Specific Design Guidelines 

Components of Scenic Corridors

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Development Edges of Scenic Setback

The development edge at the scenic setback should be treated as a transitional zone in a design sense. The cross sectional width of this area depends upon the type of development. This zone becomes the background to the scenic desert setback when viewed from the road.

Edge development forms should be low and built into the natural topography. Rigid long straight forms parallel to the right of way are discouraged. Horizontal and vertical movement of the forms along this development edge is encouraged to strengthen and focus the design emphasis on the natural desert features rather than the man made improvements. All improvements should follow the Scottsdale Sensitive Design Principles with the goal of minimizing the visual impact of development on the natural desert environment. Elements that might be found along this edge included:

• Meandering low development wall
• Single story structures with non-orthogonal orientation
• Low understated development entry signs
• Additional native desert landscape screens

Development Walls at the edge of the scenic desert landscape setback:

Alignment:

• No walls should be placed within the designated scenic landscape setback.
• Development walls along the edge of the scenic desert landscape setback should gradually meander horizontally (ideally following topography changes).
• Straight uninterrupted lengths of walls should not exceed 150' in length.
• Walls should be placed to move around large plant specimens or landform features.
• Development walls should turn back at and not cross major wash channels with natural flows of 250 CFM or greater during a 100-year event.

Height:

• Walls in residential districts should be between 6' and 8' in height as measured from grade at the street face. Walls at commercial developments may be slightly higher, yet should not exceed 10' in height.
• A wall/landscape berm combination may be used to achieve higher screening without increasing setback distance. Exposed wall height should be limited to 6' to 8' measured from top of berm at street face. Gradual horizontal meandering alignment should be required for wall/landscape berm combination.
• Walls are encouraged to vertically roll with the topography in cases of natural or manmade undulations.

Material & Color:

• Prefabricated interlocking pilaster type CMU or similar systems are strongly discouraged
• CMU (non interlock system) finished with stucco and rounded edges, integral colored or painted split face CMU, adobe, and or native stonework are preferred materials for walls.
• Colors should be deep desert earth tones and shall be required to have a light reflectivity value (LRV) of not greater than 35%. Colors should blend with the natural desert setting.
• Piers of natural materials may help to break up long runs of wall.
• View fence and openings that allow wildlife passage are encouraged.

Buildings at Setback Edge: Buildings along the edge of the corridor should be sited in a manner that does not reinforce the right of way alignment. Footprints of adjacent structures should be placed off the orthogonal grid so that a sense of organic meandering much like the development wall component is achieved. Long (greater than 100') continuous walls paralleling the right of way are strongly discouraged.

Structures of more than one story along the edge of the scenic setback should have each story stepped back within a 1:2 (rise to run) incline plane step back envelope.