Residents urge Scottsdale council to restore repealed sustainability plan

Two Scottsdale residents used the council’s public-comment period to call on the city to restore a recently repealed community sustainability plan and task force, saying the plan reflected broad input and protected Scottsdale’s livability.

Josie Colan, who said she has lived in Scottsdale for seven years, told the council she was “profoundly disappointed” the council reversed adoption of the sustainability plan and that doing so disregarded thousands of resident and expert hours of input. She warned that visible climate impacts — including heat and water concerns — threaten the city’s tourism and quality of life.

Whitney Worman, an architect involved with the Scottsdale Museum of the West expansion, said the city had adopted the 2021 International Green Construction Code and that the now-repealed sustainability plan was the result of a three-year process. “This plan is a roadmap to protect what we've built and prepare for the challenges ahead,” Worman said.

Councilwoman Solange Whitehead thanked the speakers and highlighted that the city’s green building codes remain on the books. Interim city attorney Louie Santayo clarified rules around public comment, advising that advocacy for candidates or ballot measures is not appropriate in the public-comment period and explaining the limited scope of jurisdiction for council comment and response.

No council action to reinstate the plan was taken during the meeting.

Speakers cited examples they said demonstrate Scottsdale’s history of forward-looking policy: the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, green building codes, wastewater recycling and the Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt. They asked the council to restore the sustainability plan and task force to guide policy around water, heat mitigation and air quality.