Safari Drive
Capitalizing on an under-utilized natural resource for the sake of urban development is a theme in many of our projects. We believe resources should be used and enjoyed by those who live nearby. This project and its ripple effect on further Canal development exemplifies that belief.
Client
Vanguard City Homes
Location
Scottsdale, Arizona
Markets/Services
Landscape Architecture, Mixed-Use, Residential
Size
9 acres
Featured Awards
Arizona AIA Merit Award, 2010
National AIA Housing Award, 2010
The iconic Safari Hotel established Scottsdale, Arizona as the premiere place to be in the 1960s. The hotel closed, making way for a new project that has adopted this same mission.
The Arizona Canal runs through many parts of the state, sometimes on the periphery of towns, but often flows right through the center of a community. Widely considered an untapped resource, the canal was not recreationally utilized, as its use was dictated by the government. It needed constant access for its operation as an electrical transmission conduit.
Safari Drive is one of the first developments that revitalizes not only the old site of the Safari Hotel, but a site directly off the Arizona Canal. Deriving influence from the surrounding elements, the resort-like development is all about connecting with its environment: the desert landscape, the mountains views, and of course, the Canal that can now be walked along.
Staying consistent with the environmental drivers for this project, our team — brought on to create a master plan — emphasizes sustainability by using regional, low water-use plants and permeable hardscape materials, including stabilized decomposed granite and concrete pavers. The development is so contextual, one wouldn’t even guess that it’s built on top of a parking structure, making the majority of the project site an intensive green roof.
