Collector's Garage at WestWorld: New high-end car storage coming to north Scottsdale

By Jorge Ramos

Over the past decade, Scottsdale has increasingly become a haven for luxury vehicle storage. The East Valley city has given the green light to the latest proposed facility.

Scottsdale City Council unanimously approved The Collector’s Garage at WestWorld on Aug. 26, paving the way for Collector’s Garage, the developer, to begin preparing for construction.

Developers expect to break ground in “five to six months,” on the approximately five-acre project, and anticipate the 76,500-square-foot facility east of Loop 101 and the Scottsdale Airport will be completed in about 18 months, Collector’s Garage Managing Member Jason Plotke told the Business Journal.

Collector’s Garage at WestWorld will be one of a handful of proposed luxury storage facilities — other examples include Toy Barn and Finish Line Auto Club — in the works in the Scottsdale submarket.

“Specifically, ours are designed with a luxury feel,” Plotke said of the Collector's Garage project. “They're not cinder block and steel demising walls. These have … painted dry wall [and] LED lighting. They all come with five-ton AC units. We strive to build a community, not just sell a widget or a box.”

Collector’s Garage at Westworld received approval on several requests to bring the proposed five-acre project located at 9909 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Road to life. Some of the approvals given on Aug. 26 by City Council included site plans, a zoning change and combining two parcels that encompass the site, Plotke said.

Looking to capitalize on growing car culture

Plotke explained the site’s location — which sits less than two miles away from where the iconic Barrett-Jackson car auctions take place — looked to capitalize not only on the growing car culture in north Scottsdale, but also the proximity to prospective buyers.

“[Prospective buyers] … in areas like DC Ranch, Silverleaf and [Windgate Ranch] make the site so attractive,” Plotke said. “It’s hard to get any closer … to where those buyers typically come from.”

The proposed project will include 46 individual garages — 42 of which are 1,500 square feet and the remaining four are each 2,400 square feet — spread across five buildings. Collector’s Garage is already advertising the garages for sale, and Plotke said the interest has “exceeded” the overall number of garages available for purchase.

Similar to other luxury storage facilities, prospective buyers will be able to customize individual garages at Collector’s Garage at WestWorld.

"The owner can make it theirs. You can add mezzanines or add vehicle lifts,” Plotke said. “Some people will put in pickleball courts or put in a basketball court — I’ve seen it all. It’s a place to get away on the weekends, or it just simply serves as a storage.”

Collector’s Garage submitted documents for the proposed five-acre project to the city of Scottsdale in June. Plotke expects a total capital investment of $55 million upon full build-out, which includes the 5.09 acres.

The developers have not yet acquired the land parcel, but expect to finalize the purchase in September.