Development Review Board | Regular Meeting - May 7, 2026

The Scottsdale Development Review Board held a regular meeting on May 7, 2026, primarily to consider and adopt a Shade and Tree Plan for the built environment. The plan aims to enhance the city's tree canopy and shade infrastructure incrementally through design guidelines rather than immediate regulatory mandates. Staff and a consultant from the Design Laboratory presented the plan, highlighting its goals to maintain, increase, and collaborate on shade efforts, including tree placement, water harvesting, and shade structures. Public comments raised concerns about the plan's lack of specific targets, measurable outcomes, and enforceability. Board members and staff discussed the plan's role as a design guideline and the intention to develop enforceable, objective standards through future ordinance updates. The board voted to adopt the Shade and Tree Plan as citywide design guidance, with staff-recommended edits, and to incorporate it by reference into the Design Standards and Policies Manual, marking a first step toward more formal regulatory measures.