Scottsdale DRB approves Bishop mixed‑use site plan with conditions

The Scottsdale Development Review Board on Tuesday approved the site plan, landscape plan and building elevations for the Bishop mixed‑use development (Case 12‑DR‑2024), a three‑story project that will contain 17 dwelling units and ground‑floor commercial space on a 1.13‑acre Old Town site, after adding conditions on a south zero‑lot wall and long‑term planter maintenance.

Brian Clough, with the City of Scottsdale planning department, told the board the application requests “approval of the site plan, landscape plan, and building elevations for a new 3 story mixed use development that includes 17 dwelling units and approximately 4,300 square feet of commercial floor area on a 1.13 acre site.” The site sits near the Goldwater Curve and fronts Second Street, Clough said.

The board approved the application 6‑0, attaching two additional stipulations beyond the staff recommendations: the applicant must work with staff on articulation of the south zero‑lot wall to break up that elevation, and the project’s homeowner‑association rules must include a maintenance program for planted screening on the building’s east/west facades.

Applicant representatives said the development will include residential garages accessed from the alley and pedestrian improvements along Bishop and Second Street. “We have 17 luxury condos. We have a Ground Floor commercial office space, approximately 4,700 square feet,” said CP, identified in the record as a Paria Development representative; CP also said the commercial space “could reach upwards of 6,800 to 7,000 square feet” if developed with a second‑story element. CP said the team is “hopeful to deliver the units in the first quarter of 2027.”

Board members’ questions focused on long‑term appearance and maintenance. Members sought assurances that planter materials adjacent to garages and along the east facade would be maintained so they would not create sight‑line hazards or deteriorate visually. The applicant agreed to include maintenance obligations in the HOA documents and to work with staff on plant species and ongoing upkeep.

The board also pressed the applicant on rooftop mechanical screening and facade materials. One board member expressed concern about use of exposed or porous concrete on a prominent elevation, asking about weathering and long‑term appearance; the applicant said it would likely use a penetrating sealer and pointed out that the elevation faces north and is recessed. For rooftop equipment the applicant described a custom, powder‑coated steel screening system composed of angled members intended to block direct views while allowing ventilation.

Clough described other project features: new eight‑foot sidewalks and landscaping on both street frontages, retention of existing parallel parking on Bishop and Second, street trees (mesquite species) for shade, garage access from the alley for most units, and ground‑floor commercial at the corner of Bishop and Second. The building is shown at about 36 feet in height (exclusive of rooftop mechanical equipment). The applicant said 12 of the 17 units will access from the alley and five will enter from a parking area facing Bishop.

In making the approval motion, a board member cited the project’s contribution to the pedestrian experience in the Old Town museum/district area and the board’s findings that the development meets the review criteria. The motion passed unanimously. The board directed staff and the applicant to finalize the south wall articulation and the plant‑maintenance language as permit conditions before final sign‑off.

Next steps described in the meeting record are finalization of construction documentation and standard permit review; the applicant indicated permitting work is already underway. The board did not specify a permit issuance date.