Scottsdale Pulse for August 3, 2026: Scottsdale Pulse: The Brief

• 🏗️ Two big projects land just across Pima Road. Neither one goes through city hall.
• 🌳 Proposition 490's first year is on the books. Nearly 150 trees, five upgraded basketball courts, one new playground.
• 💧 The city is waiting on a federal Colorado River decision. Scottsdale Water reviews it once it lands.
• 🏠 555 new listings came on the market last month. Homes sold: 563.
• 🏫 SUSD's Governing Board meets Tuesday at Coronado. Coronado's first day is August 10.
• 📚 Four library programs Tuesday and Wednesday. A book discussion, a science series, live music, and a book club at Cornish Pasty.
• 🎭 Scottsdale Arts posted fall and winter dates. A sound bath in August, Paula Cole in October.
• 🎟️ Four Valley shows worth the drive. Tempe tonight through Wednesday in downtown Phoenix.

Key facts

• 59 acres at Pima and McDonald. Majestic Realty Co. and the SRPMIC signed a 99-year ground lease for a light industrial project on the northeast corner, on the stretch between Chaparral Park and the Loop 101.
• Up to eight buildings, just under 1 million square feet. Individual buildings run as large as 200,000 square feet and divide down to about 20,000. The site is in predevelopment now, and construction starts next year. Financial terms were not disclosed.
• A 142-room hotel broke ground last week. The four-story Arizona Boardwalk Hyatt Place at Talking Stick was designed by Deutsch Architecture Group and is being built by Layton Construction. It opens in late 2027.
• A first for Majestic. The Southern California company holds a 92-million-square-foot portfolio across more than 400 buildings, and this is its first ground lease with a tribal community.

What to watch: a construction start on the industrial site sometime next year, and a late 2027 opening for the hotel. Details.

• 💪 Smart Fit Method opens its first Arizona studios in October. Paradise Valley and Scottsdale, with more locations planned for 2027. Details.
• 🍽️ Neighborhood Nights runs Tuesday and Wednesday at Cala. A three-course dinner for $55 at 7501 East Camelback Road, every week. Details.

🏠 555 new listings came on the Scottsdale market last month, against 563 homes sold. New supply and closed sales are running close to even, for the period ending May 31. Details.

• 🌳 Proposition 490's first full year is on the books. Parks and Recreation planted nearly 150 trees, pruned more than 700, replaced over 300,000 square feet of turf, upgraded five basketball courts, and installed 80 new picnic tables, grills, and trash receptacles. Comanche Park got a turf conversion, and a fully accessible playground at Rotary Park is now under construction. Next year's recommended slate includes renovation design for Agua Linda, Chaparral, Eldorado, and Paiute, four of the city's oldest neighborhood parks. Details.
• 💧 The city is waiting on the Bureau of Reclamation's post-2026 Colorado River guidelines. Scottsdale Water will run a technical review once the federal decision lands, and the state and the Central Arizona Project then decide how the guidelines get implemented. The city does not use its full river entitlement today: it stores CAP water underground, has left water in Lake Mead through a regional conservation effort, and holds roughly 280,000 acre-feet of long-term storage credits. One new groundwater well is nearly finished, with five more under construction or being rehabilitated. Details.
• 🏫 SUSD's Governing Board meets Tuesday at 6 PM. Regular meetings are held in the board room at Coronado High School, 7501 East Virginia Avenue. Details.
• 📅 The school year restarts this week. Chaparral holds cross country tryouts on its own track today, Saguaro runs freshman orientation Thursday at 8:30 AM, and Coronado's first day is Monday, August 10.

Tuesday

• 📖 Arabian Nights Book Discussion, 5 PM. An informal first-Tuesday conversation that runs from the chosen title out to related movies and television, at Arabian Library on East McDowell Mountain Ranch Road. Details.

Wednesday

• 🔬 Fun with Math and Science, 10 AM. A six-week series for ages three to five built on the Arizona Early Learning Standards, at 6535 East Osborn Road, building 7. Details.
• 🎸 Scottsdale Sounds at Mustang Library, 5 PM. Phoenix songwriter Edward Helmstead III, who performs as A Man Called Ed, on North 90th Street. Details.
• 📚 Cool Girl Book Club, 6 PM. This month's book is "White Oleander" by Janet Fitch, discussed off-site at Cornish Pasty. Details.

Friday

• 🎤 An Evening With Reba And Dolly, 7:30 PM. A tribute bill at the Showroom at Casino Arizona, at the 101 and McKellips on Salt River land. Three dates are listed. Details.

• ✨ Glow Up @SMoCA: Sound Bath. August 20, 7 PM at SMoCA. The nearest date on this list by two months. Details.
• 🎶 Paula Cole, "This Fire: 30," with opener Rett Madison. October 2, 7:30 PM at the Virginia G. Piper Theater. Details.
• 🎸 Marc Broussard with opener Cristina Vane. November 17, 7:30 PM at the Piper Theater. Details.
• 💃 Parsons Dance. November 21, 7:30 PM at the Piper Theater. Details.

• 🎵 Josh Tatofi. Tuesday at Marquee Theatre in Tempe. The closest of this week's Valley shows, and a single night. Tickets.
• ⚾ Diamondbacks vs. San Diego Padres. Tonight at Chase Field, against the division rival. Tickets.
• 🎭 John Cameron Mitchell: Hedwig 25th Anniversary Movie Tour. Tonight at The Van Buren in downtown Phoenix. One night only. Tickets.
• 🎹 Passion Pit, The Pretty Penny Tour. Wednesday at The Van Buren. Tickets.