[rocksteady]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

There shouldn't need to be an "easy fix." There should have been a project proposed for the best parcel in downtown Phoenix that was appropriate for its surroundings and provided the best short and long-term benefits to the City who gave up its central bus terminal for this. Phoenix is NOT LA or Chicago or any other city. Those cities have multiple pockets of density, of continuous retail, of true urban districts. Phoenix is manufacturing a downtown out of the ruins of its past and has still not reached the point where it has become a city that is more than just the sum of disconnected mega projects.

The Central Station lot had the potential to a true "hub" and center of activity. It flanks 2 light rail stations, is the City's major bus terminal, will one day be a connection to even more light rail lines and a possible streetcar, has frontage onto the only successful urban park in Phoenix, is at the intersection of ASU and the CBD, and is between the 2 busiest streets in downtown - 1st Ave and Central. It had the opportunity to activate the edge of Civic Space with its Polk side, to take advantage of the successful Westin's main dropoff across its Central side, to be one of the first major projects that Van Buren has been zoned for, and to serve the YMCA/ASU students along 1st Ave.

It does none of that. Civic Space will now be covered in complete shade during certain times of the year and its southern view, which used to be a great mix of midrises and highrises, will now be a giant wall of glass housing luxury apartments that are separated from the park by a private driveway along the Park's southern border. And, the rest of the site gets an above-ground parking garage.

If the market could only support 1 residential apartment tower and 2 office spaces for this site, then the entire RFP should have been delayed until conditions improved OR the winning bid should have had a phased plan that left portions of the property available for future development.

The garage and retail space could and should have been built into the podium of the residential tower, which could and should have been built at the corner of Central and Van Buren. An office tower with underground or podium parking should have been planned for at the corner of Polk and 1st Ave' the City needs Class A office space, and what could be a better sell to tenants than being have your office on the site of the City's multi-modal hub? Polk could then be lined with restaurant spaces that opened up the park, Central and Van Buren could have been the perfect spots for the first big box stores to come downtown, and the transit office and incubator space could have fronted 1st Ave.

While I'm sure it is too late, have you ever emailed your sentiments to anyone with the city in charge of this project? Not saying it would do much, but I certainly hope they see/hear your concerns because it is spot on.