By Recker McDowell
The arts are one of Scottsdale’s endearing and enduring brands. They help make the city a cool place to visit and hang out.
So, when we see a skirmish between the city of Scottsdale and the Dilla Libre restaurant and its cool mural. We are siding with the restaurant and the cool art.
The city of Scottsdale says the colorful mural goes against its rules and regulations. The city wants the front of the building painted over though the restaurant owner, Mike Baum, is taking his case to Scottsdale’s Development Review Board.
The mural was painted in May with Baum hoping it would lift community spirits and his restaurant business as they both deal with COVID-19.
The Dilla Libre restaurant is located at Hayden and Thomas Roads where road construction previously hurt nearby businesses.
Scottsdale’s restaurants and small businesses need all the help and boosts they can get these days with the COVID’s continued impacts on public health, jobs and the economy. The community has galvanized in favor of the mural with more than 10,000 supporters signing a Change.org petition trying to save the mural.
We hope the city listens to those sentiments and understands the needs of restaurants and small businesses hit hard by COVID. We also hope the city understands how important cool mural and cool art are for Scottsdale’s brand and image now and going forward.