A development proposal for Axon's new corporate headquarters campus east of Hayden Road just south of Loop 101 will be considered by the City Council at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Axon is a technology company specializing in public safety, known for its Taser and on-body camera systems used by law enforcement agencies across the globe. Axon was founded in Scottsdale and has become one of the city's largest employers. This proposed 70-acre world headquarters campus is projected to create 650 new jobs in addition to consolidating 850 positions currently spread across Axon's valley-wide operations.
The corporate headquarters component of the proposal was approved by the City Council in 2020. The request in front of the council on Nov. 19 is for the multi-use portion of the campus, which is proposed to include a hotel, condominiums, apartments, retail/shopping and dining.
This proposal reflects changes from what was previously submitted in January. The number of multifamily units has been reduced from more than 2,500 to 1,965 (300 condos and 1,600 apartments). Additionally, a hotel and roadway have been moved away from the neighborhood to the south, building heights nearest to the neighborhood have been reduced, and open land (setbacks) between the neighborhood and campus buildings has been increased.
As the developer, Axon would build or expand public infrastructure and then be reimbursed by the city for the portion of that infrastructure that benefits the community beyond the development. In this case, Axon would expand Mayo Boulevard and Hayden Road, and provide land for a city fire station to serve the area.
The proposed agreement requires that Axon build at least 250,000 square feet of commercial and/or manufacturing space and achieves a payroll of $130 million before the city reimburses a portion of infrastructure costs. If performance requirements are met, Axon could be reimbursed up to $9.4 million.
This updated proposal received unanimous support from the Scottsdale Planning Commission on Wednesday, Nov. 19.