Tempe Development Thread

[ciweiss]

Welcome Rich! - yep - its nice to see the buildings going up. Welcome aboard!

[plinko]

Anybody else extremely disappointed that one of the 'gateway' intersections around ASU is going to look like this?


Seems to me Bruder did much better with his (as-yet unbuilt) design for Tempe Center.

I like that the architects neglected to put in the huge stoplights, power poles, signs, bus stops, etc.

[andrewkfromaz]

Yeah it seems like that would be the worst possible spot to put open space as well. I'm sure people are going to literally be lining up to relax on that grass right next to a combined 14 lanes of arterial traffic. They shoulda found a way to offer some form of commercial space on that corner; something that all of Tempe could appreciate, instead of that useless open space. What lame site planning.

[Sekkle]

at least the surface lot is gone.

[sundevilgrad]

That’s definitely not a good spot for the open space. That's one of the quietest corners of campus (not traffic noise mind you). There are no classrooms anywhere near there, so there isn't much foot traffic. When the dorms are open, nobody will walk that direction to hang out. Especially when all the "scenery" the other way...

[JAHOPL]

"I like that the architects neglected to put in the huge stoplights, power poles, signs, bus stops, etc."

Actually, plinko, that's a final rendition. Acting on student recommendations, all the traffic lights around the ASU campus will be removed, so that frustrated late-arriving students can weave their way through traffic and still make it to class on time.

[Vicelord John]

Originally Posted by JAHOPL

"I like that the architects neglected to put in the huge stoplights, power poles, signs, bus stops, etc."

Actually, plinko, that's a final rendition. Acting on student recommendations, all the traffic lights around the ASU campus will be removed, so that frustrated late-arriving students can weave their way through traffic and still make it to class on time.

[SethAZ]

I apologize if we already knew this, but there is now a red zoning sign on the SE corner of Priest and Rio Salado for two, six floor office buildings and one 7 story parking garage. It's a big, ugly dirt lot right now, so the red sign made my day.

[Sonoran_Dweller]

Originally Posted by SethAZ

I apologize if we already knew this, but there is now a red zoning sign on the SE corner of Priest and Rio Salado for two, six floor office buildings and one 7 story parking garage. It's a big, ugly dirt lot right now, so the red sign made my day.

When you say 'red', do you mean RED Development, or red the color??

[JAHOPL]

Restoration plans for Hayden Flour Mill unveiled

Garin Groff, Tribune, March 26, 2008

Generations have come to know the concrete outside of the Hayden Flour Mill without appreciating the arguably more interesting milling equipment inside it or a stone arch hidden beneath it.

But a redevelopment will begin in June to restore the iconic mill - and to reveal rarely seen equipment and stonework that's been out of view for most of the last century.

Tempe-based Avenue Communities unveiled plans Tuesday, pledging to start work that Tempe and other developers have failed to get under way since talks began in 1990. Avenue expects it will take 14 to 15 months to restore the mill, add a glass-and-steel structure beside it and open about six restaurants, bars and boutiques.

A stone arch and waterway will become an entrance after spending decades under dirt - hidden so long that many feared the 1890s-era stonework had been destroyed. But as archaeologists explored the site in the past year to look for relics from Hohokam and European settlers, they discovered that stonework was undamaged since its burial in the 1920s.

"This was a complete and absolute surprise," Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman said.

Hallman has made historic preservation a top priority and gave tours of the site Tuesday. With him was Ken Losch, a principal of Avenue Communities who said the old arch will help create a sense of place that's rare in the Valley. He stood in the arch and cited it as one of the mill's most intriguing features.

The restoration will let visitors see how water powered the mill, flowing through a canal, under the arch and in a stone-lined channel. The mill opened in 1874, built by Tempe founder Charles Trumbull Hayden. After a fire destroyed the mill, he rebuilt a second one in 1891, which is when the arch was built. A second fire destroyed that mill, which was replaced with a concrete building in 1918.

Water powered the mill through the mid-1920s.

The mill was the longest continuously-operating industrial business in Arizona when it closed in 1998.

Losch originally planned to display the milling equipment in a glass enclosure next to the building, but said he's had to change plans. He will display it somehow, but not until he starts a second phase to turn the 1950s-era silos into a boutique hotel.

Archaeologists also found a major Hohokam canal at the southeast corner of Mill Avenue and Rio Salado Parkway. It's unclear if that will be displayed. Though exposing the canal would show the area's rich history, Hallman said it could distract from the rest of the project.

Avenue will later build 500,000 square feet of offices, condos and shops on the site, though no timeline has been set.

Losch said Avenue will lose money on the first phase, which will cost about $40 million, and will make money only in future phases.

[SethAZ]

[When you say 'red', do you mean RED Development, or red the color??]

The red City of Tempe zoning sign. Not Red Development

[desertdj]

well thats good if they build something that tall there (priest/rio). im disappointed at the density of the projects along rio salado between mill/priest. hey i was driving down rio near tempe marketplace and they are doing a lot of work on the pier 202 site? it was at night but there was a lot of dirt moving equipment and fences and stuff.

[sundevilgrad]

Originally Posted by desertdj

well thats good if they build something that tall there (priest/rio). im disappointed at the density of the projects along rio salado between mill/priest. hey i was driving down rio near tempe marketplace and they are doing a lot of work on the pier 202 site? it was at night but there was a lot of dirt moving equipment and fences and stuff.

That's good news. Haven't been down that stretch of Rio Salado in awhile, so I'll have to check it out.

The CVS at Mill & University is now under construction (has been for a week or two).

[JAHOPL]

Another Tempe development story in the Tribune. I hadn't heard of this one before. Plans include a 200 foot-tall hotel. Earliest date for ground-breaking would be in nine months:

Conference center would be largest in Tempe

Garin Groff, Tribune, March 27, 2008

A developer is planning a hotel and what would become Tempe's largest conference center even as the lagging economy has slowed or halted many other large projects.

The Marriott hotel is moving forward because Tempe has become such a popular destination for conferences.

In fact, the Tempe Mission Palms has the region's highest occupancy rate because of its location and conference facilities. And event planners have been pleading for more space, city officials said.

Even with economic uncertainty, Tempe expects that the hotel can be built soon and filled because it's so close to Arizona State University, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the Metro light-rail line.

"That helps the momentum here in Tempe in a way that maybe other cities don't experience," said Chris Salomone, the city's community services director. "Our hotel market here in Tempe seems to continue to be active."

The conference center is just one part of a 1.2 million-square-foot project on the southeast corner of Mill Avenue and Seventh Street.

The development would include a roughly 200-foot-tall hotel in a first phase and two 300-foot-tall condo towers to be built later.

The hotel's additional 240 rooms wouldn't hurt competitors - and would probably help other hotels, Salomone said.

The nearly 52,000 square feet of conference space would draw so many visitors that the Marriott would fill up.

The spillover should boost other hotels' occupancy, Salomone said.

Tempe needs 85,000 to 100,000 square feet of additional conference space, according to a study the city commissioned.

The new center should also draw more events to Tempe because it's about twice the size of the largest conference center in the city.

"What we've been lacking is the ability to get those big groups," said Michael Martin, vice president of the Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The hotel would occupy the former home of the Long Wong's bar. Las Vegas-based investor Mario Sanchez has spent a decade piecing together several parcels for the development, which will occupy the northern half of a city block. The development is called M7.

An earlier version of M7 called for a major fitness center to anchor the hotel.

But Tempe pushed for the conference center because it will draw more visitors who will spend money at shops and restaurants, said Chris Anaradian, Tempe's development services manager.

A design team has revised plans multiple times and should develop one of downtown's more striking buildings, Anaradian said. "It looks great, and I know it's been worked on for five years," he said.

Marriott is looking to still build the hotel with the fitness component at the location where Harkins Theatres recently closed, at Centerpoint on Mill. However, no specific plans have emerged yet.

The conference center could break ground in about nine months and would take about 18 months to construct.

[loftlovr]

They keep changing around the specifics (Paragon), but here was the first draft of M7:

The project’s condo towers would tie with University Square for the second tallest buildings in Tempe at about 300 feet. The tallest buildings will be three 30-story, 343-foot condo towers at Centerpoint Condominiums.

The project

A hotel and condo project at Mill Avenue and Seventh Street includes:

• 240 hotel rooms

• 370 residential units

• 1.1 million square feet

• Conference center, spa and fitness center

• 34,000 square feet for restaurants and shops

Hotel/condo towers

Proposed 18-story hotel and two 25-story condo towers. Construction planned to start mid-2008 if approved.

SOURCE: Tempe; Paragon

[Sonoran_Dweller]

http://asunews.asu.edu/20080325_nbc_sustainability

NBC highlights ASU School of Sustainability
ASU’s School of Sustainability is continuing to garner national attention, this time featured on NBC Nightly News.

Anne Thompson, NBC's Chief Environmental Affairs correspondent, highlighted how the nation's first-of-its-kind school is providing a highly unique approach to education, the challenges for this generation of students, and the opportunities that await graduates in the green economy.

NBC spent two days at ASU in February. The comprehensive visit gave them an in-depth look at key facets of ASU's sustainability portfolio including:

• Student activism (ASU's Student Sustainability Coalition)
• Entrepreneurship and jobs in the green economy
• Tipping points in population behaviors (water consumption and urban growth)
• Urban heat island research
• Campus sustainability; reducing ASU’s carbon footprint

The producers interviewed undergraduate students, School of Sustainability students, professors, administrators, and ASU President Dr. Michael Crow.

To see the video: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23782981#23782981

It's short, but at least it gets some national attention.

[NIXPHX77]

Originally Posted by SethAZ

I apologize if we already knew this, but there is now a red zoning sign on the SE corner of Priest and Rio Salado for two, six floor office buildings and one 7 story parking garage. It's a big, ugly dirt lot right now, so the red sign made my day.

I understand that is/was called Riverside Office Plaza. glad to see it moving forward, though i personally dislike when parking garages are taller than their source building(s).

Plinko-i'm also disappointed. and it's for an honors college? i wonder what the architecture professors at asu think of it.
also, it's sad to know that is what is replacing
the cool old Valley Natl Bank geodesic gold dome bldg that was demolished
at that corner (at least they did save the dome.)

[PHX31]

I always have hated the domed building. I'm glad to see it go. It was such an uber-underwhelming building to act as a gateway to the school. I like the new trees at the intersection with the taller buildings behind, and if they put up a nice marquee, this gateway intersection will be much improved.

Even if it weren't a gateway intersection, anything is better than that old geodesic dome building. It reminded me of some sleazy motel front desk office in a sleepy decrepit old town like Gila Bend. yeah, I felt like I was in Gila Bend every time I saw it.

[NIXPHX77]

is it just me, or is that M7 Tribune article confusing?

is the Marriott a different hotel by a diff. developer being planned
where Harkins Centerpoint was?

the M7 hotel project says SEC 7th st. and Mill, so that's not
the centerpoint site. to me the article implies that the Marriott is the
M7 project's hotel.

[Tempe Riser]

While I was down at the Tempe Arts festival today I noticed that centerpoint had a booth set up with a model of the buildings. Out of curiosity I asked the representative there if he thought the last two buildings had a chance of increasing in height, maybe to 35 and 40 stories for example, since the original design had been 4 buildings of 22 stories and that was increased. He said he would love to see an increase like that, but wasn't sure if it would be cost effective. Does anyone know if there is a barrier in that 30 story to 40 story range where money would be lost?