Unless Tilton is affiliated with them, it's MetroWest developing the 3rd Ave townhomes, along with Union, and 3 houses on 2nd ave; none of these have seen ground move yet.
The best project, and most definite (and opening by EOY), is by far the DeSoto Central Marketplace. If you could build one project at the gateway of Roosevelt Row that would attract locals and visitors/tourist alike, it's this. How many times have we heard that visitors want an authentic trip, and get to "know" Phoenix. This is a place for locals to finally get their fresh food, attract additional residential development because of the amenities, and be one of the only places we have to bring someone from out of state and give them a Millenium Park/Pike Place/Times Square feeling. Our food scene is our greatest asset, and we really lucked out on this project - the developer sounds amazing, his enthusiasm is contagious, and I hope it isn't closed in a year because none of these other projects break ground. Traditional grocers have essentially given us the finger since AJs backed out of CityScape, so this is our best change at having accessible food.
Long Rant Ahead.
As far as Central Station, I guess I forgot I'm on a skyscraper forum. It is a nice looking building from these photos - though they aren't showing the view from the park where it now will block 90% of downtown that was visible. But, this glistening tower is one of the final pieces of a puzzle that has been slowly coming together that will ultimately secure downtown's existence as a broken city, with pockets of innovation being given the resources to succeed, adjacent to abandoned lots, or blocks of garage frontages. You're looking at a tower and site plan for the *central transit station* of a city that has bus, rapidly expanding light rail with the need for multiple lines/connections, rail to Tucson, and commuter rail by the time we run out of water. We're also a city that speaks highly of our commitment to bicycling as a viable mode of transit, and equal attention should be placed on that, too. Finally, this is a city that invested an incredible amount of human and monetary capital in building light rail for the purposes of spurring mxed use TOD, and took years developing an Urban Form code for the core that was supposed to lay an easy blueprint for the successful downtown that both residents and stakeholders wanted. Setbacks, 100% street frontage (minus setbacks), a ridiculously tiny % of secondary use, and an above ground garage with well over the required parking that isn't wrapped in offices, residential, or retail; built on top of; or, doesn't have ground level activity are all things discuss in this Code and this is not the way our city was supposed to revitalize itself.
And, regardless, of Urban Form, these are just good design principles. And, as a developer who has worked in this city before, they should be able to assess the context in which they'll be building: on a major transit site in the center of all major uses, and along Van Buren, which is zoned for highrises and large scale retail but is too broken by garages and empty lots/blighted stores that nobody will dare invest in it past Central. So, here is an opportunity none of us thought would ever happen- the chance to develop a prime piece of land being underutilized. Proposals called for mixed use centers, gave examples of other highly activated/redeveloped transit stations, and recently released transportation guidelines for the future outlining just how intricate the network will get.
This was a chance to create an iconic development that solidified Phoenix's empty promises. Instead, we are getting a project that is using 1/3 of the land it was given for essentially 1 use - rental apartments - with equal or perhaps lesser access to current transit and certainly no innovations for incorporating any new modes. The garage is sickening anywhere, but moreso on the transit center site itself. I'm embarrassed that is being proposed. This project wouldn't fly in any other city - because every inch is so valuable. Here, developers can just throw away those setbacks and garages floor areas, while we suffer the consequences oef discontinuous street level frontage, parking structures, undeveloped lots, etc. The amount of garages between Adams and this structure is absurd - 4 or 5 maybe.
By iconic, I mean a building that saw all of these opportunities and created a solution that might be way too expensive, but attempted to phase it or come up with other solutions. I mean a building that met our code at a minimum. I mean a plan that built for the future, that connected to the light rail better and made better use of its proximity to Civic Space than a dog park probably included to meet open space requirements. That built over the light rail stations, funneling all transit traffic - bus or light rail - into the center to assess line transfers, and make use of resources badly needed: public restrooms, quik trip, kiosks with interactive trip planners showing routes and modes of transit, and a large map and other visual cues that guide travelers around downtown if that is their final stop. Information on the future plans could be available to look at, a balcony off the 2nd level that extended to the park with retail vendors... a showpiece bike sharing system... a museum on Arizona technology, innovation and transportation so the center is continually used by schools and the history of Union Station and the farming culture aren't eradicated... the bus system divided into N, S, E, W bays.. a partnership with a hotel or plans for one in the future in a second tower... an anchor retail tenant that guaranteed the retail vitality and kickstarted VB's revitalization.
If this and the ASU Law School are built as shown, downtown essentially becomes Roosevelt Row and CityScape. There isn't a single building I can use when walking in the ASU part of downtown; no restaurants, bars, retail... I can't even go inside the renovated post office to check out the work done without a SunCard. Then, north of the ASU campus are megablocks with parking structures that interrupt any sense of urban fabric that starts to form.
I hate this proposal a lot. And, I hate that so many like it and I'm so negative about it. But, downtown is hurting, and this waste of a lot won't help bring that momentum back. I feel for the Crescent Ballrooms and Bentley Projects... there is so much talent in the local area. It's a shame the city can't provide the resources they need to thrive, and that developers can't provide the residents and other features that will drive new business.
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