Commission recommends approval of Orangetale bar CUP for Bell Road shopping center

The Scottsdale Planning Commission on April 23 recommended City Council approval of case 10-UP-20-24, a conditional use permit for Orangetale, a proposed bar at the Bell Road and Thompson Peak Parkway shopping center. Commissioners voted unanimously to forward the staff recommendation.

Staff planner Casey Stanky said the proposed bar would occupy a roughly 1,500-square-foot tenant suite with an approximately 70-square-foot patio on the west side of the unit. The suite previously operated as the Whining Pig, a retail establishment that had a series 7 beer-and-wine license; the applicant seeks to operate under a series 6 liquor license and thus requires a bar conditional use permit.

Stanky told the commission that the site is in a planned community center zoning district and that, because the shopping center provides ample parking overall, the additional parking requirement for a bar use could be met. The city’s standard 750-foot notification was completed and staff reported one initial public comment in opposition early in the process but no subsequent correspondence.

There are no proposed changes to the building footprint; tenant improvements might alter the interior layout but would not expand the structure, staff said. The commission accepted staff’s finding that the conditional use permit criteria have been met and voted to recommend approval to City Council with the staff-recommended stipulations.

The Planning Commission’s action is a recommendation; the City Council will make the final decision on the permit.