Between 275 and 300 Scottsdale residents saw presentations Tuesday for Desert EDGE, formerly known as the Desert Discovery Center Scottsdale, and while many responded to the plans with applause, others booed.

Once outside the auditorium at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, residents praised planners for the scaled-back blueprint for the facility while also criticizing the center's gift shop, plans for nighttime events and use of preserve land.

The presentation on the proposed facility to educate visitors about desert living featured talks from officials with DDCS, the non-profit contracted by Scottsdale to plan the center; architect Swaback Partners; and interpretive design partners Thinc Design, the firm behind New York's National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

The center's new plans became public Monday night and, among other changes, showed a smaller footprint at 5.34 acres and a slightly reduced price tag at $61.2 million. A 2010 feasibility study envisioned a $74 million, 72,000-square-foot center sprawled across a third of a 30-acre area.

Officials working on the project said the changes came as a direct result of community input.

'Back-and-forth' banter led to benefits

"Frankly, we benefitted from the back-and-forth and the people opposed to this," Tom Hennes, principal at Thinc Design, said.

Reactions from residents on Tuesday ranged from indifference to opposition.

"I did not vote for a $60 million museum in the preserve," said Joe Durnell, who has lived in Scottsdale for 25 years and said he always votes in favor of the preserve tax.

Two meetings were held Tuesday to garner public reaction to the plan, and a series of city meetings are planned through late September, when the Scottsdale City Council will take up the matter.

Architect John Sather said he talked with residents at length after both meetings and was surprised by the positive feedback he heard.

"It's been a considerable positive experience — I wouldn't use the word overwhelming," he said. "I've only had a few people as I've stood here for five hours come with something negative."

The long-discussed center could break ground as early as winter 2020 if it moves forward. It's not yet known whether the council will approve the project or send it to voters as some, including Mayor Jim Lane, have called for.

'Overly optimistic' predictions

Jason Alexander, who filed a notice of claim against Scottsdale with NoDDC and Protect Our Preserve in June, said the center is still the DDC, even if it's smaller and has a reduced price and new name.

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"I'll give them their due," he said. "They nipped a few things; they tucked a few things, but it's still fundamentally the same project."

Alexander said he took issue with the sale of alcohol, nighttime events and the financial projections, which he called "unbelievably optimistic."

The operating plan filed with Scottsdale on Monday shows the center expects to pay about 72 percent of its ongoing operating costs through revenue, such as memberships and admissions.

The report compares Desert EDGE to other similar centers, including the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the Desert Botanical Garden and the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.

The other centers also use revenue to pay for some ongoing operating costs but to varying degrees.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Desert Botanical Garden make up 76 percent and 62 percent of their costs through revenue, respectively, while the Las Vegas Springs Preserve in Nevada pulls in 35 percent of its cost through revenue, according to the operating plan.

Alexander said he doesn't believe Desert EDGE can compete with the desert museum and botanical garden, which have had years to bolster their reputations, right off the bat.

"This is going to be a money-loser," Alexander said.

Can Desert EDGE make money on preserve land?

Plans for Desert EDGE show the center's revenue could come, in part, from admissions, a cafe and a gift shop. It also boasts a potential for 60 nightlife events each year — more than one per week.

Korey Hjelmeir, who moved to Scottsdale from Seattle 15 years ago, called the design "sugarcoated" and said she didn't want to see nighttime events in the preserve on a once-a-week basis.

"I'm sorry, that's not minimal," she said; however, "It's better than some of the previous proposals."

Councilwoman Linda Milhaven said she was excited to see the smaller footprint and price, as well as the partnership with Arizona State University and DDCS' commitment to pay for 10 percent of the capital funding.

Milhaven said she thinks the ideas for nightlife could be communicated more effectively.

Evening events would be educational and could consist of a night of stargazing, she said.

"I think some folks are thinking wild parties. I think we could be clearer on what's allowed and what's not," she said.

Milhaven said residents' concerns about alcohol sales and nightlife are "details that we can probably compromise on."

Some residents expressed worries that the center would make commercial use of preserve land.

DeEtte Person, a spokeswoman for the center, said Desert EDGE can sell merchandise, food and alcohol under a municipal use, rather than a commercial use, which is not allowed on preserve land.

Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield said she was glad to see the smaller size but isn't clear on the details of how the ongoing operations would be paid for.

"It's a lot better than it was," she said. "I still have some concerns they have not answered — funding, commercial use, alcohol, nightlife."

Is Desert EDGE necessary?

While many residents thanked officials on the project for scaling it back, they questioned whether it was necessary to have it in the preserve.

Nancy Pirtle, who said she has lived in Scottsdale for 56 years, said she doesn't see the need for the project.

"It's an overblown, exaggerated art show," she said. "I will give them kudos for trimming the restaurant and gift shop."

Pirtle said she doesn't think adding anything to nature enhances the experience. Rather, she said she'd prefer the preserve to stay as it is.

"I can go to the desert and meditate on my own; I don't need this deep time pod," she said referring to two of the center's exhibits, Deep Time and Pod.

Lynn Rancourt, who has lived in Scottsdale for 19 years, said she was glad to see the center was smaller and shifted farther south to take advantage of a drop in elevation but thought the facility was unnecessary.

"If you don't know what you want, you're shown a bunch of things you didn't know you needed," she said. "If it were built, I'd probably go to it once. Why not?"

Mark Hiegel, president and CEO of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, said he came to the presentation to understand why there was conflict over the center.

"I loved it," he said.

Building off feedback

Sam Campana, DDCS executive director and former mayor, said she heard about a half-dozen people throughout the day voice opposition to the center because it's in the preserve.

"Honestly, we're not going to bring them over the line," she said. "I think this is pretty close to our best work. We are never going to make everybody happy."

Residents who thanked her for the center's shift south outnumbered those opposed to the project, she said.

She said it's important to continue meeting with residents and is working on planning private neighborhood meetings with residents from the DC Ranch, McDowell Mountain Ranch and Windgate Ranch neighborhoods.

"There will be significant pushback at these neighborhood meetings, but we owe it to them," Campana said.

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