Scottsdale City Council approves Axon HQ project with housing trimmed to 1,200 units

PHOENIX – The ongoing Axon headquarters saga moved closer to completion on Monday night when the Scottsdale City Council approved a deal that trims the housing element of the project.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) passed by a 4-3 margin, with Mayor Lisa Borowsky among the yes votes after previously expressing opposition to the plan.

“While I had planned to vote against the proposed MOU at last night’s City Council meeting, which included a total of 1,500 units, we were able to get Axon to reduce the density by another 300 units overall,” Borowsky said in a statement Tuesday.

Danny Seiden, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show he was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

“Exciting council meeting in Scottsdale last night. A lot of twists and turns. It was like a courtroom novel fit for the screen,” Seiden said Tuesday morning.

Seiden praised city officials and Axon leaders, including CEO Rick Smith, for working together to get to this point.

“I have to give a lot of credit to a lot of people,” Seiden said. “Councilman Adam Kwasman worked tirelessly to come up with the compromise here. Rick Smith, native Arizonan, wants this company here. He’s been fighting for compromise this entire time.”

How much housing is in new Axon headquarters deal?

Axon has been based in Scottsdale since it was founded in 1993. The Taser maker originally wanted to build nearly 1,900 housing units along with a new headquarters and commercial space on 70 acres near the Loop 101 Pima Freeway and Hayden Road.

Monday’s deal cuts the scope of the housing to 1,200 units — 600 apartments and 600 condos – along with a proportional reduction of commercial space.

The company purchased the land for $49.1 million during a State Trust Land auction in 2020. After the development plans were released, the housing portion drew vehement opposition from a citizen group called Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions, or TAAAZE.

TAAAZE collected enough signatures to put the Axon headquarters issue on the ballot earlier this year, prompting the homegrown company to cancel a groundbreaking ceremony in January and threaten to move out of Arizona.

Axon headquarters talks continued after bill passed

The potential ballot roadblock was removed in April when state lawmakers enacted legislation that makes certain zoning changes in cities of Scottsdale’s size exempt from referendum petitions.

Still, the company agreed to negotiate with the city before finalizing its plans.

“Axon consistently came to the table as a community partner and to negotiate, even when they didn’t need to,” Seiden said. “They were there the entire time. … Just from the conversations I had, the goalposts were constantly being moved.”

After Monday’s City Council vote, the leader of TAAAZE vowed to continue his fight.

“TAAAZE is still committed to reversing the ‘Axon bill’ and are exploring our legal options to do so, starting immediately. And I personally am 100% committed to that goal,” Bob Littlefield, the group’s chairman and a former councilman, said in a press release.

Seiden suggested that rival businesses and union interests were involved in the opposition.

“I think more of that will come to light as we go forward,” he said. “But in the end, this is a happy ending for the state as a whole because we are talking about billions and billions of dollars in economic impact, $30 million annually to the state revenue, 5,500 jobs.”

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