Plans have now been finalized for the construction of a large solar shade structure at the site of the Scottsdale City Hall.
The project is expected to cost just under $2 million and is being funded out of a bond approved by Scottsdale voters in 2019.
That $319 million bond has provided funding for nearly 60 individual infrastructure and facility projects throughout Scottsdale.
As envisioned, the project will go up on the parking lot adjacent to the government building and is expected, say officials, to save the city upwards of $46,000 annually in utility costs.
The project, which has won the approval of the Scottsdale City Council on a 5 to 2 vote, will see the creation of photovoltaic canopies installed above two sections of the parking lot at 3939 N. Drinkwater Boulevard.
In a press release issued by the City, it has also been noted that the project will create “a shaded, flexible public gathering area that could host city and community events, including a potential future home for the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market.”
The first canopy will provide coverage for up to 34 parking spaces to the east of the lot, with the second capable of shading 19 on the north side of the lot.
Earlier this summer, the project was given a green light by the Scottsdale Advisory Commission and deemed to align with the city’s larger effort to increase energy efficiency in its government facilities.
Work on the project is expected to begin next spring, with a planned completion date of later in the year.
November 13, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy City of Scottsdale
