City pays $4M for home, but seller to stay rent-free for life
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Scottsdale taxpayers will soon be the owners of a secluded home surrounded by the city's expansive McDowell Sonoran Preserve, but only one resident will have the ability to live there.
The Scottsdale City Council on July 5 unanimously approved a $4 million purchase of the five-acre property — more than $1.4 million above the city's appraised value — including a provision in the contract allowing the seller to remain there for the rest of his life.
Shawn Murphy has owned the 2,600-square-foot house in north Scottsdale, near the popular Tom's Thumb Trailhead, since its construction in 1999, according to Maricopa County records.
Murphy will not have to pay rent but will remain responsible for utilities maintenance and insurance, according to his contract with the city. Murphy can rent out the house up to six months at a time, the contract says.
Scottsdale officials call Murphy's property, which includes two lots about 100 feet apart, a "significant asset" in the city's efforts to assemble contiguous land for the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. The purchase is funded through a city sales tax set aside for desert preservation.
Scottsdale commits $1.7M for Desert Discovery Center
The purchase marks the first time Scottsdale has bought a house for inclusion in the preserve, and the city could opt to tear it down when it eventually assumes control from Murphy, Preserve Director Kroy Ekblaw told The Republic. Murphy could not be reached for comment, but public records associated with a Shawn Murphy at the same address indicate he is 59 years old.
While the city's appraisal of the properties suggested a $2.59 million value, an appraisal ordered by Murphy came in at $6.49 million — a significant discrepancy that Ekblaw said is a result of the site's unique location and lack of comparable properties.
Ekblaw said Murphy has been a good neighbor for the preserve, but city officials wanted to secure the site's long-term future.
"In some point of time, if they were looking to move, we might get a neighbor who doesn't share the same goals," Ekblaw said. "This puts to bed the issue of any future change. We're not faced with an unknown."
Best trails in the northern McDowell Sonoran Preserve
Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane, one of the seven City Council members who approved the deal to buy Murphy's property, said the city wants to be "practical" about purchases of preserve land but also wants to avoid forcing a sale through eminent domain.
The $4 million price tag for Murphy's home and land works out to about $737,000 per acre.
"Did it bother me personally?" Lane said in an interview with The Republic. "Yes, it always bothers me when we spend additional money. But we don't like the idea of condemning someone's home for a park. I think we settled on a reasonable amount."
Lane said there's value in a completed preserve that doesn't skip over properties.
Follow Parker Leavitt on Twitter: @ParkerSLeavitt
