Another development slugfest is going on in Scottsdale, this time with Taser maker Axon

Taser stun gun maker Axon Enterprise’s proposal to develop apartments and a hotel adjacent to its Scottsdale headquarters is facing scrutiny after nearby residents have opposed the development, which includes a use explicitly prohibited by the existing plan for the area.

Axon is seeking to modify the plan to remove a prohibition on residential uses on its north Scottsdale land on Hayden Road south of Loop 101. The site currently allows industrial development. Axon’s headquarters, which is planned next to the proposed apartments and hotel, has already been approved by the Scottsdale City Council but has not begun construction.

Scottsdale’s Planning Commission did not vote on whether to recommend the City Council approve the residential and hotel portion at its meeting on Wednesday, instead continuing the discussion to its Feb. 14 meeting.

The continuance would allow time for some outstanding questions, like anticipated water use from the project, to be answered before the commission makes its recommendation.

The city’s Airport Advisory Commission already voted to recommend the council deny the zoning change.

Axon bought its land in 2020 at an Arizona State Land Department auction for $49.1 million. If the zoning case is approved, Charles Huellmantel, the zoning attorney representing Axon in the case, said Axon will pay an additional sum to the department, because the value of the land would increase with the zoning change.

Since submitting its first zoning proposal to the city, Axon lowered the number of apartment units proposed from over 2,500 to 1,975, and it also moved the hotel portion of the project farther away from nearby single-family homes, Huellmantel said at the Planning Commission meeting.

Huellmantel said the apartments will be built in phases, with 525 units eligible to be built right away once the zoning change is complete and the permits are issued. The second batch, another 500, would be eligible to be built a year later, and the final 950 could not be eligible for a certificate of occupancy sooner than five years after the project is allowed.

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Neighbors oppose residential uses, worry about traffic

Neighbors who live in the nearby subdivision addressed the commission members, urging them not to recommend the council approve the project.

Susan McGarry, president of the Scottsdale Stonebrook II homeowner association, said the company knew when it bought the land that residential uses were prohibited there by the Crossroads East Development Plan that governs the area.

“Axon is attempting to hold the city hostage by saying or implying it will go elsewhere if it is not approved,” McGarry said.

McGarry said neighbors knew the site would eventually be developed, but thought it would be something industrial, similar to what is already allowed.

A total of 17 people addressed the commission, 10 spoke against the development, voicing concerns about increased traffic, high density housing near their single-family homes, and claiming that they were subject to a bait-and-switch when residential was proposed in a place it was outright prohibited.

Axon CEO: Housing crucial for company growth

Axon CEO Rick Smith addressed the commission and said having housing near the corporate campus is critical for the company’s growth and recruitment.

“If we don’t do it here, we will continue to grow, we’ll just grow in Seattle, Atlanta and other jurisdictions because that’s where people want to move,” Smith said.

Huellmantel said the apartment portion is essential for Axon because employees want to live near where they work. He said preference will be given to Axon employees for renting the units.

The commission will hear the item again at its Feb. 14 meeting and will likely make a recommendation to the council at that time.

Reach the reporter at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @CorinaVanek.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Axon's plan for apartments, hotel near Scottsdale HQ faces opposition