Tempe Development Thread - Page 46

HooverDam · #**901** Posted **Jun 23, 2007, 11:16 PM**

^Wow looks great. I can't imagine there ever being such a demand for condos, but lets hope. Maybe since it looks like it will be done in phases that will keep the demand up. I suppose they could build office towers instead of condos if need be. With all those condos and offices going in it seems like Rio Salado Pkwy might need to be widened.

DevdogAZ · #**902** Posted **Jun 24, 2007, 4:17 AM**

Holy crap that's a lot of condos. I wonder how many phases it's planned for and how long they think it's going to take. I can't imagine there will be the demand for that much housing in that area for quite a while. And if they're really planning to put 1500 units onto that site, they're going to need to do some major upgrading of Rio Salado Parkway and the intersections at Rural and McClintock.

Damn. That project would be sweet, but why not more office and less condos? With the way Hayden Ferry Lakeside seems to be succeeding, I'd think there was more demand for office in this area than condos.

Edit: Oops, I didn't see HooverDam's post until after I posted mine (it was on the next page) and I basically duplicated what he said.

sundevilgrad · #**903** Posted **Jun 27, 2007, 3:41 AM**

Man, I'm dying for something new to breakground in Tempe. 7th + Mill, the hotel at Bandersnatch, Uni Square, Mosiac, Stadium Towers, Centerpoint on Mill, Centerpoint towers 3 & 4, Onyx, Pier 202, a new Hayden Ferry Lakeside building, anything!

loftlovr · #**904** Posted **Jun 27, 2007, 9:53 AM**

http://www.phxloftnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=275
more pier at town lake renderings if anyone wants to see them^

Vicelord John · #**905** Posted **Jun 27, 2007, 5:23 PM**

that pier rendering is a joke. Cannot be real as nobody is stupid enough to build there without providing lake views.

vertex · #**906** Posted **Jun 27, 2007, 6:38 PM**

8 Story office building with retail and parking garage approved for the US Airways site on the NW corner of 3rd and Mill.

Approved by the planning commission last night. It's 120 feet tall, 268K gross sq ft (30,000 of retail on the ground floor).

The problem I have with it is the size of the parking garage. It will wrap around the existing garage that faces Ash Ave (basically an addition), and will have the very same exterior treatment. It will double the size of available spaces for the development, but what I don't understand is why, since the new building is only half the size of the existing 16 story US Airways HQ? In addition, this is being trumpeted by the developer as a TOD (since it sits right next to what will become the 3rd st. LRT station), so what's with all the excess parking?

My guess is that it might turn into a park-and-ride sort of an affair, which to me is bad news. Why attract all of these excess commuters into DT Tempe? The traffic is bad enough here. In the spirit of TOD, why the hell don't they reduce the number of spaces instead?

Here's the site plan. The garage will take up the entire southwest corner of the lot. Great, just what Ash Ave. and 3rd street need, another garage. Click on the thumbnail to see more.

Some renderings. Pretty much an uninspiring, boilerplate design; thank you Opus once again.

The round podium will face the corner of 3rd and Mill.

Here are the elevations for the garage.

Link to the Development Review Commission Summary report

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vertex · #**907** Posted **Jun 27, 2007, 7:07 PM**

5 story ALoft Hotel and Office bldg. planned for Playa Del Norte

I can't remember if it's been mentioned here already, so forgive me if it has.

This is planned for Playa Del Norte, across from the In-n-Out burger.

The development is 97,000 sq. ft, 68,000 for the hotel (136 rooms). In case you didn't already know, ALoft is Starwoods' mini-me version of the 'W'.

Click on the thumbnail for the site plan. Note that Rural road is to the west, and the 202 Red Mountain freeway to the north.
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Link to the Development Review Commission Summary report

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Downtown_resident · #**908** Posted **Jun 27, 2007, 7:08 PM**

Disappointing. I had the same thoughts when I saw the development (name escapes me) going up at Mill and Washington. The development includes a massive attached parking garage and does not appear to engage the street whatsoever-- it may even have a "moat" between the building and the street! (We'll see when it's built out.)

I'm dismayed that Tempe isn't encouraging developers to reduce the amount of parking provided to developments that sit directly along the Metro line. If this exemplifies the TOD planning coming out of what is pretty much the Phoenix area's most progressive municipality, I'm bummed.

sharpie · #**909** Posted **Jun 28, 2007, 4:26 AM**

Does anyone know where on the Playa del Norte site the Onxy tower is supposed to go? On the map on page 17 of the planning review commision summary (link above), it doesn't look like there is any room left!

I'm excited for Onyx, the price range seems to be much more in line with what people can afford. I know construction costs have gone up, but some of the prices in these places are unreal. I was in Atlanta a few weeks ago, and just north of downtown, they were building a high rise condo project and had a sign that said from the $190's. If they can do it there, why can't we here?

Yes, the lack of TOD for the Mill/Rio Salado office tower is disappointing. But I think part of the problem is that developers are a little worried that their properties won't be as marketable to potential tenants if they don't have tons of parking. It's going to take a while to build a critical mass around the light rail system, and until that happens, potential tenants are just as likely to live in Gibert as they are at Centerpointe or downtown Phoenix.

DevdogAZ · #**910** Posted **Jun 28, 2007, 5:00 AM**

Onyx is indeed slated for that tiny lot between the currently under construction Northshore, and Rural Road. It's not a very big site, but apparently they think there's enough. It will be interesting to see if it actually gets built with all of the condo construction currently underway in Tempe.

There's a sign with a rendering up on the site, but their website doesn't appear to have a picture.

PhxSprawler · #**911** Posted **Jun 28, 2007, 9:27 PM**

Here is a rendering sent by the promo people at Onyx. It actually looks much better than previous renderings I have seen. Maybe you can figure out from this where on site it will be?

combusean · #**912** Posted **Jun 28, 2007, 10:10 PM**

It takes place of the restaurant pad that was supposed to be there--the west side is built very close to Rural Rd. They'll nestle it in somehow.

sundevilgrad · #**913** Posted **Jun 29, 2007, 2:34 PM**

News on Marina Heights... Looks like they've come to an aggreement on the height of the project...
http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/0628tr-marinaheights0629.html

PhxSprawler · #**914** Posted **Jun 29, 2007, 6:18 PM**

That is too bad about the Marina Heights. I like taller buildings.

sharpie · #**915** Posted **Jul 2, 2007, 2:32 AM**

I drove down Rural this afternoon, and that is a tiny little sliver where Onxy is going. But it will look very cool towering over Rural, it would lose some of that effect if it were built further back into the site.

Rio Salado is going to be a disaster traffic wise once Marina Heights and Pier 202 get going. They're both too far away from downtown to really enjoy the benefits of the light rail. I'm curious to see what kind of improvements Tempe will make, they're generally very anti road widening.

sundevilgrad · #**916** Posted **Jul 2, 2007, 1:37 PM**

I'm hoping that the LTR planners are considering running the light rail down Rio Salado. They could run a leg down Rio Salado that ends at the Beach Park and goes to Rural or McClintock before turning north/south for the line that goes into Scottsdale and S. Tempe.

PhxSprawler · #**917** Posted **Jul 3, 2007, 3:38 PM**

Here is another recycled story from AZRep about Marina Heights:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0703marinaheights0703.html

Not much has changed since the last story on 6/29. Without the additional parking and light rail being a year away, where are ASU students going to park when a large portion of lot 59 goes away?

PhxSprawler · #**918** Posted **Jul 3, 2007, 3:45 PM**

One more link on Marina Heights from AZ Rep. This contains renderings from SunCor of before and after.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/docs/Marina.pdf

SunDevil · #**919** Posted **Jul 3, 2007, 4:28 PM**

A little OT, but anyone coming down to Tempe to watch the fireworks show tomorrow? If not are you going to any fireworks show? Where?

HooverDam · #**920** Posted **Jul 3, 2007, 4:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunDevil

A little OT, but anyone coming down to Tempe to watch the fireworks show tomorrow? If not are you going to any fireworks show? Where?

My friends and I are going to Jerome tomorrow