Phoenix Development News (3)

[Arquitect]

Originally Posted by Tylerrrr

Thank you! Please, people who have real power in development listen to this! Haha.

There's a new 200 seater concert venue opening up downtown called Last Exit Live, a great addition to downtown which is sure to attract tons of local band concerts. But it does little to create any new street life downtown becuause they are building it at central and grant. This type of development would have been perfect right next to crescent, or up on Roosevelt.

Just wish people who are looking to bring life to downtown would start building with location and surroundings in mind!

Making central and 1st and Roosevelt, Phoenix's answer to mill ave and old town (but with Phoenix's personality, of course) would be a great start!

The thing s that Mill has a constant base (ASU students), downtown is off and on, you get the huge first friday and event crowds, but lots of not too busy periods. We really need to get more housing in downtown to keep it thriving every day. I love cresent, but only go there when a band I like plays there. Now, if I could actually find a place to live downtown that isn't either way below or way above my pay scale, I would probably go there a lot more often.

Luckily, there is a serious group of investors looking at downtown for multi-housing, hopefully in the next few months we will start seeing some real project news developing. It is a bit of a looking at the market game at the moment, but the interest is there and it they are looking at creating real urban projects.

[ASUSunDevil]

Originally Posted by Arquitect

The thing s that Mill has a constant base (ASU students), downtown is off and on, you get the huge first friday and event crowds, but lots of not too busy periods. We really need to get more housing in downtown to keep it thriving every day. I love cresent, but only go there when a band I like plays there. Now, if I could actually find a place to live downtown that isn't either way below or way above my pay scale, I would probably go there a lot more often.

Luckily, there is a serious group of investors looking at downtown for multi-housing, hopefully in the next few months we will start seeing some real project news developing. It is a bit of a looking at the market game at the moment, but the interest is there and it they are looking at creating real urban projects.

[Tylerrrr]

Totally agree that downtown will only get better with more housing projects!

But all the people I know that party in old town or on mill drive to those places. And they enjoy it because there's a bunch of clubs all right by each other, and they can walk from place to place to place. And walking around, people watching is half the fun of old town and mill.

Instead of developing points of interest randomly all over downtown Phoenix (example: Last Exit Live which is opening in a location with nothing similar nearby it), it would be nice to have an area where a lot of interesting and similarly focused points are nearby one another. That's the point I was making in my last post.

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by Arquitect

We really need to get more housing in downtown to keep it thriving every day.

Agreed. But we also need a lot more hotels too. Our Convention Center is under utilized because of the lack of hotels. Tourists, who have money to spend, don't come Downtown to stay very often, they stay in the 'burbs. We need to get our Hotel Room number over 10K, that way for 6-8 months of the year there's a constantly revolving group of people downtown.

If we could get the old Valley National Bank Building, the Westward Ho, and one of the Luhrs Building/Luhrs Tower/Barrister Building converted to hotels, that would be a great first step.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by HooverDam

Agreed. But we also need a lot more hotels too. Our Convention Center is under utilized because of the lack of hotels. Tourists, who have money to spend, don't come Downtown to stay very often, they stay in the 'burbs. We need to get our Hotel Room number over 10K, that way for 6-8 months of the year there's a constantly revolving group of people downtown.

If we could get the old Valley National Bank Building, the Westward Ho, and one of the Luhrs Building/Luhrs Tower/Barrister Building converted to hotels, that would be a great first step.

I love the idea of turning the Westward Ho back into a hotel. It's such a great building in a prime location.

[nickw252]

Contractors were tearing down the new monstrous cinder block wall on the west side of the condos at 11th and McDowell. Hopefully they tear it down on the side facing McDowell also. Maybe their potential clients told them they didn't want their houses surrounded by a prison-like wall.

[nickw252]

Double post.

I'll update with more pics after work.

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by nickw252

Contractors were tearing down the new monstrous cinder block wall on the north side of the condos at 11th and McDowell. Hopefully they tear it down on the side facing McDowell also. Maybe their potential clients told them they didn't want their houses surrounded by a prison-like wall.

There was a pretty big community outcry about that wall, especially since it seemed to be built without proper permits. So hopefully the City is making them take it down.

[PHX31]

Isn't the north side the side that fronts McDowell?

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by PHX31

Isn't the north side the side that fronts McDowell?

Yes, you're correct, my mistake. They were tearing down the west side. Thanks for catching that.

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by nickw252

Yes, you're correct, my mistake. They were tearing down the west side. Thanks for catching that.

Really? When it did happens? How? On what street is that?

[westbev93]

That is the southeast corner of 11th Ave and McDowell. The wall they are tearing/tore down is adjacent to 11th Ave.

[nickw252]

They've taken it all down on the northwest corner of the lot. The north side that faces McDowell is marked to take it down about 2 feet. It will be a major improvement.

[westbev93]

I live in Story, and a neighbor posted the below on our message board about that wall. Hopefully this city will grow a sac and make them take it all dow. i know my neighbors are all up in arms:

We are discussing modifications to the wall on McDowell. The developer is willing to attempt to improve the appearance but is not willing to reduce the height or change the configuration.

The wall on 11th Ave did not meet code (height/setbacks) and the entire wall was built without a permit before completion. The sight/safety triangle was also not properly configured.

During our meeting with the developer and their construction advisors at the City Planning Dept, we urged them to observe the openness of the neighborhood which would better market thier project visually. Seeing the wall down now on 11th proves our point.

We are hopeful that the remaining wall can be improved to reduce the overall negative impact that a structure in that location brings.

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by westbev93

That is the southeast corner of 11th Ave and McDowell. The wall they are tearing/tore down is adjacent to 11th Ave.

Ah, okay. I see that. Thanks for your efforts. I appreciate your helps. We didn't realize know that. What exactly gonna do for now? When they will build a new house or something like that.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by westbev93

The developer is willing to attempt to improve the appearance but is not willing to reduce the height or change the configuration

Maybe we need the Mayor to come give a speech: "Mr. Developer, tear down this wall!"

[Jjs5056]

Fyi, apartments on Camelback and 26th seem to be finishing up- looks like all of their developments (such as the on Lincoln and Scottsdale Rd.) will be called Broadstone. This one, obviously, is Broadstone on Camelback.

As I mentioned in my Biltmore area rant, the design bothers me for a couple of reasons:
1) It's being touted as a green development with its work/live/play possibilities. Yet, there's no retail and, no walk-ups and, as far as I can tell, there isn't even an entrance to a lobby or sales office off Camelback. While the entire area is very faux urban, at least more recent residental projects like Optima made an attempt. With that, not only is the project unsustainable in lacking mixed uses, but it essentially fights against any possibility that residents might want to walk to the amenities nearby if their only way out is through the garage.
2) The materials and color scheme are so unimpressive. Fake brick, beige stucco... Very unimaginative. There seems to be a copper awning which is one nice touch.

I asked earlier, but is density/height off the table completely for this corridor? It really needs some density on the north side of Camelback, as well as to the east and west of 24th. The office complex finishing up on 22nd —, as well.

Will post pics tomorrow, not that they are worth sharing.

[Vicelord John]

Negative nancy.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

Fyi, apartments on Camelback and 26th seem to be finishing up- looks like al, of their developments (such as the on Lincoln and Scottsdale Rd.) will be called Broadstone. This one, obviously, is Broadstone on Camelback.

As I mentioned in my Biltmore area rant, the design bothers me for a couple of reasons:
1) It's being touted as a green development with its work/live/play possibilities. Yet, there's no retail and, no walk-ups and, as far as I can tell, there isn't even an entrance to a lobby or sales office off Camelback. While the entire is very faux urban, at least more recent residental projects like Optima made an attempt. With that, not only is the project unsustainable in lacking mixed uses, but it essentially fights against any possibility that residents might want to walm to the amenities nearby if their only way out is through the garage.
2) The materials and color scheme are so unimpressive. Fake brick, beige stucco... Very unimaginative. There seems to be a copper awning which is one nice touch.

I asked earlier, but is density/height off the take completely for this corridor? It really needs some density on the north side of Camelback, as well as to the east and west of 24th. The office complex finishing up on 22nd —, as well.

Will post pics tomorrow, not that they are worth sharing.

I drove by yesterday and had similar thoughts. The only thing I was relatively impressed with was that it was somewhat close to the street.

[RichTempe]

FWIW: I was in the office of Roosevelt Square today (2/14/13) talking to the property manager. She said the developer of the Portland Place Condo's was in last week showing them plans for the next phase of construction. Supposedly it's set to start sometime this summer. The building facing Portland will have 1st floor retail and 4 floors of residential. The building closer to Hance Park will be 9 or 10 floors (she couldn't remember for sure) all residential. There will be a courtyard between the two buildings. Also, construction on the old Lexington Hotel remodel is supposed to start soon. Apparently he was in the office letting management know so residents will know what to expect coming up in the next few months. I'm hopeful this is reliable information, but I really won't believe it until I see ground being broken.