Scottsdale residents may soon have a direct say in the future of Axon Enterprise Inc.'s headquarters development after a referendum petition gathered enough signatures to potentially place the issue on the November 2026 ballot. According to documents certified by Scottsdale City Clerk Ben Lane on January 30th and reported by ABC15, the petition has met the requisite threshold outlined by the Arizona Constitution. The proposed site is said to include roughly 1,895 apartment units, a detail that has become a point of contention among community members.
Despite the Scottsdale City Council's previous approval in November for the sprawling campus, the group Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions managed to quickly gather over 19,000 signatures, thereby initiating the referendum process. However, there may be an urgent need to hastily resolve this matter. Axon CEO Rick Smith has indicated, in a statement provided by an Axon spokesperson, that "waiting until next November to get resolution on the development is not an option." This was conveyed by KJZZ, hinting at a possibility that the company could decide to relocate the headquarters elsewhere rather than face a protracted electoral process.
Residents raising concerns are mostly apprehensive about the increased housing density and subsequent traffic the new development might introduce. Distributed throughout north Scottsdale, the proposed footprint of Axon's campus has raised eyebrows due to the significant number of residential units planned alongside Axon's corporate facilities.
The certification of the referendum essentially triggers a pause on the development until voters have their say, or until the company acts on its consideration to perhaps move the project to a different locality. The decision hangs in the balance as the city and the company seek to find a mutually agreeable solution amidst the concerns of local citizens and the potential for lengthy delays. It stands to be seen whether Axon will uphold its investment in Scottsdale or choose an alternative path more conducive to its timeline and corporate needs.
