By Paul Basha, traffic engineer, Summit Land Management
How could the City of Scottsdale allow a private developer to curve its namesake street and the most important Old Town street?
It is an incorrect and often-repeated urban legend that the Galleria developers convinced the City of Scottsdale to curve Scottsdale Road. The real story is the reverse. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Scottsdale Road from Osborn Road to Camelback Road was very congested – imagine that. At the time, traffic engineers only knew how to solve congestion by adding more lanes.
So, the plan was to widen Scottsdale Road to three through lanes per direction from Osborn Road to Camelback Road. Great idea: except the third lane would have eliminated all the businesses adjacent to Scottsdale Road from 4th Street to Camelback Road. Devastating. Fortunately, that idea was rejected by City planners before it was presented outside city offices. The next brilliant idea from conventional traffic engineers was one-way streets. They worked very well in Phoenix: Central Avenue and 1st Avenue, south of Roosevelt Street; and Jefferson Street and Washington Street. Though Central Avenue and 1st Avenue are only 400 feet apart, as are Jefferson and Washington.
In Old Town Scottsdale, the closest north-south through streets were 68th Street and Miller Road, both one-half mile from Scottsdale Road. And should Scottsdale Road be one-way southbound or one-way northbound? Additionally, Scottsdale Road, north of Camelback Road and south of Osborn Road, could easily be six lanes, so the one-way streets only needed to be one mile long at the most.
After much deliberation, a highly creative and competent planning genius (not me, I was not with Scottsdale yet) suggested two new streets: one two blocks east, and the other two blocks west, of Scottsdale Road. And rather than one-way streets, he conceived a plan for three lanes in the primary direction and two lanes in the secondary direction. The concept evolved to provide an east couplet on Civic Center Plaza of three northbound lanes and two southbound lanes, and a west couplet on 70th Street of three southbound lanes and two northbound lanes.
After the passing of Senator Barry Goldwater, and after Robinsons purchased Goldwater’s department store, the west couplet became Goldwater Boulevard. After the passing of Mayor Herbert Drinkwater, the east couplet became Drinkwater Boulevard.
So, we’re all glad that Scottsdale Road remains four lanes to this day, and all the businesses adjacent to Scottsdale Road also remain – though the Famous Pacific Fish Company, Bice, Pink Pony, Paradise Pottery, Bakers Square, and other businesses have changed. While Chase Bank remains, it was once Bank One and Valley National Bank and Gila Valley Bank. The Sugar Bowl, Breakfast Club, Daily Dose, and other businesses remain as they once were.
So, want to drive northbound through Old Town Scottsdale without stopping? Use Drinkwater Boulevard – the traffic signals are timed to provide northbound consecutive green lights at 35 miles-per-hour. Want to drive southbound through Old Town Scottsdale without stopping? Use Goldwater Boulevard – the traffic signals are timed to provide southbound consecutive green lights at 35 miles-per-hour. Want to drive very slowly and stop for many red lights? Use Scottsdale Road through Old Town Scottsdale – be certain to buy something while you’re there.
Back to the Galleria story. In 1988 or so when the developers approached the City of Scottsdale, they saw the already planned curve in Scottsdale Road. They embraced the curve and designed their building to mimic the curve. Curve first, Galleria second.
The aerial photographs below show the Scottsdale Road south curve and north curve. The curves are virtually identical mirror images. Does anybody believe that the Galleria developers were so powerful that they demanded that the City of Scottsdale curve Scottsdale Road in front of Staples?
The Galleria planning began and ended in 1988, with construction beginning in 1989. It opened in 1991 and closed in 1993. The Galleria developers were very inexperienced.
Also in 1988, Scottsdale Fashion Square, then owned by Westcor, was planning one of their numerous successful expansions and transformations. When the City of Scottsdale planners first reviewed the proposed Scottsdale Fashion Square expansion plans, they offered pages of planning and design suggestions. The very experienced and knowledgeable Westcor Partners and their architects carefully reviewed each suggestion, accepting most and explaining reasons for their rejection of few. Westcor then devoted approximately four years to refine their plans and designs prior to construction.
When the City of Scottsdale planners reviewed the Galleria development plans, they also offered pages of planning and design suggestions. (Including that the parking was too far from the shopping and had too many vertical levels.) The Galleria developers rejected every suggestion without consideration, stating that it was private money for a private development on private property and the risk was entirely private. The Galleria design was completed, and construction began, in four months.
As Benjamin Franklin said, “Haste Makes Waste”. As Socrates said: “Smart people learn from everything and everyone, Average people learn from their own experiences, stupid people already know all the answers.”
Remember the 1994 James Cameron movie, “True Lies”, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis? Part of it was filmed in 1993 in the then empty Galleria. Not the ending with the helicopter chasing the car on the long bridge with missing sections – that would be too obvious. The Galleria scenes include a motorcycle in a glass elevator, Mr. Schwarzenegger on a horse in a glass elevator, then Mr. Schwarzenegger riding the horse through a people-filled ballroom chasing the motorcycle. Also, some of the chase scenes in a parking structure, and some of the internal building explosions, and some of the crashes into large glass windows were filmed in the Galleria. What could be more fun than demolishing parts of a large expensive building and not having to restore it?
Curious about something traffic? Contact Paul Basha at (480) 505-3931 or pbasha@summitlandmgmt.com.
