Phoenix Development News (4)

[halicem]

Heard the renaissance is expanding/redoing their patio (anyone check the permits for the hotel?). Probably using this lot as staging ground

[TJPHXskyscraperfan]

Seems like a lot of demos have been going on with nothing being built.

[Phxguy]

It's far too early to be noteworthy news, but there's been some permit activity on the NEC of Portland/1st St for a 21-story multifamily tower as recent as April. Let the speculation begin.

[combusean]

Originally Posted by Phxguy

It's far too early to be noteworthy news, but there's been some permit activity on the NEC of Portland/1st St for a 21-story multifamily tower as recent as April. Let the speculation begin.

This one?

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=259013

[Phxguy]

Originally Posted by combusean

This one?

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=259013

Doesn't look to be. The 2nd St tower was farther along in the development process with civils being pulled before any/all updates fizzle out. The 1st St project is still in its preliminary stages.

[nickw252]

Is anyone familiar with how 44 Monroe is doing? The facade is showing wear and doesn’t appear to be getting maintenance or repairs, ground floor retail is vacant, and there’s constantly unhoused people sleeping outside it leaving trash and messes.

[TllrSkyline-01]

Originally Posted by nickw252

Is anyone familiar with how 44 Monroe is doing? The facade is showing wear and doesn’t appear to be getting maintenance or repairs, ground floor retail is vacant, and there’s constantly unhoused people sleeping outside it leaving trash and messes.

Yep - I have been concerned about the social condition of DTPHX for quite a while. I've been driving through it 2-3 times weekly going to work the last few years...lots of drug attics, trash and so many 1st floor retail sitting empty for months on end. Several old buildings along East Washington have been demolished and nothing new being built. Not good for development.

[Kelton]

Speaking of retail…

A new development at 3rd Street and McDowell is in the works.

Seems to be very retail focused
http://images1.showcase.com/d2/SyAeOqFHu4X6vD89MiUaHUNABPZ3JJKBRFhtig8sVy4/document.pdf

[combusean]

Would have liked to see some density but that 3rd St corridor could use things like this.

[combusean]

Originally Posted by Phxguy

Doesn't look to be. The 2nd St tower was farther along in the development process with civils being pulled before any/all updates fizzle out. The 1st St project is still in its preliminary stages.

Thanks ... I apparently can't direction in my old age.

Both of those tower sites have been owned for years and I'll take one or the other if I can't have both.

[az_daniel]

Originally Posted by combusean

Would have liked to see some density but that 3rd St corridor could use things like this.

3rd Street in general is getting a lot of good infill. Between this, Osborn Point, the new project on the NEC of 3rd/Cheery Lynn, updates coming to some of the retail strips, Soleil, and I'm sure a few more on the way- its on it's way to becoming a very nice neighborhood street. It's really good to see small scale retail projects on the boards like this, especially with parking located behind.

[TJPHXskyscraperfan]

Originally Posted by TllrSkyline-01

Yep - I have been concerned about the social condition of DTPHX for quite a while. I've been driving through it 2-3 times weekly going to work the last few years...lots of drug attics, trash and so many 1st floor retail sitting empty for months on end. Several old buildings along East Washington have been demolished and nothing new being built. Not good for development.

Unfortunately, the light rail extension south last summer seemed to have caused some of this. I live downtown and yeah, it’s not just homeless, I’m seeing people whacked out their minds walking around aimlessly. I’m sure it is not helping with filling up all the new apartments and the development of new ones, not to mention filling up the retain. How Sol and Central Station hasn’t filled even one retain spot is just sad. Some good stuff is happening but there is no denying that the city has to get control of this huge problem downtown has. You expect to see some homeless in any downtown area, but when I look out my balcony and I see more homeless than regular people walking around there is a huge problem.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by TllrSkyline-01

Yep - I have been concerned about the social condition of DTPHX for quite a while. I've been driving through it 2-3 times weekly going to work the last few years...lots of drug attics, trash and so many 1st floor retail sitting empty for months on end. Several old buildings along East Washington have been demolished and nothing new being built. Not good for development.

Originally Posted by TJPHXskyscraperfan

Unfortunately, the light rail extension south last summer seemed to have caused some of this. I live downtown and yeah, it’s not just homeless, I’m seeing people whacked out their minds walking around aimlessly. I’m sure it is not helping with filling up all the new apartments and the development of new ones, not to mention filling up the retain. How Sol and Central Station hasn’t filled even one retain spot is just sad. Some good stuff is happening but there is no denying that the city has to get control of this huge problem downtown has. You expect to see some homeless in any downtown area, but when I look out my balcony and I see more homeless than regular people walking around there is a huge problem.

it is vacant lots and underdeveloped land that create conditions conductive to loitering and vagrancy, and not the other way around. Develop those spaces intelligently with reasonable rents and they'll fill with productive activity that will minimize the impact of unproductive or disruptive activity.

Too many developers are putting in small retail spaces for boutique stores at high rents. Those take a long time to fill and turn over quickly. At Central Station, it doesn't help that the property manager and its security contractor make transit passengers feels so unwelcome that they would be unlikely to linger and support any businesses that lease there.

The South Central light rail extension has nothing to do with any of this. Vagrancy and loitering has become a serious problem citywide, often in areas miles away from light rail. When I take the train south towards Baseline, I actually see a lot less of those problems than I do in many others parts of the city.

[azsunsurfer]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

it is vacant lots and underdeveloped land that create conditions conductive to loitering and vagrancy, and not the other way around. Develop those spaces intelligently with reasonable rents and they'll fill with productive activity that will minimize the impact of unproductive or disruptive activity.

Too many developers are putting in small retail spaces for boutique stores at high rents. Those take a long time to fill and turn over quickly. At Central Station, it doesn't help that the property manager and its security contractor make transit passengers feels so unwelcome that they would be unlikely to linger and support any businesses that lease there.

The South Central light rail extension has nothing to do with any of this. Vagrancy and loitering has become a serious problem citywide, often in areas miles away from light rail. When I take the train south towards Baseline, I actually see a lot less of those problems than I do in many others parts of the city.

That's dumb, I see people sleep in front of buildings all the time- occupied or not. So I am not following the logic (or lack there of) that somehow developing vacant lots will minimize that problem?

Anyway I might have missed this but does anyone know what is being constructed west of the County owned parking garage at Jefferson and 7th Ave? There's a tower crane up and it looks like they excavated a subterrain floor.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

That's dumb, I see people sleep in front of buildings all the time- occupied or not. So I am not following the logic (or lack there of) that somehow developing vacant lots will minimize that problem?

People are more likely to camp in front of buildings that are occupied but underutilized. This includes office buildings that have no residential or retail component. When the staff go home at 5 PM, there's no one to chase the campers away. That's why you see far more people sleeping around the old federal courthouse on First Ave than you do outside more active buildings nearby. Of course, vacant lots and surface parking lots are even worse. Just look farther north on First Ave at Fillmore where that Circle K is. The more intensively you use land for productive purposes around the clock, the less likely you are to have unauthorized use.

[azsunsurfer]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

That's dumb, I see people sleep in front of buildings all the time- occupied or not. So I am not following the logic (or lack there of) that somehow developing vacant lots will minimize that problem?

Anyway I might have missed this but does anyone know what is being constructed west of the County owned parking garage at Jefferson and 7th Ave? There's a tower crane up and it looks like they excavated a subterrain floor.

I stand corrected it's the new fraud...er I mean election center. Disregard...

[TllrSkyline-01]

Originally Posted by TJPHXskyscraperfan

Unfortunately, the light rail extension south last summer seemed to have caused some of this. I live downtown and yeah, it’s not just homeless, I’m seeing people whacked out their minds walking around aimlessly. I’m sure it is not helping with filling up all the new apartments and the development of new ones, not to mention filling up the retain. How Sol and Central Station hasn’t filled even one retain spot is just sad. Some good stuff is happening but there is no denying that the city has to get control of this huge problem downtown has. You expect to see some homeless in any downtown area, but when I look out my balcony and I see more homeless than regular people walking around there is a huge problem.

It is sad that we even have to discuss this issue on a development blog, but mental health will need to be addressed fast for DT PHX. All levels of government have failed not just in Phoenix, but most major cities. Historically, we ALWAYS had a few homeless and panhandlers out in our cities, but I have observed a steep rise after COVID and also after recreational marijuana laws were passed. This is affecting where people move to. I've visited LA, NYC and Chicago recently, and this was troubling to see similar problems there (more in LA though), but they have a population density infrastructure already in place to work around that problem...but Phoenix does not, we have been growing a rural town vehicular scale, and now have to 'entice' new residents to live DT in a pedestrian scale, outside of the security of their locked vehicles.

DT PHX can be/and probably is now in a lot of trouble if the social environment does not get cleaned up as a perfect storm is in the horizon...all the new residential high-rises coming online have empty retail, high rental rates and IMHO, the office vacancy rate DT is too high...not sellable when better parts of suburban Phoenix have similar rental costs, and cleaner retail/work options nearby. Sorry for the rant, but I love this 'town', and I love to see new development thrive.

[TJPHXskyscraperfan]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

it is vacant lots and underdeveloped land that create conditions conductive to loitering and vagrancy, and not the other way around. Develop those spaces intelligently with reasonable rents and they'll fill with productive activity that will minimize the impact of unproductive or disruptive activity.

Too many developers are putting in small retail spaces for boutique stores at high rents. Those take a long time to fill and turn over quickly. At Central Station, it doesn't help that the property manager and its security contractor make transit passengers feels so unwelcome that they would be unlikely to linger and support any businesses that lease there.

The South Central light rail extension has nothing to do with any of this. Vagrancy and loitering has become a serious problem citywide, often in areas miles away from light rail. When I take the train south towards Baseline, I actually see a lot less of those problems than I do in many others parts of the city.

I love Phoenix, I live Downtown and I want to be optimistic but what I’ve been seeing lately is not good. As far as the retail vacancy, the spots in Sol and Central Station are huge! We should definitely have a small grocery store in one of those spots, maybe a Ross or something like that but there is nothing. I really wish they would tear down the Circle K on Fillmore, I feel real bad for the employees there.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by TJPHXskyscraperfan

I love Phoenix, I live Downtown and I want to be optimistic but what I’ve been seeing lately is not good. As far as the retail vacancy, the spots in Sol and Central Station are huge! We should definitely have a small grocery store in one of those spots, maybe a Ross or something like that but there is nothing. I really wish they would tear down the Circle K on Fillmore, I feel real bad for the employees there.

It's important to understand that vagrancy, loitering, addiction, and untreated mental illness are not limited to Downtown. Yes, First Avenue and Fillmore is sketchy, particularly around that awful Circle K. On the other hand, I recently passed through the intersection of 32nd St. and Greenway, ten miles away from the nearest light rail station, and observed that the bus stops at all four corners that had been turned into campgrounds. This is a serious problem, but it's not a reason to stereotype Downtown as a particularly dangerous or distressed place.

[TJPHXskyscraperfan]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

It's important to understand that vagrancy, loitering, addiction, and untreated mental illness are not limited to Downtown. Yes, First Avenue and Fillmore is sketchy, particularly around that awful Circle K. On the other hand, I recently passed through the intersection of 32nd St. and Greenway, ten miles away from the nearest light rail station, and observed that the bus stops at all four corners that had been turned into campgrounds. This is a serious problem, but it's not a reason to stereotype Downtown as a particularly dangerous or distressed place.

And I live right by the Cirlce K. We have luxury apartments all around the circle K. I mean the ASU dorms are literally across the street. I don’t necessarily feel in danger, the good thing is there are plenty of people around, heck you can hit the emergency button at the dorms. But it’s just plainly sad to see. Many of these people don’t want to go to a shelter, there needs to be harsher penalties for just laying on the side walk and for drug possession. Just this morning, walking my dog, the Townhouses across from circle K had literally about 20 people laying around in front of that property. I can’t imagine wanting to buy one of those townhomes.