We reported previously that Optima Development had acquired the Orchid Tree apartment building at the south east corner of 68th Street and Camelback with the intention of razing it and building a mixed use condo development, presumably similar to Optima Biltmore Towers and/or Optima Camelview Village. AzCentral.com just re-reported essentially the same thing with a few newer details. Namely that the site is 9.8 acres vs the 8.4 we previously reported, that Optima is planning on building five hundred condos on the site and that some neighbors in the surrounding area are fighting the proposal (no surprise there as there always seems to be some opposition to any new project). On the one hand I welcome the idea of even more density in "downtown" Scottsdale. After all we are big fans of urban and walkable development and with more density comes more restaurants, bars, shops, theaters etc... Both Biltmore Towers and Camelview Village have been reasonably popular, selling even during these tougher economic times so I don't doubt that there is a market for these proposed condos.
I will be very anxious to see how another 750 +/- residents and cars will affect traffic in the area. Traffic in and around Scottsdale Fashion Square is already busy so what happens if these condos get built? We will see....
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