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Originally Posted by NYC2ATX
Amazing updates, you guys are making me that much more enthusiastic about Phoenix as a relocation destination as I make plans for my next move.
I have been wondering something for a long time about Phoenix's local skyscraper history, as I despair about the ongoing height limits mandated by the FAA with respect to Sky Harbor. Is the Midtown area subject to the same restrictions? And if it is not, is it not conceivable that Midtown holds outsize potential for future growth, and for towers higher than 550'? From my perspective (again the disclaimer that I am as of yet an outsider), just the area from 7th to 7th and from Thomas to Indian School Roads is as large as the current downtown core and would therefore be regarded as the single best location for Phoenix to shift its urban core towards. There are many precedents for a similar elongated urban core between a city's downtown and midtown, like New York and Atlanta, to name a few. This to me seems like the only option for a fast-growing and urbanizing Phoenix that would like to add density and create a more iconic and dynamic profile. As a skyscraper enthusiast I am always looking for "well where can they build 100-story buildings, then?" and Phoenix is no exception. I imagine many of you share that sentiment, but what are the thoughts of locals and other frequent forumers?
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For the most part Midtown does not have as restrictive height limits as downtown as it is outside the flight path from Sky Harbor. Historically the tallest proposals in Phoenix have been in Midtown, but most of those have been pie-in-the-sky, and obviously none have been built. Basically all the towers in Midtown were built between 1960-1990, with almost nothing since. The area never really recovered from the S&L crisis. In the current re-urbanization, Midtown has mostly been filling in with the typical 5-story urban-ish apartment buildings that are going up all over the country. But there's a new Creighton University medical school and related buildings that are pushing in to the 10-ish story range, which is good, and could potentially be a catalyst for more. I'm with you that it would be fun to have huge towers in Midtown, but I personally wouldn't count on it anytime soon. The momentum is much greater downtown.