The long struggle on the part of the part of Axon Enterprise to build a massive $1.3 billion mixed-use project in Scottsdale appears on the verge of becoming reality.
Members of the Arizona State Legislature have now given their approval to a hotly debated bill making it possible for cities with populations numbering between 200,000 and 500,000 to allow for the construction of such projects in areas zoned for light industrial use without having to first secure local approval.
While the legislation appears general in nature, it specifically addresses local opposition Axon has faced in trying to build a project in a city with a current population of around 250,000.
The legislation is also reducing the need for public hearings for projects in such areas.
Axon, known worldwide for its taser products, among other things, has said that it wants to build a 400,000-square-foot headquarters, along with a 435-room hotel and retail space and, most importantly, up to 1,900 apartment and condominium units.
The final piece of Axon’s legislation triumph appears to be falling into place with a just-issued statement from Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs praising Axon as a “company that’s here, they want to stay here, they’re creating jobs.”
Moreover, Hobbs pointedly noted the residential aspect of the Axon project, remarking: “They are now helping to address the affordable housing crisis by using the state land they bought to build housing to house their workforce.”
The project has attracted the opposition of community and labor groups, including most prominently an action committee called Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions, which has secured signatures to get a zoning change referendum specific to Axon on the November 2026 ballot.
Formed in 1993, Axon has an international reach, seeing revenues more than $2 billion in 2024. Besides its landmark taser products, Axon manufactures dashcams, dispatch software, and body-worn cameras.
April 17, 2025
By Garry Boulard
