Slummin' in Scottsdale

With his new residence built atop his antique shop, John Mollard thought he was set for life. He couldn't have imagined that the same city that encouraged him to build his home was laying plans to declare his neighborhood a blight, seize his property and

A A A Comments By Tony Ortega Thursday, May 21 1998

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Masa Kudo, the owner of nearby Kyoto restaurant, seems to have planned ahead better than his neighbors. Hearing talk that the waterfront would be developed and along with it his property, which lies hard against the canal's south bank, Kudo six years ago bought land in another part of downtown for the day he would have to move his restaurant.

Recently, Kudo says, Fred Unger offered him $600,000 for his restaurant, and Kudo told him to go fish. His sushi grossed him more than $2 million last year, and he'll wait to see what the city will offer in a condemnation. It won't be much problem for Kudo to move his restaurant, and he's really only concerned about getting a fair price for his current building.

He sympathizes, however, with John Mollard, who is a frequent customer, and who today is finishing up a meal of sashimi that he dips in lemon juice and wasabe. Mollard says he's given up soy sauce for his heart.

Mollard flinches when he's asked whether he won't come out all right when the city takes his home. "The issue is not the money. The issue is, why should I move?"

He thanks Kudo for the meal, and they chat for a bit about the other city matters, and then the antique dealer leaves. A short walk later and he's back to his own part of Scottsdale's slum.

Contact Tony Ortega at his online address: tortega@newtimes.com