"August 7, 2007
Onyx Tower taking orders soon in Tempe
Tony Natale, Tribune
Developers will begin taking orders next week for the tallest building yet on Tempe Town Lake, the 26-story Onyx Tower.
WestStone Communities and its sales and architectural teams will begin selling the 196 condominium units on Aug. 17. The tower includes 20 penthouses on the top five floors.
Prices start at $300,000 on the low-end and run up to nearly $2 million, said John Iorillo, WestStone president and chief operating officer.
Onyx Tower will be built on less than two acres on the north shore of the lake at Playa Del Norte and Rural Road near Loop 202. Ground-breaking is set for December and construction is expected to be completed in the summer of 2009.
The development is among a movement in the real estate industry of high-rise residential growth. "It's the old story," Iorillo said. "As more people move in and space starts to get smaller, buildings start going higher. It's happening in the Valley and in other parts of Arizona.
"A lot of people don't want to live in the outskirts of Arizona. They want to live, work and play in the heart of a city like Tempe."
Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman said the Onyx Tower is an example of the city's push to attract more residents as well as provide economic support for lakeshore and downtown businesses. "The goal is to get the lake to start paying off for the economic benefit of our community," said Hallman, who joined other council members in endorsing final plans for the project.
The city plans to attract more than 5,000 additional residents to the downtown area by encouraging more residential and condo development. "It (the Onyx Tower and other residential projects) is part of a bigger program to establish a more sustainable community," Hallman said.
Tempe Councilman Ben Arredondo, while endorsing the plan to lure more residents and voting for Onyx, questions the height of some projects underway. "I've always had a problem with building heights in Tempe," said Arredondo. "There's also the question of police and fire safety issues with tall buildings."
Arredondo said he plans to request a study into the additional costs needed to maintain safety in tall structures. The new Onyx Tower will have black glass walls with units that run in size from 653 square feet to 2,368 square feet. It will feature a rooftop lap pool, bar for private parties and a 10-seat movie theater and conference room."
Isn't it time for Ben to start thinking about retiring?
Last edited by JAHOPL; Aug 7, 2007 at 2:24 PM.
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