Scottsdale, AZ Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)
Key Facts
- District scope
- Old Town Area only, Sec. 5.3002
- Guiding document
- Old Town Scottsdale Urban Design & Architectural Guidelines
- Sub-districts
- Core, Civic Center, Medical, Multiple Use, Regional Use
- Density cap
- 50 dwelling units per acre
- Prior-zoning election deadline
- Application by March 21, 2027
Summary
Scottsdale's Downtown (D) zoning district, applied only within the Old Town Area under Sec. 5.3002, implements the Old Town Plan and the Old Town Scottsdale Urban Design & Architectural Guidelines. Sec. 5.3001 directs the district toward pedestrian-oriented streetscapes, context-sensitive setbacks and desert-sensitive architecture rather than generic commercial building forms.
The purpose of the D District is to provide use regulations and development standards to implement the Old Town Plan and the Old Town Scottsdale Urban Design & Architectural Guidelines. The Old Town Area is planned as a concentration of a variety of uses in a small geographic area. In order to support a high quality urban development pattern the D District is intended to:1.Preserve and protect the character of the diverse collection of vibrant mixed-use pedestrian-oriented districts;2.Promote an enhanced, pedestrian-oriented, streetscape environment on certain key streets in the Old Town Area;3.Encourage commercial and residential land uses that activate the streetscape;4.Create different building setback requirements that fit into the existing character of the district...9.Support economic vitality; and10.Continue to have Old Town Scottsdale recognized as a premier destination.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
A states the D District's purpose is to carry out the Old Town Plan and the Old Town Scottsdale Urban Design & Architectural Guidelines, and lists specific objectives: preserving the character of the district's mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented sub-areas; promoting an enhanced pedestrian streetscape on key Old Town streets; encouraging commercial and residential uses that activate the street; and creating building setbacks tailored to the district's street classifications and multimodal network. Applicability is narrow: Sec. 3002 limits the D District to property located within the Old Town Area, and the district is split into five sub-districts on the Old Town Plan's Future Land Use map, Downtown Core, Downtown Civic Center, Downtown Medical, Downtown Multiple Use and Downtown Regional Use, each carrying its own use table under Sec.
3004. Property development standards in Sec. B for the applicable Downtown District development type, inclusive of all rooftop appurtenances. Properties zoned Downtown District before March 21, 2024, may elect to keep the prior Existing Downtown Development Types Map and standards if a complete development application is filed by March 21, 2027, with a City Council decision required by March 21, 2028, after which the property reverts to the current Future Downtown Development Types Map and standards.
Violations & Fines
Zoning Ordinance violations in the Downtown District, including noncompliance with the design and development standards implementing the Old Town Plan, are enforced under Secs. 1.1401-1.1402: a civil citation carries a sanction up to $2,500, with a mandatory minimum $500 fine for a non-permitted use, and a repeat violation within two years is charged as a class one misdemeanor in Scottsdale City Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
What guidelines govern new buildings in Old Town Scottsdale?
Does the Downtown District apply outside Old Town?
How many dwelling units per acre are allowed in Scottsdale's Downtown District?
Can a property keep its old Downtown District zoning standards?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Scottsdale
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