Development Review Board approves 3-story mixed-use 'Bishop' project in Old Town Scottsdale

The Scottsdale Development Review Board on April 17 approved the site plan, landscape plan and building elevations for the Bishop project (case 12-DR-2024), a three-story mixed-use development that will place 17 dwelling units and ground-floor commercial space on a 1.13-acre Old Town parcel.

Brian Clough, a planner with the city's planning department, told the board the proposal includes 17 dwelling units and roughly 4,300 square feet of commercial floor area on the 1.13-acre site near the Goldwater Curve, fronting Second Street and Bishop Lane in Old Town Scottsdale. "The specific request this afternoon is for approval of the site plan, landscape plan, and building elevations for a new 3 story mixed use development," Clough said during staff presentation.

The project as presented includes garage parking that serves the residential units, an activated east facade with pedestrian circulation, new 8-foot sidewalks, retained parallel parking on Bishop and Second streets, and a building height that caps at about 36 feet (mechanical equipment excluded). Applicant representatives said building materials will include limestone veneer, stucco, metal mesh block, zinc fascia and faux wood siding. The applicant also said the ground-floor commercial space is about 4,700 square feet as currently designed and could be expanded in later iterations.

CP, a Paria Development representative, said the team has worked with city staff for more than two years on design iterations. "We have 17 luxury condos. We have a Ground Floor commercial office space, approximately 4,700 square feet," CP said. He told the board the application intentionally stays well under maximum density for the zoning and focuses on elevating the pedestrian experience in the developing arts/museum district.

Board members asked detailed questions about the western alley elevation, planter species and long-term maintenance, rooftop mechanical screening, and the appearance and texture of the south 0-foot lot-line wall. Several board members urged the applicant to commit to plant species and ongoing maintenance language. The applicant said an HOA will be in place and that maintenance requirements can be included in HOA documentation.

In a motion, the board approved the application per staff-recommended stipulations and added requirements for the applicant to work with staff on articulation of the south 0-foot lot-line wall and to establish a maintenance program for the planter/green-wall elements along the eastern/western facades. The vote was recorded as 6-0 in favor.

Why it matters: The Bishop project replaces long-vacant buildings on a prominent Old Town parcel and adds street-level commercial space and 17 residences in a part of Scottsdale that the board described as needing sensitive, pedestrian-oriented redevelopment. Board members emphasized materials, long-term plant maintenance and mechanical screening as conditions to ensure the project’s visual quality over time.

The applicant indicated permitting and final documentation will follow the board’s action; the applicant referenced an optimistic schedule with unit delivery targeted in the first quarter of 2027, dependent on permitting and final construction timelines.