Not everyone, however, is impressed. Steve Taylor, the owner of The Sub Shop at nearby Papago Plaza, says the shade structure is strange looking.

“I’m not sure what they were going for with those sails,” Taylor says. “But I guess it will get people looking at it.” He also thinks SkySong buildings are too far from the street, but says the project will be good for Scottsdale anyway.

The second special feature of SkySong, Irwin says, is that it is a partnership among Scottsdale, the developers and a university foundation.

“This project will attract educated workers,” she adds. “It will give a renaissance of sorts to south Scottsdale. It’s a bridge between the university campus and downtown Scottsdale.”

Irwin contends that ASU’s presence is the biggest twist to SkySong.
 
“The university is embedded in the community, where it can impact the public,” she says. “This project is really focused on global technology. There are a slew of programs that the university has created that are clustered at SkySong. It’s a magnet for global projects.”

Eleven countries have representatives working on the site already.

Scottsdale owns the land, whose 37 acres include SkySong and open areas. Scottsdale has invested about $78 million so far to buy the land, demolish Los Arcos and make infrastructure and streetscape changes. The money will be reimbursed to Scottsdale through 50 percent of the lease profits, Irwin says.

The city has a 99-year lease with the ASU Foundation. As for commercial retail tenants, those have been slower to sign.

“Retail is always the last thing to commit,” Irwin says.
 
The project is partly financed by public funds, but will there be a public pay off?

Irwin is confident that at the very least, SkySong’s mere aesthetics will enhance the city. The project is in its infancy, but will eventually be beautiful and will attract the average person, she says.
 
One business owner at Papago Plaza across the street isn’t so sure. J.R. Perez, of Beadrageous bead shop, says, “Quite honestly, I don’t think it was what we wanted or needed. Architecturally, it could be nice someday, but right now it’s difficult to envision what it is going to look like. It seems like this whole thing is taking a long time and yet the buildings aren’t even that attractive.”

There are currently sidewalks and some indigenous landscaping at the site. Eventually, the landscaping will be an important part of a “grand boulevard” of ground-level shops and restaurants, with offices above.

“It’s not a rain forest, but there are fairly mature trees that will be dense,” Irwin says.
 
The next building will be completed in 2010. Not much else can be planned though, in such turbulent economic times.
 
“The market will determine how much demand there will be for each building,” Irwin says.