I remember seeing an over-enthused chef, and a bunch of older empty-nesters riding scooters/ mopeds....

I was joking about that signage the other day with a friend, "wondering" whether Centerpoint's HOA might take up the issue of minorities buying into what was advertised as an all-white project.

let me guess, you think thats racist.

^He never said it was a racist thing, dude. It needs to be a little diverse, just kind of weird that there wasn't a single minority in the banner. Him and I see the sign everyday when we go to school at ASU, and just this past Friday, the banner wrapping around the whole fence is down.

-Andrew

subtle things like that can be. whether intentional or not.

I just don't understand why you are spending time worrying about what color the people on the sign are.

^We just notice the subtle things, and just wanted to point that out. Anyways, next topic...the crane at Centerpoint is toiling away at full speed. How much time do you guys think until they build enough so that the building can be seen from ground level?

-Andrew

^I was surprised when I looked the other day. The excavation must be five or six levels deep. It's going to be a while before you see that thing peeking above ground.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7...s/IMG_0224.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7...s/IMG_0225.jpg
There's a recent pic of the lot...
If we are going to argue over the marketing of Centerpoint- can we at least turn some attention on to this jackass chef?

I am revising the Tempe projects list now.

--don

^Awesome, I wonder what new projects are coming online in Tempe. The next project that we should all be looking forward to is Cosmo. I was reading that July would be the month where Gentle Strength is moving out? Me wants tall building now!

-Andrew

http://img302.imageshack.us/img302/9768/p42900085ov.jpg

http://img302.imageshack.us/img302/7493/p42900488qt.jpg

Red Bull's Flugtag last Saturday attracted over 50,000 toasty partiers. Part gonzo engineering, part Spring Break, this festival required lots of sunscreen and beer (why would anyone want to be pumped up on Red Bull for this?) The Hayden Ferry's 12 story construction is picking up steam, and the Edgewater condo project on the other side is done, and Phase II is underway. Above, a crane picks up the wreckage of the would-be flying machines.

hahaha, that's awesome. I wish I could have made it to that.

Question on the 12-story building: Is that the building that was supposedly redesigned to have some sort of New years attraction built into it? Like a ball or a light or something? I can't exactly remember.

That's cos it is racist.

I love that park area and all but boy oh boy do they need trees that provide more shade. It seems like older parts of Phoenix "get it", the sun is hot, we need shade. I know desert plants are beautiful (as well as water efficient) but I'd really like to see more mature (and shade giving) vegetation in new developments.

^ There's arguments against the shade approach. One big one is that many shady trees are also tremendously hyperallergenic. Phoenix was once known as a haven for asthmatics and the like but through invasive species--both deliberate and not--we've completely eliminated what could have been a desert paradise if we knew what we were doing then.

The modern attempts at this are indeed short sighted at sparse. I'll never quite understand why shade is so important in Arizona urban projects but no landscape architect ever gets it. Who hires these people?

Yah I guess I can see the argument for the allergies point of view. But I suffer from pretty bad seasonal allergies and I'd much prefer shade and sneezing, then no shade and no sneezing. But thats just me.

I know nothing about plants, but we need to find a plant that 1.uses little water, 2. provides a lot of shade, 3. is allergy friendly.

Sounds like a tough assignment though, Id be happy if #1 and 2 were doable though.

Soleri-
You are an older guy huh?
I must say- I like that you get around and go to all of the urban events-
Very good to see that.
I'd like to meet up with you one day-
You are a wealth of knowledge!

An abandoned golf courses to mixed use? Kickass. Too bad the neighbors want to keep it the way it is ... @#$!

Shalimar neighbors unite against condo plans

Katie Nelson
The Arizona Republic
May. 3, 2006 12:00 AM

Residents are uniting in the Shalimar neighborhood, reforming old neighborhood groups and talking strategy to battle developers who want to transform the area with condo developments.

A meeting is planned for tonight, and two recent gatherings have been key in bringing the community together. One, Sunday night at a resident's home, attracted nearly 100 people.

"The house was stuffed," said Bruce Goldthorpe, who attended the meeting. "There were people in the living room, dining room, family room and in and out the doors. People were sitting on the floor and standing in corners. We had to keep reminding people to speak louder when the back group started waving their hands."

They gathered to voice concerns about the fate of their property values. Some expressed fears about the disappearance of one of the last open green spaces in Tempe. But mainly, they came to learn.

The east central Tempe residents have been trying several tactics to give themselves some say in three developments that could dramatically alter their community: the sale and redevelopment of the Shalimar Country Club Golf Course, the Tri-City Baptist Church on Southern Avenue and Price Road and the Michael's Plaza shopping center across the street.

Five-story condos could be built on the church property. A Las Vegas developer is considering buying the golf course, the neighborhood's crown jewel, and has purchased the Michael's Plaza. Condos could go on both sites.

Neighbors have been meeting with politicians such as Councilman Hut Hutson and Mayor Hugh Hallman. They've been trying to inform each other and, they say, they've been unifying.

"Really, it was more to introduce people together and to get a common understanding about what we're facing," Andrew Ching, a Shalimar homeowner and attorney, said of the meetings.

The residents talked about the history of the area and about a lawsuit in the early '80s over the land's use. They discussed the status of the current deal, Ching said, and what the process would be for the developer to get zoning approval to add condos.

Tonight's meeting is scheduled for the Huntington Drive cul-de-sac in the southeastern corner of the Shalimar neighborhood.

Residents said they plan to start a petition to be submitted to the city that states neighbors oppose any zoning changes for the church property. Representatives of the developers of at least one of the area projects also will be there to answer questions.

Sidebar

Change is coming

Here's the status of projects in the Shalimar neighborhood:

• The Shalimar Country Club Golf Course will remain but likely will be spruced up. Brownstones or condos also would be added on the property, said Jeff Chain, president of Millennium Properties & Development, of Las Vegas. Millennium is in escrow for that property, and the company has two architects drawing up potential redesign plans. A design could be ready by fall.

• The Tri-City Baptist Church at Southern Avenue and Price Road also is in escrow. The developer looking at buying it, Magellan Partners, is revising its initial plan for a graduated five-story condo complex after it got a bad response from neighbors unhappy with the height. The church and its schools on site are moving to Chandler. The deal is expected to close in August. The developer hopes to take a revised plan to neighbors in the next few weeks.

• The Michael's Plaza shopping center across the street has been sold to the same developer who is looking at redeveloping the golf course. The plaza is the current home of a Michael's Arts & Crafts, a Dilly's Deli and other merchants. Millennium closed a deal March 14 to buy the property. It likely will be razed and reconfigured into a combination retail/residential property, according to Chain.

22-story condo project planned for Town Lake
City Council should see plans in a few weeks

Jahna Berry
The Arizona Republic
May. 5, 2006 12:00 AM

A 22-story condominium tower may be headed to the northern shore of Tempe Town Lake.

The development, tentatively called Onyx, would be nestled on a site along Playa Del Norte Drive, the area near Scottsdale Road and Loop 202. There are two similar projects already under way in that area, including a 532-unit apartment-condo project called Mondrian and a 137-unit condo development called Northshore.

WestStone Group of Companies, the developer that is building Onyx and Northshore, isn't worried about competition from the recent burst of similar projects elsewhere in Tempe.

"There are limited opportunities for shoreline access," said Greg Loper, director of development at WestStone.

The unfinished Northshore project has sold all but a handful of its units. The lake is "just an ideal location," Loper said.

WestStone expects to submit formal plans to the city in a few weeks.

The project would have about 200 units, including townhouses and condos. They would sell, on the low end, for $400,000 to $500,000, Loper estimated. The site is just less than 1.5 acres, and the tower would be around 220 to 230 feet tall, he said.

The Town Lake property is a hot commodity, and developers are pursuing more condos, said Chris Anaradian, Tempe development services manager. Initially, a restaurant was to be built where the proposed Onyx project would go, he said.

Suncor Development Co. may also inject more condos to its complex of office space, condominium towers and shops near Rio Salado Boulevard and Mill Avenue.

The proposed Onyx site has the necessary zoning, but the proposal must be approved by the City Council during public hearings, Anaradian said.

In general, any project that is more than 200 feet tall has to notify the Federal Aviation Administration, Anaradian said, adding that the city won't issue a building permit until a project has applied for FAA review.