by Arizona Progress Gazette
Once upon a time a group of neighbors in McDowell Mountain Ranch and a terribly odd no-growth activist teamed up to oppose the Ice Den on Bell Road near WestWorld. Proposed by the then Phoenix Coyotes 20 years ago it was meant to serve as a training facility for the franchise, and an incredible new amenity for kids and families. After a pitched battle that went all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court the project was allowed to proceed. Today, it stands as a Scottsdale point of pride and the best ice skating site in Arizona. Time has proved neighbor warnings of “gangs,” “traffic,” and “decreased property values” fallacious.
The episode reminds of a more contemporary debate about siting a flagship BASIS School campus at 128th and Shea.
The BASIS schools are the top ranked schools in Arizona and in some cases, the nation. The school’s history in the community is long and distinguished. Having schools of such renown is not unimportant to economic development efforts. They are the best in class, something Scottsdale has always aspired to whether it’s golf tournaments, car auctions, preservation, the arts, flood control projects or its quality of life.
