Scottsdale Civic Center face-lift underway as design planning begins

By Melissa Rosequist
Twitter: @mrosequist_

The first steps to replacing aging infrastructure and improving the public space at Scottsdale’s Civic Center mecca has taken place as officials approved an engineering contract for design services.

Scottsdale City Council, on Aug. 25, approved a $1.18 million contract with Phoenix-based Ritoch-Powell and Associates Inc. for the Civic Center project.

The approval took place at Scottsdale City Hall, 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd., which happens to be a part of the project location.

The 2019 voter-approved bond project includes work for an area of city-owned property between Brown Avenue and 75th Street in the Old Town Scottsdale area.

The project area houses City Hall and the Civic Center Plaza surrounding it; Civic Center Library; Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts; Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art; AZ/88 restaurant; and several other properties, open space and parking west to Brown Avenue.

The agreement with Ritoch-Powell  will produce preliminary design documents for this project, building off a 2018 City Council-approved municipal-use master site plan.

Civic Center Plaza was developed in the mid-1960s and early-1970s as a result of the city’s first enrichment program, creating the initial framework for a true civic center housing park facilities as well as government buildings.

In 2015, structural issues were identified on the Civic Center Mall bridge over Drinkwater Boulevard, a city staff report states.

Although a repair design was completed, additional testing showed the structure was beyond the proposed minor repairs and major renovations were needed.

The renovations included closing open portions of the deck, resulting in the large open space that exists today.

Greater surface areas of usable space within the Civic Center Plaza are now available.

According to the city staff report penned by Senior Project Manager Elaine Mercado, the proposed project will build off the approved municipal-use master site plan to provide an infrastructure assessment and recommendations for improvement, including evaluation of additional event/stage space within the plaza area.

Further it will “evaluate the city’s other off-site venues as part of overall event space planning and functionality as a system to meet the overall needs to revitalize the City Center Plaza as a local attraction, evaluate access points, and recommend improvements.”

Preliminary design is expected to be completed within six months, the staff report stated. Construction is anticipated to be completed in phases.

According to city documents, Scottsdale anticipates the construction's first phase will upgrade the infrastructure, including utilities and structure improvements, providing grading and drainage plans.

Ritoch-Powell was selected through an April 9 Requests for Qualifications soliciting engineering firms. Eight responses were received, of which a panel of five city staff members evaluated the responses. The city panel included a registered professional engineer, the staff report stated.

Based on the panel’s recommendation, Ritoch-Powell was selected for contract negotiations.