Tempe Development Thread

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by phoenixwillrise

Anybody else notice that they have removed the red internally illuminated channel letters that say "State Farm" and it's logo on the shorter building facing Rio Salado and have moved those letters to the further west building and placed them on that building's west elevation? I find it hard to believe that even in Tempe they couldn't have all three signs vs just the two as this is 2 million square feet of office it seems their allotment would be greater.

Very weird, I can't even speculate on that.

Also my statement has nothing to do with the Alameda Project but I have never been able to figure out to do a new post on here without tagging to someone's previous post. Any of you computer nerds feel free to explain it to me needless to say I am old school.

Scroll all the way down to the bottom. On your left hand side there is a button that says "Post Reply."

[phoenixwillrise]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

Very weird, I can't even speculate on that.



Scroll all the way down to the bottom. On your left hand side there is a button that says "Post Reply."

Thanks, PHXFlyer. But is it just me or shouldn't that button say "new topic", the word reply implies I am replying to someone else's take.

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by phoenixwillrise

Thanks, PHXFlyer. But is it just me or shouldn't that button say "new topic", the word reply implies I am replying to someone else's take.

Well, this web site uses vBulletin. It is designed in such a way that each "topic" is supposed to be a new thread. Since they consolidate topics into focused threads here you are replying (but not quoting) to the existing thread (which covers all topics Tempe Development).

[azsunsurfer]

I forgot to tell everyone that I was driving on Rio Salado one night and the lighting effects for the building are going to be very cool. A couple of the builds had these different color flood lights oriented at different heights. Looked very cool.

[PHXFlyer11]

From 8/25 DRC Agenda:

Request for a General Plan Projected Density Map Amendment from Medium - High Density (up to 25 du/ac) to High Density-Urban Core (more than 65 du/ac), a Zoning Map Amendment from GID to MU-4, a Planned Area Development Overlay, and a Development Plan Review for a new four-story mixed-use development containing 168 units and co-work office space for BROADSTONE LAKESIDE

Look at that lot on Google Maps. Very skinny that will be pretty dense now. Incredible!

[DevilsRider]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

From 8/25 DRC Agenda:

Request for a General Plan Projected Density Map Amendment from Medium - High Density (up to 25 du/ac) to High Density-Urban Core (more than 65 du/ac), a Zoning Map Amendment from GID to MU-4, a Planned Area Development Overlay, and a Development Plan Review for a new four-story mixed-use development containing 168 units and co-work office space for BROADSTONE LAKESIDE

Look at that lot on Google Maps. Very skinny that will be pretty dense now. Incredible!

Wow. That's awesome!

500 W 1st St is about 520 ft by 102 ft. If 508 W 1st St is also part of this, then it's 520 ft by 205 ft for 168 units. By comparison, Skywater Lofts site is about 550 ft by 520 ft and had 328 units (a bit under twice as many).

If it's only the 500 W 1st St property, this is incredibly dense (about twice as much so as Skywater). If it's both, it should be about the same density as Skywater, just half the size. Which is still pretty dense! Link:

EDIT: According to Tempe, this property will be 65du/acre, while Skywater is 63du/acre. So it must be both 500 W 1st AND 508 W 1st, with my initial calculations slightly off. This is great! Link: http://tempe.gov/home/showdocument?id=34586

[Jjs5056]

Broadstone Lakeside will take up all of the land between Regatta Pointe and 525 Town Lake. 4 stories + mezzanine 5th level, co-working office space along 1st Street. Here is a rendering: http://orbarch.com/index.php/mies_portfolio/on-the-boards/

Scroll to the next image and you'll see Jefferson Town Lake and, IMO, the two side-by-side shows just how monotonous design has become. This project looks exactly like the Residences on Dorsey Lane/University and many, many others with the 4 story + 5th level mezzanine facade. Considering the DRC's obsession with adding nautical features to lakefront projects, I would think this will get modified a bit. It's also strange that 4 and 5 story single-use projects on the lake and on sites closer to downtown have been passed without question, yet such a big deal was made over the Southbank proposals?

Considering what it will be replacing, it's a nice project from a quality developer. And, the Pony Acres brewery on 1st/Hardy was also approved. But, it's really too bad that Tempe made some really poor choices in terms of infrastructure that are starting to impact (or eliminate) the connectivity between different neighborhoods and roads.

1. They may have had no choice, but the northern frontage of all these west-side lake projects are terrible. None meet Rio Salado, and the large banks create barriers that eliminate any chance of making an urban environment in the areas surrounding TCA. Had Lakeshore Drive been developed parallel to Rio and connected to Farmer, that might've helped, but instead, it dead-ends into Regatta Pointe.
2. 1st Street between Farmer and Hardy is becoming a great model of a modern urban neighborhood. Heights range from 4-6 stories, with 4 continuous projects featuring ground-level live/work spaces built to the street. But, this segment is cut off due to the alignment issue with Rio Salado at Ash, and is further separated from Farmer by the huge substation on the south side of the street.

I am sure development on Farmer will catch up at some point and might mitigate some of that disconnection, but I have to think the streets could have been laid out in a more sensible manner to promote E-W traffic flow. And, W Rio Salado is just never going to be remotely urban (as noted by the wall Argo put up between the sidewalk and its retail). Ash is going to be just as big of an issue when trying to dispose of the many irregularly shaped lots.

----

PS- Tempe has made the majority of their docs available again, including 7th Street Mixed Use (which is 12-story residential, 14-story hotel, 20-story residential): http://www.tempe.gov/home/showdocument?id=34586

[Jjs5056]

Expanding on the issue with turning W Rio Salado into some sort of semi-walkable urban area, the City is in the process of drafting an Arts Master Plan. I hadn't realized that had it not been for a bunch of local outcry, the entire area west of TCA would have been developed into an arts live/work/exhibit campus, which would have added a really important layer in Tempe's transition from college town to city:

"A plan to develop the dirt lot next to the new center for the performing arts near Tempe Town Lake caught the attention of one of the most innovative arts/retail developers in this country — Lab Holdings, owned by Costa Mesa-based Shaheen Sadeghi. It also drew interest from a local consortium of developers led by Tempe attorney Gene Kadish.

The idea sprang from the desire to put three Valley art-production companies — Arizona Bronze, a Tempe-based foundry and sculpture garden; Segura Publishing, which produces fine art prints; and Meltdown Glass, a nationally recognized maker of glass products and sculptures — into a space that would also feature retail, galleries and studios for artists. It was a project that could have actually brought some culture to the area."
ARTICLE: http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/the-devil-went-down-to-phoenix-6434073

Rendering of the 'Non-Local' Concept: http://www.pompeiad.com/work/tempe

Given the explosion of the Phoenix art scene and even exodus of many ASU arts programs to the Warehouse District, it would seem Tempe missed the boat on developing something on the scale of both Phx and Scottsdale. With the wakability issues of W Rio, I'd rather see arts integrated into the main downtown area. The irregular lot adjacent to the Old Towne Square is going to be impossible to develop- why not move a couple additional historic homes over and turn it into something similar to Heritage Square? There's also opportunity to create something out of the area around Forest and 6th Street, with the Islamic Cultural Center, ASU, and the old Center of the Arts that could be redeveloped.

They're also working on a downtown Master Plan. Maybe they'll final coordinate with ASU so that every 5 years, plans for streets like College and Uni/Mill don't change drastically? Crazy thought.

[DevilsRider]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

It's also strange that 4 and 5 story single-use projects on the lake and on sites closer to downtown have been passed without question, yet such a big deal was made over the Southbank proposals?

I will say that, at least from my perspective, Skywater/Argo is when the ship really sailed on my hopes of seeing any mid-rise or higher buildings by TCA. Plus, with the neighborhood right behind it, there's a LOT of NIMBY-ism to prevent such development, were it proposed. So in the absence of height, continued density increases will serve very well for that area.

When it comes to Southbank (and really the whole ASU Facilities district), we're looking at a giant blank slate. There are no neighbors to decry the combination of height and high density, and nothing really existing to impact in terms of view or noise or anything else. That makes it a tremendous opportunity to really maximize the number of residents, employees, etc. that Tempe can accommodate in an area that they desire to connect with a short streetcar ride to downtown, Marina Heights, TMP, and other employers (a whole different topic, I know), and allow those scared NIMBY's to keep their lower-intensity uses in the single-family neighborhoods for now.

That's what, to me, makes proposals like the Southbank low-rise apartments a disappointment. It's a vast underutilization of prime, minimally contested space.

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by DevilsRider

I will say that, at least from my perspective, Skywater/Argo is when the ship really sailed on my hopes of seeing any mid-rise or higher buildings by TCA. Plus, with the neighborhood right behind it, there's a LOT of NIMBY-ism to prevent such development, were it proposed. So in the absence of height, continued density increases will serve very well for that area.

What would be REALLY awesome to see with the density there is some ground level retail. Nothing crazy, but a barbershop, pub, laundromat, convenience store, etc would be so awesome! It would make that area really feel like an urban neighborhood.

[DevilsRider]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

What would be REALLY awesome to see with the density there is some ground level retail. Nothing crazy, but a barbershop, pub, laundromat, convenience store, etc would be so awesome! It would make that area really feel like an urban neighborhood.

+1

I think there are supposed to be some live-work spaces as part of this, and if I recall correctly, the ones at Regatta Point have (or had; I haven't been by in awhile) a dental office and a travel agency, among other things. But some day to day retail of the sort you mentioned would be nice to see, and would complement The Lodge and The Yard pretty well. 1st Street definitely has the potential to be one of those low-key neighborhood retail-type streets.

[ASUSunDevil]

Demolish a 1960's Al Beadle complex to build more cheesy 'Mark Taylor 2015' apartments? Oh, and a whopping 1800 sf. of retail. No way this goes through:

http://azbex.com/tempe-oks-260-unit-university-village/

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by ASUSunDevil

Demolish a 1960's Al Beadle complex to build more cheesy 'Mark Taylor 2015' apartments? Oh, and a whopping 1800 sf. of retail. No way this goes through:

http://azbex.com/tempe-oks-260-unit-university-village/

Well judging by the fact that the title of the article says it was OK'd tells me thi will get through. And it should. That place is a dump. This is a nice dense project that creates a street presence and takes advantage of the light rail. I approve, and so did the city.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

Well judging by the fact that the title of the article says it was OK'd tells me thi will get through. And it should. That place is a dump. This is a nice dense project that creates a street presence and takes advantage of the light rail. I approve, and so did the city.

I think we discussed this a while ago. I was a little disappointed about losing mid-century architecture but in reality, this complex wasn't that significant or unique. Further, like what PHXFlyer said, this is a suburban style apartment complex that's being replaced with an urban style building that's more dense (260 units as opposed to 110 units) and will promote pedestrian activity and transit usage.

Although the new project also isn't architecturally very unique or significant, I see this as an overall net positive.

[phoenixwillrise]

Looks like they are re-installing the lighted letters saying "State Farm" that are facing Sun Devil Stadium. My only guess on this is that they re-aligned them for maximize visibility from Sun Devil Stadium.

[RichTempe]

Originally Posted by phoenixwillrise

Looks like they are re-installing the lighted letters saying "State Farm" that are facing Sun Devil Stadium. My only guess on this is that they re-aligned them for maximize visibility from Sun Devil Stadium.

I wonder why the west facing signage isn't illuminated at night? Looking at the archived pics from the construction cam, the letters being re-installed lit up sometime between 2:28 AM and 3:30 AM today, and they're not even finished yet. The westernmost building signage went up on August 6th/7th, but I don't see where it's ever been lit up. I can't believe it would be bright enough that the people living in Bridgeview at Hayden Ferry would so bothered that they have to keep the sign turned off.

[PHXFlyer11]

With only one tower crane left in the Tempe skyline and Phoenix starting to ramp their next 2-3 cranes, what is next for Tempe?

A couple of predictions:

• We'll see 100 Mill break ground very shortly
• We'll find out that the Hayden Mill hotel is dead, new RFQ will go out
• ASU will unveil the first proposal for the Athletic District, a 10-12 story mixed used building at the corner of University and Rural
• The 7th Street project will take a very long time before it breaks ground, 1 year+, if at all

I hope we hear of some new proposed towers soon!

[azsunsurfer]

So that one story office building south of Fountainhead is definitely being demolished. I wonder if that means they will break ground on those midrises that were approved for that site soon. Although I though I read a while back the same developer wanted to just renovate that one story building to target "creative users." Not sure...

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

So that one story office building south of Fountainhead is definitely being demolished. I wonder if that means they will break ground on those midrises that were approved for that site soon. Although I though I read a while back the same developer wanted to just renovate that one story building to target "creative users." Not sure...

Yes I work across the street Ill try and grab some pictures of that, Residences (which is still half frame after 5 months in this office) and the retail piece.

Fountainhead has a decent amount of space left hopefully we can get a nice little secondary cluster here.

Also The Grande at Papago is planting trees, looks like they are moving full ahead with he roads, and water feature but no evidence the building is going to state. if anyone has info or any news on tenants that would be great.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

So that one story office building south of Fountainhead is definitely being demolished. I wonder if that means they will break ground on those midrises that were approved for that site soon. Although I though I read a while back the same developer wanted to just renovate that one story building to target "creative users." Not sure...

Is it the building on the south side of Alameda right up against the freeway?