The energy and enthusiasm surrounding the revitalization of McDowell Corridor has not gone unnoticed. Phoenix Magazine has identified Southern Scottsdale/Skysong as one of the “10 Hottest Neighborhoods of 2020” for living and investment. Citing natural resources, local amenities and “next-gen biz”, Southern Scottsdale joins the ranks of Scottsdale Airpark and Mesa Eastmark as a few of the hottest cities in the Valley five years from now.
SGA’s board chair, Jeff Bergoff shared his vision for the future of McDowell Road with the article’s author Keridwen. You can read the entire article below and see who else made the cut for “Hottest Neighborhoods of 2020”.
SKYSONG
Why It Will Be Hot: Next-gen biz, Gen X aesthetic appeal For years, innovation hub SkySong – and its South Scottsdale surrounds – were growing at the speed of dial-up. Now, they’ve gone broadband. About 90 percent leased with cutting-edge companies like Theranos and Pyxl, SkySong recently debuted sleek apartments and a third office building. In 2016, they’ll open a fourth tower, plus 12,000 feet for retail and three restaurants. But across the street, Papago Plaza is the Woody to SkySong’s Buzz Lightyear. That may change soon: The center is in escrow, and rumor has it the new owners may give it a 21st-century makeover. “I understand they are renovating it, but keeping the good tenants, like Papago Brewing,” says Megan Berry of The Investor Hub, a firm that guides clients to investment opportunities in emerging neighborhoods.
To the south, car dealerships are vamoosing. One is transforming into Las Aguas apartments; another now houses landscape design company Berghoff Design Group. Jeff Berghoff sees a sea change coming to SoSco: “I think it’s going to turn into this cool, hipster area [with] a young urban vibe [for] millennials or 20-somethings, 30-somethings that want to have a family.” He touts the area’s mid-century modern homes, especially in the Hy-View neighborhood, as being ripe for design-minded Gen Xers.
Local Attractions: Bike along the Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt (scottsdaleaz.gov/parks/greenbelt), which unfurls for 11 miles, then sip a cold one at Fate Brewing, slated to open this summer in a beer-barrel-inspired building (1312 N. Scottsdale Rd., 480-994-1275, fatebrewing.com).