The Parque Clears The Runway While Others Stall

The Parque isn’t just taking over the old CrackerJax site. It’s rewriting the playbook for how large projects get cleared near the Scottsdale Airport. While other proposals hit turbulence, this one glided through approvals almost effortlessly.

Quick Points

• Approved by airport commission without pushback

• Axon & Banner Health projects rejected earlier

• Includes apartments and condos, hotel, offices, shops, & restaurants

• First phase adds 159 units, 2-acre park, retail space

• Developer George Kurtz owns nearby centers too

How The Parque Got Its Head Start

Three developers tried to build under the same flight paths. Only one passed.
Axon, Banner Health, and The Parque all faced the Scottsdale Airport Advisory Commission. Two were stopped cold. The Parque wasn’t.

• Airport Commission gave The Parque a unanimous go-ahead

• City Council followed with a 5–2 rezoning approval in 2023

• Axon’s rezoning passed later but drew lawsuits

• Banner’s hospital plan was rejected outright

• Both faced strong neighborhood opposition

The pattern caught attention across “The Valley.” Some say it’s about timing. Others say it’s about who’s holding the land.

What The Parque Brings To Scottsdale Road

The CrackerJax property at Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard will soon be home to an enormous, pedestrian friendly mix of living, working, and gathering space.

• 1,182 apartments and condos

• 223-room hotel

• 253,000 square feet of shops and dining

• Offices spread across the site

• Phased buildout over several years

The first stage includes 159 apartments and/or condos, a 2-acre park, and more than 100,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Later phases will stack in the remaining housing, hotel rooms, and office space.

What’s Changed In The Latest Plans

Architect Jeff Brand filed revisions this fall that reshape parts of the site layout. The moves make The Parque a little leaner and more pedestrian friendly along Scottsdale Road.

• Fourteen parking spaces removed

• Power lines to be buried

• New pedestrian access easement added

• Surface parking shifted farther from the street

• Tracking system added for total units and open space

These refinements reflect a continued effort to balance density, visibility, and public access. The plan keeps adjusting, but the scale remains big.

A Developer With A Grip On The Corridor

George Kurtz has built more than tech companies. He’s now shaping one of the city’s busiest commercial corridors.

• Owns The Parque, the Promenade, and Scottsdale Quarter

• CrowdStrike, his cybersecurity firm, tops $4 billion in revenue

Locals sometimes call the stretch “Kurtz Row.” The label fits. Few private owners control that much real estate along one of the city’s signature roads.

The Pushback That Won’t Go Away

Not every neighbor’s celebrating. Critics, including former council members, warn that housing this close to the airport will invite nonstop noise complaints. They point to other states where similar projects strained airports over time.

• Ongoing frustration about density near flight paths

• Concerns over future residential noise disputes

• No formal challenge to The Parque’s rezoning yet

• Lawsuits around Axon keep the issue alive

Even with debate swirling, The Parque keeps moving. Crews are set to start with phase one, and once ground breaks, the old CrackerJax lot will fade into memory. What replaces it will say plenty about how Scottsdale balances growth, height, and heritage.