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Originally Posted by azsunsurfer
I think ASU has since took it down...if you look a few pages back I think you find the intial site plan. Of course this changes based on funding and market conditions. I think someone mentioned that ASU has decided a while back they are no longer in the student housing buisness thus is leaving it to public/ private partnerships and the private sector in general. I heard awhile back the Foundation was looking for more office space to consolidate the uses at the University Center (which eventually will be redeveloped)...maybe the remainder of the block will be used for that given the proximately to the Foundation's other building on the corner.
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Yea, there's been literally nothing in the way of final plans to be found since the current building began construction. Even PDF's recently mentioning the Annex cryptically say "Block 12 may include future phases. This could include office or retail. The City of Tempe may send an RFP in 2014 for retail along the north side of the existing building." Seems so strange given that they typically have detailed plans a couple years in advance due to budgets, etc. It seems like, at least for the plaza area, we will be seeing retail built given the other information I found regarding Tempe/ASU trying to lure higher end retailers. As for the western part, I guess we'll have to wait and see. Whatever it is, I hope it's higher than the current building. College needs a little height on that side to balance out the Hub.
The same goes for the streetscape project. They picked a design team ages ago, and I have been trying to find plans and designs ever since, but no information until just recently as Block 12 wound down.
It's crazy how long Block 12 has been in the works. In trying to find some more details, I came across a ton of old article and documents from the early 2000's that quote mayor Neil Guiliano saying circa 2002 that College was poised to turn into a mini-Mill Ave, and they were RFPing and working with developers to build blocks of office and condos. It looked like the Armory site was close to being a done deal - wonder why that never happened and turned hands so many times? Mona Plummer was also going to move to Lot 59 for additional development if the market deemed fit.
The Arts and Business District (Mill/Uni) has been just as long of a wait; some PPTs list both as "in progress," and I found full details on the Bruder-designed Gateway project originally proposed for that corner.
I think a combination of the old College plans with what we have now would've been ideal; I also found several quotes from throughout the years that councilmen were opposed to any student housing in downtown proper. And, while the Hub is a high-rise I'm not sure the private sector would've given us, and was also the catalyst for a lot more development 2-3 years ago, I do agree in principle. That site, along with Block 12, were supposed to have significant private components, and I think condos could've sold at some point given the direct views of SDS. With the Transit Center right there, I just would've like to have seen Mill and College as book-ends to downtown, but College has essentially turned into a vehicular campus mall extension. Even if the restaurant and retail tenants are more upscale, there's no market residential within sight.
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Even the second Encore seems flakey; I'm going off the developer's word that it isn't dead, but it's delayed by several months and they'll be working on The Row beginning shortly. Not sure of their resources or what the financial market looks like for the senior housing sector right now to support both?
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