Tempe Development Thread

[ciweiss]

There is a small crane and a bunch of trucks at Hayden Ferry Lakeside where commercial building 3 will be located. Maybe a Tower crane will follow. Either that or the fireworks will be off the chart this year...

[Jsmscaleros]

Interesting stuff, guys, thanks for responding.

In terms of high-rises, though, why is it not just as feasible to investors/contractors to build a 28-story high rise apartment tower near downtown Tempe with far more units at a more affordable cost? The number of tenants goes up with the increased number of units (since they're generally much smaller than giant condos), off-setting the higher price that the wealthy are going to pay at the Centerpoint or Onyx towers, for example. Plus, having a higher density of middle-class Americans is better for local business than a smaller number of the upper-class, no?

Just doesn't make sense to me. Especially not in downtown Phoenix, where the average income of people living in that area is near poverty. It seems like we're being set up for a huge gentrification process that will force lower income families to move... somewhere. We're already seeing it in the Roosevelt arts district which is painfully young and already falling apart due to expensive condos moving in.

[loftlovr]

Onyx was supposed to be a little bit more affordable of a highrise.
If memory serves me correctly, I believe prices were to start from $420 psf instead of $500-$600 psf. (still not affordable by all means but a bit better)

Hate to say it but, I have a feeling Centerpoint could end up as a luxury rental community if the developer doesn't sell units quickly once completed.
I imagine a pretty high payment on a construction loan of that size!

[plinko]

^Allow me to also interject that labor is fully 1/2 the cost of construction. Building a highrise requires significantly more skilled labor and technical personnel and thus drastically increase the costs.

That being said, there aren't alot of contractors and sub-contractors in Phoenix filling all of these various capacities who have lots of experience building highrises. The guys who know how to do it can charge a premium. This will change with the completion of more and more of them.

Not like you can go fill up a truck at the labor pick-up and have them jump in and go right to work operating boom cranes, jumping formwork, and performing precision welds.

Just a thought...

[UTAZLoVer]

Originally Posted by plinko

^Allow me to also interject that labor is fully 1/2 the cost of construction. Building a highrise requires significantly more skilled labor and technical personnel and thus drastically increase the costs.

That being said, there aren't alot of contractors and sub-contractors in Phoenix filling all of these various capacities who have lots of experience building highrises. The guys who know how to do it can charge a premium. This will change with the completion of more and more of them.

Not like you can go fill up a truck at the labor pick-up and have them jump in and go right to work operating boom cranes, jumping formwork, and performing precision welds.

Just a thought...

Great point - experienced crane operators are commanding upwards of $40 an hour because there is such a shortage. Also the cost of renting the cranes themselve is up significantly compared to previous years as well.

Cheers!

[Jsmscaleros]

Switching gears a little bit -
I didn't see any information about the Equinox development on the SE corner of Apache and McClintock so far in this thread, so if I may...

http://www.tempe.gov/Maps/DevProjectDetails.aspx?LocationID=a558dc6a-c4a5-4dfe-bf42-be78fe579900

I'm really interested to see how this type of community ends up gelling in Tempe. I'm also glad that Tempe is not just building another park n' ride lot and that they are exploring options that actually contribute to the look of the built environment when it comes to parking. The street level retail will be especially nice. I'm glad the city is starting to finally bring stores up to to the sidewalk instead of pushing them behind a parking lot.

[combusean]

^ No park-and-ride lot will stay a park-and-ride lot. The "park-and-ride" lots are really the other edge of the light rail sword--the massive assembly and redevelopment of sites along its path.

[Sekkle]

Originally Posted by Jsmscaleros

Switching gears a little bit -
I didn't see any information about the Equinox development on the SE corner of Apache and McClintock so far in this thread, so if I may...

http://www.tempe.gov/Maps/DevProjectDetails.aspx?LocationID=a558dc6a-c4a5-4dfe-bf42-be78fe579900

I'm really interested to see how this type of community ends up gelling in Tempe. I'm also glad that Tempe is not just building another park n' ride lot and that they are exploring options that actually contribute to the look of the built environment when it comes to parking. The street level retail will be especially nice. I'm glad the city is starting to finally bring stores up to to the sidewalk instead of pushing them behind a parking lot.

Nice! I passed that corner when I was in the Valley in April and thought they were just building some huge parking structure. Great to know it will be wrapped with retail.

Here's a rendering from the website linked above...

[tempedude]

^

I can throw a pebble from my front door and hit that development. (OK, I am stretching the truth a lil, but I can see the very top of it from my front door. )

They are now in the begining stages for building the wrap around retail and apartments. This thing is going to be pretty cool, and I am glad it isn't staying just as an ugly old parking gargage. As it is now, its a hideous eyesore.

[PHX31]

When I was working on the light rail, our field office was basically on that corner. Some (much) of the area around there, at that time, was pretty dodgy and shady with countless amounts of what seemed like meth heads and crackwhores walking around. I hope this isn't planned to be and "upscale" development, becuase I really doubt much of the area around it can support something like that. I'd like to see some new development like this geared towards the areas they are being built in. Upscale Scottsdale-esque shopping destinations don't work at all in many locations.

[plinko]

I had no idea they were wrapping that garage. Awesome! When I drove past it in May I was awestruck by how un-open and brutal the garage was and wondered to myself why it was designed that way. Makes alot of sense now.

Apache through Tempe is going to be quite the corridor 10 years from now (running the rail in the street is spurring substantial development). I can't see why Metro would even consider the I-10 alignment for the West Valley. They need only look at Sacramento, which has had lite rail for 20+ years in the freeway median) to show how little development it has helped come to fruition.

Preaching to the choir I know...

[PhxSprawler]

I agree about the freeway median, especially driving on Glendale form Central to the stadium. There is so much potential for infill, especially through downtown Glendale with its historic charm that is taken for granted.

[tempedude]

I think it would be great if the light rail were run all the way up Grand Ave. from downtown Phoenix to Glendale Ave.- Then out Glendale Ave. to Westgate where the Cardinals stadium and the Coyotes hockey arena are. Just my opinion...don't want to get to far off topic. This is the Tempe projects thread.

[ciweiss]

Originally Posted by PhxSprawler

I agree about the freeway median, especially driving on Glendale form Central to the stadium. There is so much potential for infill, especially through downtown Glendale with its historic charm that is taken for granted.

I agree - Might as well leave the freeway to the rapid bus system. Heck - give them their own lane. Lightrail through Glendale over to the stadium would be very cool indeed.



When I was working on the light rail, our field office was basically on that corner. Some (much) of the area around there, at that time, was pretty dodgy and shady with countless amounts of what seemed like meth heads and crackwhores walking around. I hope this isn't planned to be and "upscale" development, becuase I really doubt much of the area around it can support something like that. I'd like to see some new development like this geared towards the areas they are being built in. Upscale Scottsdale-esque shopping destinations don't work at all in many locations.
^^^
- I did not know about the wrap around retail as well. Thank goodness. That was the worst looking parking lot I had ever seen. And your right PHX31. You can't go highend at this local. Not anytime soon anyways. It you go medium end you will be doing this neighborhood some good. Just don't put in check cashing and cigs for less. Apache has cleaned up well over the past couple of years. They still have a ways to go. There are a lot of crack heads and ladies of the night still hanging around. Tempe did a good thing by putting a police station there. It would be nice if Mesa did as well on their side. Mesa needs to continue LR to DT. That area needs a pickup before it dies...

[Don B.]

^ What the hell are "ladies of the night?" Do you mean a prostitute, or, more colloquially, a whore? Are we no longer allowed to call a whore a prostitute, and we have to use the more politically correct term "lady of the night?"



--don

[Vicelord John]

Originally Posted by Don B.

^ What the hell are "ladies of the night?" Do you mean a prostitute, or, more colloquially, a whore? Are we no longer allowed to call a whore a prostitute, and we have to use the more politically correct term "lady of the night?"



--don

stop being a dick.

[ciweiss]

That is funny. I was thinking sex for free challenged. I've also heard the term who eR.
Oh - and I've seen a lot in the day as well. Ladies of the day doesn't sound quite right...

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by Don B.

^ What the hell are "ladies of the night?" Do you mean a prostitute, or, more colloquially, a whore? Are we no longer allowed to call a whore a prostitute, and we have to use the more politically correct term "lady of the night?"



--don

what the hell? I thought it was a funny/cool term to use for a whore. I don't think he was being PC.

[Jsmscaleros]

Yeah I think a lot of people (like myself) were initially confused as to what that giant concrete block was going to be.

It's very similar in design concept (not so much in appearance) to the Alta Phoenix condo development going up in downtown at Filmore and 5th street. The condos wrap around the garage so you essentially drive right up to your front door. Sort of a nice way to reach out to those who like to park close by their door.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=139658

By the way, to answer someone's question, The Equinox Apartments (McClintock and Apache) are being developed by the same contractor that built the Grigio, if that gives you any kind of an idea as to the demographic moving in. ...So, basically spoiled college kids with rich parents.

[Don B.]

Was in town yesterday from Prescott (man, it's fraking hot down here) to look at the new place (inspection) and move my photos to a new spot in a gallery on Roosevelt, and we drove by downtown Tempe on the 202.

There's a new and rather large crane just west of Mill around Rio Salado or a little further south. Any clue what this crane is for? It almost looked like it was on the site of the Monti's project. It might also be for US Airways Phase II, but it seemed very tall for a short building.

Downtown Tempe is looking very cool. Pity it's not adjacent to downtown Phoenix.

--don