A new pocket park, the first of perhaps many, may soon be built in Scottsdale.
Plans are underway for the construction of the park at the intersection of North Drinkwater Boulevard and East Indian School Road, just blocks to the southeast of Old Town Scottsdale.
That busy intersection is populated with apartment, office, and commercial development.
The park will go up on land owned by the city and will include a shade structure, seating, and bike space.
Funding to the tune of $150,000 was approved last year by members of the Scottsdale City Council for the project.
The seating will be designed by local sculptor Michael Beitz.
Funded by a group called the Downtown Cultural Trust, the idea behind the project is to show how such a public space can be integrated into a larger urban environment.
Work is scheduled to begin on the project later this summer with an early 2022 completion date.
Pocket parks, often measuring less than 10,000 square feet, are proving to be increasingly popular uses of small public spaces.
According to the book Pocket Park Design, urban planners have turned to the concept of the pocket park as “modern cities become denser and buildings taller.”
Such parks are relatively inexpensive to build and can also be used as infill development.
Scottsdale city officials have said that, depending upon the success of the pocket park at North Drinkwater and Indian School Road, more such public spaces may be built in the future.
By Garry Boulard
