Don’t Let the Door Hit You…

We have spoken at length about Axon’s unwanted attempts to shoehorn a staggering nearly 2,000 apartments into North Scottsdale; about the apparent bait-and-switch that it pulled with both the city and the Arizona State Land Department, and its aggressive dismissal of the concerns of the area (get up to date here). Well Axon recently announced its quarterly financial results, and … Read More

BOMBSHELL REPORT: What is the REAL Axon?

You are probably aware of the complete mess that Axon put itself in recently with its outrageous plan to dramatically alter zoning laws in order to put up some 2,000 apartments in an area that doesn’t want them and can’t support them (get up to date here). While on its face this attempt is bad enough, a recent bombshell report … Read More

The Other Ortega is Off the Hook: Should He Be?

Many local folks are aware that there are two prominent Ortegas in the city of Scottsdale: not just the mayor (and former architect) Dave Ortega, but also art gallery owner Gilbert Ortega Jr.. It is hard to miss if you’ve spent any time in the shops in Old Town, as the name of the latter (technically, his late father Gilbert … Read More

Axon Rezoning Debacle Already Causing Major Uproar

Regular readers and folks in North Scottsdale very likely already know about the extremely controversial rezoning plan by taser manufacturer Axon. In short, they purchased a very large parcel of land right next to their headquarters that was originally zoned as being specifically for industrial or office use with residential use specifically prohibited. However, they later decided to attempt to … Read More

The 2024 Scottsdale State of the City Address: What You Should Expect

This Wednesday, Scottsdale Mayor Dave Ortega will be leading the 2024 iteration of the Scottsdale State of the City address. Like most State of the Union or State of the State addresses, they often follow the same general template: they are designed to tout the administration’s successes of the past year and tip the administration’s hand for the future, a … Read More

Scottsdale Mayor David D. Ortega Files for Second Term

Editor’s note: this is the press release sent out by the Ortega campaign this morning The Right Mayor at the Right Time for Scottsdale Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega files to run for a second term. Under his leadership, Scottsdale’s reputation as a beautiful, safe, clean and health-driven, world- class community has been strengthened.  Mayor Ortega focuses on supporting public safety, … Read More

DMB Development’s Unfortunate Request for More Density in One Scottsdale Project

By Ronald Sampson There has been a concerted shift away from the development hey-days of the past in Scottsdale, when it felt as though any interesting and well-financed idea conceived by developers would make its way through the city council with relative ease. More recently traffic, crowds (i.e. population density) and construction have made activists out of everyday people, and … Read More

STRs Persist as Issue in Scottsdale, Will It Become an Election Hot-Button Again?

Short-term rentals (STRs) turned into a considerable campaign issue in 2020 as out-of-control parties became an issue in many Scottsdale neighborhoods, angering many constituents and igniting calls for change. It became one of the platform points for Dave Ortega’s successful run for Mayor that year, and while some changes have been made, it’s increasingly evident that it is still a … Read More

It’s Official: Tammy Caputi Not Challenging David Ortega for Mayor

Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega will be facing what could be a tough re-election campaign next year, with a number of strong known and potential candidates looking to unseat him. However his path towards re-election looks as though it will be a bit easier with a recent announcement. In a reversal from what was long rumored but ultimately found to be … Read More