The Gateway Trailhead at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve on Sept. 13, 2015 in Scottsdale. The City of Scottsdale hopes to build the Desert Discovery Center on the preserve.
By Beth Duckett | The Arizona Republic
Plans for a desert-nature center at the base of Scottsdale’s McDowell Mountains are taking shape once again, this time with backing from Arizona State University and outside donors.
Five years ago, a consultants’ study envisioned the Desert Discovery Center as a $74 million tourist mecca with indoor and outdoor exhibits, capable of drawing 333,000 visitors a year to Scottsdale’s preserve.
The $400,000 study, paid for by city taxpayers, generated buzz that soon languished in the aftermath of the recession.