Arizona Republic

My Turn by Brian Krob

I enjoy living in south Scottsdale. In fact, I can’t imagine living anywhere else in our city since my neighborhood is so close to my architectural firm’s office, and it provides me direct access to many of the amenities that match my outdoor lifestyle.

I live in the Hy-View neighborhood within view of the Papago Buttes. Besides its great location, I enjoy the diversity of our neighborhood. We have a wonderful mix of people that call Hy-View home. Our residents range from older retirees to young people starting families. We all share a strong sense of community.

My neighbors and I take pride in our neighborhood, and are proud to be residents of south Scottsdale. We support improved transportation connections, and are proponents of quality housing that will appeal to a cross section of new residents, from young urban professionals to growing and working families.

I’m excited about joining some of my colleagues in the business community and fellow neighbors to be part of a new group called the Scottsdale Gateway Alliance. The Alliance is a group of businesses, property owners and longtime residents who are organized to help breathe new economic life into south Scottsdale. Our focus is starting on the McDowell Road corridor.

One of the aspects I like most about SGA is that it has been created by people from the private sector who aren’t depending on city government to initiate the reinvigoration of the McDowell Road corridor.

As an architect, I recognize the potential of some of the vacant buildings along McDowell Road. Some of them are prime candidates for repurposing — because, as the saying goes, “they don’t build them like that anymore.”

For instance, many of the buildings formerly used by car dealers have what we in architecture and design call “good bones.” All it will take is a little creativity and ingenuity from those with the vision to convert some of the buildings into structures that make sense for their businesses.

Jeff Berghoff, a member of SGA, has proven it can be done. Not long ago he bought an old building that used to house a car dealership and adapted it for his landscape design and maintenance business. From what I understand, another entrepreneur is preparing to do something similar very soon to another property on McDowell Road.

I am happy to be on the ground floor of this movement to revitalize and repurpose the McDowell Road corridor.

Exciting things are just around the corner.

Brian Krob is an architect and a board member of the Scottsdale Gateway Alliance.