[Jjs5056]

I agree. Downtown has the Public Market and DeSoto's expanding array of local, independent vendors that promote local farmers and business owners, AND contribute to the urban environment by activating an empty lot and historic warehouse, respectively. Will you pay a premium? Maybe. But, isn't that increased cost worth it in order to have these amenities that give Phoenix a sense of place and could grow into catalysts for tourism, etc.? I'd hate to see either of these die because a generic, low-cost provider opens up.

Downtown Phoenicians must still do 90% of their shopping from their car - the urban environment which includes specialty retailers like DeSoto is the draw, not convenient access to every amenity found in suburbia. I love shopping for furniture - do I think downtown will be defined by whether an Ashley Furniture warehouse is built and pushes independent/vintage/antique vendors in the central city? NO.

1) This is supposed to be the center of Phoenix mass transit - a place where buses, light rail, and future rail/streetcar/BRT all converge. Having a place for groceries near a light rail stop is great because residential tends to cluster nearby which is beneficial to LRT's health and to the residents of the area. But, nobody is going to be riding light rail from other parts in the city to shop at VB/Central in a store they can more easily access as close as 7th St/McDowell. Not to mention, the type of shopping we have been conditioned toward means multiple bags - in other words, the car and suburban location is going to win every time.

Space adjacent to such an important transit hub should have been focused on major attractions/anchor tenants that WILL draw people from elsewhere on the line (ex: a new Symphony Hall, shop-eat-relax concept like the Duce); fast-casual eating to provide travelers with convenient food options (high quality ones like Sauce or other Sam Fox/LGO casual brands would be great); shopping for items that can be easily purchased during a commute, or services that are quick and cater toward the commuter (Brooks Brothers, TUMI, ALDO, Barbershop, Deli, Dry Cleaner).

2) There are NO residential projects aside from their own within a comfortable enough distance to walk to a generic grocer for a small-medium amount of goods. Little development opportunity even exists nearby; the transit center exists here for a reason - it is the center of downtown commerce. ASU has yet to build many dorms and hasn't spurred private housing close to the Taylor Mall; and, these students are much more likely to use ASU stores/restaurants that take M&G/Sun Dollars.

3) Most importantly, this grocery store promise is a distraction from the fact that this project sucks. They are building a gated, hard-to-afford apartment tower that isolates itself as much as possible from downtown below, on what amounts to less than 1/3 of arguably the best development site in all of downtown. They are filling the other 3/4 with a parking garage. Even with the most activating used at ground level, using 3/4 of this site for an exposed parking structure is sick. Of course, the ground level WON'T contain active uses. Van Buren is dedicated entirely to garage ramps, a 9-5 office for transit workers will be included somewhere, and a generic grocery store will leave blank walls everywhere else except for where they place the entrance.

Nothing says progress like a FRY's or SAFEWAY underneath a giant garage on your city's DOWNTOWN TRANSIT CENTER - land that you had to give away and incentivize to begin with. Guests of the nearby hotels? The thousands of adjacent office workers and commuters? Why serve ANY of potential nearby consumers with something great when you can show them the loading dock of a BASHAS! At least our super urban oasis, Civic Space, will be blocked from this mess by the apartment tower - but, of course, the tower also blocks these park visitors of the sun entirely and of almost all of the skyline which was once a highlight of the space.