Eldorado Park Gave South Scottsdale Its Backyard. Now Residents Get to Shape What Comes Next

By Vanessa Rogers

Before the greenbelt had a name, Scottsdale had Eldorado Park. Nearly 60 years after it opened as the city’s first community park, the city is inviting residents to help decide what comes next. Scottsdale has set aside $780,000 this fiscal year for the first phase of design. That work builds on a master plan for Eldorado and Vista del Camino parks shaped by community input.

The stakes are real, because Eldorado Park is far more than a patch of grass. Along Miller Road, it holds a community center, an aquatic center, a skatepark, fishing lakes, ball fields and shaded ramadas. For many south Scottsdale families, it is the neighborhood living room.

Photo Credit: City of Scottsdale

Where the Greenbelt Began

Decades ago, federal planners wanted a concrete ditch to carry floodwater through the Indian Bend Wash. Scottsdale said no. Instead, voters approved a bond in 1973, and the city turned a flood hazard into 11 miles of parks, lakes, paths and golf courses. The city formally dedicated the $54 million project in 1985, nearly two decades after the first park in the wash was built.

Today that greenbelt is a national model of citizen initiative. Eldorado was part of the story from the beginning.

Aging Bones

Sixty years is a long time for any park. In fact, the city acknowledges that infrastructure along this stretch of the wash is aging. Crews are currently repairing lakes and irrigation, which has limited access to the north lake and ballfields. Meanwhile, the Parks and Recreation Commission received a design update in September.

In other words, this is not a cosmetic refresh. It is the moment to decide how a well-loved park serves the next generation.

Photo Credit: Phoenix with Kids

What Residents Should Ask For

Shade should come first. Arizona summers keep getting longer, and pools and ball fields are only as good as the hours people can use them. Next, protect what works. The lakes, the skatepark and the community center draw steady crowds for a reason. Finally, keep it a neighborhood park. Not every corner needs programming, and open grass has value too.

There is also a fairness question. North Scottsdale gets much of the attention, from the Preserve to new resorts. South Scottsdale was home to the city’s first community park, and it deserves first-class reinvestment.

Show Up

Scottsdale’s best public spaces came from residents who refused to accept a bad plan. The greenbelt is proof. So watch for the city’s outreach opportunities, then take the survey, attend the meetings and bring your neighbors.

Eldorado Park gave south Scottsdale its backyard. Now residents get to help draw its next 60 years.