Nair: Asking City of Scottsdale to reject Axon development
Posted
Rema Nair | Scottsdale
Axon has been saying how they want to "develop" here in Scottsdale by having five apartment buildings, one hotel and one shopping center on their small piece of land, which is zoned for commercial use only.
Their statements about developing the company don't have the ring of truth. Much bigger companies like the Mayo Clinic have vastly more acreage and they have earmarked their land for the actual development and growth of their company. Not apartments and shopping centers. Abbott, which is next to Axon, similarly, has land for the company’s development.
From their proposal, it is at best a lack of vision on Axon's part, that they don't want the land for future expansion of their company or else they really don't wish to grow the company at all. Merely want to turn around, get the land rezoned and make a profit. It just shows how shortsighted and limited their vision is.
That it is at the expense of Scottsdale and the residents and commercial enterprises nearby. Choking all with traffic and unsupportable water use is not their concern at all. It shows that they do not have any interest in being not only good neighbors, but also good citizens of Scottsdale.
I am a resident of Scottsdale Stonebrook II and work for Raytheon Missile Systems in hardware. I work remotely. Axon stated that they want to grow in software. Software is a lot more amenable to completely remote work. It is ludicrous that software development requires people on site 24/7. It is clear, anyway, that these apartments for Axon are not for their purported employees.
Surveys of workers across the nation since COVID have found that an overwhelming majority would prefer work/life balance and not to be on site even for the regular five working days, much less 24/7. Axon really cannot attract talent, as they put it, by offering such a setup. They certainly know that, and this does not appear to be their intention.
We urge the city to recognize this misdirection by Axon and reject their request as bearing no merit.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
