General Phoenix Metro Discussion Thread

[Jjs5056]

As far as somethingfast's list, here are a few thoughts:


1. Downtown Phoenix and Tucson both finally get new tallest(s). Phoenix could really, really use a signature tower. It makes me cringe a bit when I read that Tyson's Corner, VA (hotspot of activity in NoVa) is getting a new 470' tower and it will be one of 12 new hi-rises in that area which already has like 30,000,000 sq ft of space. Not comparing the nation's capital's affluent 'burbs with anything, let alone Arizona, but, come on, Phoenix needs something to reflect its stature. How about a nice 600' a bit north of the FAA restricted area (i.e., north of Chase Tower). Please????

Prediction: 4-8 new towers ranging from 250' to 450'. No tallest. Please prove me wrong.

Your prediction is much closer to reality. There is currently no demand for any towers in the downtown area, let alone a new tallest. Residential development seems to be topping out below 10 stories, while Class A demand is there, but with a lack of any new firms or headquarters, we'd probably see some renovated older towers before a new one is constructed. Lastly, if all the planned hotels come to market, that market will be fairly saturated. I think we'll see an office tower (in the 375' range) or two in the next several years, but that's about it.

Also, keep in mind that the highest skyscrapers are zoned for West Van Buren with heavy retail uses on the bottom. Unfortunately, choices made in the core near Central/VB have made it very difficult to build the synergies needed for such towers to even make sense from a planning perspective.


3. Tempe continues its ascension to "destination" core for business and pleasure. Tempe's decision to build the Town Lake back in '93 or '94 (I think...anyway, I was here for that) has and is paying huge divvies. Vision. It matters.

Prediction: too hard to tell. Probably another 10-15 mid- and hi-rise buildings go up. 3.5 millions square feet of office space added. ASU finally wins a national championship in football with the killer new stadium.

I'm not sure about 10-15 mid/highrises. Maybe 10 if we are counting just midrises, but like Phoenix, most residential development tops out under 10 stories, and that's where I see growth happening now that the office market has diversified the economy so greatly. I think we'll see midrise market rate and affordable residential along the Apache Corridor, and around the streetcar line near Ash and Farmer. Meanwhile, I think we'll continue to see lakefront land like Hayden Harbor and Southbank change hands and not see much progress. Would love Marina Heights to cause a domino effect, though. Lastly, it'll be interesting to see how far the stadium district progresses and what kind of heights/densities are involved.

4. More concerted effort to diversify the economy from growth-reliant to sustainable knowledge- and high-tech-based growth. Tax incentives for in-fill development to eliminate dormant space.

Prediction: Phoenix makes progress but still relies far too much on growth to drive the economy. It gets better but not fast enough. Home prices crash again then rebound again. Again, 2x to 3x the magnitude of the rest of the country through the next boom/bust cycle.

This should be the #1 objective of the many economic growth consortia in Phoenix. The focus should be on bringing new HQ and businesses from out of state with a focus on sustainability and other fast growth industries, as the Biomedical Campus struggles and ASU underimpresses.

5. Renovation of Chase Field. It's a behemoth and outdated way ahead of schedule. That giant carcass would look out of place in DT Houston or Dallas let alone Phoenix. It's so incredibly disproportionate.

Prediction: Major renovations/retro-fitting to better integrate into overall DT look/feel and successful in diminishing its true scale. Make it look like a ballpark and not a beached spaceship. Done for $50 million. D-backs win another championship. Just because.

I don't see this happening. They might reduce capacity, but I doubt much will be done to integrate it into the downtown fabric. There would need to be some demand for additional retail or hospitality in the area, and there haven't been major complaints from the powers that be on how it works with the urban scene downtown. Both USAC and Chase could be renovated to fit in better, but it's a pipe dream at best, IMO.