Last night four on the Scottsdale City Council proclaimed victory after exempting Axon from previously required water supply issues (at a time when Scottsdale is facing severe water challenges), eliminating the constitutional rights of Scottsdale citizens for a qualified, public vote on the matter in November, 2026 and, for the first time in city history, effectively allowing a massive project to self-govern itself when it comes to construction. Oh, and they effectively gave up on defending Scottsdale voting rights in court.
Unfortunately, that’s not where this giveaway and bizarre tale ends.
No less than the City itself and the Mayor today distributed press releases talking about slightly reducing the number of residential units granted Axon, as if it that were Churchillian, not comedic.
The releases touted a reduction to just “600 apartments and 600 condominiums,” which still make it one of the largest residential up-zonings the history of Arizona. But trust us they say, we got 600 for-sale condominiums instead of apartments as part of the deal! The only problem? The city failed to include any language in its highly suspect “Memorandum of Understanding” with Axon to properly and legally structure the entitlement to do everything possible to ensure condominiums. The city has done this before on other cases. It can easily do so again. Yet, it is not doing so, at least not yet. Nor did the city in its no so infinite wisdom ask Axon to voluntarily agree to a deed restriction to further ensure the outcome promised ad nauseum last night. Both of these items should be easy, basic guarantees by two parties working in good faith and pledging so publicly last night. Yet, they simply don’t exist. Promises to the contrary by those in the majority on Monday are hollow at best and flat out lies at worst.