Scottsdale's SkySong development will include office and business units, commercial shops, restaurants and residential apartments connected, spokespeople said at a meeting Wednesday.
SkySong, the new project developing at the intersection of Scottsdale and McDowell Road in Scottsdale, will dedicate 1.2 million square feet to the new units.
Officials said the units would be connected to SkySong by densely landscaped boulevard walkways.
And towering above it all will be SkySong's trademark - a sleek-looking white shade structure designed to symbolize the innovative ideals that spawned it.
"This area of Scottsdale continues to revitalize, and we're glad to be apart of that," John Berry, a lawyer and representative of SkySong said.
The site's main appeal will be the idea that a person could literally walk to work and dispense with long commute times and expensive gas bills. It explores the perhaps futuristic idea of a "24/7 environment" where people work and live in close proximity, said Steve Evans of the ASU Foundation.
Strong emphasis will be put on the pedestrian, with courtyards, a park, and the elaborate Paseo, the main east to west walkway. Ideally a worker could fill most of his or her typical daily needs without ever having to step into a car.
SkySong representatives insured the commercial sector would keep a family image, implementing sandwich and coffee shops as opposed to pawn shops or tattoo parlors.
SkySong aims to attract scientists, engineers, researchers, and other fields working towards advanced technology.
The site spans 42 acres, with two four-story 150,000 square foot buildings as the center pieces. The work spaces will be equipped with abundant power and bandwidth capacity to support the cutting edge infrastructure.
ASU has embraced the new idea, and has signed on with the project, which will open by the spring of 2007 when its first phase of the construction is complete.
The university foundation has teamed up with SkySong to help create a center for technological research and development.
ASU will relocate some of its entrepreneurial, engineering and research programs to the site, as well as grant SkySong access to relevant events and facilities on its own campuses.
SkySong would provide an opportunity for ASU graduate students in the respective fields, though it was made clear at the open meeting that the residential units would not advocate a dorm-type atmosphere.
"No dorms, fraternity or sorority houses will be built in the residential zones," Berry said.
However one concern at the meeting was that the housing, which will lack such suburban luxuries as yards and neighbors, still appears more suitable for students than families.
SkySong representatives responded with optimism that traditional suburban housing will develop around the area.
The residential units will be priced at market rates for housing in Scottsdale, according to Evans.
Phases I and II of the SkySong project will incorporate the business units, and Phase III will begin the residential and commercial components.
Reach the reporter at steven.bohner@asu.edu.
