about 6.6 acres of the sites overall 8.52 acres. The plan would have called for the demolition of some commercial currently on the site while leaving some on the north side of the property. The razed commercial would make way for the multifamily.
What the commission ultimately recommended, albeit through a split vote, was for about 262 uits on the site as well as 12 live-work units o the properties first floor with about 4,000 square feet dedicated to coworking space.
The measure was recommended by commissioners George Ertel, Renee Higgs, William Scarbrough and Joe Young. Dissenting were commissioners Barney Gonzales, Diana Kaminski and Christian Serena.
Jordan Rose, founder with Scottsdale law firm Rose Law Group, in representing Caliber said the company is close o the site ad its CEO, Chris Loeffler, lives withing a mile of the site and whose wife is a nurse. The impetus behind the project’s design was to provide housing for workers at the nearby hospital.
As part of the pitch to the commission, Rose presented a letter from the Arizona Nursing Association regarding the need to have “attainable” housing near to where people work.
