Tempe has three new skyscrapers proposed:
1. Constellation, 17 stories (200 feet), 322 E. 6th Street (Armory site)
2. Constellation, 20 stories (225 feet), 322 E. 6th Street (Armory site)
3. Suncor Hotel, 14-stories (167 feet), Hayden Ferry Lakeside
http://www.azcentral.com/community/t...ze0608Z10.html
Condo craze just gets crazier as Constellation points to sky
6th St. proposals are 17, 20 stories
Katie Nelson
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 8, 2006 12:00 AM
Developers filed paperwork with the city for yet another high-rise condo complex for downtown Tempe this week, marking the fourth project intended to reach higher than 18 stories. The series of high-rises sprouting within Tempe's core - plus the dozens of other towers being built around Tempe Town Lake and the downtown - point to a concentrated condo craze. Constellation Property Group is the Australian-based company with offices in San Diego that submitted building proposals for 322 E. Sixth St. Right now, the lot contains only a single-story tan warehouse-style building known as the Armory, and is often empty when it's not being used for sporting event parking. Plans show Constellation intends to build 17- and 20-story condo towers at College Avenue and Veterans Way. The 364-unit complex would be at the foot of Tempe Butte, and be nearly as high as nearby Sun Devil Stadium.
The project likely would include commercial and retail space, plus four floors of underground parking with room for 750 vehicles, according to the proposals. Each building would get its own amenities such as swimming and relaxation pools, saunas and cabanas.
"We see there are design-led people who appreciate good architecture there," said Lana Wood, a spokeswoman for Constellation. "What we're bringing will be unlike anything else in the area."
Many of the planned complexes are going after the same crowd: those seeking urban surroundings. And like the others, the site is within walking distance from the planned light-rail station, Mill Avenue and Tempe Town Lake. And, as with other possible projects, the height concerns some.
"On the one hand, I have always felt that for our downtown businesses to be successful as they need to be . . . residential is a key component," Councilwoman Pam Goronkin said.
"On the other hand, height is a concern. It has been for a long time for a number of reasons, not the least of which are sightlines to the amenities which we have like A Mountain, in addition to the fact we have to balance our height so it is not all focused in one place."
The Constellation group, though, said its project will stand out.
"We want something lush and green," Wood said. "That acts as a juxtaposition with the nearby rock formation."
The project's backers include locals, too. The College Avenue Advisors business partnership originally purchased the site. That group includes local lawyer Grady Gammage Jr. College Avenue Advisors in turn paired with Constellation,which is affiliated with Australian architect Eugene Marchese. Both Constellation and Marchese are behind dozens of projects in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, and in Las Vegas, San Diego and Austin, Texas. Marchese and Constellation also have expressed interest in redeveloping Tempe's historical Hayden Flour Mill.
Neighbors can learn more about the Armory site buildings at a neighborhood meeting tentatively scheduled for late this month, although a specific date, time and location have yet to be set. Plans for the project can be viewed at the building site. They will be on display beginning in November.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/t...el0608Z10.html
Developer of Lakeside plans to add hotel-condo
Jahna Berry
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 8, 2006 12:00 AM
Suncor Development Co. plans to add a 14-story hotel-condo project with 183 guestrooms, 40 condos and a restaurant to the cluster of blue buildings the developer is building next to Tempe Town Lake. While the developer has worked hard to keep the details under wraps, a few tidbits about Suncor's hotel project emerged when the Redevelopment Review Commission held a brief public hearing on the proposed project. In the plan, the hotel would sit just south of Suncor's recently completed Edgewater condo tower. The hotel is expected to be 167 feet tall, with basement parking, ground floor lobby and restaurant and hotel guest rooms on eight floors and condominiums on five floors.
Suncor has been reluctant to say much about the project because many would-be hotel developers make announcements that never come to fruition, said Randy Levin, vice president of design and urban infill development at Suncor. Suncor will make an announcement when the financing, the proposed hotel brand and other details are concrete, he added. If the hotel project takes off, it would become part of a flurry of construction at the 17-acre Hayden Ferry Lakeside complex near Mill Avenue and Rio Salado Parkway. Construction crews are building a 12-story office tower, a parking garage for 2,460 cars and a 12-story condo tower called Bridgeview. Eventually, the completed Hayden Ferry project would include three office towers, the hotel, and four luxury condo towers.
--don
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