Scottsdale City Council approved the Artessa age-restricted residential development and agreed to hold a
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA — June 24, 2025

Scottsdale City Council approved the Artessa age-restricted residential development and agreed to hold a

Scottsdale City Council approved the Artessa age-restricted residential development and agreed to hold a public hearing on the controversial historic Oldtown parking garage location amid significant community opposition and allegations of council member misconduct.

Scottsdale Council Approves Artessa Development While Parking Garage Controversy and Council Member Misconduct Allegations Dominate Public Comment

Scottsdale City Council held a lengthy June 24, 2025 meeting dominated by unanimous approval of a mixed-use residential development, agreement to hold a public hearing on a contentious parking garage proposal, and extensive public testimony alleging serious misconduct by three council members. The session revealed sharp divisions within the community over development priorities and raised questions about the conduct and power of elected officials.

Artessa Development: Developer Responsiveness Earns Unanimous Support

The headline development item—a 47-unit age-restricted owner-occupied residential community on the southwest corner of Dynamite Boulevard and Alma School Parkway—passed without dissent or council debate. Styled "Artessa," the project replaces a 30-year-old grocery store approval with a well-designed, low-density residential alternative that applicant attorney Steven Anderson (Gammage & Burnham, PLC) credited to community input and developer Lifestyle Communities Southwest LLC's willingness to scale back.

Key Speeches

"Based on feedback from the April 2025 neighborhood meeting and concerns expressed around the same time by our neighboring community to the south, the Serene subdivision, Lifestyle decided in May to remove that proposed third story from the villa building... [This] height reduction, as Jeff noted, also had the impact of reducing or eliminating 20 homes from the project, reducing our unit count from 67 homes to 47 homes." — Steven Anderson, Ray Law Firm, for Lifestyle Communities Southwest LLC

"I'd be glad... [to] thank you for listening to us, however rowdy we may be, and coming back with such a perfect project." — Councilwoman Solange Whitehead

"This is a no-brainer project and fits well within the schematics of everything that this council's going for... I believe especially in that region. Um, I would have liked to see this and projects like this on a consent calendar. Not no offense to the outstanding presentation, but I mean the goal of government is to move great projects through the right way and to be a goalie on projects that aren't." — Adam Kwasman

Timeline

Project Details

Opposition

None voiced during council proceedings. Michael Joiner, while a neighbor, testified in support.

Support

Vote Breakdown

Historic Oldtown Parking Garage: Council Agrees to Public Hearing Amid 5,000-Signature Petition and Misconduct Allegations

The second major item of the evening—a motion to agendaize a controversial three-story concrete parking garage proposed at Second and Brown in historic Oldtown—passed unanimously but only after Lisa Borowsky made an impassioned plea for transparency and voiced concern that prior council decisions lacked adequate community and business owner consultation.

The parking garage proposal, approved in prior years before four current council members took office, has become a flashpoint for community opposition and serious allegations that council members, particularly Barry Graham, have suppressed public input and retaliated against citizens exercising First Amendment rights.

Timeline

Key Speeches

"I've seen a lot of issues come and go before the city council that um raise a lot of, you know, input from our residents. And I have to say this probably tops the chart... universally, there's been such an outpouring of uh support for this council to uh change the location or reconsider the location of this garage... it certainly I didn't expect it to turn into such a big issue... uh it's opposed by diverse factions and uh constituencies in our community. So, at a minimum, I would urge my colleagues to schedule a hearing... the city uh I've confirmed we've confirmed did not do outreach on this to the business owners before the vote was taken by the prior council. So there's a key component that's missing from this discussion and that is in fact resident input and business owner property owner input and we've heard from someone uh last week that said all the property owners support it. Well, I personally want to hear from all those property owners that support it because I haven't met one." — Lisa Borowsky

"I think this is a great example of haste makes waste. You know, I'm I was on the council and I approved this parking garage, but I wanted very much to have a parking study and all the clamor, all the push, all the noise to just to support the parking structure in this location and without a parking study, without an up-to-date parking study... In January, I believe it was in January, the mayor asked for a month... I supported her because it's better to be sure than to spend millions and millions of dollars for something we probably need, we may not need in a location that may not be the best suited for it. So, once again, haste makes waste." — Vice Mayor Jan Dascus (seconding the motion)

"We look like we're hiding something by not having a meeting, by not allowing people to speak, by not giving the mayor that month she wanted by not giving the parking study giving time for a parking study. We look like we're hiding something. Um and we certainly don't want to do that... I approved this garage twice... But I do think now is the time I've heard from such a desperate group of people um people who again are suspicious that we're hiding something and worried about the place we've all chosen and all love. So I'm going to second that motion. I think there's no harm done in uh making sure there's transparency in this government." — Vice Mayor Jan Dascus (in spoken remarks, not just secondary)

Vote Breakdown

Council Member Misconduct Allegations: Ethics Violations, Derogatory Language, Threatening Text, and Alleged Retaliation

Multiple public speakers alleged serious misconduct by three council members, with specific accusations spanning ethics law violations, abusive language toward the mayor, threatening communications, and use of social media and police reports to intimidate and silence citizens exercising First Amendment rights.

Public Comment Speakers and Allegations

Seven speakers addressed non-agendized items, five of whom focused on council member conduct and the parking garage controversy:

Michael Fernandez (Pottery Paradise owner, on record; 3 minutes + support time)

R.L. Whitmer (address on record; 3 minutes)

Dan Isaac (address on record; 3 minutes)

Carrie Cox (13326 East Sorl Lane; 3 minutes)

Steve Sutton (address on record, withheld for safety; 3 minutes)

Jason Alexander (address on record; 3 minutes)

Council Member Responses

Barry Graham (in response to multiple speakers):

Controversies & Context

Barry Graham Ethics Violation and Retaliation Allegations

Public testimony documented a conviction by the city for Barry Graham violating the city's ethics code, allegedly stemming from testimony that diverged from three city employees. Jason Alexander presented evidence of Graham's subsequent social media and email campaign that allegedly named, doxed, and attacked the complainant (Lauren Norton, described as a 70-year-old blind senior citizen), her assistant, and two city staff members who processed the ethics complaint. Alexander alleged Barry Graham characterized the ethics process as "leftist" and "partisan" and cast doubt on judicial competence.

Graham's defense centered on claiming allegations were "unproven speculation" but did not substantively address the specific screenshots or documented posts Alexander cited.

Allegations of Abuse of Power and First Amendment Retaliation

Steve Sutton and Dan Isaac alleged that Barry Graham, through his political adviser Rod Pritchette (identified as best man at Graham's wedding and 2022 campaign staffer), has:

Both speakers alleged the goal is to silence residents and business owners opposing the parking garage location.

Jan Dascus and Adam Clausman Allegations

Neither council member responded to these specific allegations during public comment.

Parking Garage Controversy Context

The three-story parking garage at Second and Brown has become a symbol of perceived lack of transparency and community consultation. Multiple speakers noted:

Mayor Barowski emphasized that this may be the highest-volume community input she has witnessed in her time on council (2008-2012 and current term as mayor). Vice Mayor Dascus noted she approved the garage twice but wanted a parking study and preferred the mayor's requested delay.

Scottsdale Arts Contract Extension: Six Months Extended to One Year Amid Fiscal Responsibility Concerns

City Council approved a one-year extension (amended from six-month staff recommendation) of the Scottsdale Arts Management Services Agreement (MSA) and Financial Participation Agreement (FPA) to allow renegotiation of the expiring five-year contract.

Timeline

Project Details

Key Issues Debated

  1. Fiscal Responsibility of Six-Month Extension: Adam Kwasman characterized six-month extension as "nails on a chalkboard for anybody who has a sense of fiscal responsibility," asking why city manager cannot complete negotiations quickly instead of extending contract twice.

  2. Board-Level Budget Approval Risk: Dr. Gerd Vorsterman (Executive Director, Scottsdale Arts) testified that Scottsdale Arts board approved FY 2025-2026 budget subject to city council approval, and a six-month allocation creates fiscal uncertainty for the nonprofit's board governance.

  3. Event Programming and Performer Contracts: Councilwoman McAllen noted that arts organizations must commit to dance companies, plays, and other performers years in advance. Six-month funding creates uncertainty about whether the city will fund event commitments entered into by Scottsdale Arts. (Rachel Santana noted a contract clause making the city responsible if Scottsdale Arts enters contracts and the city later fails to fund.)

  4. Prior Administrative Delay: Councilman Clausman emphasized that the prior city manager had "plenty of time" to negotiate the contract before expiration; new staff should not be blamed but the public should understand this was a failure to act, not a sudden emergency.

  5. Public Art Vision Plan Funding: Vorsterman clarified that the $100,000 public art vision plan is a city program (not a Scottsdale Arts strategic plan), required every 10 years by contract, and should be funded by the city. It remains in contingency and is not allocated.

Vote Breakdown

Sustainable Scottsdale Awards: Echo Canyon School Recognized for Closed-Loop Food System

Alexandra Craig, on behalf of the Scottsdale Environmental Advisory Commission, presented the 2025 Sustainable Scottsdale Award to Echo Canyon School for its closed-loop food system implementation. The school achieved a 65% waste reduction (September 2024 – April 2025) through student-led composting, campus gardens, and mindful food choices.

Program Details

Council Recognition

Shea Boulevard Corridor Road Safety Recommendations

Carrie Cox, traffic safety educator with 35 years' experience, presented recommendations for Shea Boulevard corridor (101 loop to 136th Street) improvements completed by city staff.

Completed Improvements

Recommended Additional Measures

  1. Speed limit reductions:
    • 101 to 100th Street: reduce to 35 mph
    • 100th to 136th Street: reduce to 40 mph
  2. Flashing walk signals: Flash before yellow light (rather than at red) to alert drivers and reduce red light runners; educate drivers who learned to anticipate light changes

Council Response

Board and Commission Appointments

The special meeting (preceding the regular meeting) consumed significant time on board and commission appointments, including:

These appointments were not agenda items for the regular meeting but consumed the first half of the evening.

Duration