Sad News for Scottsdale Six Drive-in and fans - Tribe eyes redevelopment of closed drive-in theater's land

I know we all assumed as much, but it is so terribly sad that we will lose our beloved S6 Drive-In to new development. We have plenty of office space, plenty of residential space. Arizona prefers to build out,  to avoid blocking our beautiful views, however, this often leaves our cities with vast amounts of empty space after space and neglected, ugly corner views. I have often wished that Az would follow other states that have rules and regulation in regard to maintaining empty and abandoned spaces- specifically corner spaces. Yet, that is a total different topic.

Sometimes it would be nice to see people forego the wanton desire for the modern, the want of more cash and just see people doing the right thing. I can't imagine anything more attractive,  than this piece of Americana Drive-In , taking over that acreage. Our local drive-in was a nostalgic icon, a fun place to go, a tradition and now?  Now it will be just like all the another industrial or residential eye sores in the desert.

Anyhow, the full article :





Tribe eyes redevelopment of closed drive-in theater's land: "It appears time has run out on the Scottsdale 6 Drive-In.


The last picture shows were screened Aug. 28 and the drive-in has gone dark after 34 years. Its operator, West Wind Drive-Ins, was unable to reach agreement on a new lease for the drive-in southeast of Hayden and McKellips roads, said Tony Maniscalco, vice president of marketing for the San Rafael, Calif., theater company.


The last films included "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," "Our Idiot Brother" and "The Smurfs."


"The little blue people were there to send us off," Maniscalco said.


Closure of the Scottsdale drive-in leaves West Wind's Glendale 9 Drive-In as the Valley's only drive-in and one of two in Arizona. The single-screen Apache Drive-In on U.S. 60 in Globe is closed until spring. Following a national trend, Arizona has lost close to 50 drive-ins over the past half century including the Round-Up at Thomas Road and 65th Street.


Outdoor theaters nationally have dwindled from about 4,000 in 1958 to 374 in 2010, according to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association.
Suburban development eliminated many drive-ins that operated on the urban fringes.

Redevelopment likely at site

Now redevelopment of the Scottsdale 6 site is likely.
West Wind leased the 29-acre site from members of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.


"I believe they have other plans for the land," Maniscalco said of the landowners.
Quannah Dallas, Salt River economic development division manager, said that times are changing and "there are different opportunities for our landowners" for the drive-in site.
West Wind did not provide all the required lease documents by the deadline, she said.
There have been inquiries about redevelopment of the commercially-zoned land but no lease proposals have been submitted to the tribe, Dallas said.


The Salt River tribal council would have to approve plans for the site after public hearings, and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs would review the proposal because it involves individual landowners, she said.


Offices and retail uses are possible. Residential development for non-community members would not be allowed, said Stacey Gubser, Salt River community development director.
The drive-in site is on the southwestern edge of the Salt River reservation east of Scottsdale.
The Scottsdale 6 was one of the first multiscreen drive-ins developed on Native American land, Dallas said.


Salt River community members were among the patrons but most of the customers were from Scottsdale and other parts of the Valley, she said.
Valley drive-in enthusiast Barney Kahn said he was not shocked that the Scottsdale 6 closed but it is upsetting.


"I get an overwhelming feeling of loss knowing the great times and fond memories I'll be missing," he said.


He plans to make the drive to the Glendale 9 to continue watching movies under the stars.
West Wind owns the land for its Glendale drive-in and plans to keep operating the theater and its weekly swap meet on Saturdays and Sundays.
Attendance has been up at all of West Wind's drive-ins, including Scottsdale, Maniscalco said.
It now has seven drive-ins in California, Nevada and Glendale.