New Sign at Hidden Hills says Closure Temporary

In the February 29 edition of Arizona Road Cyclist News, I reported that a sign had been erected at the entrance to Hidden Hills that reads: "Non-Resident Bicycle Use Prohibited Beyond This Point". The gated community of Hidden Hills in Northeast Scottsdale had previously been open to cyclists by virtue of an easement held by the City of Scottsdale. The easement was envisioned as part of a cyclist transportation corridor between Scottsdale and Fountain Hills that would serve as an alternative to heavily-trafficked Shea Boulevard. However, a final short link in the corridor through an undeveloped section of Fountain Hills has not yet been paved.

In response to a long-fought effort to get the easement relinquished, the City's Transportation Committee came up with a compromise solution. The Committee agreed to temporarily suspend the easement until the connection to Fountain Hills is built. In exchange, the Committee stipulated and the Hidden Hills Homeowners' Association agreed that it would actively support a an expected Committee decision to reopen the easement and to post a sign at the community's entrance advising prospective residents that cyclists will at some future date have the right to ride their bikes on the community's principal street. 

That sign has now been erected as shown in the Figure and reads: "The public bicycle easement on 145th Way in Hidden Hills II has been temporarily closed pending completion of a connection to Fountain Hills.

When will that connection to completed? I don't know. The company that is to develop the land in Fountain Hills has decided to reroute one of the planned streets, and some utility infrastructure is must also be relocated. In theory, the connection could be completed before the end of this year, but in a period of depressed property values and home sales, it could take much longer before we are riding our bikes through Hidden Hills to Fountain Hills.