Southeast Valley Development News

[oliveurban]

http://www.elevationchandler.com

Chandler project's developer gets loan
$24 million to help get through a year

Luci Scott
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 2, 2006

The developer of a partly built hotel-condo project next to Chandler Fashion Center has obtained a $24 million bridge loan, saving the project from a foreclosure auction that was scheduled for February.

"All those debts and liens and subcontractors and general contractor and Mortgages Limited and all those people . . . will be marching down to the title company to pick up their checks," said Richard Rollnick, CEO of Landmark Realty Capital of Scottsdale, which issued the loan.

The general contractor, Weitz Co., and multiple subcontractors are owed about $5.8 million, plus attorney's fees and interest.

The amount that developer Jeff Cline owes to the original lender, Mortgages Ltd., is unknown, but a default on a loan of $3.45 million from that company triggered the foreclosure action. The entire amount he owes the company is thought to be more.

Cline, developer of the Elevation Chandler project, "now has a year to put all the rest of the financing pieces in place, and we're confident he will," Rollnick said.

This loan won't be enough to let Cline resume construction on the project. Work on the project had stopped in April.

The bridge loan is only for the next year. But it gives Cline breathing room to find an equity lender to allow him to continue construction.

The 10-acre project is expected to cost roughly $250 million. That includes an eight-story hotel topped with two floors of condominiums, a second 15-story condo tower, parking garage and fitness center.

"We're very happy to see that the project may be resuming progress in the near future," said Doug Ballard, Chandler's director of planning and development.

"Obviously it's going to have to come through the permitting process again."

When construction stopped, workers were operating under a permit to construct the building's shell that has expired.

"Assuming there's no real changes to those plans, it shouldn't take us very long at all" to re-issue the shell permit, Ballard said.

One of the subcontractors, Tim Drexler, owner of Ace Asphalt of Arizona, was skeptical about whether he would go back to the site. Before returning, he would need reassurances that he would be paid.

The fact that he had to file a mechanic's lien has tainted the project, he said. "It won't be an automatic yes we're going finish the project."

[vertex]

With the light rail now under construction in Mesa, the construction of the MCC downtown campus, and the completion of the Mesa Arts Center (http://isw04.mesaartscenter.com/aboutTheCenter.htm), additional developements are now slated for downtown Mesa, as well as for the downtowns in Gilbert and Chandler. Let's use this thread to document the rise of these east valley cities.

Mesa Arts Center
http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/people/faculty/schwartz/images/projects/mesa2.jpg

http://www.sherman-group.com/images/mesadntn_042a.jpg


Plan of the MCC downtown campus.
http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/locations/images/DTMap.jpg

Shops along Main Street
http://www.azfoo.net/places/az/mesa/downtown/pics/05_MainStreetSign.jpg (http://www.azfoo.net/places/az/mesa/downtown/pics/05_MainStreetSign.jpg)

[vertex]

Plans for a large development in DT Chandler. I'm looking for renderings right now, if you come across any, please post them.

Cautious buzz surrounds Chandler plans

Edythe Jensen and Luci Scott
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 11, 2007 12:00 AM

A $300 million downtown-redevelopment proposal that could change the look of Chandler is creating a buzz among business leaders but bringing words of caution from city officials.

The project, aired Wednesday at a wine and cheese reception by Desert Viking partners Niels Kreipke and Michael Hogarty, is the most ambitious redevelopment plan in city history and would more than triple the existing downtown retail and office space.

It would add about 600 townhouses and apartments, several six-story modern buildings, parking garages with more than 1,500 spaces, and more hotel rooms and a conference center next to the Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort. It also tucks a city museum into a multistory entertainment complex northwest of Arizona Avenue and Chicago Street.

City officials want to know where the money will come from. Kreipke said that hasn't been determined.

Assistant City Manager Pat McDermott said he expects Desert Viking will seek municipal financial aid, and at least one of the proposed commercial developments is on city land.

"Is this feasible? Can he get financing? What kind of market analysis has been done? All this has to be worked out," McDermott said. "It's easy to do what's been done to date: Pay architects a few bucks, and they come out with some really neat stuff. The hard part is selling it to lenders."

Architectural drawings wowed a small audience of mostly business owners and supporters. Several longtime residents who have been working nearly 20 years to build a municipal museum cheered the plan and the museum's location.

"This is the most exciting project that's gone in downtown Chandler since Dr. (A.J.) Chandler started the city in 1912," said Jim Patterson, former mayor and president of the Chandler Historical Society.

"It's the kind of thing we've been dreaming about for downtown for many, many years," said Joan Saba, whose family owns Saba's Western Wear and has been involved in downtown business since 1954.

Missing from the presentation were finances, and that's a big issue for the city, McDermott said. He and City Manager Mark Pentz learned of the plan only hours before the reception.

"The proposal is exciting; it's the type of project we would like for downtown, but it is still very preliminary," McDermott said. "As much as the council loves Niels, they don't love him to the point of giving him unlimited funding."

Kreipke said Thursday that he intends to seek some city financial help. "Projects of this magnitude in redevelopment areas typically include city participation," he said.

The city should help Desert Viking, said Jack McCormick, owner of software and tour companies based in downtown Chandler.

"The city has entertained a lot of foolish ideas, and this is the first solid proposal to come on board. If the financing is appropriate and with the city's blessing, we can start putting Chandler where it belongs."

Kreipke said he is hopeful that the San Marcos resort would finance the additional rooms as an expansion and that the city may be asked to participate in the conference center.

Known for its rehabilitation of historic buildings, Chandler-based Desert Viking is also building San Marcos Commons - luxury condominiums, offices, shops and a parking garage under construction next to the San Marcos.

The firm has proved it can transform the area, Chandler Chamber of Commerce President Becky Jackson said. Eight years ago, "windows were boarded up in downtown Chandler."

Since then, Desert Viking has renovated the 1916 downtown Sahwaro Hotel, now Cupid's restaurant; turned the rundown 1914 Hotel Chandler into 98 South Wine Bar & Kitchen, and transformed the 1912 Monroe Building into El Zocalo Mexican Grille. Desert Viking also renovated the old post office, now La Stalla Cucina Rustica, and remodeled for lease the former Rowena Theatre, built in 1920.

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0211biz-cr-downtown0211.html

[HooverDam]

Reall this thread should be everything but Tempe and Scottsdale, since we have a Scottsdale thread as well.

But either way, thats some interesting stuff, I didn't know about the MCC downtown thing (I pay very little to no attention to the City of Mesa). I wonder if there has ever been any talk of expanding MCC into a more full fledged college, lord knows the Valley is dying for more higher educational options.

The downtown Chandler stuff is very cool too, I think both the downtowns of Chandler and Gilbert have some neat things going for them and could become very nice areas. Downtown Gilbert has a nice, quaint little strip right now, and they should work to cultivate that as much as possible. Downtown Chandler to me seems to lack an image, which may be part of its problem. Downtown Phoenix is obviously the major regional hub, downtown Tempe is the college town, downtown Scottsdale is the high end area, downtown Gilbert has a quaint, historic small town charm- not sure about Chandler though.

[vertex]

HD, the MCC 4-year program is starting this fall, but only for a handful of programs, such as nursing.

Until recently, Gilbert was pretty much where Mesa was up to about 5 years ago, strictly a bedroom community, with no real rush to do anything downtown.

I believe Chandler, with its' biotech and semiconductor industries, see themselves as the Santa Clara or Mountain View of the valley. I just don't think city leaders are really sure how to position their downtown to reflect this.

And in spite of what the phone company might think, no one in the east valley really considers Scottsdale to be a member. Historically, the east valley has always comprised of communities south/east of the river. Hence, no reason to mention it in the title.

[vertex]

Here are some images from the Mesa Arts Center, taken this afternoon while on my way home. Took these with my phone's camera, so they aren't the best, but they give you some idea about this place.


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/panomesaartscenterclean.jpg


This place is a wonderful jewel! I've only driven by before, so it's the first time I've gotten out of my car to really take a look. If you are familiar with the Valley's more iconic buildings, such as Bruder's Main Library or Predock's Nelson Fine Arts Center at ASU, then you might recognize a few elements here.

Even so, there is a lot to explore. There are a lot of details to be discovered, and the complex is divided into several areas.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111653_153courtyard.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111655_157glassentrance.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111643_134glassentranceinside.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111643_135glassentranceinside.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111647_140ceramicstudio.jpg


The building surfaces and the paving materials are the first thing I noticed. There's a lot of interesting materials being used, creating a variety of surface treatments and textures. Concrete (both plain and stained), glass, aluminum, stucco and ceramic tile are all used here. Many of the exterior walls are brightly painted with blue, purple, green and orange.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111652_151giftshop.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111642_131screens.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111646_139ceramicstudiooutsid.jpg


The primary water feature is a man-made stream that runs through the length of the complex. Interesting color and texture used here as well.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111651_150waterfeature2.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111653_154waterfeature1.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111647_142waterfeature3.jpg

The entrance from the parking lot on the southern end of the site echo's the same texture and pattern found in the water feature.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111648_143walkwayentrance.jpg


I also noticed the variety of screens and awnings used to create shade. Some seem pretty familiar (think of the Phoenix Library), while others are interesting twists on older ideas.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111657_161glassandcanopy.jpg


These 3 images show large screen walls, made of perforated metal squares, placed in a grid and spaced apart. They're really interesting up close. Also note the horizontal tensil fabric structures used for other windows.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111649_145screen2.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111654_155screen3.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111656_158screen1.jpg


As you might expect, there is plenty of outdoor sculptures and other art as well.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111644_137sculpture1.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/vertex_photobucket/east%20valley/200702111640_130sculpture2.jpg


Overall, a great experience. If you ever come out here for a show or an exhibit, make it a point to arrive early. You won't be disappointed.

[Sekkle]

^ Thanks for the pics, vertex. I have driven by but never walked around the arts center. It looks very nice.

[vertex]

A small project, but a nice example of some of the restoration and reuse projects occuring. It's called the Irving building, and it used to house the Mesa Arts Center (see above); it's on Center St., in DT Mesa.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic//pics/0215irving.jpg


Restored Historic Irving goes Artsy

Josh Kelley
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 14, 2007 05:31 PM

The Creative and Performing Arts Department for Mesa Public Schools soon will move downtown into Historic Irving, the former home of the Mesa Arts Center and the oldest standing school building in the district.

The building was constructed in 1934 and is undergoing a $3.4 million renovation intended to make the design and landscaping as close to that of the original structure as possible. The renovation at 155 N. Center Street is scheduled for completion in mid-May, and the arts department plans to move in over the summer.

"We're excited. It's a beautiful building. It's got soul," said Rod Castillo, director of Creative and Performing Arts. "We anticipate we'll have a great deal more access and use because teachers will be able to find us."

The arts department offers teachers resources, including art kits, materials for projects, cultural artifacts, traveling exhibits and prints used by volunteers to teach elementary children about art masterpieces. But to get to the building where those supplies are stored, teachers must trek through a parking lot of buses at the district's large complex at Stapley and University drives. Now those supplies will be moved into the 26,000-square-foot Historic Irving.

"It also puts us downtown in the arts district, if you will," Castillo said. "It's just a natural good place for us to be."

The building will provide storage space for donated musical instruments and meeting space for in-service training.

There is a small auditorium that has been refurbished and seats 120 to 140. It likely will be used for performances by the district's harp ensemble and possibly for oratory events such as poetry readings.

"We feel that's a great compliment to the downtown area as far as completing the arts center and art galleries and everything that's happening downtown in Mesa," said Jill Benza, assistant superintendent for business and support services.

Years ago, the district stopped using Historic Irving as a school and let the city take over the building with the understanding that it would be returned to the district if the city stopped using it, Benza said. When the new Mesa Arts Center opened, the building was vacated, allowing the district to retake it.

"We put a lot of effort into putting it back the way it was when it was new," said Dennis Gearhart, the district's construction director. "It's part of the historic society."

The original wood flooring was left in place and sanded and re-finished. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems were upgraded, including the air conditioning. Window panes were replaced but the original frames were kept as was the building's concrete trim. Old photos were used to restore original color and landscaping.

Gearhart said the cost of restoring the building's original features was minimal.

"We just did the research," he said.

pulled from www.azcentral.com (http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/0214mr-irving0215.html)

[DevdogAZ]

:previous: My dad told me about going to school in the old Irving School and the Cubs practiced at Rendezvous Field, which was just north of there (where the Mesa Rendezvous Center is now). He tells me that they used to sneak out the school window, go get autographs from the players, and then sneak back in.

The Mesa Arts Center is really nice. For those of you who haven't been there for a show, you really should make a point to go there. The design is really cool, because there are four theaters, but they all share a common lobby area. I don't like the material used for the inside of the big theater (Ikeda), but overall, I think it's a great facility.

As for other development, Mesa Riverview is going up like crazy. The Bass Pro Shops looks to be nearly complete on the exterior, and I think it's scheduled to open within the next couple of months. The movie theaters have been open since last May (and are very nice). I think once Bass Pro opens, much of the rest of the development on the north end of the site will open as well. It should be a nice place to go. I'll get some pics soon and post them. In the meantime, the website is: www.mesariverview.com

I found something online the other day about a new shopping center in Gilbert called Main Street Commons (or Gilbert Commons). Many of you probably already know about it, but it was news to me. It's being done by the same developer as Kierland Commons, and is supposed to be a similar development. It's located at Val Vista and Pecos, just off the Santan 202. The website is: http://www.mainstreetcommons.com/

[JimInCal]

Proposed $100M mixed-use Chandler project one example of latest trend of urban living Misty Williams, Tribune

"The Valley’s latest development craze — projects that blend retail, office and residential space — is sweeping into Chandler with a proposed $100 million project in the works.

Sitting on 12 acres next door to Chandler Fashion Center, The Metropolitan would combine 60,000 square feet of retail space, 342 condominiums and 38,000 square feet of offices.

The project would include 12 buildings, ranging in height from one story to six stories, city planner Kevin Mayo said. The condos — ranging in size from 900 square feet to 1,900 square feet — would sit above boutique-type shops, giving the development a more urban feel, Mayo said. The site will also include an 8,000-squarefoot, stand-alone restaurant with valet parking.

“It’s representative of the evolution Chandler’s going through,” transforming from rural-suburban to full-fledged urban, he said. “It’s kind of the way of the future.”

The Metropolitan is one of three major mixed-use projects currently being developed in Chandler."

Here is the link to the entire story. What I like to call suburban urban is happening all over metro Phoenix. Westgate and Zanjero in Glendale, City North and Kierland in Northeast Phoenix, Surprise, Mesa and now Chandler in a pretty big way. Interesting trend.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/84995

[THannay]

Mesa is winner for Waveyard project
Gary Nelson
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 5, 2007 02:26 PM

The company planning to build a massive water park and resort is expected to announce Tuesday they have chosen a site in Mesa.

City Councilman Tom Rawles said Monday he's been told an announcement is near. When asked if that means Mesa will be the site he said, "I think that's the only reason anybody would have let me know."

Mesa has been vying for months with the northwest Valley city of Surprise for what's billed as a world-class amusement park and resort. The land now occupied by the Riverview Golf Course has been mentioned as the most likely site.


http://www.waveyard.com/index.html


Finally the City of Mesa did something right. This is a great project for them.

[HooverDam]

Interesting, I would've thought this wouldve ended up in the West Valley. I really dislike Mesa, but this location is OK, its barely in Mesa.

If it does end up going where the Riverview Golf Course is (SE corner of the 101 & 202 interchange) at least its not deep into east Mesa or anything, its fairly centrally located and good freeway access. It would be amazing if Tempe Town Lake extended that far east, and could be incorporated into this project, but thats just fanciful dreaming I suppose.

Another plus is that it will be near the new "Tempe Marketplace" (Desert Ridge V2.0), so it'll be a nice little corridor for families.

[combusean]

The updated version ...

Mesa wins Waveyard water park project (http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0305brk-waveyard0305.html)

Gary Nelson
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 5, 2007 06:03 PM

Mesa is the winner of a battle with Surprise over a $250 million resort and water park.

Waveyard developers Jerry Hug and Richard Mladick told The Arizona Republic Monday they chose Mesa because of its freeway and airport access, family-friendly reputation and public support since Mesa first entered the picture late last year.

"What we're talking about today is not why not Surprise, but why Mesa," Mladick said.

The deal depends, though, on the outcome of a November referendum that the developers said they requested to make sure citizens are on board with the deal.

It also depends on completion of a development agreement that likely will include incentives from the city and details on how to convert a municipal golf course and softball fields into what's touted as a world-class private amusement park.

The land is currently occupied by the Riverview Golf Course, just west of Dobson Road and south of Loop 202.

Scottsdale-based Waveyard Development LLC announced last summer it wanted to build a $250 million hotel and water park featuring surfing, whitewater rafting, snorkeling and numerous other sports venues.

Mladick said Monday that additional development around the site could push total overall spending to $500 million at buildout.

Surprise appeared to have the inside track even as Mesa entered the picture late last year. Mladick and Hug told a Mesa community meeting in October they were within weeks of announcing a formal agreement for a West Valley site.

But those talks appeared to bog down early this year, even as Mesa continued working on a development agreement.

Scot Rigby, a Mesa economic development official, has been negotiating that agreement and said Monday it's not fully hammered out yet.

The Mesa site lies west of the Riverview shopping center, which features theaters, several big-box stores and a soon-to-open Bass Pro shop.

Late last week, developer Marty DeRito announced an upscale 150-room Hyatt Place hotel also will be built there.

West Mesa has struggled economically in recent years. Motorola Inc. closed a large plant at Dobson and Broadway roads about five years ago, and AT&T has chopped hundreds of jobs at its once-huge facility at University Drive and Alma School Road.

Also, Banner Mesa Medical Center near Brown Road and Country Club Drive will close this year because, hospital officials have said, it would be too expensive to renovate the aging facility.

In the late 1990s, the Riverview site east of Dobson Road was pitched as a location for an Arizona Cardinals football stadium, but Mesa voters resoundingly rejected that idea.

Surprise Economic Development director John Hagen said he figured that Mesa might win the park because developers could not get the site they desired along the Loop 303, south of Prasada, Westcor's future regional shopping center for the price that they wanted.

Surprise Vice Mayor Doc Sullivan said the announcment blindsided several Surprise council members, who thought they were still in a good position.

"I was under the impression we had a better chance than not," Sullivan said "We had more than enough land available, it was right on the freeway and we were in the position to help them financially."

"If I was an employee of Mesa that was laid off and Mesa gives a financial incentive for something like this, I'd be pissed off," Sullivan said.

Councilman Joe Johnson said when Mesa went public it was clearly a threat to get Surprise to lower the price of their land, but said that the city would not give the land away for free.

Sullivan said the negotiation process was grueling, pitting the cities against each other.

"I'm a businessman. I see why they wanted to play our cities against each other, " he said.

What does Surprise want to do with that land now? Sullivan says possibly pursue another entertainment venue. But Hagen said a commercial or residential project is most likely to go up at that spot.

[FireMedic]

anyone got pictures of Gilbert, the new santan mall or the new santan freeway, new Gilbert mercy Hospital or Chandler that they could post or
thanks

[DevdogAZ]

Here are some pics I took today of Mesa Riverview, which is partially open and has several stores slated to open within the next couple of months. This is directly across Dobson Road from the site of The Waveyard project and most of it will be open before Tempe Marketplace. This corridor will definitely be very different within the next few years, as long empty land will be the new retail centers of the East Valley.

The "Main Street" at Mesa Riverview:
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9900/dsc00467bm4.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/102/dsc00464co3.jpg

This picture shows the "Main Street" with the Bass Pro Shops building at the end.
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9467/dsc00466wz7.jpg

Bass Pro Shops, scheduled to open in April or May 2007:
http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/3435/dsc00476pu4.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/7025/dsc00469tj5.jpg

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/5153/dsc00468kb5.jpg

The Cinemark movie theaters, which have been open since May 2006, at the other end of the "Main Street" from Bass Pro:
http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/8634/dsc00462iv6.jpg

Some of the construction on the south side of the development, which is more like a typical suburban power center and less like the nice, walkable development on the north side. This section will include Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and several other large retailers.
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/4672/dsc00473ml0.jpg

http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/568/dsc00470di0.jpg

http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/9279/dsc00471om6.jpg

http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/9629/dsc00472kl3.jpg

Directly across Dobson Road to the west of Mesa Riverview will be a small auto mall which already has announced dealerships but ground does not appear to have been broken. This auto mall will be directly between Mesa Riverview and The Waveyard.

[DevdogAZ]

This article appeared in the Republic within the last week, announcing a Hyatt Place hotel to be built at Mesa Riverview, east of the Cinemark movie theaters.
Hyatt hotel to go up at Riverview
Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 2, 2007 07:14 PM

A Hyatt Place hotel will be built at Mesa Riverview east of the Cinemark movie theater, near a planned office complex.

Marty De Rito, president of De Rito Partners Development, announced Thursday at a community meeting that the hotel will be added to the mixed-use development.

De Rito previously had announced a hotel would be built at the site, but had not identified the chain. De Rito could not be reached for comment Friday, but Kevin Christopher, a city spokesman, and Vice Mayor Claudia Walters both said they heard the announcement. Construction could begin at year's end.

"We want to fit in with what they're doing there. It's very creative," said Lewis Wolff, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team and principal of Wolff Urban Development, which will own, operate and build the hotel.

Wolff said he is considering a "baseball theme," with batting cages that would be available for guests to use and a fitness room with equipment similar to that used by players.

"A little bit of a Major League Baseball touch, if I can pull it off," he said. "It's a hotel we'd like to operate for business and pleasure travelers. I want it to be fun."

Robert Brinton, executive director of the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the hotel will be "very upscale" and have 150 rooms. "It's a great product and we're happy to have it here."

The Hyatt Place chain caters to business travelers and features a state-of-the art media work center in each guest room, with a 42-inch plasma television and Wi Fi, according to the company's Web site.

Wolff's profile on the A's Web site said he owns the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in St. Louis and Fairmont hotels in San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Monica, Calif., and New Orleans.

The real estate investment firm develops office, hotel, retail, townhouses and commercial parking properties, according to its Web site.

The Hyatt Place would be six miles from Sky Harbor International Airport, within walking distance to the Bass Pro Shops under construction at Mesa Riverview and fill a void in the Mesa hotel market, Brinton said. It also would be close to Hohokam Stadium and help Mesa maximize revenues from the Cactus League by adding more rooms for Chicago Cubs fans.

"We haven't had enough hotels on the north side of Mesa," he said. A Marriott Courtyard, which also serves business travelers, is planned for Falcon Field.

"We know a Bass Pro will generate 3,000 annual hotel rooms a year," Brinton said. "This fits in nicely with the office and the retail."

A Bass Pro is the anchor tenant at Riverview.

The city needs more hotel rooms to capitalize fully on the Cactus League, Brinton said.

"We still know we have more people stay outside of Mesa and not inside of Mesa because we don't have enough rooms," he said.

[JAHOPL]

Has anyone heard any more about the Fiesta Towers project across from Fiesta Mall in Mesa?

[DevdogAZ]

^^^ Here's their website: http://www.roszakadc.com/fiesta_residential.html

Last I heard they were still intending to build, it's just that they announced right when the market topped and have probably been waiting for things to pick back up.

[JAHOPL]

Thanks, DevdogAZ, and thanks for the photos of Riverview. I drove past the area on Sunday and it's looking pretty good. If Fiesta Towers ever starts up, a couple miles north of our house, I wouldn't mind trying my hand at posting update photos.

[FireMedic]

Great pictures !:)

[nbrindley]

could someone show me a map on where exactly Riverview and the wave park are/will be? I use to live right around there at University and Dobson.

[sundevilgrad]

The wave park will go on the NW corner of Dobson and University. It will replace the Riverview municipal golf course. The Riverview development is on the NE corner of Unversity and Dobson, south of the 202.

[DevdogAZ]

Since I'm no good at Photoshop or other graphics programs, here is my attempt to answer the question:

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/520/riverviewwaveyardoz5.png

Waveyard is quite a ways from releasing any site plans but they'll be where the golf course and softball fields are currently.

Go to www.mesariverview.com for a site plan of the Riverview area.

[DevdogAZ]

Here's the site plan for Riverview from www.mesariverview.com

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/1640/riverviewsiteplanps1.png

[HooverDam]

I enjoy how they have the Salt River colored blue and are calling the project "Riverview"- how about "dirt view" or "old tire view" or "rock quarry view"

[JAHOPL]

There is that wet riparian area under where the 101 meets the 202, but it certainly isn't blue as far east as shown on the map. I haven't heard about any plans to expand the riparian area eastward.

Looking at the second map, there doesn't look to be nearly enough parking. Home Depot and Walmart alone should take up the lower portion of the parking lot. Those other little businesses on the left are going to be squeezed it looks like.

[nbrindley]

thanks for the map, it really helps out. And there is definitely enough parking in Riverview.

[DevdogAZ]

Looking at the second map, there doesn't look to be nearly enough parking. Home Depot and Walmart alone should take up the lower portion of the parking lot. Those other little businesses on the left are going to be squeezed it looks like.
There's PLENTY of parking. From driving the site this week, each of the big-box stores appears to have the same amount of parking they would have in a stand-along setting, plus there are tons more parking areas for the other buildings and pad retailers. My guess is that you'll never see the parking filled up in the center part of the development (adjacent to the curved road).

[Sekkle]

From the Republic...
Urban village planned near Chandler mall
Luci Scott
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 12, 2007 12:00 AM

A $100 million, mixed-use project that includes 342 condominiums plus retail, offices and restaurants is planned next to Chandler Fashion Center.

The project, called the Metropolitan of Chandler, is designed as an urban village to attract people who want to live, work and play in one spot.

The project, with 100,000 square feet of commercial space, is planned on 12 acres wrapping around the Windmill Inn, across from Nordstrom on the west side of the mall.

"It's very urban," said developer Spike Lawrence of Lawrence & Geyser, a Tempe firm. "Everyone uses the Kierland Commons comparison and I hate to do that, but it's residential over retail, and you drive down the middle of it."

The project, in partnership with Statesman Corp., will encompass 12 buildings from one to six stories tall, a pool, clubhouse, spa and upscale fashion boutiques. Lawrence said he is negotiating with "quality white-tablecloth restaurants which are exciting names new to the southeast Valley."

The project was approved last week by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission and will go to the City Council.

If approved by the council, the development will include 1,100 underground parking spaces, Lawrence said. Condos would range in size from 800 to 2,500 square feet and in price from $250,000 to $450,000. Most will be studios and one- and two-bedroom units.

Developers want to break ground this year and complete the project in two or three years.

Rosemarie Barton, a resident of the adjacent Hearthstone neighborhood west of the mall, said she is concerned about increased traffic and the impact of six-story buildings on Remuda Ranch, an eating-disorder treatment center to the south of the proposed project.

Barton, a real estate agent, expects the condo market to bounce back by the time these are built, but she is still lukewarm about the idea.

"I'm not aware of another project of this scale in these price ranges in Chandler," she said. "The closest was Elevation Chandler, which has not turned out the way it was promised to be. . . . I really think they're sticking their necks out with these types of prices."

Elevation Chandler, an eight-story hotel topped with two floors of luxury condominiums, has been stalled on the south side of the mall since April 2006, when the developer ran into financial trouble.

Christine Mackay, economic-development specialist for the city, said the Metropolitan project would give her a different class of companies to lure to Chandler.

It would be young technology companies with one to five employees who don't want to commute and who would like to live in the hub of social activity at Loop 101 and Chandler Boulevard.

"They want to be able to work 15, 16 hours a day and bring their dog from their house into the office and walk back for lunch," Mackay said.

"There's a whole thing called urban design for the creative class for live, work and play."

Lawrence & Geyser also has a previously announced Chandler project in the works called Downtown Ocotillo, a mixed-use development of retail, condos, restaurants and a hotel at Dobson and Queen Creek roads.

[vertex]

Well, the much talked-about condo tower project near Fiesta Mall has shrunk in height. Even so, this isn't a bad thing, since it shows that the developer is really thinking about the market, and not simply trying to flip the property. From the East Valley Tribune...


Project goes from towers to lofts in Mesa (http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/87321)

Misty Williams, Tribune
A Chicago developer’s ambitious plan to build four condominium towers — rising as high as 25 stories — near Fiesta Mall in Mesa is shrinking.

Evanston, Ill.-based Roszak/ADC is now proposing a scaled-back project, called Fiesta Lofts, that would include 438 condos and 50,000 square feet of retail space in three connected low-rise buildings.

The buildings might be shorter, but the project isn’t much smaller than the original Fiesta Towers development that called for 540 condos, company president Thomas Roszak said.

Low rises will be “more market realistic in terms of being able to sell condos in Mesa for the appropriate price,” Roszak said.

That’s because the price of building high rises has nearly doubled in the past 12 months, he said. Condo developers across the Valley are rethinking tower projects, he said.

“You have to make the numbers work,” Roszak said. “You have to be market flexible.”

Located near the southeast corner of Alma School Road and Southern Avenue, the 4.9- acre property would have two, five-story buildings and a sixstory, U-shaped building. Each will have shops on the bottom floor with condos above.

Condo prices will range from $270,000 to $910,000, while sizes will range from studios to more than 2,000 square feet, Roszak said.

Community members and city officials hoped the original mixed-use development would be one in a number of recent projects, such as the Riverview shopping center and light rail, helping to revitalize west Mesa.

That hasn’t changed.

“I would rather have a smaller successful project there than a large unsuccessful project or no project at all,” said Dave Richins, executive director of the West Mesa Community Development Corp.

With a mall, community college and hospital, the Fiesta area is still a fantastic place for an investment like that, said Richins, who also sits on the city’s Design Review Board.

“As long as the quality’s there, I think the neighborhood’s going to be happy,” he said.

But some worry that the condos may never get built.

Mesa has a history of large projects being proposed but then being downsized or falling through, said local architect Rob Burgheimer, who also sits on the Design Review Board.

Burgheimer said he was skeptical of the original towers project, partly because the plans didn’t seemed tailored for Mesa but were better suited for a larger city like Chicago. He also worries the developer might flip the property for a profit.

Still, the architect said he’s all for economic development. People should be encouraged to take bold steps, as long as they give the city assurances that the projects will get done, Burgheimer said. “That’s still a good project if we can pull that thing off,” he said.

Roszak said the firm has been involved with the property for nearly three years and has every intention of following through with plans.

“We’ve never gone in and not done the development we intended to,” he said.

Construction could start this year with a marketing center set up by late summer or early fall, Roszak said. It will likely take two years to build.

Anybody would have acknowledged that modifications to the towers project were possible given the real estate market, Vice Mayor Claudia Walters said.

“Any developer is going to have to respond to changes in the marketplace,” she said.

Walters added that she’s still excited to get housing on land that’s been vacant for years.

The new plan, which was filed on Tuesday, will be evaluated, planning director John Wesley said. It seems to differ enough from the old that it will likely have to go through city approvals again.

[vertex]

Yay, TOD arrives in Mesa.


Mesa project plans spurred by light rail (http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/0418evlightrail0418.html)

Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 18, 2007 12:00 AM
MESA - The city's past and future are merging in the first development planned to take advantage of Metro light-rail service.

West Main Station Village features a stucco and tile ramada similar to one used by Mesa's first train station when it opened in 1930, connecting Mesa to Phoenix by rail. It proposes to mix townhouses with shops on the site of a boat dealership moving to Bass Pro Shops.

"We're looking at it as definitely taking advantage of the light rail," architect Fred Woods said. "If the light rail wasn't there, we probably wouldn't be doing the project."

The project goes before the Mesa Planning and Zoning Board on Thursday for approval. Planners are recommending the board support a zoning change to allow higher density residential development. The City Council has final authority to grant zoning.

Tanya Collins, co-chairwoman of the Mesa Grande Community Alliance, said she hopes West Main Station Village will be successful, revitalizing west Mesa through light-rail service and its relatively close proximity to Tempe and Phoenix.

"I see it as a possible catalyst for projects similar to this," Collins said. "I think this is the first of many projects to employ a new design attitude. This is a great opportunity for developers to tag onto that."

The project features 56 townhomes and 13 shops at 1350 W. Main St., the current home of Tracker Marine and the former home of Randall's AMC, an automobile dealership for the defunct American Motors Corp. Tracker Marine is moving to Bass Pro Shops, scheduled to open sometime during the first week of June.

The property's owner is Dan Randall of Mulberry Business Park LLC. Woods said Randall's family has roots in Mesa dating to the 1940s and he wants to do something good for the community, in addition to making a good business decision.

"The easy thing would be just to get something else in there. He's definitely taking a risk, but he feels it should be a positive," Woods said of Randall. "We may be the first guinea pig out there."

The city is in the process of developing the Mesa Grande Area Plan to guide redevelopment along its 1-mile light-rail corridor, which could be lengthened to the east. The 20-mile rail line is scheduled open in December 2008 and end at Sycamore and Main Street, near the East Valley Institute of Technology.

The original Mesa rail depot was at Third Avenue and Robson Street, but it burned down in the 1980s, Woods said. The ramada duplicated by West Main Station Village was used by passengers as they waited for trains.

[nbrindley]

good to hear, that area could definitely use some revitalization.

[DevdogAZ]

How is the Fiesta Towers, err, Lofts going to get 438 condos out of 5 and 6 story buildings, when they were only planning to have 540 condos in 20+ story buildings? Are the units all going to be smaller?

[JAHOPL]

2nd Waterfront tower on its way for June opening

Peter Corbett
Arizona Business Gazette
Apr. 26, 2007 12:00 AM
The Scottsdale Waterfront Residences welcomed the first residents in February in the 13-story western tower.

By June, residents should start to occupy the eastern tower, the one closer to Camelback and Scottsdale roads, said Geoffrey Edmunds, a development partner with Opus West.

The $240 million condo project is the most prominent landmark in downtown's redevelopment, which in recent years has brought more than $3 billion in public and private investment.
advertisement

The 198-unit luxury condo project takes its name from the Arizona Canal, which cuts across the site and its mix of shops, restaurants and offices.

A promenade along the canal, a bridge and plaza will create a new focal point for downtown.

Scottsdale Waterfront, Optima Camelview Village and other luxury condos opening downtown will bring a new tier of luxury residential living to the city.

Buyers at the Waterfront paid an average of $1.2 million for condos that rise 143 feet above a growing urban scene in a downtown Scottsdale that includes restaurants, nightclubs and a mix of local and national retailers.

The Waterfront's last few condos of 1,100 to 5,000 square feet were priced starting at $1.7 million each.

The condos generally match new Scottsdale homes in size, furnishings and amenities, with the exception of the yards and attached garages. Some have compared it with living in a Ritz-Carlton Hotel with a 3,500-square-foot condo instead of the standard room.

The Waterfront offers its residents an underground garage, valet parking, a concierge desk and business center.

The lofty pool deck has a zero-edge pool, a spa, gas barbecue grills and an outdoor kitchen.

Residents can work out in a fitness center above the lobby, then relax in the steam rooms in each of the locker rooms.

The Waterfront's club room, with its wood-plank floors and paneling, will be a gathering spot for residents that's also available for private functions, including catered meals and parties. It includes two dining rooms, a professional kitchen and a wine storage room with lockers for every resident.

A patio off the clubroom will look out onto a landscaped public area along the canal.

Waterfront residents will have perhaps Arizona's greatest selection of shopping at the doorstep, what with the adjacent shops and sprawling Scottsdale Fashion Square a stone's throw away.

They will be just across the canal from the new SouthBridge restaurant and retail project, which should be completed by fall. Developer Fred Unger plans to open the first of his three restaurants in May.

Plus, the shops and galleries of Fifth Avenue and Marshall Way are minutes away.

Downtown's expanding universe of nightlife has options for most tastes and ages.

Scottsdale Waterfront itself has a mix or residents ranging from their late 20s to 70s. Only one in five buyers was from out of state, according to Edmunds, the developer.

"These are people we built homes for previously," he said. "They trust us and didn't mind buying off blueprints."

Jeff Roberts, vice president of Opus West, said that the location and amenities attracted buyers.

"There was a clear demand for this style and quality of living," Roberts said.

[DevdogAZ]

Shouldn't that go in the Scottsdale thread?

[combusean]

Plans reveal Mesa megaoasis (http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/89394)
Jason Massad, Tribune

When motorists enter Tempe from Loop 202, they cross a bridge straddling Tempe Town Lake — a local landmark. In Mesa, they speed past a sewage treatment plant.

Rich Adams, a Mesa planning commissioner, said he remembers years ago that former Mesa Mayor Wayne Brown wanted to see something replace the city’s eyesore.

“He just thought it was a really poor gateway for the city,” Adams said.

Scottsdale-based developer Waveyard LLC has proposed a new gateway to Mesa, a $250-million high-end resort that promises 10-story European themed buildings that would be built around a water park resort as early as 2010.

Mesa politicians and some neighborhood groups see the proposal as a signature development that could reap sales tax dollars for a cash-strapped city and spur community revitalization in west Mesa.

But Waveyard recently splashed down in the middle of the city’s political process, and questions have arisen.

The developers have not provided de- tailed traffic studies or a specific site plan. They also have not addressed how much of the project would be dedicated to residential development — a key concern for Mesa.

City officials say that’s normal for a project of this size. But the fate of Waveyard likely will be determined by voters in the November election, which was triggered by a proposed $20-million city incentive package that is tied to the development.

Perception of the project is important. Mesa Planning Commissioner Jared Langkilde this week wanted more details.

The proposed buildings of the project — a mix of hundreds of units of commercial, residential and office space — require special approvals. They would be some of the tallest buildings in Mesa.

“The materials are very conceptual,” Langkilde said. “We got black and white copies, and we couldn’t see some of the information.”

Neighbors living near the proposed Waveyard development say they have unanswered questions as well.

Nicole Macias, 26, lives in the Villagio development on Eighth Street. As a commuter, her main concern was the increase in traffic the development would bring to the area. Waveyard’s preliminary numbers indicate traffic on Eighth Street on the weekends could total 11,000 cars at peak hours. However, those numbers had no context, she said.

“They didn’t give us a basis of comparison,” Macias said. “Is it comparable to Chandler mall? Because Chandler mall is a pain in the butt to get to.”

The project’s supporters said some of the details are simply not possible to produce yet. Waveyard officials are simultaneously finalizing a development agreement with the city, working on the project and hosting community meetings to pitch Waveyard to voters.

“Voters are not going to go into the election blind,” said Emily Bittner, a spokeswoman for Waveyard. “We’re telling people pretty much as we go.”

Mesa’s Planning and Zoning Board will look at the project today. Board members expect to vote on land-use changes necessary to move the project forward on May 17. The City Council could give its final approval June 4.

Despite concerns, it seems the project has support at Mesa’s highest political levels.

“I think it’s just what the doctor ordered,” Langkilde said. “Mesa has an inferiority complex. This is a megaresort. It’s the right project for the right location, and that’s a rarity in this town.”



Waveyard development master plan
http://emvis.net/~sean/ssp/waveyard_graphic.jpg
A WATER PARK
The centerpiece of the Waveyard development is an expansive water park that developers say would attract 1 million people in its first year. The outdoor recreation would include a man-made white-water river for kayaking and rafting, a wave pool for surfing, a large sandy beach, a scuba shack and a diving and snorkeling lagoon, plus a canyoneering area.

B RESORT
A 400-room resort-level hotel would include themed restaurants and a resort atmosphere that would “remove people from everyday life.” A nearly 3-acre indoor water park featuring slides and a lazy river is planned for guests of the resort.

C RETAIL/RESIDENTIAL
European-themed architecture and 10-story buildings would contain high-end retail stores, office and other commercial space. Residential units, including condominiums are also planned. About 5 acres would be dedicated to resort villas. Urban streetscapes, open plazas, shaded courtyards and boardwalks are planned to line the park’s water features.

D OFFICE/ RESIDENTIAL
A mix of 315 office and residential units are planned on 9 acres in the eastern portion of the resort.

E RIVERVIEW PARK
The 25-acre Riverview Park would be reconfigured as part of the development. Supporters say it wouldn’t shrink the size of the park and wouldn’t impede on a lake stocked with fish and the park’s playground equipment. SOURCES: Google Earth; Waveyard LLC

[andrewkfromaz]

^ That would be a very interesting project were it to go through. We'll wait and see....

I went to Riverview (the mall) on Tuesday to see Spiderman 3. Good movie, the theatre (cinemark 16) gets two thumbs up - very clean, comfortable, very empty at the 10:45 showing. The mall actually looks pretty good, they have some kind of cool shade structures and benches down near the theatre. I would have like to have seen more green spaces in the interior, but overall I was impressed. I couldn't see anything else open other than the theatre, but it looked like a few things were getting close.

[HooverDam]

C RETAIL/RESIDENTIAL
European-themed architecture

Puke. Disneyland crap architecture, but I guess it is a theme park. I wish they'd go with super moden, desert appropriate, shade giving architecture. Phoenix is such a unique environment and we have small smatterings of amazing architecture here and there, I wish big projects would tap into that as well.

[nbrindley]

A sewage treatment may not be the greatest entrance to a city, but I always thought that particular one was pretty interesting looking.

[DevdogAZ]

When motorists enter Tempe from Loop 202, they cross a bridge straddling Tempe Town Lake — a local landmark. In Mesa, they speed past a sewage treatment plant.

Rich Adams, a Mesa planning commissioner, said he remembers years ago that former Mesa Mayor Wayne Brown wanted to see something replace the city’s eyesore.

“He just thought it was a really poor gateway for the city,” Adams said.
That treatment plant was only built in the last 6-7 years, long after Wayne Brown was mayor. Was there a different treatment plant there before, and the current version is just the expansion of that, or does this reporter not know what he's talking about?

[vertex]

Mesa's Fiesta Lofts project moves forward (http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0607mr-lofts0608.html)

Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 7, 2007 11:04 AM

Fiesta Lofts, the orange and blue six-story condominium project that replaced the soaring Fiesta Towers, won guarded applause from Mesa's Design Review Board.

Once a series of four glass-and-steel high rise buildings, the project shrunk to three five and six story buildings, but developer and architect Thomas Roszak said the latest version is more realistic.

"We felt that the low-rise, five or six stories, were more appropriate to the market we are creating here in Mesa," Roszac said. "I think the architecture has to be special. Architecture can make a market."

Board members, which include several architects, made several suggestions that Roszak plans to incorporate.

"I do have to admit I like the groupings of the colors better," said Tom Bottomley, one of the board's architects, noting changes from the initial architect's renderings. "Disorganized confetti is not my idea of good design."

When asked about his color scheme by board member Vince DiBella, Roszak said, "it's supposed to be the desert, actually, the view at sunset."

Board member Dave Richins admitted he was skeptical about the project but liked the design.

"When you start construction, I'll believe it when I see it. It would be a great addition to the area," Richins said.

But Roszak said he could start construction at Grove Avenue and Westwood, east of Fiesta Mall, in early 2008 if all city approvals go as planned. He said the project goes before the Planning and Zoning Board on June 21, to the Design Board for formal approval on July 5, and to the City Council on July 9.

The approvals are required in part because the new plan is so different than Fiesta Towers. It features 450 units, instead of 540 to 850. The original plan called for four buildings that would range from 10 to 19 stories.

Roszak also is considering lofts where artists, architects, artists and other professionals could live and work. He said he might reduce the retail area from 45,000 square feet to 20,000 to create room for the unique lofts.

"I think it will have a very interesting loft feel. We think it's a product that doesn't exist," he said.

One big advantage: the latest plan would be built all at once rather than in phases. Cathy Ji, of Mesa's economic development office, said there was no guarantee that all four towers would have been built in the initial project.

"I'm even more optimistic," Roszak said after the meeting. "Everyone will follow us. That's why we have to do a very good job."

Condominiums would range from $240,000 for a 600-square-foot studio to $800,000 for a penthouse, he said.

Ji said virtually every shopping center in the area, with the exception of ramshackle Fiesta Village, plans major face lifts in the near future.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/pics/breaking/0607mr-lofts0608.jpg

[andrewkfromaz]

I have hope for that area, I hope the project will go through and bring some new life to Fiesta Mall and the surrounds.

[HooverDam]

"Condominiums would range from $240,000 for a 600-square-foot studio to $800,000 for a penthouse, he said."

WOW

Who exactly is the market for that? Its way out of the price range of college kids, young urban types would much rather live in Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, the Biltmore or Kierland (or even Westgate when that residential gets built). I hope I'm wrong, but I don't know who wants to pay that much for so little space just to be near a run down mall. Maybe if/when MCC becomes a full fledge university, places like this will be in more demand.

[andrewkfromaz]

I think there are people who want to stay in Mesa that might be interested in this type of development. The prices are pretty much in line with other, somewhat similar developments, so really the wild card is the location. Are there enough boomer-age Mormons who would be open to condo/loft living and yet want to stay near family? What about retirees? Where's the nearest golf course? :D

[vertex]

The Hilton across the street has 36 holes.

[combusean]

Mesa also doesn't have property taxes, which makes the units investor friendly. Secondly, consider who moves to Mesa--midwestern Republican retirees. These already don't fit well within the niches that downtowns Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale are beginning to carve out. These units, if marketed right (the developer is from Chicago and reputable which helps) could fill up quickly. A Mesa submarket might just etch itself out for this sort of thing.

Maybe if/when MCC becomes a full fledge university, places like this will be in more demand.

<rant>Oh god, if only. I remember my time at MCC, staring at those blank grassy fields, parking lots, squat dilapidated permanent structures, all compared with the new Biosciences building and just imagining a new and better city if Mesa wasn't the status-quo of public government around here. Our state university system is overflowing and broken--it's ridiculous that the only place for a public business education in the metro is ASU. That monopoly needs to end, and its too bad Phoenix just further entrenched it with the downtown campus. ASU Polytechnic should be its own seperate university, ASU West should probably be the University of Arizona Glendale, etc. Expanding availability of academic programs with regional competition will only make more and better educated students. The fact that there was an opposition to expanding nursing programs of all things at the community college level only shows us how scared the bigwigs are of change. Why? </rant>

[DevdogAZ]

The Hilton across the street has 36 holes.

Ummmmm, the Fiesta Lakes Golf Course is across the street, but only has 9 holes. Off the top of my head, the closest 18-hole courses are Dobson Ranch, Kokopelli, and Mesa Country Club, all within 5 miles.

As for the MCC rant, the legislature has been introducing bills for years to expand the community college program to four years. Every time, the Board of Regents and the powers that be shoot it down. It has nothing to do with Mesa or Mesa's city government. It's all about the people at the state capitol and for whatever reason, they keep shooting themselves in the foot.

[HooverDam]

^These are the same people who tried to keep ASU from becoming a university, nothing is surprising.

[combusean]

Chandler looks at redevelopment incentives (http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/0615cr-revitalize0616-on.html)

Edythe Jensen
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 15, 2007 04:31 PM

Aging shopping centers in north Chandler soon could get city-supported makeovers, zoning changes or demolition help.

The City Council backed a proposal to study sales tax revenue along the northern parts of Alma School and Dobson roads and Arizona Avenue and use the data to push redevelopment incentives and land use changes. The move came during an informal goal-setting session Thursday, June 14.

Last year, a consultant advised the council to take aggressive redevelopment actions and keep Chandler from becoming just another deteriorating, built-out suburb.

Several older intersections have been plagued by retail vacancies for years in spite of the city's longstanding commercial reinvestment program that offers grants for improvements. One, the troubled East Valley Mall at the northwest corner of Arizona Avenue and Warner Road, has had a high vacancy rate since it was built more than 20 years ago.

The largely vacant Chandler Mercado at the northeast corner of Arizona Avenue and Warner Road is undergoing renovations with help from city grants and should have new stores and entertainment centers open later this year.

Several central city centers have been purchased and renovated by Mesa developer Michael Pollack.

City Manager Mark Pentz didn't name intersections, but he said some areas may not be able to support shops and restaurants on all four corners. Zoning changes to allow apartments or condominiums as part of mixed-use projects with retail and offices could encourage redevelopment, he said.

The city may consider subsidizing demolitions and modifying development standards to encourage creativity.

"We want to promote innovation and creativity . . . sometimes our design standards can do just the opposite," Planning Director Doug Ballard said.

Ballard's department is looking at changing the zoning code to require artwork in commercial development and incorporate shade and energy conservation requirements for large buildings.

[DevdogAZ]

Bass Pro Shops at Mesa Riverview is open. I stopped in and checked it out last Saturday, the place was packed. Later that night, the wife and I went back and ate at the Chili's at Riverview and then saw a movie at Riverview Cinemark. The theaters there are new and clean and cheaper than any of the others in the valley. We've been going to movies there for a year since the theaters opened, but it's nice to finally see some of the other developments open up and people discovering the site.

[PHX31]

<rant>Oh god, if only. I remember my time at MCC, staring at those blank grassy fields, parking lots, squat dilapidated permanent structures, all compared with the new Biosciences building and just imagining a new and better city if Mesa wasn't the status-quo of public government around here. Our state university system is overflowing and broken--it's ridiculous that the only place for a public business education in the metro is ASU. That monopoly needs to end, and its too bad Phoenix just further entrenched it with the downtown campus. ASU Polytechnic should be its own seperate university, ASU West should probably be the University of Arizona Glendale, etc. Expanding availability of academic programs with regional competition will only make more and better educated students. The fact that there was an opposition to expanding nursing programs of all things at the community college level only shows us how scared the bigwigs are of change. Why? </rant>

I don't know anything about how universities work, but I've always thought that all of these satellite campuses of ASU were going to eventually become like those in California (granted, I have no idea how the California schools work either)... but you've got UCLA, UC Irvine, UCSD etc etc. and Cal St Fullerton, Cal St Northridge, etc. etc... they are all seemingly their own school but also sound like just different satellite campuses (they also have their own separate sports teams.)

[combusean]

As for the MCC rant, the legislature has been introducing bills for years to expand the community college program to four years. Every time, the Board of Regents and the powers that be shoot it down. It has nothing to do with Mesa or Mesa's city government. It's all about the people at the state capitol and for whatever reason, they keep shooting themselves in the foot.

I know expanding the community colleges doesn't have to do anything with the City of Mesa--that's not what I was saying. I meant that public government around here, eg, most of the East Valley, including Mesa, and the idiots in the Statehouse operate on Mesa's ideology--low taxes, poor service, general incompetence, wasting money, and leaving ramshackle private enterprises to haphazardly fill the gaps.

That's not to say Mesa could do more--I mean, Phil Gordon was right in his recent speech...education is front and center in the Phoenix and it's not even on the radar screen anywhere else. Expanding MCC to a 4 year program would be impossible without huge amounts of money that probably wouldn't come from an MCCCD bond nor the Statehouse. Phoenix was able to bring ASU downtown by throwing it in the 2006 bond that passed 2 - 1. Mesa doesn't even have a property tax and is far too broke to "pay as you go" into a new system.

And yes, it's really broken here that Phoenix had to pay to expand ASU. ABOR needs to be dissolved.

[DevdogAZ]

Duplicate.

[DevdogAZ]

Duplicate

[DevdogAZ]

I don't know anything about how universities work, but I've always thought that all of these satellite campuses of ASU were going to eventually become like those in California (granted, I have no idea how the California schools work either)... but you've got UCLA, UC Irvine, UCSD etc etc. and Cal St Fullerton, Cal St Northridge, etc. etc... they are all seemingly their own school but also sound like just different satellite campuses (they also have their own separate sports teams.)

California's statewide higher-education system is very different from Arizona's. California has two tiers, the University of California tier, which is generally considered higher, and then the California State tier, which is considered lower. Schools like UC Berkely, UCLA, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCSD, etc. are in the first tier, while CS Fullerton, CS Northridge, etc. are in the latter. They are each an independent school, but are "governed" by the same body at the tier level.

Arizona, due to size and population, has no need for a two-tiered system, although we kind of do by default, with the three major universities (ASU, UA, and NAU) and then the junior colleges (Eastern Arizona, Arizona Western).

However, community college issue is completely different, because they are run at the county level. All of the CC's in Maricopa County are under the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) and are not part of the state-sponsored university level, although I believe the funding and the determination about whether they can offer four-year degrees still rests with the legislature.

[JAHOPL]

A large part of the community college mission is to provide degrees that qualify people to receive good incomes with two years of schooling, the occupational and technical trades. At Chandler-Gilbert CC we offer two-year degrees in nursing, aviation maintenance and piloting, police science, and several other specific industries. These are partially economically-supported by employers who work with the instructional program administrators in tailoring class work to meet their industry needs. The four-year programs would only be offered for certain degrees in which universities are challenged in completely meeting the demand for skilled workers, such as producing more teachers. Of course Michael Crow doesn't want to see this happen, community colleges taking some of his potential customers, and pretty much has the legislature in his pocket in that regard. The recent articles in the Tribune and Republic about community college problems conveniently coincided with talk about cc's and four-year degrees.

[vertex]

Here is a follow-up to this post back in April:

Yay, TOD arrives in Mesa.

Mesa project plans spurred by light rail (http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/0418evlightrail0418.html)

Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 18, 2007 12:00 AM
MESA - The city's past and future are merging in the first development planned to take advantage of Metro light-rail service.



Light-rail housing/retail project moves forward (http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/0626mr-westmain0627.html)

Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 26, 2007 08:09 AM

The art of compromise goes a long way in politics and Planning and Zoning, with a few key changes moving Mesa's first light rail-oriented project closer to approval.

The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of West Main Street Station, only six weeks after voting to reject it, after developer Dan Randall agreed to a series of changes that made the development somewhat more palatable to nearby residents.

Designed to capitalize on the Metro light rail line, the project's success may prove pivotal in the redevelopment of West Main Street. It combines 55 townhouses with 13 shops at 1350 W. Main St., the site of a former automobile dealership and, later, Tracker Marine, a boat dealership.

A zoning change, to allow higher density residential development, is scheduled to go before the Mesa City Council on July 9. The development is not oriented toward light rail alone because it still offers parking for residents and visitors.

"It brings a nice breath of fresh air to an otherwise distressed part of Main Street," said Rich Adams, the planning board's chairman, who voted against the proposal June 2. "I think it would have sent the wrong signal" to recommend the council reject it again.

Mesa also hopes to capitalize on its one mile of light rail, which ends at Main and Sycamore, across from the East Valley Institute of Technology. A downtown extension to the Arizona Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints already is in the planning stages. The rail line is scheduled to open in December 2008.

City officials and the Mesa Grande Community Alliance are hoping light rail transforms the area from urban decay to urban chic, with high-destiny residential housing built for commuters looking to ride the line to work, Arizona State University or even downtown Phoenix attractions such as Chase Field and US Airways Arena.

"Any development we get in there would spark interest," said John Wesley, Mesa's Planning and Zoning director.

Adams said the key factor in winning the planning board's endorsement was changing the townhouses from an east-west orientation along Main Street to a north-south orientation. The change eliminates the possibility of townhouse residents looking down into the yards of Pepper Place neighbors.

Two-story townhouses are planned along with the three-story "live-work units," designed for professionals to live and work at the same location. In addition, a driveway onto Rogers Street was eliminated to reduce fears of residents about increased traffic.

Although some neighbors still oppose the abandonment of Standage, "no one really made a good argument on how that would impact them," Adams said. "In an overall context, it looked like the neighborhood in general was in favor."

If approved by the council, architect Fred Woods said West Main Station Village would become a guinea pig, with developers watching to see if it is successful before they redevelop other properties.

"If it sells like we're hoping it will, a lot of developments like this will come," Woods said. "If it works well, we're geniuses. If doesn't, people will say, 'look at your neighborhood.' "


>> Still looking for renderings. If you know of any, feel free to post them.

[vertex]

Here's a site plan and elevation for the West Main St. project.

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/3078/westmainstreetvillagesizo6.th.gif (http://img527.imageshack.us/my.php?image=westmainstreetvillagesizo6.gif)

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8199/westmainstreetvillageeliq2.th.gif (http://img524.imageshack.us/my.php?image=westmainstreetvillageeliq2.gif)

[PhxSprawler]

If anyone is interested, I came home from vacation to find a large fence around the "Downtown Ocotillo" development. It appears construction is starting.

Although sprawl develepment is not that exciting, this area will have buildings up to 75 feet tall, restaurants, and the valley's first Tesco. It will be completely walkable and bicycle friendly - and hopefully will bring enough people to support a rapid bus line to the area.

[PhxSprawler]

New news -

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway might be new name for airport
David van den Berg
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 16, 2007 01:59 PM

Although it's in Mesa, Williams Gateway Airport may soon have Phoenix in its name.

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport was discussed as a possible new name at this morning's Williams Gateway Airport Authority Board meeting.

No action was taken, and the matter could return to the board for a vote in September.





The name would not only acknowledge Phoenix, which has joined the government entities operating the airport, but would cut a tie to the former Air Force Base that was on the site.

Williams Air Force Base was named for First Lt. Charles Williams, a Fort Huachuca native and military pilot who was killed in 1927 in an aircraft accident off Hawaii.

In a memo, airport executive director Lynn Kusy said one or more buildings at the airport could bear Williams' name, and said the phrase "at Williams Field" could be used as a further descriptor in some contexts.

"Our responsibility as board members is to do whatever we need to do to make this airport successful," said Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman, the board chair. "I would support putting the Phoenix name on the airport - if it's going to make it more successful. It sounds like a good plan."

Scott Somers, a Mesa city councilman who represented the city at Monday's meeting, said the move is a "business decision."

"It's bound to be an emotionally charged issue for many that we would drop the Williams name," he said. "We need to remove the emotion from it."

Somer said there should be a way to honor the Williams name somewhere at the airport, perhaps naming the terminal for him as terminal four at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is named for former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater.

Five airlines responded anonymously to an airport survey about the name, and urged the airport to change it. Responses included "Currently there is no identification between Williams Gateway and the Phoenix metropolitan area, which is a very dynamic market" and "A typical passenger will ask what the heck is a Williams Gateway?"

Williams Air Force based closed in 1993.

The property is now home to the airport, educational institutions including Arizona State University's Polytechnic Campus and Chandler-Gilbert Community College's Williams Campus.

Gilbert, Queen Creek, Mesa, Phoenix and the Gila River Indian Community comprise the Williams Gateway Airport Authority, which owns and operates the airport.

Also at its meeting Monday, the board elected a new set of officers, with Gila River Indian Community Lt. Governor Jennifer Allison-Ray being elected board chair.

[PhxSprawler]

Triple Post

[PhxSprawler]

Triple Post - Crap!

[PhxSprawler]

Work about to start on Downtown Ocotillo project
Luci Scott
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 13, 2007 07:02 AM

Workers will break ground next week on the upscale 29-acre Downtown Ocotillo project south of Queen Creek between Price and Dobson roads.

"We're gearing up," said Spike Lawrence of the Tempe-based developer, Lawrence & Geyser.

Fencing has gone up around the site and a construction trailer has been moved into place. Heavy equipment is expected to arrive next week.

"It'll be nice to see earth movers get the weeds out of there and start moving dirt," Lawrence said.

His 29-acre project is one of two developments planned for the 103-acre site that wraps around a series of lakes and is one of the last prime pieces of real estate in Ocotillo.

When finished the area will include a 175-room Aloft hotel, a Starwood brand, and one of Arizona's first locations for a food store built by the British chain Tesco. There will be luxury condos with underground parking, Class A office space, sit-down restaurants and retail shops with Santa Barbara-style architecture.

[DevdogAZ]

Workers will break ground next week on the upscale 29-acre Downtown Ocotillo project south of Queen Creek between Price and Dobson roads.
That's really misleading. It should say "south of Queen Creek Road. I was trying to figure out how in the world something between Price and Dobson was south of Queen Creek.

[PhxSprawler]

More tidbits on the Fiesta Towers project:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0718mr-fiesta0718.html#comments

Condos project dumps Fiesta Towers name for Aqua Terra
Gary Nelson
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 18, 2007 09:03 AM

Even as Mesa ramps up efforts to revive the Fiesta Mall area, a key project there has abandoned the "Fiesta" brand.

The Fiesta Lofts condominiums, which in a more robust real estate market were to have been a high-rise project called Fiesta Towers, are now being called Aqua Terra.

The complex still will have more than 400 luxury condos, and it still will offer more than 45,000 square feet of retail space.

But it won't carry the Fiesta name, despite Mesa's efforts to set the area apart as a distinct place to live and work.

City Manager Chris Brady, while acknowledging companies may name their projects as they wish, said Mesa thinks the Fiesta moniker can pay off.

"We certainly think there's some great value to that Fiesta name," Brady said. "It's been many years since it's been there. We're going to do everything we can to build on that concept."

As for Aqua Terra, Brady said, "At the end of the day for us what will be successful is that they have significant occupancy and that that whole area is vibrant. . . . If they can be successful with that name, we'll be happy."

Tom Roszak, the Chicago-area architect who is developing Aqua Terra southeast of the Bank of America tower, could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, Mesa is pressing ahead with a $250,000 marketing and branding program for the district, the next step of which takes place Tuesday.

The city and PMC Consulting will host what they're calling a community design workshop at the Dobson branch library. It will provide an update on recent developments in the area and allow people to weigh in on how it might eventually look.

City Council members and the consulting firm have agreed that businesses won't be forced to comply with whatever design standards emerge from the process.

Shelly Allen, the city's interim economic development director, said several more community workshops will follow.

The district, which runs from Dobson to Extension roads and the U.S.60 to Southern Avenue, has been an economic mixed bag of late. Its most famous negative prototype is the failed Fiesta Village strip mall at the northwestern corner of Alma School Road and Southern Avenue whose last tenant, K-Momo clothing, has now left the building.

On the bright side are projects such as Aqua Terra, a Children's Tower at Banner Desert Medical Center, planned renovations at Fiesta Mall, expansion of Mesa Community College and a $6 million overhaul of the Hilton hotel

[Kroney]

SanTan Brewing Company - I read that the owner used to be a brewer at 4Peaks. The website isn't fully functional yet (none of the links work), but it does offer a glimpse of the building's exterior. Projected opening date: Some sources say July, another said "Fall."

http://www.santanbrewing.com/

It appears the door is being left wide open for me to open a brewery in DT Phoenix. Give me a few years to a) figure out how to actually make beer b) accumulate capital, and c) wait out the development of the Jackson Street Entertainment District.

[Sekkle]

^ Yes, he was a brewer at 4 Peaks. He's a friend of a friend. It won't open in July (that may have been his original plan) but it is coming. I will see if I can find out a little more if I talk to my buddy tonight. It should be a pretty good brewery. The guy who's opening it definitely knows what he's doing... at least as far as beer goes.

[Sekkle]

^^ I talked to my friend last night. He said his friend (the owner of San Tan Brewery) was having some problems with the contractors he hired for the place. They told him it would be 4-6 weeks (this is from last weekend when my friend last spoke with him), so, based on his experience with them so far, he figures it will be 8-12 weeks before the contractors are done. He wants to open by September 21 so the "Summer 07" opening would technically still be correct, but he's not sure if he'll make it by then. So "Fall" is probably about right.

[Kroney]

Thanks for the update! I'm looking forward to its opening. I read that they are going to have an outdoor patio and the beer lineup will include a West Coast IPA. Phoenix needs more beer diversity and Santan Brewing will help offset the fairly recent losses of local brewers such as Rio Salado (Tempe) and The Cowboy (Scottsdale).

[PhxSprawler]

Chandler is getting more class A office space to compete with surrounding areas. This should help the area speed up its light rail bid. Unfortunately, the city allowed a Sam's Club and Wal-Mart Supercenter between this development and downtown Chandler. It could have been planned to be a regional destination.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0803cr-project0803.html

Big project get planning OK at Santan, Arizona Ave.
Luci Scott
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 3, 2007 09:31 AM

The Chandler Planning and Zoning Commission has approved a proposal for a 45-acre mixed-use project on the northwestern corner of Arizona Avenue and the Santan Freeway, the southern gateway to downtown.

The project, called AZ202, would include two Class A office buildings, one four stories high and the other six floors. Plans also call for 12 pads for restaurants, banks or other retail uses.

It's an important location.





"We think it's going to set the standard for a mixed-use project at this key freeway interchange that leads to downtown Chandler," said Mike Withey, an attorney whose firm represents the developer, Chicago-based Meridian West.

"The city challenged the developer to come up with a true mixed-use project including employment uses rather than a traditional shopping center. We certainly think we've delivered that."

The office buildings will total 361,414 square feet, and the retail and restaurant space will cover 82,758 square feet.

Two other large buildings may go on the site as well, including one as high as eight stories and possibly a hotel. The developer will need to go back through the site-plan approval process with the city on those.

"I don't know what's going on those other two sites," Withey said. "It could be additional office or hotel uses."

The current plan is scheduled to go before the City Council on Aug. 23.

The site of the project would cover the entire area between Pecos Road and the Santan Freeway.

"The area goes all the way to the apartments; there's not leftover vacant space," city planner Bill Dermody said.

"We're very excited about the concept of a mixed-use development here," he added. "It had previously been suggested for a retail power center, and we're very happy to see it come forward as more of an office-oriented development."

Construction is expected to start early next year.

The architect is Butler Design Group, and a contractor has yet to be chosen.

"The architecture is gorgeous," Withey said. "They've done a magnificent job."

[Kroney]

Since I was in Chandler today, I stopped by the downtown area to check in on the SanTan Brewery's construction progress. Based on what I saw, ForAteOh's estimate for a fall opening seems about right. Enjoy.

The SanTan Brewery
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1402/1087219998_b6b9e68100_b.jpg

My thoughts exactly....
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1298/1087249588_41f56405c8_b.jpg

The back door was open so I walked in
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1012/1087225040_7646bddc71_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1248/1087217668_ee1c0020db_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1310/1087245300_42b9358599_b.jpg

Where I'm guessing the patio area might be
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1253/1087229518_d0a5fcb59b_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1247/1086386951_e6342928ac_b.jpg

Other pics from historic Downtown Chandler
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1078/1087231888_01752869f3_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1323/1087252120_f40035cf36_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1323/1087234040_dbc9fc8a0a_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1328/1087238494_34151bb878_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1196/1087222112_37f9e38daa_b.jpg

[PhxSprawler]

Since I was in Chandler today, I stopped by the downtown area to check in on the SanTan Brewery's construction progress. Based on what I saw, ForAteOh's estimate for a fall opening seems about right. Enjoy.



Thanks for the pics! The area looks much better in pictures than in person. :) (For now anyway)

[PHX31]

Nice pictures... I'm a native of Phoenix, but i've never been to, nor seen, downtown Chandler.

[FireMedic]

Great pictures, You got any of downtown Gilbert (My future Home) :)

[JAHOPL]

This article was the page one headline in the East Valley Tribune on Saturday.

Mesa trying to redefine Main St. image
Lindsay Butler, Tribune, Saturday, August 25

Can Mesa's West Main Street, long known for shabby buildings and crime, be transformed into turf for the hip and urbane? Residents and city planners throwing their support behind a new development plan for the struggling area believe it's possible. Especially with commuter rail lines coming to link Mesa's downtown with hot spots across the Valley. But it's a long road to success, and requires the support of top decision-makers and residents who are resistant to change. And it's going to take a mix of private investment and public money to make it happen, both of which are in short supply in Mesa.

"As light rail inches into our borders, the question is, 'How do we want to define ourselves?" said Gabe Saia, managing member of Integrated Real Estate Services and a member of the advisory committee for the plan.

THE PLAN

The plan for West Main Street, from the Mesa-Tempe border to Country Club Drive, has been in the works for more than a year.

"The high point is having a vision for our community," said Carmen Guerrero, of Mesa Comite de Familias en Accion and a member of the planning committee. "It's about coming together as neighbors from different walks of life, property owners, residents, coming together to develop a vision."

It touches the industrial area along Broadway Road and the mature neighborhoods between Main and University, but is fueled primarily by the impending arrival of the light rail tracks, currently planned to go as far east as Sycamore Street. The segment of light rail is expected to be finished by December 2008.

An extension being considered could stretch light rail farther east to Mesa Drive, but the city has not figured out a way to pay for the project, which is estimated to cost $30 million. Broadway Road is expected to remain an industrial area, and homes and free-standing retail would be discouraged, according to the plan. Instead, more employment hubs and business parks would likely move in.

The neighborhood areas between University Drive and Main Street would be preserved, with sensitivity to changing families. The plan calls for changes to the city's zoning ordinance to make it easier for homeowners to remodel or add structures like "granny flats," or small detached homes. The West Main Street plan will be presented in a public meeting on Sept. 11, then go before the planning and zoning board and eventually to the City Council.

THE MAIN DRAG

In the 1930s and 1940s, Main Street was a major corridor for westward travelers, marked by lodges, motels and RV parks. Now, with more freeways to speed travel, Main Street has fallen into ill repute, a poster for the Broken Window Theory, which purports that a broken window left unrepaired leads to more broken windows.

"We do see prostitution up on West Main, drug activity, property crimes and person crimes, assault, things of that nature," said Mesa Detective Chris Arvayo. "One place gets run down, it could be a hotel it could be a number of things, that place increases in crime, then the place next door loses business and gets run down. The whole area is just not the safest."

This is the place city planners and residents are hoping to transform. The first step would be to create special zoning that will allow new kinds of developments near the light rail stations. The developments would be taller, denser and used as a mix of residential units and retail shops. That would create more pedestrian-friendly areas linked to the light rail stops.

"The reality is that market forces are not letting developers come in and buy all the land," said city planner John Wesley. "Maybe light rail will make them more attractive."

Guerrero said she hates to see empty lots and wants to see more small shops, with places for people to live on top.

"I want Mesa to be this really hip place, an artisan village," she said. "The (light rail) station is the first thing. Then we can have all these hip places to live and work and walk to promenades, and little plazas for people to come together with lots of greens and parks."

Main Street does not lend itself to a traditional neighborhood park, which are usually 3 to 15 acres. However, the plan calls for pocket parks and unconventional alternatives like plazas, arcades and private parks to work around the constraints. Saia said Main Street has a lot of under-used property, such as old mobile home parks, that clearly are not the highest and best use and would be ripe for redevelopment.

THE CHALLENGE

Most of these improvements, including a plan to redo the streets, will require public dollars. Mesa does not currently have a facade improvement program to help businesses on Main Street pay for remodeling. Instead, the city refers businesses to the West Mesa Community Development Corporation, headed by Dave Richins. Richins has secured more than $100,000 in grants from sources like State Farm Insurance and has started working with eight businesses.

"We're not a long way off from making this a neat community," Richins said.

Saia said there are a handful of funding mechanisms, including a bond measure, to pay for the public improvements.

"The taxpayers will have to pony up to see the evolution of our city," Saia said.

Arvayo said the Riverview development already has increased the number of service calls to the police, and light rail will only bring more.

"More officers come into play, and funding for certain programs come into play," he said. "Those are considerations that have to be dealt with now."

Vice Mayor Claudia Walters said the revenue sources to pay for the improvements are not identifiable right now, but that changes could be made as money frees up.

"You are not going to see the plan shelved, but it's one of those things that's going to happen incrementally," she said.

One of the biggest challenges is that Mesa lacks an "It" factor, Saia said.

"Mesa has an image problem. If you want to change that image, there's going to have to be more aggressive zoning laws, building forms and accepting that you have to pony up to it," he said. "We demand to have a little lifestyle."


SUGGESTIONS:

Main Street
Taller buildings, at least three stories high - Dense mix of commercial and residential buildings - Pocket parks and public squares - Pedestrian and bike-friendly paths - Awnings and shade - Parking off the streetscape, behind buildings - Date palm trees.

Broadway Road
Keeps its industrial character - Discourages new neighborhoods or freestanding retail - Business parks encouraged.

Neighborhoods
Make it easier to remodel - Accommodate more family structures by encouraging detached "granny flats" - Enhance passageways from the light-rail stations."

My wife attended ASU in the late 60s-early 70s, and says she and her friends were afraid of Mill Avenue and she visited it only once because of its run-down condition, totally different than today. If Tempe could do it to Mill, can Mesa do it to Main?

[Azndragon837]

DOWNTOWN CHANDLER PHOTOS:
Kroney, nice photos of such a cozy downtown. Very charming, didn't know so many nice historic structures are tucked away from Arizona Avenue.

GILBERT:
Their downtown, or "Hertiage District," is a piece of 1/2 mile crap. The rare occasions I pass by that part of town, I shake my head. Reflects how much a suburban wasteland cares about it's "heritage." (No offense, but Gilbert is my least favorite of all Valley cities).

MAIN STREET:
It's a charming mile of buildings, old and new. I remember Downtown Mesa back in the early 2000s when I used to attend the many all-night rave parties at the Nile Theater, now a Christian Bookstore (how ironic), I miss that venue.....sigh. Anyways, if Mesa's broke city government can figure out how to finance light rail (and figure out which street the tracks will go on), I think being at the end-of-the-line will greatly benefit Downtown Mesa.

-Andrew

[HooverDam]

I remember Downtown Mesa back in the early 2000s when I used to attend the many all-night rave parties at the Nile Theater, now a Christian Bookstore (how ironic), I miss that venue.....sigh.

I loved the Nile. I remember seeing Ska shows in the basement when a rave was upstairs, it was weird when the shows would let out, lots of bizarre rave/candy kids and rude boys all on the street together.

[andrewkfromaz]

Downtown Gilbert is actually trying to preserve some historic heritage, and to that end they have mercifully allowed Joe's Real BBQ to stay in business. Now I have family in TX, and my grandma has family in both AL and SC, so I'm not going to make any claims about this place's authenticity, but it's quite good, considering we live in Arizona, rather than the true South. Other than Joe's Gilbert pretty much fails to have any particularly attractive features in its downtown. I have little doubt that this will change as people in the town become less satisfied with the bland shopping centers and other options being constructed in and near Gilbert.

I have hopes that Mesa will be able to raise itself from its current state to a higher, better plane, but without public funds, I see that process being fairly slow. If Mesa can leverage long-time residents with private improvement capital (from State Farm and others), I could see it being a success. There's certainly room for success in both west and east Mesa (GM proving grounds development), as truly successful development will also draw Tempe residents looking for something different.

[DevdogAZ]

While I generally avoid downtown Gilbert at all costs (only because the speed limit through the Heritage District creates a major bottleneck), Joe's BBQ and the Hale Center Theater are both great features of a downtown, and although Oregano's is a chain and is new construction, it's a popular place and is drawing more people downtown.

I'd love to see West Main Street in Mesa be redeveloped. I think there are already a few projects in the planning stages for the far west end where the light rail is currently being constructed. If these projects come to fruition and are successful, it will really help spur the city to fast track the extension of the rail into downtown and create a catalyst for additional redevelopment.

[jvbahn]

It's a charming mile of buildings, old and new. I remember Downtown Mesa back in the early 2000s when I used to attend the many all-night rave parties at the Nile Theater, now a Christian Bookstore (how ironic), I miss that venue.....sigh.

The Nile was the only real reason to go to Mesa IMO, I also have fond memories, not only of raves before its conversion to Christ, but moreover the old Goth-nights in the mid-90's. I've dated myself now, need to go spill some booze on the ground for my dead homies.

[JAHOPL]

Well, the Scottsdale thread seems to have vanished so I'll post the following article here:

September 4, 2007 - 1:48AM
One Scottsdale construction pushes on
Julie Janovsky, Tribune

Construction for the $1.5 billion One Scottsdale project is under way.

Crews began hauling dirt on Aug. 13, beginning a mass excavation for an underground parking lot, said a spokesman for Scottsdale-based developer DMB Associates.

The dirt haul, running 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays, is expected to continue through November.

Commuters looking to stay clear of the construction route should avoid the area along Scottsdale Road, just north of Loop 101.

From there, trucks will proceed west on Loop 101 to 56th Street and head north about 500 yards on the east side of 56th Street before returning to the Thompson Peak Parkway construction entrance.

Eleven structures will be erected during the first phase of the 120-acre development, expected to feature a combination of residential, commercial and retail space. Building designs for these structures are being submitted to the city through the end of this month.

Construction on the new Dial headquarters on the northeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Loop 101 is ongoing. The company is planning a 340,000-square-foot building encompassing four stories of office space above three stories of underground parking. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

In addition to Dial's plans, designs submitted to the city also include a four-story, triangular-shaped "Flatiron style" building featuring more than 58,000 square feet of office space and a neighboring five-story contemporary style structure with 91,000 square feet of space.

Each will be built over three stories of underground parking.

The first-phase buildings are all located south of the proposed Center Drive, an east/ west road that will bisect One Scottsdale, said Don Hadder, city principal planner.

Grand opening of the development is planned for October 2009.

[Azndragon837]

The Nile was the only real reason to go to Mesa IMO, I also have fond memories, not only of raves before its conversion to Christ, but moreover the old Goth-nights in the mid-90's. I've dated myself now, need to go spill some booze on the ground for my dead homies.

Going to the Nile back in July 2000 was my first foray into Downtown Mesa...and my thought was "what's this lonely place?" Hehehe. Now that the Art Center is finished, it give it some style. Still needs some work, but still won't go to Downtown Mesa (the last time I was there was last year at the Arizona Planning Association Conference). I miss the Nile! I'll go crack some glowsticks for the homies myself, LOL.

-Andrew

[JAHOPL]

September 11, 2007 - 2:06AM
Detailed picture emerges of Waveyard park
Jason Massad, Tribune

The Waveyard water park and resort is a $250 million development that would draw tourists from across Arizona and around the U.S.

The resort is one of the largest developments proposed in Mesa since a potential deal in the late 1990s failed to lure the Arizona Cardinals football stadium.

Mesa offered $20 million in incentives to Scottsdale-based Waveyard LLC, triggering a vote on Nov. 6.

The campaign in support of Waveyard officially kicks off Wednesday, with mailers and advertisements, said Robert Brinton, executive director of the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Waveyard’s proponents say the resort is a one-of-a-kind destination that collects a number of adventure sports in an urban environment.

A wave pool, a scuba lagoon, an indoor water park, an artificial white-water channel and a wakeboarding park would weave among hotels, residential villas and retail boutiques at the resort. The boutique hotel was a surprise to some, but Brinton said it was always a possibility to be able to handle the 750 rooms needed for the site.

For Mesa, the development could pull in millions a year in sales tax revenue. But questions remain about how city parkland would be replaced if it was lost in the deal with Waveyard.

SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURROUNDING WAVEYARD
Who does this affect and how?

Waveyard is a proposed $250 million resort that would incorporate retail boutiques, a hotel, residential villas and office and commercial space into a water-themed adventure park. Scottsdale-based developer Waveyard LLC released the first detailed site plan today, showing in concept how the complex would be arranged.

Waveyard executives said an artificial white-water river would be the largest of its kind in the world. More than 1 million people annually — both Arizonans and out-of-state visitors — are expected to visit the park. It could open as early as 2010. However, Mesa voters will decide in November whether to approve the development agreement.

Where is the money coming from?
After a lengthy battle, Mesa landed the Waveyard development after competing with Surprise. As part of the deal, the city offered a $20 million sales tax rebate to Waveyard that the park’s developers would be entitled to after the development is up and running. That tax incentive triggered a vote, and the election is scheduled for Nov. 6.

How is it different from other parks?
Developers like to say that the park’s recreation would bring back-country sports to an urban area. The whitewater channel would be one of a handful of its kind in the United States. A large wave pool would accommodate surfers and body boarders. An outdoor scuba lagoon would allow divers to get their certification. An expansive indoor water park is planned for those who stay at the resort hotel.

What about environmental issues and traffic?
Some Mesa residents have questioned how much water the park would use for recreation. The developers counter criticism by saying the annual consumption from the park would be less than an 18-hole golf course. The traffic created by the park is more of an unknown. One of the major reasons the development chose Mesa is because of its proximity to loops 101 and 202. The park does not plan on making major improvements to nearby streets, such as Eighth Street and Dobson Road.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT WAVEYARD
Dave Richins, West Mesa Community Development Corp.: “My first reaction when I saw what they want to build in my neighborhood is, ‘Promise?’” Richins said one of the high points of the project was the placement of offices nearby. “The more eyes looking over Riverview Park, the safer the park becomes,” he said.

Nate Caine, Mesa resident: One of Caine’s biggest concerns is the planned linear park along Eighth Street to replace lost park land. Although it is meant to maintain the acreage of the original park at Riverview, the linear park would basically function as landscaping for Waveyard, while losing amenities such as volleyball courts and dog parks. “No one in their right mind says let us build a linear park,” he said.

Rex Griswold, Mesa City councilman: He said a detailed site plan is essential to help voters make a decision in the Nov. 6 election. “It is hard to explain something like this that has not been built before. It is important to get the information out to voters. If they have all the facts, I think they will be in favor of this project.”

[JimInCal]

Check out the "interactive" map with a little more detail than previously published. There is also a site map, slide show and timeline at the bottom of the map.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/page/flash?h=500&w=800&file=waveyard/waveyard.swf

[HooverDam]

Waveyard seems neat, but I really wish it was a proper theme park like a Six Flags. I think with shade, arcades, lots of indoor and water areas, and misters everywhere, a roller coaster park could do well here. Especially if it was about 50% a water park, with coasters as well. Ah well, I guess Ill keep having to drive 6 hours to get my coaster fix.

[PHX_PD]

Fiesta Mall condo project back on track

Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 16, 2007 12:00 AM

A condominium project designed to increase pedestrian traffic and help transform Mesa's Fiesta District into an urban center is moving forward.

After months of little action, sales of Aquaterra condominiums are scheduled to start in November.

A Web site advertises "metropolitan living spaces" and "chic lofts." Prices are expected to range from $180,000 to $900,000.

"We're very excited to be part of the Fiesta District," said Tom Roszak, of Roszak/ADC, the project's developer. "Part of the success of our project is all these other things happening in the area."

Aquaterra is expected to contribute to the district's redevelopment, along with renovations to Fiesta Mall and the new Children's Hospital tower at Banner Desert Medical Center.

Roszak said about 40 percent of the units must be sold before construction begins. He said he plans on construction starting next summer and Aquaterra opening in late 2009.

Aquaterra features three interconnected buildings that are five to six stories tall and blue- and orange-tinted glass.

The project originated as the bigger, splashier Fiesta Towers in November 2005, but it was scaled back amid a decline in the Valley's housing market.

[Don B.]

Looks like Elevation Chandler might be revived after all:

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0925cr-elevation0926.html

Troubled high-rise may have buyer
Luci Scott
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 25, 2007 06:26 AM

There may be a buyer for the troubled Elevation Chandler, the partly built high-rise project south of Chandler Fashion Center that has sat idle for 18 months.

"There is a very reputable potential buyer in discussions with (developer) Jeff Cline," said Chandler City Manager Mark Pentz. He declined to name the prospect.

This is not the first possible buyer to consider buying the project at the intersection of Loop 101 and the Santan Freeway.

A number of potential buyers have inquired about the site, said Don Brigham, executive vice president at Coldwell Banker Commercial in Phoenix.

He also declined to discuss the newest prospect.

"It's probably too early to be talking," Brigham said. He is handling the sale along with Steven Schnitzer, senior vice president at Coldwell Banker Commercial.

A number of residents have expressed in published letters that the city take over the troubled property and tear down the eyesore, which has been marred by graffiti taggers on at least two occasions.

But it's not that simple.

"We can't take private property for other than a public purpose, and we can't do it without paying just compensation to the land owner," said Glenn Brockman, assistant city attorney.

"Those are very big steps to take, and they have a lot of repercussions," he said, "so that's generally the reason why cities are reluctant to do that type of thing."

The initial plan for the site was a high-rise hotel topped by two floors of luxury condominiums, another tower of condominiums, a fitness center and a parking garage. At first, work was ahead of schedule. Then in April 2006, workers walked off the job because they weren't getting paid. Subcontractors recorded mechanic's liens and several filed lawsuits.

Phoenix-based Mortgages Ltd., the mortgage holder, filed foreclosure action to take back the property, and a trustee's sale was scheduled for February 2007. Cline managed to save the property and cancel the trustee's sale by getting a $24 million bridge loan to pay the mortgage and the contractor, Weitz Co. The loan gave him breathing room and a year to obtain new financing to resume construction.

This spring Cline put the 10.5-acre site up for sale at an asking price of $42 million to $58 million. No explanation for the $16 million price range was given in an advertisement from Coldwell Banker Commercial.

Cline did not return a phone call and an e-mail seeking comment on the potential sale.

--don

[Vicelord John]

no slides, eh?

Who in God's name is going to a waterpark with no slides? thats like going to a burger shop thats out of hamburgers.

[vertex]

Downtown Mesa plan takes new approach (http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/98088)

Jason Massad, Tribune

Mesa’s moving ahead with a redevelopment plan to attract a mixed-use site and a Mesa Community College campus to prime real estate in the city’s downtown that’s now vacant land.

The $20 million property was once envisioned as a site for a minor league baseball park to replace Hohokam Stadium and, later, a time-share resort with an ice-skating rink. Both of those proposals failed years ago.

However, the city is now taking a new approach to sell some of its real estate holdings and attempt to enliven a downtown that’s often known for it’s lack of excitement.

“This is a great redevelopment site,” said Shelly Allen, the city’s Town Center development director. “It’s a very rare circumstance to have a 20-acre parcel in the middle of downtown.”

This spring, Mesa hired Phoenix Commercial Advisors, a commercial real estate company, to gauge the interest of private developers in building residential, retail and office space on the roughly 25-acre site on the southwest corner of Mesa and University drives. Nearly 5 acres of the development is envisioned as an MCC campus that would specialize in “work force development,” including disciplines like fire safety and health and nursing courses.

Instead of dictating the kind of development at the site, city economic officials say that a chosen developer will study the market and propose to the city what type of development the area would support.

Within 45 days, city officials are scheduled to select from four developers, including CDK Partners and Concord-Eastridge of Arizona, Michigan-based Crosswinds National, and the Californiabased The Athena Group.

It’s an aggressive timeline for a project that has languished since Mesa and MCC agreed to develop it in 2004. Since then, MCC’s commitment to the project was seen as wavering because of shakeups at MCC.

In 2006, news reports detailed fraud and other misconduct throughout the Maricopa County Community College District.

Larry Christensen, a major proponent of the downtown campus, was fired as MCC president after Maricopa County sheriff’s officials raided the campus.

“With all the leadership changes, we didn’t know what was going to happen there,” said Councilman Rex Griswold.

However, MCC officials say they are now on board and have $10 million in bonds authorized to pay for classroom space that would be centralized on a downtown campus.

The new campus would integrate MCC health and fire safety courses as well as a four-year program offered at Northern Arizona University that could be accessed by MCC students seeking a bachelor’s degree.

Bernie Ronan, acting president of MCC, said that a plan for an information and technology center would stay at the Centennial campus in Mesa. About 10,000 students could use a new campus per year, Ronan said.

The $10 million authorized for the downtown campus might not be enough. But expensive components of the project, like parking, could be spread out across the development, which could lower costs for the community college system.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/images/photos/qhma4occ.jpg

[Cranetastic]

Great news on this front. I've been monitoring the progress, but haven't seen this article. I live not too far from this development and was excited about it only to see it sit there unfinished. I believe it is a great location with the proximity to downtown ocotillo, intel, mortorola, wells fargo, and I believe it is called Park Place just South of the freeway. There was another urban development planned for the west side of the Chandler mall, not sure what is going on with that due to the market.

[DevdogAZ]

Vertex, thanks for posting that article about that parcel in Mesa. I've been waiting for the city to do something with that for a long time. Hopefully it will pan out this time as it's a prime piece of real estate, right in the middle of the city. You don't find that very often.

[tempedude]

Intel opens 'leading-edge' fab
Plant to build most powerful chips

Max Jarman
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 21, 2007 12:00 AM

In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore predicted that the number of transistors that could be put on a silicon wafer would double approximately every two years, indefinitely, because of technological advances.

His postulation, which proved right, is now known as Moore's Law. It's the reason the capacity of an iPod has grown from 1,000 songs when it was introduced in 2001 to 40,000 today.

It's also the reason Intel Corp. has invested $3 billion in a new 1,000-employee semiconductor fabrication plant, or "fab," that opens Thursday in Chandler.




It's the fourth semiconductor factory that Intel has built in Chandler since arriving in 1980 and probably not the last.

The Chandler campus, where 10,000 people now work, is designed to accommodate two additional factories, and Intel has a tradition of building new plants next to existing ones.

With the capacity and power of semiconductors doubling every two years, Intel needs to continue to build new plants and upgrade older ones to stay on top.

That technology now allows more than 250 million transistors to be applied to a microprocessor the size of a postage stamp.

That compares with the 2,200-transistor chips cited by Moore in 1965.

Intel's new plant, known as Fab 32, represents the state of the art of semiconductor manufacturing. It will produce a new batch of chips that are faster, more robust and use less power than the previous generation.

"It's our most leading-edge and cost-effective facility so far," Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said.

Employees for the new plant have been trained in Ireland and Oregon, where Intel built a smaller version of the facility to test the technology.

'Competitive advantage'
Unlike traditional factories that can remain relevant for decades, semiconductor plants can become obsolete in a few years, often requiring billions of dollars in upgrades to bring them up to speed.

Many companies are giving up, closing plants and outsourcing production to merchant foundries springing up around the globe.

Earlier this year, STMicroelectronics announced that it would close its U.S. chip plants and use merchant foundries for production. The plants had 4,000 employees, including more than 1,000 at a factory in Phoenix.

Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, has the resources to continue to build its own plants and intends to continue to do so.

It also plans to continue to invest in U.S. facilities such as Fab 32, while other companies that choose to continue to produce their own products are moving production overseas, where labor is cheaper.

"We're comfortable building fabs," Mulloy said. "It gives you a competitive advantage."

By owning its own fabrication facilities, Mulloy said, Intel can stay ahead of its competition, keep costs down and better control the quality of its products.

"Our technology is a year ahead of our nearest competitor," he said.

Latest technology
Fab 32 is the only full-scale semiconductor-production facility in the world to employ the latest 30 millimeter/45 nanometer technology.

The plant can accommodate larger 300 millimeter silicon wafers that are etched with 45 nanometer-sized lines that contain millions of transistors.

The larger wafers allow more chips to be cut from a single piece of silicon and lead to increased production. The smaller lines allow more transistors to be applied to a chip, making it more powerful and versatile.

Intel's previous top-of-the-line plants, such as Fab 12, also in Chandler, process 300-millimeter wafers, but etch them with larger 65 nanometer lines. Fab 12 opened 1996 but underwent a $2 billion upgrade that was completed in 2005.

A third Chandler plant, Fab 22, opened in 2001 and etches 200-millimeter wafers with 130-nanometer lines.

Joanne Itow, an analyst with Semiconductor Partners in Phoenix, noted that a 300-millimeter plant is 2 1/2 times more efficient than one that processes the 200-millimeter wafers.

Fab 22's future
There had been some speculation that Intel may close, or upgrade, Fab 22 when Feb 32 opened. Intel's original Chandler plant, Fab 6, closed in 2000.

Mulloy said the company may update Fab 22 but said there are no announced plans to do so.

"We certainly don't plan to close it," he said.

Intel is currently spending $1.5 billion to update a plant near Albuquerque to the 300 millimeter/45 nanometer technology.

But it chose not to update an older second plant in Albuquerque.

The company closed Fab 11 there in August and eliminated 1,100 jobs.

The New Mexico plant had technology similar to Fab 22 but produced flash-memory chips, which Intel has been phasing out.

Mulloy acknowledged that Fab 22's 6-year-old technology is too old to produce the latest microprocessors that are Intel's core business. But it is adequate to turn out the chip sets that perform functions that are not on the microprocessor, such as accommodating graphics.

"We have lots of the products that could be produced at Fab 22," Mulloy said.

[andrewkfromaz]

^^^ I've heard that Fab 32 might actually be Intel's last US fab.

In other news, it looks like Aquaterra in Mesa, formerly the Fiesta Towers, is moving forward. The company I work for is bidding some work on the project. Check out the website, there are some cool renderings. The project has some live/work units on the ground floor, along with office/retail, then residential units above. Total of 6 stories, with one floor underground parking.

[JAHOPL]

Fiesta Mall swings out the old
November 9, 2007
David Woodfill, Tribune

The demolition worker tried and tried, but the old Macy's department store at Fiesta Mall in Mesa seemed to say it wasn't going away quietly.

The worker struggled to smash through the front doors using an 180,000-pound excavator on Thursday morning but didn't get far, eventually giving up in front of an audience of city officials, civic leaders and mall employees.

Jeff Graves, a former employee attending the building's demolition and 9:30 a.m. ceremony to mark Fiesta Mall's second phase of renovations, wasn't surprised to see the machine's giant scoop bounce off the metal security barrier protecting the nearly 30-year-old building. He remembered when a motorist tried ramming through the same gate with his vehicle.

The ceremony promoted the mall's ambitious renovation plans to reclaim its status as a major shopping destination in the East Valley.

"I hope it will work because this mall's been going downhill for a while, unfortunately," Graves said.

"It's sad, but good," said Natalie Francis, a merchandiser at Macy's.

"One door shuts, another one opens," added her boss, Macy's manager Mary Markichevich. Markichevich said she views the changes at Fiesta Mall as a watershed moment similar to the improvements that made Tempe's downtown core along Mill Avenue a shopping mecca.

The building, at the southeast corner of the mall, was left vacant after Federated Department Stores acquired May Department Stores in 2005. Federated moved Macy's from the southeast corner of the mall into the former Robinsons-May store on the north side.

The building, which originally housed The Broadway, another department store, was built in 1979.

Representatives of Westcor, the Phoenix company that owns the 1.4 million-square-foot mall, said renovations such as changes to the food court, parking areas and landscaping would wrap up in mid-December. Garrett Newland, Westcor's vice president of development, said additions including a hotel, condos or movie theater could be two to three years down the road.

John Crawford, sales director at Toni & Guy salon near the former Macy's, said he's eager for that area of Fiesta Mall to open for business because it will drive more foot traffic to his store.

Plans call for two 50,000-square-foot retailers - one upstairs and another downstairs - in the future building. Mall representatives have confirmed negotiations with electronics, sporting goods and book retailers.

Fiesta Mall timeline
1977 - Sears department store opens.
1979 - Mall owner Homart, a subsidiary of Sears Roebuck Co., opens Fiesta Mall with Sears, Goldwaters, Diamonds and Broadway.
1990 - Bought by Grosvenor International. Mall is remodeled, and 25 stores are added.
1993 - Bought by LNB.
1999 - Renovated again.
2004 - Bought by Macerich, Westcor's parent company.
2005 - Mall's first redevelopment phase begins.
2006 - Federated Department Stores and May Department Stores merge. Federated transfers Macy's store to old Robinsons-May building.
2007 - Macerich acquires Macy's building.
2008-09 - Second redevelopment phase to begin.

[tempedude]

I couldn't really decide where to post this article. Since its a Mesa based company I finally decided to put it here. However, topics cover several localities from the metro area.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 15, 2007 - 1:01AM
Developer looks to build ‘green’ in Valley
Ed Taylor, Tribune

A new Mesa-based development company that specializes in super-energy-efficient buildings is ready to start its first projects. Called c.i. Development Group, the firm was formed in 2006 by partners Jason Savell and Eric Faas to build LEED-Gold and LEED-Platinum retail, office and mixed-use projects.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a national standard developed by the U.S. Green Building Council for the design and construction of “green” buildings. The Gold and Platinum standards are the two highest ratings a building can attain.

Two of the three planned buildings are in line to receive the platinum rating and would be the first commercial buildings in Arizona to reach that standard, Savell said. One is in Surprise, and the other is in the Johnson Ranch area of Pinal County. Both will be mixed-use retail and office complexes.

A third project, a medical office building in Pinal County, will carry a gold rating, Savell said.
He said that only about 40 new buildings in the country have a platinum rating, and the only one in Arizona is the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University in Tempe — an institutional research building.

“We want to make this kind of energy-efficient green building available for everyday uses,” he said. “This is the future.”

The Surprise project, called M Square, will break ground in about two weeks. The Johnson Ranch project, called San Tan Commons, at Hunt Highway and Valley View Road, is scheduled to begin construction in February. The nearby San Tan medical complex will begin in the third quarter of next year.

Among the features of the San Tan Commons center will be a photovoltaic solar-energy system to supply some of the building’s electricity, an advanced day lighting system that will direct natural light into the interior and eliminate the need for daytime indoor lighting, and high-efficiency insulation.

The medical building will have vegetation on the roof to minimize the structure’s heat island effect and eliminate storm-water runoff.

Savell insisted the cost of building green is no greater than conventional construction if the project is planned properly. He added that lease rates in the company’s buildings will be competitive with others in the market.

“We don’t need a premium,” he said. “The biggest cost that I see is poor planning. If it’s properly planned early on and you get a good grasp of how the whole process works … a lot can be done without big changes in technology or costs.”

So why haven’t more builders sought LEED certification? Savell said not many builders have experience with the techniques, and there are few incentives to build green in Arizona.

“Arizona is a market that wherever you build, for all intents and purposes, it will sell,” he said.

By building a few green projects, the developers hope to show that it’s possible to build such structures and still make a profit, he said.

Pinal County planning officials say they support LEED-certified projects, but having been burned by developers who have made promises in the past and then not delivered, they sought assurances that c.i.’s buildings will be created as advertised.

That led to some tensions during the zoning process, said Jerry Stabley, Pinal County deputy planning director.

The county wanted the developers to agree to a planned area development designation for the projects, which requires the properties to be developed as specified.

The developers opposed that, saying it would take too much time. Instead they just wanted a straight zoning designation, which could allow changes in the plan.

In a compromise, the zoning was approved after the developers submitted a letter assuring county planners that they would develop the land as promised.

That good-faith gesture “gave the (planning) board more comfort that they would do what they said,” Stabley said.

[JAHOPL]

Yet another change in the plans:

Fiesta site planning for Aloft luxury hotel
Misty Williams, Tribune
November 22, 2007

A major condominium and retail development in the works for west Mesa’s Fiesta District is evolving yet again with plans to add a luxury hotel.

Chicago area developer Tom Roszak is close to finalizing a deal that would bring Aloft, a new brand of Starwood Hotels, to the AquaTerra condos. Situated on the northwest corner of Grove Avenue and Westwood just east of Fiesta Mall, AquaTerra will include roughly 330 condos, 15,000 square feet of retail space and the 128-room, six-story hotel, Roszak said.

“I think it is a great addition to the AquaTerra brand,” he said.

Plans for the mixed-use development have shifted several times since Roszak publicly proposed it a couple years ago. Initial plans called for four, 25-story towers, but last spring, Roszak scaled back the project to three connected low-rise buildings.

Putting in a hotel has always been an option, and it was approved by the city with the rest of the project earlier this year, he said.

The Starwood deal is expected to close in a couple months.

The upscale hotel will have a modern design and compete with other luxury brands, such as Marriott Courtyard and Hyatt Place, said Robert Brinton, executive director of the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau. It’s well-suited for business and leisure travelers, who want to be in a stylish hotel, he said. Mesa already has numerous budget or economy hotels and has been trying to attract more luxury projects, Brinton said.

Four such projects have been approved in Mesa recently, including a Hyatt Place at the Riverview shopping center, a Marriott Courtyard near Falcon Field and two more Marriott brands near Crismon Road and U.S. 60.

“(The Fiesta) area is a good area in terms of hotel guests with amenities around from restaurants to shopping,” and Aloft should fit in well, Brinton said.

AquaTerra is the latest in a series of recent projects, such as Riverview, the remodeling of Fiesta Mall and light rail, that community leaders say will revitalize west Mesa.

Condos will range in size from 600 to 3,000 square-feet with prices running from the $180,000s to the $900,000s.The sales office opened Saturday and has received about 50 reservations so far, Roszak said.

The developer is hoping to start construction on both the condos and hotel in early summer of next year.

The entire project could take 24 months to finish.

[Sekkle]

Has there been any movement on that 10-story hotel/condo building near the Chandler mall? I think it was called Elevation Chandler. I assume it looks the same as it did when I left in July (and for several months prior to that)...

[andrewkfromaz]

It's been years since they took down the scaffolding and basically mothballed that project. I've heard there may be a buyer - 42 mil. I guess it would be a few months at the least before construction could get underway again.

[tempedude]

Finally...I'm quite interested in the retail foray into our market from a British company that has an excellent reputation. Also, if they do well here, these types of markets I think would do well in urban downtown areas like Phoenix and Tempe etc. AJ's should not be the only downtown market once more development gets rolling.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fresh & Easy food markets open next week

Kerry Fehr-Snyder
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 30, 2007 10:00 AM

It's been described as a cross between Trader Joe's, Costco and Whole Foods on a miniature scale.

But whether the new Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets opening next week in Chandler and Mesa live up to their name as delivering fresh and easy food is anyone's guess.

Supermarket pundit Phil Lempert is optimistic about the British retail giant's foray into the ready-to-eat, nutritious and fresh-food grocery market.

"I think it's going to work nationwide. I truly believe that they've hit on a retailing niche that no one has, and it will satisfy the masses," said Lempert, a supermarket analyst with Supermarketguru.com.

"Very few people that I talk to enjoy buying their groceries in a 50,000-square-foot grocery store because it's too big, it's too confusing and has too big of a selection."

Fresh & Easy stores, by comparison, are 10,000 to 15,000 square feet and have a limited selection of fresh, relatively inexpensive and nutritious food.

The stores were created by British-based Tesco PLC for the U.S. market. It opened its first stores in southern California and Las Vegas this month.

The company, often described as the third-largest retailer in the world, is targeting middle- and lower-middle class neighborhoods rather than high-end ones.

A Fresh & Easy spokesman declined to compare the stores with competitors or describe why the company chose to open its first three stores in Mesa and another in Chandler.

"It's a grocery store. There's not anything that's wildly different," said spokesman Brendan Wonnacott.

Observers consider the company secretive, a tactic it uses to surprise competitors and keep them off guard.

The media has generated much of the hype around the stores, while the company has remained relatively mum about its plans.

In Arizona, Fresh & Easy has announced plans to open 27 stores in the Valley, from El Mirage to Queen Creek. Of those, 14 are in the Southeast Valley, with six in Mesa and five in Chandler.

Two stores are planned in Gilbert and one is being built in Queen Creek.

The company also picked six sites in Phoenix after studying the city for about a year.

"They actually were already aggressively working to identify sites by the time they came to us," said Scott Motley, a project manager in the Phoenix community and economic development department.

The company wants to attract customers from various economic levels and resisted the city's efforts to compare the stores with other retailers, such as AJ's Fine Foods.

"They were pretty savvy in their effort to identify the locations and understand the market here," Motley said.

Lempert said Fresh & Easy isn't interested in the high-end market.

Its stores features a spartan décor, polished concrete floors and generic-looking branded food.

"The biggest surprise that the food pundits had is that you're going to pay less at this store than if you walked down to the full-service bigger grocery store," Lempert said. "That's their strategy. And not as a loss leader. These are their everyday low prices and they want to appeal to the masses."

Paul Patterson, dean of the Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness at Arizona State University's Polytechnic campus, said the Fresh & Easy strategy fits a broader trend of selling to customers who are "demanding more and more convenience in their food purchases."

Grocery stores are trying to figure out how to capture some of the spending from customers who frequently eat at restaurants, Patterson said.

"As a profit center, delis are the most profitable area of the grocery store," he said. "At the same time, consumers are spending more money on food away from the home. Retailers and grocers have been trying to figure out ways to get consumers to spend more money at their stores rather than at restaurants."

[HooverDam]

Supermarket pundit Phil Lempert

What a tremendous job to have, Supermarket pundit.