Service area · Old Town Scottsdale, AZ
Landscaping in Old Town Scottsdale, AZ
Landscaping in Old Town Scottsdale means older ranch lots, historic district guidelines on some streets, and city rules on walls and water.
Good to know
What counts as Old Town Scottsdale?
Old Town is the city's downtown character area, bounded roughly by Chaparral Road to the north, Earll Drive to the south, 68th Street to the west and Miller Road to the east (City of Scottsdale, Old Town Character Area Plan (opens in a new tab)).
The City Council adopted the current plan in February 2024. It splits downtown into 10 districts, from Historic Old Town to the Arizona Canal district, and notes that Historic Old Town is not a formally designated historic district (City of Scottsdale, Old Town plan (opens in a new tab)).
Many of the houses near downtown sit in the Southern Scottsdale character area, where the city says the neighborhoods were developed from the late 1950s through the early 1980s, mostly as single family ranch homes (City of Scottsdale, Southern Scottsdale plan (opens in a new tab)).
Service area
What do the lots look like near Old Town?
Small, flat and mature, with alleys behind many of them.
Village Grove, between Oak Street and Almeria Road, holds 255 homes built from 1957 to 1959, and its lots average 8,500 square feet (City of Scottsdale, Village Grove design guidelines (opens in a new tab)). Town and Country Scottsdale holds 62 homes built from 1958 to 1960, on lots that average 7,500 square feet (City of Scottsdale, Town and Country guidelines (opens in a new tab)).
Villa Monterey, at the Old Town edge around Chaparral and Miller roads, holds 758 homes built from 1961 to 1969 (Scottsdale Historic Register (opens in a new tab)). A yard here often starts with a mature tree, an old lawn and an older irrigation system.
Rules
Which historic district rules apply to a front yard?
In the 4 historic districts, the district guidelines do, on top of city permits.
Scottsdale's districts are Village Grove 1 to 6, Town and Country Scottsdale, Villa Monterey Units 1 to 7 and the Sands North Townhouses, and the Historic Preservation Commission reviews exterior alterations on the Scottsdale Historic Register (City of Scottsdale, historic preservation (opens in a new tab)).
The Village Grove guidelines ask owners to retain the grass front yards, to keep mature trees and citrus, and, where a lawn is replaced with rock, to consider a skirt of grass around the house.
They also ask for low front fences with open railings in rustic materials. The Town and Country guidelines ask for site walls under 2 feet so they do not intrude on the street view (City of Scottsdale, Town and Country guidelines (opens in a new tab)). In a district, exterior work that needs a building permit also needs a Certificate of No Effect for minor work or a Certificate of Appropriateness for bigger changes.
Water
Is SRP irrigation still delivered near Old Town?
On a few streets, through systems the neighbors own.
A May 2019 city memo on the 70th Street SRP neighborhood irrigation system says 68 households had access but only 7 were active users, and that the system is owned, operated and maintained by the property owners (City of Scottsdale, 70th Street irrigation memo (opens in a new tab)).
Most other yards water from the city system: about two thirds of the city's supply comes from the Central Arizona Project, and less than 10 percent is groundwater (City of Scottsdale, water supply (opens in a new tab)).
A yard on an alley irrigation system needs a plan for the flood day and a drip system for the weeks between.
Ground
How do the Arizona Canal and Indian Bend Wash shape the area?
They frame it: the canal carries SRP water through Old Town, and the wash is the city's flood control greenbelt.
The Arizona Canal flows from east to west through Old Town and is operated by SRP (City of Scottsdale, Arizona Canal (opens in a new tab)). Indian Bend Wash, a flood control project and greenbelt, runs 11 miles through the heart of Scottsdale (City of Scottsdale, Indian Bend Wash (opens in a new tab)).
On a single lot, the Village Grove guidelines ask that planter beds drain away from the foundation. A spray head aimed at a bed against an old block wall works against that.
Rules
What do the water rules and rebates mean for an old lawn?
They make the lawn a decision rather than a default. Scottsdale is in Stage One of its Drought Management Plan, which the city describes as increased monitoring and evaluation (City of Scottsdale, water shortages (opens in a new tab)).
The city lists a smart irrigation controller rebate of up to $250 for Scottsdale Water customers (City of Scottsdale, residential rebates (opens in a new tab)).
Its grass removal application lists $2 per square foot of grass removed, up to $5,000, with a 500 square foot minimum and a pre-inspection before anything is dug (City of Scottsdale, grass removal application (opens in a new tab)). Homes in a historic district also need Planning approval for that project. Check the rebate page for the current window before planning around it.
Rules
Which walls and fences need a permit near Old Town?
Fences over 3 feet, stacked stone or block walls over 30 inches, and every retaining wall.
The city says that in most residential zoning districts, walls and fences up to 3 feet, wrought iron included, need no permit, only a courtesy site plan approval. A permit is needed for any fence taller than 3 feet and for dry stack stone or interlocking block walls over 30 inches (City of Scottsdale, walls and fences (opens in a new tab)). All retaining walls require engineered plans submitted to and approved by the city.
In a historic district the design guidelines add their own limits, such as the 2 foot site walls in Town and Country. Settle the wall before the planting plan, because a wall that needs a permit or a review sets the schedule for everything behind it.
Costs
What does landscaping cost near Old Town Scottsdale?
A front yard project runs $1,500 to $5,000 and landscape design $50 to $150 an hour, according to a national cost guide. The landscaping cost page lists each range with its source.
This Old House puts installed artificial turf at $15 to $19 per square foot. Published market ranges, not a quote: the final price is set after an on-site assessment.
On a small lot near downtown, access through an alley or a side gate can move the number more than the plant list does, and removing an old lawn and its spray heads is part of the price.
3 questions
Questions people ask
Still have a question? Call (747) 243-2089 and describe the yard.
Can I replace a front lawn in a Scottsdale historic district?
Only after checking the guidelines. Village Grove asks owners to retain grass front yards, and a grass removal rebate for a historic home needs Planning approval. Ask the Historic Preservation Office before ordering rock.
Does Scottsdale pay to remove grass?
The city's application lists $2 per square foot of grass removed, up to $5,000, with a 500 square foot minimum and a pre-inspection first. Check the city's rebate page for the current window.
Do I need a permit for a front yard wall near Old Town?
A wall or fence over 3 feet needs a city permit, and every retaining wall needs engineered plans. In a historic district, the guidelines and the Historic Preservation Commission add their own review.
Keep reading
- Landscape Installation: for a lawn to desert rebuild.
- Irrigation and Sprinkler Repair: for old spray systems and drip.
- Patios and Pavers: for walls and the permit step.
- North Scottsdale: for the other end of the city.
- Service Areas: for the towns around Scottsdale.
- Landscaping Rock vs Mulch in Scottsdale:
- Artificial Turf vs Real Grass in Scottsdale:
