The Scottsdale Community Council is a group of concerned south Scottsdale citizens who have been involved with the Scottsdale City Council for 16 years, according to Lida Stewart Community Council board member.
In May, land developer Steve Ellman sold the 42-acre Los Arcos site to the ASU Foundation for $41.5 million. The foundation then sold the land to Scottsdale for the same amount. The city then agreed to lease the land back to ASU. Scottsdale City Councilman Bob Littlefield, who opposed the deal, said the city would collect no property taxes, no sales taxes and no rent on the land ASU will use for the tech center.
The city has also agreed to pay the ASU Foundation up to $45 million to build infrastructure on the lot.
Ellman's Los Arcos land has passed through a number of highly controversial abandoned proposals, including the construction of a Wal-Mart store and the building of a professional ice-hockey arena.
This summer, Scottsdale Taxpayers Opposed to Ellman's Demands, or STOPPED, attempted to create a referendum opposing Scottsdale's involvement in the sale of the property to ASU. The referendum never made it to a vote because the group was unable to collect the requisite number of signatures.
Michelle Aubert, co-founder of STOPPED, then founded Citizens for a Better Scottsdale to further monitor the city's level of fiscal responsibility.
Aubert said the group wants to make sure the city does not spend more than the planned $45 million on infrastructure on the site.
The group does not have any complaints about how the ASU Foundation handled the tech-center deal, according to Aubert.
"We really do believe that the foundation is committed to doing something at that site," Aubert said.
Her gripe is mostly with the city's approval of the deal in the first place.
"We're stuck with this technology center, so we might as well hope to God that it works out at this point," she said.
Stewart called the ASU tech center "a boondoggle."
"I don't see it fulfilling anything in our area here, especially for our businesses and car dealers," she said.
The process has exasperated small business owners near the site.
"The small business owner has paid the dues for the mistakes of the corporations," said Nick Nikias, owner of Club Tan & Fitness located near the site.
Chris Karch, owner of Redrum Comics, located near the site, said he would have liked to see new shops and restaurants built on the site.
"What we need in the area is employment, not students," Karch said.
Reach the reporter at brent.celmins@asu.edu.
