I was happy to read this article. Their desire to pursue more independent retailers is a great mindset. Continuing along the lines of simply attaining more large, corporate chains, only continues to dilute Mill Avenue's remaining cache.
I'm looking forward to this, hope it works out. |
Looks like Avenue Communities will own most of downtown Tempe...;)
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Nice!
I'm really diggin this Mill redevelopment news..... It's so sad watching such a beautiful historic landmark just sitting there dormant. I do still wish The Constellation Group got the project- but Avenue is better than MCW in my eyes.... |
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Article from the East Valley Tribune about the Tempe City Council vote on the massive University Square project in Downtown Tempe:
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=71944 Tempe leaders say condos near ASU are too tall By Garin Groff, Tribune August 18, 2006 Tempe took a chunk out of plans to build the East Valley’s tallest building in its downtown. The city’s leaders said the 30-story condo project called University Square was too high for a building on University Drive. The City Council decided Thursday that the development was OK only if the developer lopped some floors off two of the three towers. The developer wanted one tower to climb to 345 feet — and up to 370 with equipment — but Tempe capped the buildings at 300 feet. “I don’t want to see an air conditioner, I don’t want to see a cover” above 300 feet, said Councilman Ben Arredondo, who complained most about the height. “I’m going to go out there with a ruler.” The objections followed more than a year of concerns that booming downtown Tempe might have become too popular with developers for its own good. Residents and council members said they feared pricey condo projects and developments — some worth $250 million — will make the college town unaffordable for students and the momand-pop shops that helped make Mill Avenue so popular. “I think we’re very quickly being viewed as an elitist downtown,” Councilwoman Barb Carter said. It’s unclear how many stories the redesigned project will have. The original plan had a hotel/condo tower at 30 stories, a 22-story condo tower and a 12-story office portion. It has about 2.1 million square feet of space, but 1 million of that is for parking. University Square will replace a block of thriving businesses in modest buildings. The most prominent feature is the Arches, a 1960s-era slump block shopping center. Developer Tony Wall said the project will become a contemporary landmark that features shops on the street level. It’s a place where people can live, work and recreate without using a car, he said, as it’s about three blocks from a future Metro light-rail station. “It gives a cosmopolitan image to downtown,” Wall said. A resident of the nearby Orchid House — which at seven stories is the tallest, most massive condo project downtown now — objected to the six-story platform that the towers would sit on. “You basically are walled off on all four sides,” Mike Wasko said. “I don’t see it being inviting for you to explore.” The council had previously decided this part of downtown shouldn’t have buildings taller than 300 feet. After Wall agreed to lower his buildings, the council approved the project 6-1. Councilwoman Shana Ellis opposed it after raising concerns about having so much development on one block. The council required Wall to work with the family that owns Restaurant Mexico after hearing from fans of the longtime downtown eatery. Another redevelopment project forced it from a location on Mill Avenue, and it’s unclear if the family will want to move again. But the City Council made a major point of making Wall ensure the family will have a place in his project or some other place if they want to stay open. By cutting the project’s height, the city still has the East Valley’s tallest building. That’s Centerpoint Condominiums, a four-tower project a few blocks northwest of University Square that has three 30-story towers planned at 343feet. One sticking point remains for University Square and Centerpoint. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether the buildings would be a hazard to flights departing from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. ---------------------------------------------- Okay, that councilman is nuts for saying "I'm going out there with a ruler." That's soooo funny. On the other hand, my opinion on this project is: it's too big for the immedate area where it will be built. My take: build several midrises (about 8, 14, and 20 stories) with separated buildngs with some sort of open space, including spaces for the shops that are currently in the Arches Buiding; such as the yummy Ma'i Island Grill (an awesome mom-and-pop Hawaiian restaurant, go there sometime). Use brick and more neo-traditional architecture mixed in with contemporary forms (like the ASU Foundation Building) so that the buildings have more of a human scale. Having a looming 30 story tower right in front of the Architecture Building, along with the increased traffic for a hotel/condo and office, is a bit too much for that site. I have seen the plans, and it's one MASSIVE superblock. I hope the revised plans will be welcomed by the Downtown community. One last statement: For those who live in the Orchid House nearby, with their concerns about their views: hello people, you live in a growing, thriving urban city. EXPECT tall buildings to be built around you. Don't expect that your 8 story Orchid House condos to be the king and have commanding views. If I ever buy a condo downtown, I will expect the nearby area to pop-up with more condos, partially blocking my views of whatever, and that's fine with me, because, I bought my condo in an urban city, not some shithole like Gilbert. -Andrew |
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^Most likely, the FAA will not deem Centerpoint a flight hazard. The W Hotel in Downtown Phoenix will be a soaring 450 feet, and the FAA deemed that NOT a flight hazard recently. Centerpoint's second tower will be 345 feet, 100 feet shorter than the W, and about the same distance from the end of a runway as the W.
IF the FAA, for some reason, labels Centerpoint a flight hazard, that won't stop construction, whereas, the airport will need to partially adjust its flight path, which will be an annoyance that Phoenix does not want to deal with. My take: It seems to me Centerpoint won't be a flight hazard. But, we shall see. -Andrew |
Tempe doesn't care. The airport is Phoenix' deal and Tempe doesn't want flight patterns to destroy its growth.
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Not bad for a bump...
Townhome proposals go before council Condominium plans also on agenda tonight Katie Nelson The Arizona Republic Sept. 7, 2006 12:00 AM Quote:
Katie Nelson The Arizona Republic Sept. 6, 2006 02:30 PM Quote:
ASU student housing plan concerns residents in area Eugene Scott The Arizona Republic Sept. 7, 2006 12:00 AM Quote:
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[Ed note: It wasn't too long that they built that Taco Bell, right?]
They built the new taco bell on the corner to take the place of the old/abandoned taco bell a little further east, which is what I assume they are talking about. |
A large drugstore, like CVS, is a good thing for downtown Tempe, yes. However, the SW corner of Mill Ave/ University doesn't seem like the best location to me--especially considering they're going to be bulldozing several neighboring independent retailers in the process, just to make way for it's parking lot.
I think there are possibly better, more unique uses for that exact spot. |
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Some of you may have spotted my rant that was previously here. Rather than detract from this thread, I moved it to a new one called "What is the vision for Tempe?" If you have an opinion about Tempe's current direction (good or bad), or just want to pile on to the rant, please take a look. |
HOWEVER - if that drug store had CONDOS on top of it... I would be in love.
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http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/ind...dest=STY-73588
30-story Tempe building gets OK By Garin Groff, Tribune September 8, 2006 Federal aviation officials have decided that a proposed 30-story building in Tempe — which would become one of the East Valley’s tallest structures — isn’t a hazard to airliners and their passengers. Yet Phoenix officials and one airline still have concerns about the 300-foot University Square project. The building won’t rise to the original proposed height of 370 feet, however, because the developer’s plan exceeded the height limit for that area of downtown. Even with 70 fewer feet, Alaska Airlines has objections to what the building could mean to its operations at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Tall buildings can pose a safety and operational hazard, the airline said. “I’d have to think the issue still exists,” Alaska spokeswoman Caroline Boren said Thursday. The high-rise condo is the second one proposed in downtown Tempe that has triggered a skirmish between Phoenix and Tempe. Should an engine fail when an eastbound airliner departs Sky Harbor, two air- lines would have to make a turn over downtown and use airspace above the buildings. Alaska Airlines was the only airline to object to the Federal Aviation Administration about the University Square project. Tall buildings in the area mean planes will have to fly with less weight in some cases to ensure planes are high enough in case an engine goes out. That would mean fewer passengers — and less profit. “It’s definitely a capacitylimiting issue,” said Jane Morris, a deputy aviation director at Sky Harbor. Phoenix would not have allowed the building in its downtown under similar circumstances, Morris said. The FAA noted the building was too tall for Alaska’s flight procedure, but it wasn’t a big enough concern to the overall operations at the airport to warrant an objection. Morris said Phoenix has a stricter building-height standard in order to prevent airlines from having to reduce their passenger loads. Morris said she didn’t know if Phoenix would object to the FAA’s findings. Alaska could formally object to the FAA decision, but Boren said she did not know what the airline might do. The airline is concerned the building could hurt its service on its 8 to 10 daily departures from Sky Harbor. When temperatures are higher, a plane rises slower and has lower weight capacities. Flying over a tall building would prompt a reduction in a plane’s weight limit and could force Alaska to have fewer passengers. “We’d have to leave people behind, and we don’t want to do that,” Boren said. “The reliability of service is a huge concern.” The developer of University Square was comfortable with the FAA determination. “We feel like we’ve satisfied the FAA’s requirement,” Shea Commercial president Jim Riggs said. “What else can we do besides that?” Riggs expects to break ground on the $500 million project in the first half of 2007. It includes retail space and three high-rises that include offices, a hotel and condos. Meanwhile, Avenue Communities is planning its Centerpoint Condominium project, which includes three 30-story buildings of up to 343 feet. Avenue has already started building a 22-story structure that the FAA has said is not a hazard. Margie D’Andrea, Avenue spokeswoman, said the firm hasn’t gone to the FAA yet for a review on the taller buildings. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ More Good News!.... also, Screw Alaska Airlines! |
hahaha/\
lame objections. good for tempe |
This is going to be one massive project, if all plays out.
I like it. |
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