Carefree seeks to revitalize its center

Busloads of people with spending money once unloaded at Carefree’s town center. Merchants did a bustling business.

The buses are gone. So are many of the bustling storefronts.

The town is seeking to change that by strategizing with developers, real-estate agents and landlords and by making the community more attractive to day-trippers and tourists.

Carefree’s population of about 3,300 will never be able to support the town financially, so the community is dependent on outsiders coming to dine and shop.

The town, which borders Scottsdale’s northern edge, has no property tax, and half of its yearly budget comes from sales-tax revenue, which has either dipped or remained flat over the past few years.

Currently, there are close to 40 storefront vacancies, about a 20 percent vacancy rate.

Part of the new strategy is filling the vacancies by creating a more vibrant town center, which serves as its cultural and economic hub.

“We’re trying to put in events and amenities that bring people into town,” Mayor David Schwan said. “It’s a lot easier to sell someone on opening a new business if they come and see our parking lots full and people walking around.”

Some ideas include a splash pad, which has not been without controversy; a better amphitheater sound system and shading to accommodate future events; and a reflective pool around the town’s iconic sundial.

The town touts its recent addition of the $1 million Carefree Desert Gardens, pedestrian gas lamps, colorful banners, a powder coating of the sundial and Wi-Fi availability.

Last year, the town eliminated its development fees to further encourage people to set up shop in Carefree.

Scottsdale resident Jacqueline Higgins signed a lease this month in the town center for a women’s-apparel shop that will open in October. She looked in north Scottsdale and Cave Creek before deciding on an 825-square-foot space in Carefree.

“It’s a nice, little Western jewel,” Higgins said of the town. “There’s a lot of balls in play in Carefree, and I’m optimistic that things will come together favorably. I do believe there is profitability in the area.”

Town Councilwoman Melissa Price, who has arranged most of the meetings with developers, real-estate agents and property owners, believes that the town is positioning itself for economic success but that it must change an antiquated mind-set. The buses are never coming back, she said.

“Times have changed great- ly since those days when we had busloads of people. At that time, there wasn’t anything in between us and Scottsdale. It was just open desert, and it was a day trip to come to Carefree,” Price said. “But now there’s competition with retail centers and communities all around us, and people have more choices about where to go.”

Rod de Szendeffy, a 30-year resident and owner of three Carefree buildings, said the town has gotten away from what works — and the buses worked.

“Where else between a Paradise Valley resort and here is there another community like Carefree? Nowhere.”

Of his buildings in the town center, one is 75 percent vacant; another has four tenants but 16 more spaces for lease.

“Five years ago, things were better. They were much better 10, 15, 20 years ago,” he said.

“I could tell you, I could give stores away, and they wouldn’t make any money,” de Szendeffy said, explaining that his leasing prices are competitive.

Price believes things will change if the town gives more reasons for more people to visit.

“People are looking for entertainment. Just look at CityNorth. Great shops, great restaurants, and they’re having a tough time making it,” Price said. “Every developer has said, ‘You put in the entertainment, and the businesses will come.’ ”

Harry Vardakis owns eight properties in Carefree, including four buildings in the Carefree commercial area. With recent leasings to a restaurant and Higgins’ apparel shop, all his spaces have tenants.

“The reason is that I went with the flow of the economy,” he said. “I’m a profound believer that you have to help yourself, especially in this kind of economy.”

A Carefree resident since 1968, Vardakis said this Town Council is on the right track.

“This administration has done more in the past five years than anyone had done in 20 years,” Vardakis said. “As far as the future of Carefree, they have excellent ideas.”

He envisions the town one day becoming a little desert Rodeo Drive, with high-end shops people will make the trip for, not just because of the store but because of the experience.

“Carefree has got to be ahead of the curve, not behind it,” he said.