Phoenix Development News (3)

[TakeFive]

I'm quite sure that I am more impressed than most over what Phoenix has accomplished over the last decade.

Denver had its office boom in the early 80's and despite constant efforts to make Denver more than a 9-5 downtown it generally accomplished little. In fact it was even worse when boom
turned to bust and a lot of the oil & gas companies moved out and went back to Houston or to Calgary.

For Denver, Coors Field was the catalyst that brought some excitement and change to downtown. Then add light rail and a new convention center and hotel.... Denver got on a continuous roll.

Visualize the area in downtown Phoenix that is south of the tracks. In Denver it was to the north and is now becoming the new transit hub.
You can see a drive-thru rendering here: http://www.unionstationdenver.com/

With apartment development now the next wave (all over the country) there are several positioning to break ground next year in this new "neighborhood."
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=5412416&postcount=8775
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=5427050&postcount=8852
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=5457877&postcount=9207

While Coors Field opened in 1995, it has only been the last half-dozen years that have brought development to the Ballpark Neighborhood.
This project recently broke ground: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=5332098&postcount=8020
It's also worth noting that Zocalo's recent project just sold for over an incredible $308,000 per unit and $340 per square foot.
It looks like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZjjSq4b_E8

All that is happening in an area just like south of the tracks Phoenix. It took three decades of effort.

Phoenix having gotten this far will start "growing up" a lot faster sooner than you think.... in hindsight.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by Phxguy

More good news...
http://downtownphoenixjournal.com/2011/10/27/one-lexington-all-sold/

That's great news - why can't the Summit @ Copper Square get it done?

[SunDevil]

Originally Posted by Phxguy

More good news...
http://downtownphoenixjournal.com/2011/10/27/one-lexington-all-sold/

I know of two people who work with me across Lexington at the Department of Veterans Affairs that bought a place there. We also get "free" transit passes if we drive to work less than 2 or 3 times a month (you have to swipe your VA ID to get into the employee lot). Pretty cool situation, and a good career.

[Leo the Dog]

Summit has some dirt cheap places now! I think they'll sell...I'd love to live there.

[nickw252]

I walked through the alley behind the building yesterday and took this pic. Progress is being made. It looks like there will be parking behind the buildings accessible from the alley. That renews my hope that the entire east lot doesn't get turned into a surface parking lot.

[Vicelord John]

That's nice and all, but the SEC looks 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 craptacular. Suburban strip mall facade FTL.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by Vicelord John

That's nice and all, but the SEC looks 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 craptacular. Suburban strip mall facade FTL.

I don't disagree with you there. At least it is street facing and pedestrian friendly/doesn't have a huge parking lot in front.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by nickw252

I walked through the alley behind the building yesterday and took this pic. Progress is being made. It looks like there will be parking behind the buildings accessible from the alley. That renews my hope that the entire east lot doesn't get turned into a surface parking lot.

You do know that there was always parking back there, right? When My Florist was busy, there would be cars in the side (east) lot, cars in front next to McDowell, cars behind, and even some overflow in the lot north of the dry cleaners facing 7th Ave. If the new businesses generate more customers than My Florist did, they are definitely going to need some additional parking to the east, particularly if the building is extended into what used to be the east lot.

[Vicelord John]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

You do know that there was always parking back there, right? When My Florist was busy, there would be cars in the side (east) lot, cars in front next to McDowell, cars behind, and even some overflow in the lot north of the dry cleaners facing 7th Ave. If the new businesses generate more customers than My Florist did, they are definitely going to need some additional parking to the east, particularly if the building is extended into what used to be the east lot.

The lot on the east side looks like something is going to happen. I just have that feeling. Wishful thinking says more retail space, rational thinking says an acre of parking lot.

[PHX31]

Well, what does the site's permitting say? Isn't that the sure fire way to figure out what's going to happen on a site?

[nickw252]

The Irish Cultural Center was as Irish as could be on Monday, with the backdrop of a thatched roof, the clicking heels of a young dancer on stone pavers and conversations punctuated now and then with a thick brogue.

And then, as a bagpiper filled the square with a lilting melody, in strode Michael Collins, the Irish ambassador to the United States.

Collins was making his second visit to the center and was excited to check out the progress on construction of a $3.5 million research library.

"It's looking better and better," Collins said as he gazed at the stone building rising on the southern side of the center, 1106 N. Central Ave.

The center's 15,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art library will feature more than 6,000 books, including masterpieces by Irish poets and playwrights, as well as important periodicals, traveling exhibits from Ireland, movies, music and genealogical tools to provide visitors with opportunities to research their family history.

Arizona Republic

Does the Arizona Republic even own a camera? The article is great but why not show pictures of the progress (aside from the one of the architect looking through scaffolding)?

[Don B.]

TAR are too cheap to a) hire a competent photographer and then b) post said photos in relation to an article, in a logical fashion.

--don

[HooverDam]

32nd Street Corridor shows business potential, but there's work to be done

1 comment by Eugene Scott - Nov. 1, 2011 01:27 PM
The Arizona Republic

The District 32 North Business Alliance was formed a year ago with the intent of drawing northeast Phoenix residents back to the 32nd Street Corridor.

But a lot has changed since then. New businesses have opened. Others have left. And while some neighbors have noticed progress in the business community, all acknowledge there is much more work to be done.

Overall, residents and small-business owners say 32nd Street's best days are years away.


PHOTOS: Paradise Valley School of Karate

"It's not going to happen overnight. This is still a very challenged economy, but we're definitely headed in the right direction," said Phoenix City Councilman Bill Gates, who represents the area.

The District 32 North Business Alliance consists of more than 30 entrepreneurs with businesses roughly from Shea Boulevard to Bell Road, along 32nd Street.

Business owners meet to discuss the challenges facing businesses and how to get residents to spend their money in their neighborhoods.

"I'm always interested in people that are in my area and in my community so I can do business with them instead of going to the Yellow Pages, because it helps everybody," said Mike Wall, owner of Paradise Valley School of Karate.

Like many Phoenix businesses, those along 32nd Street have been hit hard by the tough economy. Wall said that at one point he felt like his karate school was the "anchor" business on the southeastern corner of 32nd Street and Thunderbird Road.

"This is probably the third recession I've been through in 30 years. The first two, I really didn't notice. But this one, if you talk to most people, is worse than your average," he said.

Gates doesn't think the 32nd Street corridor has been hit much harder than other places in Phoenix. He suggests that the area has actually been able to open more businesses over the past year than some of the city's other business corridors.

But all involved say the financial woes affecting 32nd Street businesses began long before the recession.

"It used to be so thick on 32nd Street, you couldn't even get on it before the (Arizona) 51," Wall said. "Then the 51 opened up and it almost took too much traffic off the street."

That traffic took northeast Phoenix residents to newer, trendier shopping spots like Kierland Commons and Desert Ridge Marketplace.

"I would say that the biggest challenge, which is also an opportunity, is that this is a more established community, so some of the communities are older than you might find in" other parts of northeast Phoenix, Gates said. "If people are saying, 'We want to be in a brand-new area like CityNorth or Desert Ridge,' they have that advantage over the (32nd Street) area."

Although many in the area pass by local businesses for shopping destinations to the north, Gates said his constituents still are interested in seeing 32nd Street Corridor developed.

"People have seen the success in some other areas like the Seventh Avenue and Melrose area and Central and Camelback" in north-central Phoenix, Gates said. "So people want to see that in their neighborhoods."

Jerry Cline is civilian coordinator for the Phoenix Police Department's Neighborhood Patrol. He regularly discusses public safety issues with District 32 North members. Cline said the percentage of businesses on the 32 Street Corridor that are active with the organization should be higher. Business owners who want change must step up and make that change happen, he said.

"We need to find people who will do that, who can do that for that particular organization," he said of the District 32 North Business Alliance. "There's got to be at least 100 businesses or more in that location."

Cline said area entrepreneurs must commit to making the district successful.

Wall thinks business will pick up for his neighbors if everyone encourages their customers to support local business. But he said many of the hurdles the alliance is working to overcome are much bigger, such as the high number of vacancies.

"I would think landlords would have to reduce the rents (to attract businesses)," Wall said. "And I think instead of doing stimulus packages, the government just has to reduce taxes for everybody as opposed to just the stimulus, where they decide who gets it."

Jim Nace, chairman of the Cactus Sweetwater Neighborhood Community Group, which encompasses the 32nd Street Corridor, said patronage of businesses along 32nd Street will improve when businesses enhance their appearance.

"One of the concerns for the residents is the signage along 32nd Street. A lot of it is what I call 'Third World' signage with a lot of those (feather-like) banners that they put right next to the sidewalk," he said. "I think it's degrading to the neighborhood."

Insufficient parking for businesses along 32nd Street deters shoppers from patronizing them, and residents also find many of the A-frames that businesses put on the sidewalks unattractive, Nace said.

District 32 North members have attended a Cactus Sweetwater Neighborhood Community Group meeting. Nace commends the alliance for its efforts in helping decrease graffiti in the area.

"Most places are cleaning up the fronts of their businesses, which is a great improvement," he said.

Gates said he's pleased with the work business owners are making, but urges businesses and residents to be patient.

City and business leaders hope the toughest years for businesses along 32nd Street are behind them, but it's hard to tell how fast the best years will come.

"None of us has a crystal ball. I would like to see over the next four to five years that transformation occur," Gates said. "As businesses like (new coffee shop) 32 Shea show that local businesses can be successful in that area, others will come. Maybe it will be even quicker than that."



Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/nepho...ws-business-potential.html#ixzz1cYpbFHD9

Really, insufficient parking? How can they say on one hand there's too little car flow on the street and in the next breath say they have too many cars and no where for them to park? I am generally an optimist and like to think any area can turn itself around, but this strip doesn't have much going for it. If they were wise they'd look to narrow the unnecessarily wide road by a huge amount, adding lots more landscaping, trails, etc.

The street is 3 lanes one way, 2 going the other plus a turn lane! Its crazy how oversized that thing is. They probably out to pair it down to at most 2 lanes each way, with no turn lane. A lot of the road already has large landscaped areas abutting the single family homes, but the landscaping is horrible. If they could create a unique desert greenbelt that would connect to the wash near Acoma, some of the nearby desert/mountain trails maybe they'd have something...but that seems like too big of thinking for that area.

Most of the section is lined with empty or partially empty strip centers that would be better off being torn down and replaced with street fronting retail over the next quarter century. There are also lots of suburban style neighborhoods that have built fortress like walls facing 32nd St, at the very least they need to add murals, foliage or something to liven up those blank walls.

[Vicelord John]

haven't you been to a parking lot lately? People will circle for 5 minutes to save 20 feet of walking. If they have to walk more than 50 feet in to a business, then there clearly isn't enough parking for their cars.

[kevininlb]

Architects' Own Homes Tour 3 is a valley-wide tour of homes that 10 Valley architects have designed for themselves to live in. This full-weekend event includes:

Friday, Nov 11 - Opening reception and panel discussion at Taliesin West

Saturday & Sunday, Nov 12-13 - Self-guided tour of 10 architects' homes throughout the Valley

Sunday, Nov 13 - After-Tour Party at Design Within Reach

To buy tickets for access to all three events ($65 / $50 for students), please visit: www.GnosisLtd.org/projects-events or go to Design Within Reach (Scottsdale).

Thank you. I am helping the nonprofit Gnosis Ltd. get the word out about this fantastic event.

Gnosis Ltd. is a nonprofit organization that helps preserve significant creative works. A portion of the money raised from ticket sales will benefit the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

[HooverDam]

Thinking about the 7th Ave/McDowell renovations and this article I wrote a while back...

It would be nice if each of the corners there had some kind of monument sine noting the adjacent neighborhoods. Four very well establish historic neighborhoods meet at that intersection, which is interesting/unusual in my estimation and that should be noted. If each corner had some kind of vertical monument sign that said "FQ Story", "Willo", "Encanto Palmcroft" and "Roosevelt" I think that would be nice.

Though it is funny that the fanciest neighborhood of the four has the shittiest thing on its corner (a Circle K).

[westbev93]

On the topic of neighborhood signage, I know the idea has been proposed at the Story neighborhood meetings to install monument signs at some of the entrances to the neighborhood. The ideas range from 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 hanging metal signs to larger metal sculptures like the ones throughout the neighborhood.

[dtnphx]

Originally Posted by HooverDam

Thinking about the 7th Ave/McDowell renovations and this article I wrote a while back...

It would be nice if each of the corners there had some kind of monument sine noting the adjacent neighborhoods. Four very well establish historic neighborhoods meet at that intersection, which is interesting/unusual in my estimation and that should be noted. If each corner had some kind of vertical monument sign that said "FQ Story", "Willo", "Encanto Palmcroft" and "Roosevelt" I think that would be nice.

Though it is funny that the fanciest neighborhood of the four has the shittiest thing on its corner (a Circle K).

That is an awesome idea, Hoover. Each neighborhood's 'character' could be respesented through the style of the sign. San Diego has these enormous signs for their neighborhoods such as Hillcrest, Balboa Park, etc. I see something not quite that big but it would make a terrific gateway if it was done.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by HooverDam

It would be nice if each of the corners there had some kind of monument sine noting the adjacent neighborhoods. Four very well establish historic neighborhoods meet at that intersection, which is interesting/unusual in my estimation and that should be noted. If each corner had some kind of vertical monument sign that said "FQ Story", "Willo", "Encanto Palmcroft" and "Roosevelt" I think that would be nice.

I'm all for it as long as it doesn't look like the 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 and fake insignia at the entrances of all new subdivisions. This isn't "Del Boca Vista Phase II Condo Association" for 🞵🞵🞵🞵's sake.

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by dtnphx

That is an awesome idea, Hoover. Each neighborhood's 'character' could be respesented through the style of the sign. San Diego has these enormous signs for their neighborhoods such as Hillcrest, Balboa Park, etc. I see something not quite that big but it would make a terrific gateway if it was done.

I love San Diego's neighborhood signs as I mention in the article I linked. Obviously something hanging over the street wouldn't work in this situation, since each 'hood sort of meets at the point of the intersection.

I'm thinking something along the following lines*: (dunno how well you can read these images so I'll do captions)



Facing into the intersection I'm imaging something like this. The bottom portion could be weathered Corten metal with cacti, flowers, succulents, etc growing in it. For the vertical/obelisk portion maybe stained concrete. Each neighborhoods name and year of founding would be in large, prominent letters (each 'hood could have a different font or color, etc).

I figured the bottom part should have the City of PHX emblem on it to keep it clear that these are neighborhoods within PHX, not their own municipalities.



The signs would have to be oriented so that the main portion with the name faced the middle of the intersection.



The other 3 sides of the square-ish obelisks could have more information.

I'm thinking maybe one side would have a timeline of the neighborhoods history as well as a few paragraphs about the 'hood.

Another side could have a collage of pictures from throughout the neighborhoods history.

The side opposite the main sign (the side facing into the retail) could have a portion for a Map of the neighborhood. It could also have a place for residents to post events, sales, piano lessons, etc. It could also have a section for neighborhood wide events like Home Tours and the like.

*Keep in mind I am not a professional Public Artist, Architect, am mediocre at drawing, etc and I just drew this real quick while sitting on the couch and was too lazy to scan it so I just took a picture. Its just a random idea/jumping off point...but its a thought...

Originally Posted by nickw252

I'm all for it as long as it doesn't look like the 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 and fake insignia at the entrances of all new subdivisions. This isn't "Del Boca Vista Phase II Condo Association" for 🞵🞵🞵🞵's sake.

"Take the pen!" "I don't want the pen" "You said you liked the pen--- take it!" "Jerry, Take the pen!"