Standards for how the proposed downtown Museum of the West would look received Scottsdale City Council approval Tuesday.
Planners to hear Museum of the West proposal today
The unanimous vote, which took place without discussion, puts the spotlight on the museum's board to successfully lock in at least $20 million in donations toward the facility's estimated $30 million cost.
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The museum is proposed for nearly an acre of city-owned property on the northwest corner of First Street and Marshall Way.
"Scottsdale Museum of the West continues to actively identify and meet with prospective donors to gain their interest in supporting the project," museum CEO Michael Fox said before the council vote Tuesday, declining to say how much money has been raised privately so far.
Plans for the 45,000-square-foot Western-themed museum call for a partially solar-powered glass and steel structure, three stories above ground and one below.
Fox said he expects the cost to include construction, interactive exhibits and base operating costs.
A goal is also in place, he said, to raise an additional $20 million to cover operating costs. The city is contributing $7 million toward the project, in addition to the land.
Now that Scottsdale's planning commission and City Council both green-lighted the proposed museum's design, after at least $20 million is raised, architects will be able to proceed onward to the schematic design.
Meanwhile, discussions between the museum trustees and city staff members are continuing toward negotiating a development agreement.
The agreement is intended to formally define the responsibilities of each party regarding the project's development.
Fox said the museum's board has also met with its architectural management team over the summer to draft an architectural building program.
The program will define how to move the project from the conceptual stage to the design phase by year's end, Fox said.
