Tempe Development Thread

[JI5]

Very cool shots. Whereabout do you live in downtown Tempe? If you are on the Lake, i'm jealous.

[ciweiss]

Hayden Square - Its a bit loud but a fun local. I bought a special soundproof window to help keep out the noise of the planes, trains and random parties. I figure it would be well worth it once light rail is going and the station is less than 500 feet away. I can't wait to jump on and catch a dback or suns game downtown. Or check out the Phoenix downtown development. That will be a fun place in about 3-5 years. It would have been nice to get one on the lake. I toured one about 2 months ago. They wanted like 800K for a 2 bedroom and I believe the HOA would have been about $500 a month. They are very nice. Hayden Square is a bargain compare to that.

[tempedude]

^^^I have always liked the appearance of Hayden Square.

It is kinda loud around there at times because of its location, sort of in the heart of things. Just wait till New Years Eve.

[loftlovr]

Welcome ciweiss-

Cool place to live! I tried to buy one there but in the height of the boom they were selling for 50K over list price in a day....

Looks like you have a killer view of Tempe landmarks- or maybe you walk to the edge of the complex to take the shots- either way- I am jealous you get to live there!

On a side note- those were pretty much the first "real" Urban product brought to the Valley since I started paying attention....

[combusean]

More on the $500 million "Threshold Project" plan pushed by ASU on the begrudging frats:



Land use plan available here:
http://emvis.net/~sean/ssp/asu/ASU-Land-Use-Master-Plan.pdf

Text descriptions from http://www.piercecompany.com/threshold-project-printer.html

The Threshold Project at Arizona State University

Imagine boarding the Light Rail destined for the Arizona State University, Tempe campus and departing at a new station at the corner of Rural Road and University Drive. On your way to Sun Devil Stadium or Wells Fargo Arena for an ASU football or basketball game, you stop off for a pre-game dinner where you find yourself in a dynamic, high-density, mixed-use village filled with a multitude of restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, a four-star hotel, student housing, active plazas and open space. This and more will be part of The Threshold Project as ASU.

The Threshold Project is a $500 million planned pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use development located at the main intersection of the ASU campus – the northwest corner of Rural and University. The 18-acre site, commonly know as “Alpha Drive,” is abutted on the north by ASU’s largest inventory of campus parking and the Whiteman Tennis Center, and on the west by Sun Devil Stadium and the Wells Fargo Arena. Located south of the site is Manzanita Hall – a high rise on-campus residence hall – and a new Light Rail station (under construction) connecting the project to the greater Phoenix metro area.

Land uses for this diverse and dynamic mixed-use development are expected to include retail, restaurant, entertainment, for-sale condominiums, student rental apartments, a new Greek Village (fraternities and sororities), a hotel conference center (in collaboration with the hotel management program at Northern Arizona University), a satellite student recreation center, a campus public safety office, open space, recreational amenities and related parking.

The site will include pedestrian linkages to adjacent university parking and the main campus, and to a new Light Rail station under construction at the southwest corner of Rural and University. Connections will also be created through the site to the adjacent athletic venues – Sun Devil Stadium, Wells Fargo Arena, Whiteman Tennis Center, Joe Sellem Track and Packard Stadium. As such, the project will be ideally located for special event attendees, in addition to the campus community. Student and Greek housing will be equally well located in relation to campus academic buildings and athletic venues.

Location: The site is bounded by Rural Road (east), University Drive and Veterans Way (south), and Sixth Street on the (north and west). The site is surrounded by the ASU on three sides and abuts the Wells Fargo Arena (west), Parking Structure #7 and Whiteman Tennis Center (north).
Developer: The Pierce Company
Cost: $500 million (estimated)
Land Area: 18 acres
Investment Banker: Citigroup Global Markets, Inc.
Tentative Development Program:
Retail, restaurant & entertainment venues (150,000-200,000 sf)
Hotel and conference center
Condominium homes (for sale to parents)
Rental housing (for undergraduate and graduate students)
Fraternity and sorority housing
Satellite student recreation center
Campus public safety facility

[Phxbyrd211]

what is the height of manzanita hall?

[combusean]

^ 181 feet according to Emporis

[andrewkfromaz]

Slam dunk. Tear down the frat houses.

[combusean]

I might be more in favor of this project if it wasn't one of the final pieces in Crow/Fulton's ultraconservative goal of cleaning up the campus of virtually everything that defines the college experience for a wide portion of the student body, especially those most affected by the new development. It's frustrating watching ASU push this on the frats threatening eminent domain when sites like the Tempe Center sit basically lifeless and Marina Point has taken maybe 10 years to come up with a massing diagram. I don't have much doubt that this project will see a similar glacial pace and the frats will be up shit's creek without a paddle in the exceedingly protracted meantime.

[Phxbyrd211]

what's the height of Taylor Place?

[jvbahn]

I might be more in favor of this project if it wasn't one of the final pieces in Crow/Fulton's ultraconservative goal of cleaning up the campus of virtually everything that defines the college experience for a wide portion of the student body, especially those most affected by the new development. It's frustrating watching ASU push this on the frats threatening eminent domain when sites like the Tempe Center sit basically lifeless and Marina Point has taken maybe 10 years to come up with a massing diagram. I don't have much doubt that this project will see a similar glacial pace and the frats will be up shit's creek without a paddle in the exceedingly protracted meantime.

Thank you for finally calling this for what it is. While I personally could give a flying rat's ass about the fraternities, I know that they do comprise a part of a larger whole in formative experience for some people. Taking out an integral part of the maturing/learning process(yes, partying your ass off is a part of the learning experience) would leave ASU a worse, less attractive place. This is something that affects Phoenix/Tempe as a whole, as they scrub away the humanity(grit) and replace it with some clean, non-challenging family-friendly version of what an organic metropolis should be.

I'm all for the density/high-rises, but Combusean hits the mark when he talks about intent. Crow doesn't want a party-school image anymore, but threatens a larger experience in the attempt to "clean" it all up. Focus on the river/fake lake first, then get around to sanitizing everything at the University.

[Upward]

Originally Posted by jvbahn

Thank you for finally calling this for what it is. While I personally could give a flying rat's ass about the fraternities, I know that they do comprise a part of a larger whole in formative experience for some people. Taking out an integral part of the maturing/learning process(yes, partying your ass off is a part of the learning experience) would leave ASU a worse, less attractive place. This is something that affects Phoenix/Tempe as a whole, as they scrub away the humanity(grit) and replace it with some clean, non-challenging family-friendly version of what an organic metropolis should be.

I'm all for the density/high-rises, but Combusean hits the mark when he talks about intent. Crow doesn't want a party-school image anymore, but threatens a larger experience in the attempt to "clean" it all up. Focus on the river/fake lake first, then get around to sanitizing everything at the University.

QFT.

[loftlovr]

I have to agree with you both.

As cool as that development looks, I would hate for the new students not to be able to enjoy a part of college that has been around forever....

Which is, on campus Greek Housing.
Wouldn't there be a way to improve the structures and clean up what is there and even develop around the buildings if need be?

[jvbahn]

Haha, finally I feel like I'm not the outcast extremist on the forum.....whew. Though I probably am anyway.

[bwonger06]

I heard the school is willing to exchange a 6 acre piece of land in exchange for alpha drive that way the frats can build new frat houses. do not know where or if asu is willing to help them build new houses.

[wissundevil06]

Looked like some new equipment on the Hayden Ferry site where the final office building will go. Anyone know if they are planning to start the final phase?

[tempedude]

Originally Posted by wissundevil06

Looked like some new equipment on the Hayden Ferry site where the final office building will go. Anyone know if they are planning to start the final phase?

I had a good look at the Hayden Ferry project the other day, there is nothing new going on. They are working on some parking under ground or a small garage for the new condos and thats about it.

[andrewkfromaz]

Originally Posted by combusean

I might be more in favor of this project if it wasn't one of the final pieces in Crow/Fulton's ultraconservative goal of cleaning up the campus of virtually everything that defines the college experience for a wide portion of the student body, especially those most affected by the new development. It's frustrating watching ASU push this on the frats threatening eminent domain when sites like the Tempe Center sit basically lifeless and Marina Point has taken maybe 10 years to come up with a massing diagram. I don't have much doubt that this project will see a similar glacial pace and the frats will be up shit's creek without a paddle in the exceedingly protracted meantime.

Dr. Crow and Fulton may be powerful, but no one has any delusions: they do not have complete control over students' behavior. Drugs, endless parties, all the trappings of the "college experience" will continue to exist. The existing frat houses, some of which are uninhabitable and many of the others won't be long behind, need to go, regardless of your or anyone else's opinion of the behavior of students inside them. IMO, the University itself has no obligation to support under-age drinking or any other illegal or even unhealthy behavior, but that's just me.

Some of ASU's capital projects have proceeded relatively expeditiously: McAllister Academic Village, the Honor's Dorms project, etc. A few isolated cases of delayed projects that were never particularly high up on the priority list to begin with (in addition to their over-reaching scope; have you SEEN the plan for the Tempe Center site????) does not mean ASU has no interest in improving the quality of the residences and other services it offers its students.

The project should move forward.

[sundevilgrad]

Originally Posted by andrewkfromaz

Dr. Crow and Fulton may be powerful, but no one has any delusions: they do not have complete control over students' behavior. Drugs, endless parties, all the trappings of the "college experience" will continue to exist. The existing frat houses, some of which are uninhabitable and many of the others won't be long behind, need to go, regardless of your or anyone else's opinion of the behavior of students inside them. IMO, the University itself has no obligation to support under-age drinking or any other illegal or even unhealthy behavior, but that's just me.

The project should move forward.

If Dr. Crow really want's ASU to be one of the biggest and best universities in the country, then a fully functional, on campus greek system is a must. You might not like it, but a lot of people do.

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by sundevilgrad

If Dr. Crow really want's ASU to be one of the biggest and best universities in the country, then a fully functional, on campus greek system is a must. You might not like it, but a lot of people do.

I don't see how. I've never heard the following sentence "I'm going to Harvard for the great Greek system." As far as I'm concerned the Greek system is nothing more than an organized drinking club, and I'm glad my school didn't have it.

I have twin sisters who are both in a Sorority up at NAU, and I can't say a single thing positive about them (Greek systems, not my sisters).

All that being said, I'm not proposing ASU should ban Greek life (though I certainly wouldn't lose any sleep if they did), but I think a project like this would be great. I have about half a dozen friends who currently attend ASU and I've mentioned this project to them and they were thrilled at the idea of them knocking down the borderline Skid row that is the frat houses at ASU.