Scottsdale, Arizona, a growing city in the Phoenix-Mesa metropolitan area, had a population of 130,069 in 1990. Scottsdale is located east of Phoenix, about 5 miles north of the neighboring city of Tempe.
The Consolidated Plan identifies Scottsdale's housing and community development needs and priorities, which will be funded through the Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. For the first year of the 5-year plan, the city will receive $1 million in CDBG funds, which will be used to finance 17 housing, community development, and service activities.
Scottsdale's total HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) allocation, from the Maricopa County HOME Consortium, is $299,267. Complete information about the housing conditions and needs of Scottsdale has been submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the Maricopa County HOME Consortium Consolidated Plan. HOME Consortium member jurisdictions include the cities of Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Peoria, and Glendale as well as Maricopa County.
Public participation in the development of the Consolidated Plan included
six public hearings that solicited input on housing, homelessness, and community
development needs. The first three hearings were held in September and October 1994 in local community
centers and Saguaro High School. The last three were held in March 1995 at the
Scottsdale City Hall. Following these three hearings was a 30-day comment
period, during which drafts of the Scottsdale and Maricopa HOME Consortium
Consolidated Plans were available in public libraries.
Maricopa County, including Scottsdale, is experiencing sustained economic
and employment growth. The economy is strong, and single-family residential
building permits are being issued at all-time high levels. Building permits are
being issued for large numbers of multifamily housing units, mostly for middle-
and high-income occupancy.
Scottsdale officials have worked to create a well-planned city that offers a balance of housing and employment opportunities.
Affordable housing is the most important housing need. Preservation of the existing stock of affordable housing through maintenance and rehabilitation is also needed.
In general, the housing market reflects the strong local economy. Although residential single-family permits are being issued at record high levels, multifamily market conditions have resulted in escalating rental rates. Virtually all of the multifamily permitting activity in Scottsdale has been for middle-and high-income individuals and families. The rapid escalation of home values and apartment rental rates is affecting housing availability for lower income persons who need assistance.
Housing costs more in Scottsdale than in surrounding areas, despite the fact that actual construction costs are relatively equal throughout the Salt River Valley. The 1990 census reported that the average value of an owner-occupied unit in Maricopa County was $103,487. In Scottsdale the average value was $148,358, which was 30 percent higher than the surrounding county. The large size and high quality of housing being constructed in the city account for this difference.
An estimated 8,100 renter households and 5,100 owner households have incomes less than 80 percent of the area median family income (MFI), and these households will need housing assistance in Fiscal Year 1995. Currently, the available Federal, State, local, and private housing resources have assisted only a limited number of those households in need. By Fiscal Year 1999, an estimated 9,200 renters and 5,750 owners earning less than 80 percent of MFI will require assistance.
An estimated 8,100 homeless persons presently reside in Maricopa County, and these individuals require emergency, transitional, and permanent housing facilities, as well as numerous social services.
No project-based public housing is available in Scottsdale. A survey conducted by the Maricopa HOME Consortium found significant waiting lists for Federal Section 8 and other rental assistance programs. Applicants on these lists often wait for more than 2 years. Scottsdale has recently taken direct administrative control of its Section 8 Existing Housing program, establishing waiting lists and local preference standards for assistance.
Government policies, regulations, and procedures can impede the development of affordable housing by increasing costs associated with financing, construction, and code compliance. Even a one-point drop in the cost of borrowing can reduce the cost of housing by 10 percent.
Scottsdale's zoning and the approval process also increase the cost of housing. To ease problems associated with the development of affordable housing, the city will explore recommendations presented in a recent study conducted by the Scottsdale Housing Board. Suggestions to lower the barriers to affordable housing include:
The city has completed an analysis of fair housing practices as approved by HUD's Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Office. To ensure fair housing, Scottsdale took control of the Section 8 Existing Housing program in its jurisdiction. Since February 1993 a city staff member has been assigned to serve as the direct contact for citizens seeking information on fair housing.
Fair housing outreach, including direct conciliation of complaints at the CDBG office, has been continuous. The outreach program has been publicized in the Arizona Bridge to Independent Living and the Scottsdale Progress , in public service announcements on the radio, and in flyers distributed to public service operations throughout the city.
An estimated 3 percent of the low-and moderate-income population in Scottsdale is at risk from lead-based paint hazards. However, during 1 year of site testing through CDBG-funded housing programs, no cases of lead poisoning or elevated blood-lead levels have been documented.
The frail elderly, persons with disabilities, persons with HIV/AIDS, migrant and seasonal farmworkers, and persons with serious mental illness represent the special populations that need supportive housing facilities and services. In general, the facilities and services currently available for these populations are not adequate.
Scottsdale's non-housing community development needs were determined using estimates from the city's Capital Improvement Plan, General Plan, and Redevelopment Plan, as well as from the staff of the Community Assistance Officeand Human Services and Planning Department. Identified needs include:
Under the Maricopa County HOME Consortium, affordable housing priorities have been determined on a regional basis. Providing affordable housing and services to low-and moderate-income residents is the city's continuing priority. Housing needs and priorities are described more fully in the Maricopa HOME Consortium Consolidated Plan.
Between 1995 and 1999, Scottsdale intends to address its affordable and supportive housing needs by providing rental assistance, undertaking aggressive housing rehabilitation combined with neighborhood revitalization efforts, and providing homeownership assistance for prospective lower income buyers.
The city's 5-year priorities include committing CDBG resources to needed public services for lower income applicants living inside and outside the city's corporate limits. Scottsdale will also commit resources to public facility projects that clearly and directly benefit eligible low- and moderate-income households.
The city plans to invest a maximum of 15 percent of its annual CDBG resources in priority public service needs, including a continuum of care for the homeless. Transportation accessibility for commuters with disabilities is another priority. The Transit Division has identified more than 500 curb cuts that must be completed at locations near or adjacent to city transportation sites.
Long-term objectives necessary for neighborhood redevelopment and revitalization include investments to foster redevelopment in mature parts of the city. A short-term objective is to offer technical assistance to organizations seeking resources necessary for the revitalization of particular neighborhoods.
Scottsdale's strategy to reduce the number of households living below the poverty level includes:
The resources to implement the 5-year plan include $1.3 million in CDBG and HOME funds that will be received this year. Scottsdale anticipates that similar levels of HUD support for community development and housing activities will be available during the remaining 4 years of the strategic plan. The city also plans to use assistance from various Federal, State, city, and private sources.
The city's Community Assistance Office will serve as the lead agency for coordinating and implementing the Consolidated Plan. It will monitor the activities of subrecipients receiving funds from the CDBG program.
HOME program activities are coordinated through the Maricopa County HOME
Consortium. Project coordination is extended to other HUD programs.
For the 1995-1996 program year, Scottsdale will use its CDBG funds for 17 activities that address specific housing, community development, and human services needs.
The city's allocations for housing include:
The city's allocations for the 13 public service activities include, but are not limited to:
A public facility project allocates $19,326 to the Family Emergency Service Center for renovations and repairs to its building.
Housing activities included in this year's Action Plan are expected to rehabilitate or repair 179 housing units. Other planned activities will benefit 124 households and 2,349 persons (including 730 elderly persons and 593 youth).
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point.
Beverly Johnson
City of Scottsdale
7522 East First Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Phone: 602-994-2576
