By Peter Corbett
The Arizona Republic
Two backers of a plan to build an elevated recreational trail over McDowell Road in Scottsdale say they will pursue a November 2013 ballot initiative that asks voters to provide $25 million for a first leg of the project.
Architect Doug Sydnor and public-relations executive Jason Rose announced their plan Thursday. Billed as the Scottsdale High Line Park, the 1.6-mile trail along McDowell Road would run from Indian Bend Wash to Papago Park and include an amphitheater at the park.
The $25 million initiative, if successful, would only finance an initial segment of roughly 0.6miles, they said.
Sydnor and Rose first presented the proposal in December to spark economic development in south Scottsdale.
“This is the first transformative idea for McDowell Road since 1999,” when a hockey arena was proposed for the former Los Arcos Mall site at the Scottsdale Road intersection, Rose said.