Resident launches petition asking council to delay Brown Avenue garage pending new parking study

Steve Sutton, a Scottsdale resident, told the Development Review Board he has created a petition asking the City Council to direct the city manager to investigate plans for a multi‑story garage at the Brown Avenue parking corral and to delay any construction contract until after public review.

Sutton told the board that “the mission is a unique and culturally significant pre World War 2 building that the United States Department of Interior has placed on the national register of historic places.” He said the petition asks the council to investigate whether adding a multi‑story garage at the Brown Avenue parking corral is needed and “whether alternative actions are sufficient for current and future parking needs and to not approve a construction contract at this location until this investigation is completed and presented to the residents of Scottsdale to have not less than 30 days to consider its findings.”

The nut graf: Sutton said his research — which included reviewing Scottsdale documents, council videos and meeting transcripts and speaking with long‑time local figures — convinced him “the public is going to overwhelmingly oppose building this garage unless city government can prove to the public satisfaction that the creation of more parking spaces by the building of this garage extension is essential and the only viable option.” He described a list of investigative measures he wants included in the review.

In his petition, Sutton asked the council to direct the city manager to use “all appropriate investigative methods, including the methods listed below,” and he named several specific steps: a new independent 2025 parking and traffic study of the southeast and southwest quadrants of Old Town that includes ride‑sharing impacts; new research into better signs directing drivers to parking areas; and electronic monitoring of parking to provide real‑time street‑side information to drivers.

Sutton said he is not part of the organized resident group that previously petitioned the council but that he expects broad public support: “As with my previous 2 dog park petitions, I've already discovered it will not be a problem convincing residents to support this petition.”

The Development Review Board did not take formal action on Sutton's petition during the meeting; Arizona law prohibits the board from discussing or taking action on non‑agendized items during public comment, a restriction staff reminded the board of at the start of public testimony.

Ending: Sutton asked the council to consider study methods and at least 30 days of public review before approving a construction contract; the petition and any council directive to the city manager would be matters for the City Council rather than the Development Review Board.