A year after the CrackerJax amusement park closed down in north Scottsdale, a conceptual site plan to redevelop the park has been submitted to the city.
Billionaire George Kurtz, the co-founder and CEO of cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, and one of the wealthiest people in Arizona, acquired the nearly 28 acres last spring for $55.5 million. At the time of the purchase, Kurtz said he wanted to create "a transformational, sustainable mixed-use campus as a catalyst to attract top innovators, technology entrepreneurs, knowledge workers, and venture capitalists to accelerate Scottsdale’s growing technology cluster.”
According to a site plan submitted in late May for the former amusement park at 16001 N. Scottsdale Road, the proposed 2 million-square-foot project will be "The Parque." The proposed plans will bring an estimated $1 billion of reinvestment into the site, according to the development team for The Parque.
Proposed for The Parque are more than 1,200 residential units through multifamily, condominiums and workforce housing; a 100,000-square-foot office building; more than 30,000 square feet for new restaurants; more than 25,000 square feet for additional retail; a 223-key, five-star branded hotel; and 92,500 square feet for flexible space. Plans also call for a 2-acre, open space "Central Park" in the middle of the development, which is described as the "focal point" of The Parque.
The residential and hotel components have their open space amenities such as pools, shade cabanas, furniture and shade trees to replicate a "resort-like feel." Phase one of The Parque would include the development of the street tract from Scottsdale Road and the build-out of Central Park, according to project documents.
The ownership team consists of Kurtz and David Megdal while Nelsen Partners has been tasked as the architect for The Parque. Texas-based Nelsen Partners has worked on other prominent Valley retail developments including the nearby Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Quarter as well as the Arizona Biltmore and Goodyear's new downtown.
Berry Riddell LLC is the land-use attorney for the project.
Though a hearing date in front of Scottsdale's planning commission or City Council had not been determined as of Thursday, The Parque was already considered by Scottsdale's Airport Advisory Commission on June 21. The project's development team expects the public review process will likely carry through the end of the year.