Tempe Development Thread

[JI5]

Question: Wasn't Tempe Marketplace supposed to have green lasers, visible from airplanes?? What happened to that??

[jvbahn]

It's always amazing to me to see the difference in the frat/sorority houses of ASU and UofA. In Tucson, the houses are stately old gems, well maintained, and contribute nicely to the appearance of the school.

There is one point about the ASU frats that should be addressed. They are run-down. I would think that the frats themselves should invest some of daddy's money and give them at least the appearance of civility.

However, with some rehab, I think it would be nice to retain some of Tempe's low-rise history. There are many areas where the city can expand and grow up in the meantime. I always fear the hand of big development over grass-roots growth. Mill Avenue is a good example of this. Only a fraction of what made Mill an interesting, original place to go remains. Now it might as well be Santa Monica, or Pasadena, or, or, or. Looks good though, just damned boring.

[bwonger06]

i think we can all agree that something needs to be done with that piece of land, it being build the proposed mid-rises or renovate the existing buildings up to standard because they are completely run down the way they are right now.

[andrewkfromaz]

For the record, I personally have nothing against Greek life, frats or sororities. I know people who are involved in them really enjoy the activities and opportunities to meet and get to know people, which is great. I just think that the arguments for preserving these buildings are not strong.

[andrewkfromaz]

http://www.azcentral.com/news/green/articles/1119tr-solar1121.html

First Solar moving into 'green' Tempe building

Luci Scott and Ryan Randazzo
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 19, 2007 04:22 PM
With its stock price soaring more than $100 a share since September, First Solar Inc. plans a move to greener headquarters in Tempe from its southeast Phoenix base.

The company has signed a seven-year lease for 31,000 square feet of the top floor plus laboratory space in the new Papago Gateway Center on the northwest corner of Mill Avenue and Washington Street.

The building is still under construction. Lee Chesnut, the San Diego-based developer, said the target date for First Solar's move-in is March 1.

March 1, eh? I love this building.

[sundevilgrad]

Originally Posted by HooverDam

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.

Most have never, or will never, confuse ASU and Harvard. However Harvard does have a fairly robust Greek system.

[jvbahn]

First Solar moving into 'green' Tempe building

Luci Scott and Ryan Randazzo
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 19, 2007 04:22 PM
With its stock price soaring more than $100 a share since September, First Solar Inc. plans a move to greener headquarters in Tempe from its southeast Phoenix base.

The company has signed a seven-year lease for 31,000 square feet of the top floor plus laboratory space in the new Papago Gateway Center on the northwest corner of Mill Avenue and Washington Street.

The building is still under construction. Lee Chesnut, the San Diego-based developer, said the target date for First Solar's move-in is March 1.

I'm hoping to be doing some work with this company soon, hoping they send me home occasionally and I can check out this building(and get some sun!)

[Phxbyrd211]

You need to see a bit more of the country hoover. Universities of Texas, Michigan, Florida, Virginia and California all kick ASU's collective ass. Also, they all have traditional well supported greek systems. Princeton has its eating clubs and some people DO probably want to go there for that sort of thing. ASU is not a very traditional university and as it goes farther away from that it will suffer in perception.

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by Phxbyrd211

You need to see a bit more of the country hoover.

You are an extremely annoying poster

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by Phxbyrd211

You need to see a bit more of the country hoover. Universities of Texas, Michigan, Florida, Virginia and California all kick ASU's collective ass. Also, they all have traditional well supported greek systems. Princeton has its eating clubs and some people DO probably want to go there for that sort of thing. ASU is not a very traditional university and as it goes farther away from that it will suffer in perception.

Greeks make a good university? Are you kidding me? I suppose you and I must live in different worlds... mine being focused on reputable graduate programs and the research a university does and its renown globally... and trust me, never once anywhere did I have a colleague in another country say a thing about a schools greek system. Not once. Yours is the viewpoint of an 18 year old.

Spent the better part of yesterday afternoon whittling down the grad school choices for the gf... ASU is on the list (because, like most people, we are choosing on the quality of research and faculty and facilities - and ASU is no slouch). Also, we have Texas and Minnesota (the "Big 10 schools are great" mentality only went far enough to get one school on the list - Wisconsin and Michigan just don't have the quality of programs). Virginia? Second tier my friend. Connecticut is on the list (you want a quality east coast state school, that's it). California can't overcome the Berkeley stigma - sorry, but if you want to talk about little social concerns picking your school for you - I don't want a chuckle every time I tell somebody where my degree is from, even if it is an exceptional school.

Florida isn't even in the same league as these schools academically. One look at their website tells you that Florida is more interested in the athletics than research and faculty output. ASU (academically) may not have the rep Florida does (Florida benefits from east coast elitism, even if it is only snowbird elitism...), but I think most of ASU's programs are better, hands down. I'm also somewhat biased, because I think of Gainesville as "the South," and the South and academia don't really jive well together if you ask me,

[Tfom]

I can't talk about most of the schools you referenced bunt_q but your opinions on University of Florida are completely off base. I lived in Gainesville for five years and I can tell you it is not in "The South." Most of the students at UF come from the Tampa metro area and south Florida which has nothing in common culturally with The South. The professors don't reflect that region either. Just as one example it is an extremely liberal school which in and of itself goes against that comment. I don't agree with some of the views held there, but I can tell you it doesn't reflect many views in The South. It is a very difficult school to get into, the hardest in the state. I know people who go to ASU who would never be able to get into UF. I don't think they are dumb, I am just stating a fact. Also, just because they excel in sports and those get a lot of headlines doesn't mean they don't care about academics. It's not their fault they are good at sports, well wait a minute... yes it is. All that said, in Florida if you can get into UF most will go to UF. They know what a degree from there will get them. Furthermore I don't get the snowbird reference, Florida is the fourth largest state in the country and has been for years. It is irresponsible to try and frame Florida as a country full of transplanted Northeasterners without its own distinct culture, that is simply not the case. I'm not ripping on ASU, and I don't know or care about the greek system argument. But don't go off making inane references about a school that you know nothing about, its credit is well deserved.

Go Gators!

[jvbahn]

Continuous discussion about the Greek system=YAWN

[vertex]

Originally Posted by Tfom

...It is a very difficult school to get into, the hardest in the state. I know people who go to ASU who would never be able to get into UF.

Ok, ok, really now... No, seriously, let me catch my breath...

Admissions:

ASU general undergraduate requirements.

UoF general undergraduate requirements.

Allow me to summarize;

ASU: 1040 SAT (1110 non-res), 22 cumulative ACT (24 non-res), and a 3.0 GPA for High School 'competency' courses. Not exactly Stanford, but serviceable.

UoF: 950 SAT, 19 cumulative ACT, a 2.0 GPA for High School 'academic core' classes, and no arrest record.

...don't go off making inane references about a school that you know nothing about...

Heal thyself, gator booster.

[Tfom]

That may be the minimum requirement but I promise it is not the average (see below). I didn't go to UF, nor am I a booster. I did live there and knew plenty of students and as I said it is not easy to get into. I just don't think it is fair to make up things to defame a good school.



http://education.yahoo.com/college/facts/9188.html

http://education.yahoo.com/college/facts/5160.html

If you wish to see it from the horses mouth, the averages are at the bottom

http://www.admissions.ufl.edu/ugrad/frprofile.html

University of Florida - Undergrads

* Admission 22,093 applied, 10,652 admitted, 6,702 enrolled, 3.8 average high school GPA
* Average high school GPA 3.8
* Test scores SAT verbal scores over 500 91%, SAT math scores over 500 94%, ACT scores over 18 99%, SAT verbal scores over 600 60%, SAT math scores over 600 69%, ACT scores over 24 83%, SAT verbal scores over 700 15%, SAT math scores over 700 21%, ACT scores over 30 24%

ASU - Undergrads

* Admission 19,914 applied, 18,126 admitted, 7,706 enrolled, 3.3 average high school GPA
* Average high school GPA 3.3
* Test scores SAT verbal scores over 500 72%, SAT math scores over 500 77%, ACT scores over 18 93%, SAT verbal scores over 600 29%, SAT math scores over 600 35%, ACT scores over 24 48%, SAT verbal scores over 700 6%, SAT math scores over 700 7%, ACT scores over 30 8%


Perhaps ASU should lower their minimum entrance standards a bit, they could let a few more athletes in. Maybe then they would only get beat by 15 points by USC.

[vertex]

Oh god Tfom, Yahoo education links? Hardly from the horse's mouth. Did it really take over an hour to cut-and-paste this?

Florida is a school that, outside of being a football factory and inventing Gatorade, the rest of the country has no clue or care about, and for good reason. It hasn't made any contributions to academia, industry, and society, and it conducts no major research.

bunt_q is right in his original assessment. If you want to continue to play a UoF admissions rep, then go right ahead, but try doing this in a Florida forum instead.

[Tfom]

You missed the link from UF's own site. The yahoo links display the same information but much more clearly than the UF page.

http://www.admissions.ufl.edu/ugrad/frprofile.html


And I don't care if no one wants to go there or if they want to go to ASU. I went to FSU and never even applied nor thought of going to Florida because FSU had an excellent program in my area of study.

I simply argued the original attack that had no basis in reality. Personally I like it more out here so I would say stay in Arizona if it gets you what you want/need. But don't tell me it has weak admission standards, because I know that isn't true. If you want to reduce it to a sports school please at least include basketball as well. Also, I might mention if it were not for a UF student, we would never have the famous line, "don't tase me bro'."

[bunt_q]

So... changing subject... if we do end up at ASU next year, how bad would it be to live in Chandler or Gilbert? I have to admit, even though it goes against everything I stand for, I kind of like the idea of a couple years in a little ranch house with a rock and cactus yard and a big patio like my grandparents have... I can't afford that in Tempe, I assume, so where in the east valley is a good place to head? (I'd like easy access to the outdoors, so that Tonto National Forest I assume, and of course ASU)

[KEVINphx]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

So... changing subject... if we do end up at ASU next year, how bad would it be to live in Chandler or Gilbert? I have to admit, even though it goes against everything I stand for, I kind of like the idea of a couple years in a little ranch house with a rock and cactus yard and a big patio like my grandparents have... I can't afford that in Tempe, I assume, so where in the east valley is a good place to head? (I'd like easy access to the outdoors, so that Tonto National Forest I assume, and of course ASU)

Well if you are considering affordability, then Chandler and Gilbert are hardly the affordable alternatives to Tempe. That area of the southeast valley is fairly similarly priced

[combusean]

^ If you can't afford Tempe, Chandler won't likely be that much more forgiving.

You're probably better off finding something more centrally located so at the very least you're not stuck on the wrong direction of the 101 or whatever. The 202 eastbound is a breeze going into Tempe in the morning and doesn't really get congested going the other direction in the evening until about 24th Street most days.

I lived in Chandler's NW corner before the boom and the morning rush hour was pretty crappy on the 101 and I can only imagine it's gotten worse since then. I also lived off Camelback and 40th in Phoenix in Arcadia, one of the better neighborhoods especially if you like the ranch house, and it wasn't so bad except for the few miles it took to get to the 202 on surface streets.

Live centrally and reverse commute. You should probably start your house search near 24th and Camelback, the wealthiest neighborhood in Phoenix, and move south and east. 32nd St and Indian School isn't bad, nor is 44th and Thomas.

If you can stick around 44th St, one of the major N/S arterials in the city, it's not really "ghetto" (like Phoenicians know what ghetto is) until near McDowell and even still around there you could do a lot worse compared to other places in the city.

At the very least, stay north of I-10 (except for downtown proper between 7th and 7th) and east of I-17.

[Phxbyrd211]

Hoover, you can't back up what you say but please try to do so. Bunt, you have poor reading comprehension despite your grad school research. You seem very sure of yourself but your exaggerated comments make it look like you're a bit lost. I'm not sure but were you trying to make fun of Cal Berkley? I may not like them either but they are one of the most respected universities in the WORLD. ASU simply doesn't compare period.