Water may be the defining issue for Scottsdale in 2023, according to Mayor David Ortega.
“I am cautiously optimistic as Arizona and Scottsdale face the challenges of the mega drought, but my belief is that by holding true to our values … our family friendly neighborhoods and business-centered hospitality, (we) will continue to thrive and cherish our unique sense of place we know as Scottsdale,” Ortega said.
The Federal Bureau of Reclamation has declared a Tier 2A shortage on the Colorado River effective today, Jan. 1. That means Arizona will take a 592,000-acre-foot cut to its allocation, which is an additional 80,000 acre-feet above last year’s Tier 1 shortage.
Even at that cut level, Scottsdale would not advance beyond Stage 1 of its drought management plan, which calls for a voluntary water use reduction of 5% by the city’s private and commercial users. But a Tier 2B or even a Tier 3 shortage could be announced as early as this summer and what that means for Scottsdale is not yet clear.
Ortega won’t say whether or not he foresees water rationing in 2023 but Valerie Schneider, a spokeswoman for the city Water Department, said it won’t happen.
This coming year is going to be a busy one for city staff and elected officials, Ortega said.
Aside from water, affordable housing, short-term rentals, and the question to extend a .2% sales tax to maintain the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and other open spaces all loom large in 2023, he said.
Affordable Housing
Ortega is hoping for some requests for proposals for affordable housing projects this year, stating, “We remain committed to trying to get some affordable housing initiatives.”
Affordable housing developers have bypassed Scottsdale for decades but now that the council has budgeted $15 million for affordable housing projects, Ortega says he is actively meeting with developers.
“I’m hopeful we will partner with the experts and get something meaningful built to ease that problem,” he said.
Not everyone is convinced that affordable housing is feasible in Scottsdale and even fewer agree on what even constitutes affordable housing here.
Short-Term Rentals
Regulating behavior at short-term rentals will also take center stage this year, Ortega said.
Armed with new state legislation, Council approved in October a tightening of regulations governing short-term rentals.
Among other things, they require all short-term rental units doing business in Scottsdale register with the city by Jan. 8. There are approximately 5,000 units in Scottsdale, according to city estimates, but only about 600 units have registered so far.
“They are slow to register,” Ortega said. “It’s come to my attention and I want to remind the short-term rentals the deadline is in January. I want to encourage them to follow our ordinance or face fines and other things if they don’t. I’m a little surprised they are slow to register because the industry (leaders) agreed to all the terms.”
He also expects the five-person police unit the council approved in April to address noise and other issues related to short-term rentals to be up and running in 2023.
McDowell Sonoran Preserve
The Protect and Preserve Scottsdale Task Force will also be busy in the coming year.
The nine-person task force, which was appointed last month, will make a recommendation on whether or not to extend a .2% sales tax which is set to expire in 2025 to pay for up keep of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the Indian Bend Wash greenbelt and the city’s 42 parks.
Some on council would like to see that money go toward the purchase of additional land for the Preserve as well, but Ortega is leaving that up to the task force to decide.
“We’re not jumping to conclusions on where all these needs are in our parks, open spaces and in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve,” he said. “That’s for the nine members of the task force to explore and discuss.”
Ortega also sees some of the city’s past accomplishments, such as a non-discrimination ordinance passed in 2021 and the green building codes the council passed last month, as paying dividends in 2023.
“As I complete my second year in office, we have had some amazing accomplishments, what I would say are lasting accomplishments into the coming year,” he said.
