Construction work began in December 2023 on the construction of Ashler Hills Park and is scheduled to be complete in early 2025. Native plant salvage took place in advance of construction during the fall of 2023.

In general, work will take place Monday – Friday between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.  Occasional night and weekend work may be needed. Construction will begin with grading and utility work before concrete pours begin during the spring of 2024.

This project will build a new neighborhood park at Ashler Hills Drive and 74th Way.

This project was funded in the 2019 Bond Election as Question 1, Project 55, Build a 17-Acre Neighborhood Park at Ashler Hills Drive and 74th Way.

Planned elements of the 17-acre park include:

• Open turf play areas
• Shaded playground
• Restrooms
• Lighted Sport Courts (basketball and pickleball)
• Walking Paths and Trails
• Lighted Parking (70 spaces)

The first community meeting on this project was held virtually during the Fall of 2021. The following materials were presented.

What will the park improvements include?

Planned elements of the 17-acre park include:

• Open turf play areas
• Shaded playground
• Restrooms
• Lighted Sport Courts (basketball and pickleball)
• Walking Paths and Trails
• Lighted Parking (70 spaces)

Are there any future phases planned for the site?

There are no future phases planned at this time.

Can additional uses be considered or added, such as a dog park or skatepark?

The park elements included in this facility are limited by its classification as a neighborhood park and by the Bond 2019 funding. Uses such as a dog park or skatepark are typically included only in larger Community Parks that can accommodate larger service areas.

What is a Neighborhood Park?

The General Plan defines a neighborhood park’s purpose to provide primary recreation services and facilities that are easily accessible and available to residents. The park size should be between 7 and 20 acres and serve a single neighborhood or several neighborhoods, depending on the location of the park. The location is preferably adjacent to elementary schools, neighborhood centers, or other gathering places with good pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular access.

Will the park be lighted and will that affect the residential neighborhoods?

The park will have security level lighting throughout the parking and hard surface walkways. In addition, the playground and the sport courts will be lighted. Sport courts are located along the western edge of the park property to maintain a buffer from the adjacent residential property. The lights will be centrally controlled and will have automatic timers to allow operation only from dusk until 10:30 p.m. All lights will be high efficiency “full cut-off” fixtures which are designed to prevent light from spilling onto adjacent property.

How many parking spaces will be provided and will that be enough?

There will be a total of 70 parking spaces which is dictated by City of Scottsdale standards and will fully accommodate the proposed uses of the new facility.

Will the park increase neighborhood traffic?

City of Scottsdale has completed a traffic impact study for the proposed project. The report prepared by CivTech Engineers concluded that the park will not significantly impact the existing traffic on the adjacent streets, including the intersection at Scottsdale Road.

Will noise from the sport courts impact adjacent residential neighborhoods?

The sport courts are located along the west property boundary adjacent to the existing commercial development. This provides an ample buffer from the residential neighborhoods. Operating hours will be limited to dawn to 10:30 p.m.

Will the existing native plant material, including the large saguaros, be saved?

The City of Scottsdale has completed a native plant inventory of the site and plans to protect in place or salvage all viable native plants per the Native Plant Ordinance. The inventory used GPS to locate the location of all trees and cacti and the proposed site plan maintains most of the significant plant materials in place.

Are there any archaeological concerns on the property?

The City of Scottsdale required an archaeological survey of the park site as part of the development of the adjacent commercial and residential uses. No significant archaeological sites were identified. The City of Scottsdale is currently in the process of updating the previous survey to ensure compliance with current SHPO requirements.

When will construction begin and how long will it take?

Construction is scheduled to begin in December 2023 and is anticipated to take approximately 12 – 14 months to complete.