So, there weren't many preservationists that showed up...maybe about 15. A few of them were in the mid to upper 60's and comparing who moved here first in the 50's. So that shows you who's at the forefront of the fuss over this.
The speakers made a good case on the development. The Southside of Circles IS to be saved and NOT a full building demo that everyone freaked out about. The developers are now even going a step further to try and save the alley-side of the building which wasn't in the original plans (20' of the West side of the building was originally slated to be razed). This seemed to make everyone a little happier.
A GPLET is being sought. The tower will stand 220' and the sections will be staggered (17 and 19 stories similar to the way POTP is staggered 12 and 14 floors).
The renderings that we have seen so far is pretty much the final proposal minus some minor tweaking. The brick circles on the Southside were added many years after the Stewart building was built and ARE NOT part of the original design. These will be removed and replaced with glass to open up the South side of the retail portion of the building. The apartments will start on the 3rd floor with amenities on the second floor. Retail will occupy most of the Central Ave. facing first floor including a restaurant pad on the corner. A seven story garage will be on the alley side with access from McKinley St. The power line towers in the alley will be removed by APS.
Originally, groundbreaking was to commence in June, but has been pushed back to the end of July due to the fiasco to save the whole building. The developers seemed to be very excited about hearing of the spinning sign and are now very interested in making it functional!
That's all I have, but I am very confident about this project and it looks like it is nearly a go at this point.