For decades, the southwest corner of Scottsdale and McDowell roads held a Pueblo-style strip center from the 1960s, and many longtime South Scottsdale residents knew it on sight. It sits at an intersection that the Scottsdale Independent put at about 62,000 vehicles a day in 2022, across the street from the companies at ASU's SkySong. A grocery store finally opens on that corner this fall. Sprouts Farmers Market set Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 as opening day at 1490 N. Scottsdale Road, on the southwest corner of Scottsdale Road and SkySong Boulevard.
The grocer was the piece the neighborhood had asked for. It was also the last major piece of the redevelopment to arrive. The apartments and the hotel were built years before it, and the gap between them explains the fenced-off pad drivers have been passing since 2022.
The Grocery Store Was What Neighbors Asked For
When the old plaza came down, the Scottsdale Progress reported that neighbors' concerns had shaped the new plan. The developer added open space and increased the amount of retail in response. The project's own announcements kept coming back to one item. In 2022, Lee Mashburn, president of Pivot Development, told the Scottsdale Independent what the team had done:
"We have responded directly to the requests of the neighborhood by attracting engaging restaurant concepts and a quality grocer and ensuring that Papago Plaza is walkable and easily accessible."
When Sprouts signed in August 2022, InBusinessPHX called the lease the fulfillment of "the neighborhood's request for a high-quality grocer," and its headline called the store the first grocery for the South Scottsdale neighborhood. Scottsdale City Council had approved the Papago Plaza development agreement 7-0 on March 3, 2020.
The Apartments and Hotel Opened Years Earlier
Here is the order in which the site was built, from the wrecking ball to opening day:
- 2015. Pivot Development acquired the property. AZ Big Media dates the original center to 1962.
- Demolition. Crews tore down the old plaza, and Sigma Contracting said it was aiming to finish the first phase in fall 2020.
- August 2022. The five-story, 276-unit SEVENTYONE15 McDowell apartments were open. A 116-room Marriott-flagged hotel was under construction, and Sprouts was expected to open in 2024.
- January 2023. Grocery plans were submitted to the city.
- 2023. The SpringHill Suites by Marriott was completed, according to the City of Scottsdale's 2023 General Plan annual report.
- February 2024. AZBEX reported, citing Scottsdale permitting records, that construction was on hold with no new permits issued.
- July 2025. The Phoenix Business Journal reported that the Sprouts opening had slipped to 2026 "amid site sale," nearly two years behind the original timeline.
- August 2025. JLL arranged a $42.5 million equity placement for the retail phase, with construction expected to begin that month.
- Oct. 30, 2026. Sprouts opening day.
The homes and the hotel rooms were finished first. The store the neighbors had asked for came about three and a half years after the apartments opened.
Why the Store Was the Hardest Part to Build
The store's design is unusual for the chain. When Sprouts signed in 2022, the Papago location was billed as the first Sprouts with an integrated two-story parking garage built on top of the store. AZBEX's project database listed it as a 23,500-square-foot grocery store with a 328-space parking garage, designed by Nelsen Partners.
A store with a parking deck on its roof can't be built in pieces. The structure, the garage and the space around it have to go up together, so the whole retail phase sat waiting until its financing was settled. In 2024, AZBEX reported that the store was not the only part of that phase on hold. The roughly 25,000 square feet of planned restaurant and retail space beside it was also stalled, and local reporting a year earlier had noted that its permits were close to expiring.
The project restarted once new money came in. JLL's August 2025 announcement described the retail phase under a new name, Papago Marketplace: a 55,500-square-foot development on 4.57 acres, anchored by a 23,343-square-foot Sprouts and 80% pre-leased, with completion targeted for August 2026. Construction took about 14 months from that announcement to opening day.
What Is Inside the Store
Sprouts set the store's hours at 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The company scheduled a 6:45 a.m. ribbon cutting for opening day, with opening-weekend events set for Oct. 30 through Nov. 1. The chain's announcement lists several regular weekday prices:
- $5 sushi on Wednesdays, rolled in the store daily
- Deli sandwiches from $4.99, build-your-own or grab-and-go
- Wellness bowls from $8.99, made in the store each day
- A bulk department with coffee beans, nuts, granolas, spices and baking staples sold by the scoop
Sprouts says the store sources produce through regional growers including Blue Sky Organic Farms and Duncan Family Farms. Through the company's Food Rescue program, food that can no longer be sold but is still edible will go to St. Mary's Food Bank. Sprouts is headquartered in Phoenix. The South Scottsdale store is one of three Arizona openings this fall that bring the chain's in-state count to 54 locations, according to ABC15.
The rest of Papago Marketplace has not announced its tenants yet. JLL's 80% pre-leased figure from August 2025 shows the space was mostly committed, but no restaurants or shops beside the grocer have been named. Expect those openings to arrive one at a time.
Scottsdale Road Is Getting Other Openings Too
The grocer's arrival lines up with other openings on the same road.
North of McDowell, at 2200 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 110, the Tempe-born sandwich chain Cheba Hut began serving Monday, Oct. 26. It is the chain's 13th shop in metro Phoenix and the fifth opening in two years for franchise owners Justin and Michelle Lemos. KTAR reported that the location has a full bar with liquor, beer and wine. Its wall art, by Joshua Finley, shows Old Town drawn like an anime series, and the shop also displays work by local artists Aubri Swell and Basile Taylor. QSR Magazine lists its hours as 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. In the KTAR story, Justin Lemos described how he and his wife started with the brand:
"Long before we owned a Cheba Hut, we were regulars who came in for the best sandwich we'd ever had and stuck around for the music, the art and a crew that actually loved being there."
Farther north, Whole Foods Market plans to open a 38,158-square-foot store at 7628 E. Indian School Road on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, according to the company's newsroom. Its opening comes two weeks after Sprouts at McDowell, giving the Scottsdale Road corridor two new specialty grocers this fall.
When a corner that has been fenced off for years reopens with a grocer, buyers start seeing the streets around it differently, and a seller's marketing should reflect that. If you own near Scottsdale and McDowell and want to know how the new Papago Marketplace should shape your listing's story and timing, CITIEA Brokerage can help you sell for more, faster.
