SCOTTSDALE

Will Scottsdale's Pinnacle Peak Patio return? Plan clears hurdle

A developer wants to reopen historic Pinnacle Peak Patio as part of the project in north Scottsdale.

Beth Duckett
The Republic | azcentral.com
  • Plans for the Outpost project include a restaurant, a general store, a park and an energy station
  • Developer R.L. Miller wants to reopen Pinnacle Peak Patio steakhouse at the site
  • The Scottsdale City Council could vote on the proposal Dec. 1
Pinnacle Peak Patio shuttered its doors in June 2015.

Plans to bring a specialty restaurant, gas station and other services to north Scottsdale have passed a hurdle, with support from the Scottsdale Planning Commission.

Developer R.L. Miller says his commercial project, the Outpost, would include a mix of rural services on 10 acres of vacant desert northwest of Pima Road and Dynamite Boulevard. Plans call for a restaurant, a general store, a park and an energy station, which would have gas and electric-recharge stations.

Miller, who has sought approvals for the development before, said he would like to reopen the landmark Pinnacle Peak Patio restaurant, which closed in north Scottsdale earlier this year.

The project has been met with mixed reviews, with some nearby residents concerned that it would compete with other small businesses, add to traffic, set an unwanted precedent and bring commercial development to a residential area that is incompatible. Republic archives show prior plans for the Outpost were pulled at least twice, in 2010 and 2011.

The owners of Pinnacle Peak Patio did not immediately respond for comment. In early October, a spokeswoman said the owners had yet to reach any contractual agreement to reopen the restaurant, which ended its 58-year run as one of Scottsdale's last remaining Western haunts in June.

Miller said he purchased about $30,000 worth of items, including a 1940s REO Speed Wagon and neckties worn by astronauts, from Pinnacle Peak Patio when the iconic steakhouse auctioned off its memorabilia in July.

“It’s an icon. It’s a landmark,” Miller said of the restaurant. Miller, owner of Sushi Brokers restaurant in Scottsdale, said the current concept for the Outpost "absolutely as a planner makes sense," filling a gap for services in the high-end residential area.

On Oct. 28, the Scottsdale Planning Commission voted 4-2 in support of requests for the project. The requests include a General Plan amendment to change the land use from Rural Neighborhoods to Commercial and a zoning district map amendment. City staff recommended denial.

The Scottsdale City Council has the final say, with a vote scheduled Dec. 1.

Joanne "Copper" Phillips, a Scottsdale resident, told the commission that no "substantive" changes were made to the project since it was first presented.

“While it has good merit in itself, (the project) is just misplaced,” she said.

Howard Myers, an opponent, said any attempt to gain acceptance from the community through Pinnacle Peak Patio or otherwise "doesn't change the feeling most have for it."

"There are a few people who want to see Pinnacle Peak Patio back, but the reality is if they couldn't make it where they were, they won't make it here either," he said.

Supporters say it would be a sustainable project with 60 percent open space -- more than required by the city -- and a 150-foot scenic corridor, which is greater than the 100-foot requirement.

Paul Gilbert, an attorney representing Miller, said the site plan proposes 19,500 square feet of floor area, where under the current zoning category the project would be permitted 112,474 square feet.

Architect Bill Jeorling said the proposal keeps the existing desert landscape and the scenic corridor, and would improve upon pedestrian and equestrian trails throughout the property.

Jeorling said washes that run through the property would be maintained.

“It will be nice to be able to sit on the patio and watch the water go by,” Jeorling said.

Swaback Partners, a Scottsdale-based architectural-planning firm founded by architect Vernon Swaback, designed plans for the development.

The dream for the property was to build a "community meeting point," said Bryan Moreno, a partner in the project.

“We are underdeveloping this property to create something that will stand the test of time, and that will be something the neighborhood, the area and the city would be proud of,” he said.

Moreno said the Outpost would aspire to LEED platinum certification. The certification, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a green-building program that recognizes environmentally-responsible building strategies and practices.

Pinnacle Peak Patio's last supper: Steaks, pie, memories