Scottsdale council votes 4-3 to move ahead with Axon headquarters agreement
The Scottsdale City Council approved a memorandum of understanding Monday night with Axon Enterprise, Inc., which wants to expand its international headquarters campus in the city.
(Courtesy Axon)
The Scottsdale City Council voted Monday night to advance plans for Axon Enterprise, Inc.’s expanded international headquarters campus in the city.
A memorandum of understanding was approved 4-3 Nov. 17 at a special council meeting.
Axon wants to build its campus on 76 acres in north Scottsdale, which would include a 401,085-square-foot world headquarters, condominiums, five five-story retail buildings, one three-story retail building and a 435-key hotel. It would also have seven restaurants on site.
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SPECIAL MEETING
Scottsdale council votes 4-3 to move ahead with Axon headquarters agreement
(Courtesy Axon)
The Scottsdale City Council approved a memorandum of understanding Monday night with Axon Enterprise, Inc., which wants to expand its international headquarters campus in the city.
The Scottsdale City Council voted Monday night to advance plans for Axon Enterprise, Inc.’s expanded international headquarters campus in the city.
A memorandum of understanding was approved 4-3 Nov. 17 at a special council meeting.
Axon wants to build its campus on 76 acres in north Scottsdale, which would include a 401,085-square-foot world headquarters, condominiums, five five-story retail buildings, one three-story retail building and a 435-key hotel. It would also have seven restaurants on site.
The new campus is expected to create 5,500 new jobs with an average starting salary of $135,000. It’s predicted to have a $3.5 billion annual economic impact on the area.
Axon officials thanked Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky, Vice Mayor Adam Kwasman and council members Solange Whitehead and Mary Ann McAllen for their votes, saying it was “a fair compromise for all parties.”
Councilman Barry Graham was among the three who voted against the proposal.
“I was disappointed with the vote,” he said following the meeting.
The council also voted 4–3 to approve three related items tied to the project: adoption of a new self-certification and third-party inspection program, repeal of the prior zoning ordinance and authorization of legal action related to ongoing litigation only if Axon does not sign the MOU by close of business Nov 19.
Under the agreement, Axon may move forward with a multi-phase headquarters campus featuring:
A new office headquarters.
A manufacturing facility.
A hotel and commercial space.
Multi-family housing.
The MOU also reduces previously approved residential density from 1,882 units to 1,200 - split evenly between 600 apartments and 600 condominiums, according to a release from the city.
Axon must also construct supporting infrastructure, including road improvements, water and sewer upgrades, a public dog park and a one-mile pedestrian and bicycle trail encircling the campus.
Additionally, Axon will provide Scottsdale with five years of no-cost access to a Real-Time Crime Center, offering advanced video, mapping and analytics technology to support public safety operations, city officials said.
In a 4–3 vote, the council approved a new permitting option that allows qualified architects and engineers to certify building plans and inspections for large international headquarters campuses. The ordinance maintains city oversight through audit and enforcement authority.
The council also voted 4–3 to move forward with repealing the zoning ordinance adopted in 2024, returning the site to its prior zoning designation.
“By a 4–3 vote, the council approved authorizing the interim city attorney to file counterclaims or related actions in the case Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions v. State of Arizona, City of Scottsdale, et al. The legal action is only authorized if Axon does not sign the MOU and a Prop 207 waiver by close of business Nov. 19,” the release stated.
Meet Dan Dan McCarthy joined Independent Newsmedia as web content editor after a 40-plus year career as a reporter and editor in New Jersey and Arizona. During his time in Arizona, he has been an editor of daily and weekly papers in Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, Ahwatukee, Sun City, Sun City West, Surprise, Peoria and Glendale. Prior to moving to Arizona in 1984, when he was hired to be assistant city editor at the Tempe Daily News, he covered regional police/fire news, municipal, county and state governments in New Jersey, the latter as bureau chief at the state Capitol.
Community: He has served on several boards over the years, including the Tempe Community Action Agency and the Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital Board of Governors. He is a graduate of the Tempe Leadership and Scottsdale Leadership programs, serving as media adviser for subsequent classes of Tempe Leadership.
Education: Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism.
Random Fact: Set winter/summer track records in the 60-, 100- and 220-yard dashes at his high school in New Jersey.
Hobbies: Tai chi, cooking, dining at his must-eat-once places around the U.S. and the Cincinnati Reds, his favorite team since 1961.
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