Phoenix Development News (3)

[ASUSunDevil]

Warehouse developer looks to sue Phoenix over Suns parking lot

Downtown warehouse developer Michael Levine is upset with the city of Phoenix and Phoenix Suns over demolition of building near US Airway Center and plans to use the parcel as surface parking lot. He wants the area to be more pedestrian friendly.


Mike Sunnucks
Senior Reporter-
Phoenix Business Journal

Maverick warehouse developer Michael Levine plans on taking the city of Phoenix to court over a municipal board’s approval Thursday of plans from the Phoenix Suns to turn a downtown parcel into a parking lot.

Phoenix’s Board of Adjustment approved a Suns permit petition for a surface parking lot just west of US Airways Center. The property is owned by the Suns.

The team bought two parcels next to the arena in 2007 that housed two small brick buildings that were small motels first built in the early 20th century.
The Suns tore down one of those buildings. The team wants to use the lot for parking for games and events at the arena.

Levine — who owns several downtown warehouses and properties near the arena and Chase Field — said the adjustment board should not have approved the Suns parking lot permit because plans failed to comply with city codes and Thursday’s process did not follow proper procedures.

Levine said he will take legal steps in Maricopa Superior Court to try to undo the city approval and the parking lot plans. He is owner of redevelopment firm Levine Machine LLC.

The Suns did not respond to a request for comment.

[ljbuild]

DOWNTOWN PHOENIX MIGHT GET A NEW OBSERVATION TOWER AT 400 FT TALL BY 2015:And thus join the likes of Seattle with the Space needle, St louis with the Arch and others as well.

Theres also an article about this in the Most recent issue of PHOENIX MAGAZINE.

Im not opposed to most of anything getting built, But I do question the height. THE HEIGHT SHOULD BE WAY MORE THAN 400 FT. TALL!

The chase tower being higher at 483 ft. would "BLOCK SOME OF ITS OBSERVATION!!!! "

[HX_Guy]

Originally Posted by ljbuild

DOWNTOWN PHOENIX MIGHT GET A NEW OBSERVATION TOWER AT 400 FT TALL BY 2015:And thus join the likes of Seattle with the Space needle, St louis with the Arch and others as well.

Theres also an article about this in the Most recent issue of PHOENIX MAGAZINE.

Im not opposed to most of anything getting built, But I do question the height. THE HEIGHT SHOULD BE WAY MORE THAN 400 FT. TALL!

The chase tower being higher at 483 ft. would "BLOCK SOME OF ITS OBSERVATION!!!! "

I don't think, with the location that it's being proposed at, that it could be higher because of the FAA.

[dtnphx]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

I don't think, with the location that it's being proposed at, that it could be higher because of the FAA.

I haven't seen a headline this large since JFK Assassinated!

[RichTempe]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

I don't think, with the location that it's being proposed at, that it could be higher because of the FAA.

Does anyone know where the FAA comes up with the seemingly arbitrary height limits for DT Phoenix? It seems to me that if an aircraft is out of control and coming down, it's just as likely to strike a building at 200 ft as 600 or 1000 ft. Just curious where they come up with these "safe" heights.

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by RichTempe

Does anyone know where the FAA comes up with the seemingly arbitrary height limits for DT Phoenix? It seems to me that if an aircraft is out of control and coming down, it's just as likely to strike a building at 200 ft as 600 or 1000 ft. Just curious where they come up with these "safe" heights.

Its not about an out of control plane thats coming down, its about giving the planes enough time to get off the ground as they exit Sky Harbor.

Where exactly they come up with the numbers, I have no idea. But its not like it really matters, there's rarely demand for buildings in PHX to go over 300', much less 500'.

[PHXflyer]

More specifically it's about the clearway and climb gradient required by an airplane with an engine failure on departure. Everything in aviation is about planning for the worst case scenario. Also, Sky Harbor still has hopes of adding a 4th runway on the north side (even closer to downtown) where Honeywell currently sits. I would assume the FAA limits are set with this future expansion in mind.

[gymratmanaz]

It would be exciting for this to be a reality. Now we wait for permits????

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by ljbuild

DOWNTOWN PHOENIX MIGHT GET A NEW OBSERVATION TOWER AT 400 FT TALL BY 2015:And thus join the likes of Seattle with the Space needle, St louis with the Arch and others as well.

Theres also an article about this in the Most recent issue of PHOENIX MAGAZINE.

Im not opposed to most of anything getting built, But I do question the height. THE HEIGHT SHOULD BE WAY MORE THAN 400 FT. TALL!

The chase tower being higher at 483 ft. would "BLOCK SOME OF ITS OBSERVATION!!!! "

Can you link to the article, I couldn't find anything by googling that headline. Also, was this story based on new news?

[nickw252]

The Bank of America high-rise in midtown Phoenix has sold for $14.8 million to a Beverly Hills, Calif. real estate firm and will soon get a $2 million facelift, according to a statement Monday by Cushman & Wakefield of Arizona Inc.

Omninet Capital paid $78.30 per square foot for the 189,000-square-foot tower, located next to Park Central Mall along the west side of Central Avenue just north of Thomas Road. The deal also included an adjacent four-story parking garage.

Omninet — which owns about 413,000 square feet of office space Valleywide and other assets in California and Nevada — plans to invest another $200 million into the Phoenix-area real estate market within the next two years, Michael Daniel, one of the firm’s managing partners, said in the statement.

“The Bank of America Tower is a very strategic addition to our portfolio and we are very excited with the rebound and growth of the Phoenix market,” Daniel said.

The tower is 87 percent leased with such tenants as Bank of America, Xerox, Dignity Health, Barrow Neurological Institute and Teach for America.

Michael Crystal, a broker with Cushman & Wakefield who helped represent the seller, will serve as the tower’s leasing agent.

The seller was North Central Phoenix LLC, a partnership entity between Morrison Street Capital and The Randall Group Inc., both based on Portland, Ore., according to the statement and records in the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2013/09/16/bank-of-america-tower-in-midtown.html

[RichTempe]

Originally Posted by PHXflyer

More specifically it's about the clearway and climb gradient required by an airplane with an engine failure on departure. Everything in aviation is about planning for the worst case scenario. Also, Sky Harbor still has hopes of adding a 4th runway on the north side (even closer to downtown) where Honeywell currently sits. I would assume the FAA limits are set with this future expansion in mind.

I knew it had something to do with an engine failure or an emergency during takeoff. At any rate I still wonder how the heights are set since there really isn't any way of knowing what a 'safe' height is when an aircraft is having trouble climbing and may be veering to the left or right depending on the situation. Like I said before, 200' might be too high depending on the situation, so there's got to be some method used to set max building heights.

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by RichTempe

Like I said before, 200' might be too high depending on the situation, so there's got to be some method used to set max building heights.

Of course there is a method. I'm sure it is a calculation based on the distance from the runway, and how quickly a jet can climb with only one engine. I don't know the calculation, but you can bet it involved distance from RR, altitude and climb rate of an impact plane.

IF I remember correctly, the FAA has NO power to stop a building. It is a recommendation to avoid being a hazard, and generally not a good idea to build hazards, but I believe the FAA can't actually prevent building... I suppose they can however sue. I think this topic came up in the early 2000s when things were booming.

[plinko]

^It has the same effect. If the FAA declares it a 'hazard', it's impossible to get insurance for either construction or the finished product.

I'm still trying to figure out how they got around it for the Stratosphere in LV.

[ljbuild]

Originally Posted by nickw252

Can you link to the article, I couldn't find anything by googling that headline. Also, was this story based on new news?

When I recently visited the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, there was this

guy who was one of the managers of the Phoenix Planning Department that I

had been led to, while I was questioning another guy from the same

Department about Downtown Phoenix getting something that

STICKS-OUT and Iconic. He told me that some Private developer is planning this

observation tower project project. Thats where I got the PHOENIX

MAGAZINE , that has articles about this project.

BARNES&NOBLE normally carries this magazine, or even any FRY FOOD STORES

also carries this magazine.

Check those places out!

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

I don't think, with the location that it's being proposed at, that it could be higher because of the FAA.

Right, they won't allow it. Due to Sky Harbor International Airport. They cannot accept more than 400 feet taller. Because it was height restrictions.

[michael85225]

I'm not very optimistic about this tower even getting built but if they really are serious then they really need to move it somewhere else where they can build taller. It's an observation tower and I never even heard of one being that short (except for the Sunsphere). There are certain spots in Downtown where you can build around 600 something feet and that would be the perfect height for a potential new landmark.

[HX_Guy]

They are trying to tie it into other attractions though I believe and that's why this spot makes sense, right in Heritage Square, by the Science Center. It would be a bit odd if it was just in the middle of a neighborhood or next to office towers.

[Obadno]

Hi guys,

So I live in Ahwatukee; and I thought Id mention some new housing developments sprouting up down here.

Whats interesting is that they are apartments/ condos or densely packed single family homes with smaller yards. They are also smaller developments, 20 houses here a dozen condos there. None of this huge master planned stuff like eastmark(I think that's what its called) out in Mesa And they are being built in lots that have normally been passed over through leapfrog development over the last 20 years.

I think its encouraging to see new housing developments/ increasing density in existing suburbs instead of places like San Tan or Maricopa.

Of course it might just be the natural constraints in the area as all the available land has been gobbled up already. But, seeing new development is always good for the city's economy and proof of all the recent Job growth in our area.

Cheers!

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by Obadno

Of course it might just be the natural constraints in the area as all the available land has been gobbled up already.

Ding ding ding, you hit the nail on the head. 'Tuke is nearly built out, new development will have to be somewhat more dense.

Hopefully we'll also eventually see some of those nasty strip centers redeveloped into something nicer. Ahwatukee, for all its many flaws (I grew up there from K-8, I know it well), has some things going for it. I do wish though that it least had a couple walkable blocks, a main street that gave it its own center, and sense of place.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by HooverDam

Ding ding ding, you hit the nail on the head. 'Tuke is nearly built out, new development will have to be somewhat more dense.

Hopefully we'll also eventually see some of those nasty strip centers redeveloped into something nicer. Ahwatukee, for all its many flaws (I grew up there from K-8, I know it well), has some things going for it. I do wish though that it least had a couple walkable blocks, a main street that gave it its own center, and sense of place.

It was built in the 80's and 90's. For some reason everyone wanted strip malls

I will literally never understand.