Tempe Development Thread

[muertecaza]

Article about creative redevelopment of shopping centers has a good section on One Hundred Mill:

http://azbigmedia.com/azre-magazine/spotlight/shopping-malls-prepare-to-make-a-comeback

One Hundred Mill, developed by Douglas Wilson Companies and leased by Cushman and Wakefield, is already receiving interest from iconic restaurant operators. Set to break ground in late January 2016, Tempe’s One Hundred Mill will be another mixed-use project worthy of watching.

“We quickly and proactively acquired this site that screamed for a high-quality boutique hotel and creative office building space, with adequate parking,” said Doulas Wilson, Chairman and CEO of Douglas Wilson Companies. “Our intention is to be sensitive about the preservation and architectural importance of the Hayden House as the front door to the city.”

To ensure One Hundred Mill’s inventive concept, Douglas Wilson Companies have secured a historical preservationist and Kimpton, one of the largest operators of boutique hotels.

“For our office buildings, we want to do something that’s never been done before in the Phoenix area,” Wilson says. We are thinking of adapting the lobby to resemble something like union station in Boulder — filled with vendors, embodying a very enlightened space.”

[muertecaza]

Ugh, I don't understand why the powers that be insist on making things difficult for what seems like it should be the next best project along 1st.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/loca...l-questions-big-apartment-plan/78369586/

City Council is apparently signaling opposition to Crescent Rio.

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

Ugh, I don't understand why the powers that be insist on making things difficult for what seems like it should be the next best project along 1st.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/loca...l-questions-big-apartment-plan/78369586/

City Council is apparently signaling opposition to Crescent Rio.

How ridiculous. I was just thinking today the city needs up to update their general plan. There isn't an abundance of land designated as Urban Core that is available for development anymore.

I believe the General Plan is put to a vote? So I get that it's not a simple update, but they need to move on it now to expand the urban core in accordance with increased demand and lack of available supply of land in the core for development.

Until then, they should begin approval these plan individually in area outside the designation. In reality. The core designation needs to move several blocks, if not a mile west down University towards the 143. Time to grow up Tempe.

[Jjs5056]

Wasn't the General Plan updated last year? Along with a 2020 *and* 2040 transit plan?

I think the problem is too much planning, and inconsistent use of common sense to guide decisions vs. one of the 100 contradictory "visions," "plans," and "blueprints" the City put out every damn year -- every single one of which is essentially pointless because they speak to parts of Tempe in isolation. Apache has a generic vision, as does Mill Ave/Downtown; great, but these disparate ideas don't consider how each impacts the other. Even more stupid is that major changes to the future demand for investment in downtown have taken place -- HFL condos are now a sprawling State Farm campus, ASU has proposed/canceled several huge projects on College, Mill, and in the Stadium District, the Streetcar route was approved, etc. -- but, docs from like 2006 are still used as reference.

Every decision made seems so totally arbitrary and not based on any real plan, or on intelligent foresight based on any of those developments listed. Hanover was approved without hesitation for the heart of downtown, yet SouthBank has been put through hell despite proposing a denser, taller, mixed-use project MILES away from Mill. Why? Argo and Broadstone Lakeside were approved adjacent to where Crescent Rio is being proposed. Not only were their heights similar - and of little concern - but the council sent all 3 (Argo, Broadstone, Crescent) back to add a commercial component on 1st Street.

Personally, I think it's retarded that a random neighborhood street is going to be lined with a bunch of half-asses live/work space while the Rio Salado side across from TCA will basically be parking lots... but, make up your fucking mind. So, it's cool that 2/3rd of the street is dense and active, but Crescent is just pushing it way too far?

This is also on the route of their beloved streetcar; but, then again, they've allowing Chase to expand its garage on the same route, so that shouldn't be surprising, either.

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

Article about creative redevelopment of shopping centers has a good section on One Hundred Mill:

http://azbigmedia.com/azre-magazine/spotlight/shopping-malls-prepare-to-make-a-comeback

Mmm.. I love the design of this project, so whatever. But, with the Kimpton obviously opening with its own upscale restaurant/bar, and the Hayden House being most suitable to a restaurant, it'd be nice to hear of the remaining retail being stores other than 'iconic restaurants.'

I can't see their idea for the lobby being successful, either. It's really a horrible location to pull something like that off -- who exactly is strolling down that part of Rio Salado with the intent of perusing some vendors in what will likely look like a private lobby? If USAirways hadn't been designed behind a moat, and there was continuous retail (and at least another less-insular office than HFL3 nearby), then maybe... but, the employees of a 7 (or 8? after parking.) story office don't seem to be enough of a market.

Something like that would've been neat in the space occupied by El Patron Loco, right outside the light rail.

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

I noticed that HFL III has installed an electronic ticker display that spans the top of the first floor angled towards Mill and Rio Salado. Will be interested to see how it looks at night displaying messages...also I noticed directly east of there- the dirt patch next to the parking garage is fenced with survey markers...anyone know what was suppose to be built here before the recession as part of the original plan? Was it a retail pad fronting Rio Salado?

Does a fenced-in area with survey markers indicate that construction is possible, or that it's basically a staging area or something? The original HFL plans included a retail addition to the garage directly across from HFL3 with was supposed to have retail, as well. The intent was to actually draw people in from the intersection through HFL and to the lake. Of course, without any visibility and less-than-anticipated amounts of residents and employees meant that the original retail built failed. A restaurant attached to that monstrous garage would be a huge improvement, but...

OLD SITE PLANS
Check out this page of the Tempe site if you are interested in some older site plans. The original HFL plans are there, as are the original incarnation of Marina Heights - which I don't remember being so impressive (included office, retail, and condos). Other interesting ones were the University Towers with ground level retail (vs. the ASU offices there now), and the US Airways' master plan, which thankfully was amended to allow for at least 1 decent building (Gateway).
http://gis.tempe.gov/pad/

Who the hell would oppose this?

The 12 story market-rate looks especially good.

While everyone typically hates parking garages - it will be absolutely necessary in this case. Parking is already an issue on most nights at The Yard.

I'm not surprised that there is opposition to development along Farmer and the City has itself to blame for continuing to allow the misnomer "Farmer Arts District" to be used over and over as if the entire stretch of land between 1st St and University was going to be developed into some of Roosevelt Row. There is literally no such thing as the 'Farmer Arts District' at this point -- it was a shitty name that the winners of a City RFP decided to call their mix of apartments/condos/etc.

The purpose was to create a buffer between the single-family neighborhoods and what looked to be a wall of high-rises proposed on the other side from Ash eastward. Somehow, despite two senior housing projects being built, the "Farmer Arts District" name lived on, and so of course for anyone who doesn't care to look up documents from 2007 and has seen Sam Fox concepts and The Lodge roll into what they thought was going to be affordable studios, live/work, etc., I can almost understand the frustration. Tempe has been promising a true artist district since the opening of TCA -- but, this particularly piece(s) of land was NEVER intended to be such a thing.

In reality, if you promised these people that some indie music venue was going to be on the ground floor of one of the buildings, they'd probably shut up. Also, the supposed wall of high-rises has turned out to be two towers (Centerpoint). If these are approved, Farmer will actually have MORE height than the lots intended for towers near Mill (i.e., the pathetic 5-story apartment on the Mosaic lot). The original plans were also limited to 8 stories, not the 12 shown here. In reality, none of these people have a clue to these details (thus, the references to luxury condos), so IDK why I am justifying them in any way.

My own opinion...
1) Both designs are awesome in terms of aesthetics. The only projects that I'd consider great-looking aside from Crescent.
2) The 12-story building would be a great addition on that intersection and be a good contrast to the low-rise senior housing; a library was intended for this space, and though this is better for sure, I'd like to see real amenities like a lib added eventually.
3) The smaller building seems pretty decent; if it has decent frontage on the corner of 5th/Farmer, it's a win. The original Farmer Arts plans had 2-3 levels of underground parking across the entire site, so of course, the switch to above-ground is a little lame... but, better than the massive lot there now.

THE MAXWELL
I'd really like more info on The Maxwell now. 1.77 acres, 231 units, 225' @ 712 S College Ave... can anyone figure out how far west the project will extend toward Forrest?

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

Does a fenced-in area with survey markers indicate that construction is possible, or that it's basically a staging area or something? The original HFL plans included a retail addition to the garage directly across from HFL3 with was supposed to have retail, as well. The intent was to actually draw people in from the intersection through HFL and to the lake. Of course, without any visibility and less-than-anticipated amounts of residents and employees meant that the original retail built failed. A restaurant attached to that monstrous garage would be a huge improvement, but...

I work in HF and the scuttlebutt is that it's still planned as a restaurant, but I don't have anything concrete. There is a little site map on the fence around the area that notes it as a"future building."

THE MAXWELL
I'd really like more info on The Maxwell now. 1.77 acres, 231 units, 225' @ 712 S College Ave... can anyone figure out how far west the project will extend toward Forrest?

I was curious as well and found a tool that will estimate acreage from Google maps. It looks like something like this is likely:



There is a historical preservation meeting on the 14th I'm thinking of trying to get to to try to get more details.

[Jjs5056]

Thanks! I really hope something is added to the Rio/Mill intersection, considering the never-ending delays with finding a suitable project for the flour mill, and the temporarily abandoned Hayden House.

I hope that estimate is correct for The Maxwell - that's exactly what I had hoped for, as it leaves open the opportunity for the 20-story 707 Forrest to still be developed to the west. The developer seems like they'd be going for market vs. student housing, so it will be nice for College to be book-ended by this and University House, while adding a more diverse population. Hopefully, the retail selection also adds diversity, and does a better job at street level than Block 12.

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

I hope that estimate is correct for The Maxwell - that's exactly what I had hoped for, as it leaves open the opportunity for the 20-story 707 Forrest to still be developed to the west. The developer seems like they'd be going for market vs. student housing, so it will be nice for College to be book-ended by this and University House, while adding a more diverse population. Hopefully, the retail selection also adds diversity, and does a better job at street level than Block 12.

DRC Agenda got posted for the end of this month and now I'm really intrigued by The Maxwell.

http://www.tempe.gov/home/showdocument?id=38418

The agenda notes that the building will have some "classroom and church" uses, as well as 231 dwelling units, restaurant, retail, and office. Pretty much all the uses. This explains why The Newman Center is listed as participating in the project, and why they need historical preservation permission.

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

DRC Agenda got posted for the end of this month and now I'm really intrigued by The Maxwell.

http://www.tempe.gov/home/showdocument?id=38418

The agenda notes that the building will have some "classroom and church" uses, as well as 231 dwelling units, restaurant, retail, and office. Pretty much all the uses. This explains why The Newman Center is listed as participating in the project, and why they need historical preservation permission.

I had just noticed that the Newman Center was affiliated with the project; I will be pretty disappointed if the residential component is essentially the dorm proposed several years ago. With 707 Forrest proposed for student housing, and University House at the other end of College - and Block 12 between - that leaves College as little more than an extension of campus. Tempe will obviously always have a decent student population throughout, but it seemed as though the goal was to extend downtown eastward and at this point, the 7S project is the only one targeting professionals -- and, who would pay luxury prices to live next to a cluster of student high rises anyway?

The lack of market rate/owner-occupied projects also seem inconsistent with the push for higher-end retail like Postino, etc. Orange Table already closed and I wonder how much longer the rest will last if the area is filled with seasonal residents.

The Newman Center still has a chunk of land along College; best case scenario would be for the 4-story building to house the church and office uses on that lot, and an actual market rate project built on the main site.

[MegaBass]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

DRC Agenda got posted for the end of this month and now I'm really intrigued by The Maxwell.

http://www.tempe.gov/home/showdocument?id=38418

The agenda notes that the building will have some "classroom and church" uses, as well as 231 dwelling units, restaurant, retail, and office. Pretty much all the uses. This explains why The Newman Center is listed as participating in the project, and why they need historical preservation permission.

"Classroom and church" sounds like University of Mary which would bode well for 707 Forest since they're currently housed at (215 E. 7th St.). 2012 story on their collaboration with ASU to provide Catholic studies to Arizona.

[muertecaza]

"Classroom and church" sounds like University of Mary which would bode well for 707 Forest since they're currently housed at (215 E. 7th St.). 2012 story on their collaboration with ASU to provide Catholic studies to Arizona.

It would be a bit of a bummer if it was all a University of Mary complex.

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

The Newman Center still has a chunk of land along College; best case scenario would be for the 4-story building to house the church and office uses on that lot, and an actual market rate project built on the main site.

This spot here?



You're right, that would be ideal, and might even give the project more legs if they had a partnership to build for the Newman Center/University of Mary there, and market rate on the rest.

Not sure how this affects what at this point is just rampant speculation, but the applicant, Tony Wall, is the guy that was behind University Square (formerly planned for where 7S is planned) and the previous iteration of One Hundred Mill.

[muertecaza]

Word from the DRC:

-Farmer Arts replat going forward. Apparently there is an SRP easement on the parcel by Culinary Dropout. Sounds like that is an unresolved issue they may portend trouble going forward.

-Long presentation re: The Pier. Lots of good discussion and details. Interesting tidbits:

• They are commencing construction with $24m of their own money. Hopefully this allows development to begin early without extended financing issues.
• They are contemplating a grey water system. Sounds like there are many financial and structural difficulties with that plan, but it would be cool.
• They want to build a pier. Again, hurdles here, but would be cool if it comes off.
• The phasing does sound a little concerning. It will be one tower at first, and the freight elevator will be sticking out for the other tower. They indicated they don't want to really pause building, but I hope it rents well.
• Planned mid to late summer start time.
• Some really tired NIMBYism. Complaints include not liking "luxury," traffic, complaining that 85281 residents can't afford the rents so only "outsiders" will live here, it's an "eyesore," believing that being born in Tempe matters, some douche yelling and disrupting the meeting, and complaints about the lack of Hohokam elements.
  
  Despite the complaints, I was impressed with the comments from the commission. And ultimately, it passed.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

Some really tired NIMBYism. Complaints include not liking "luxury," traffic, complaining that 85281 residents can't afford the rents so only "outsiders" will live here, it's an "eyesore," believing that being born in Tempe matters, some douche yelling and disrupting the meeting, and complaints about the lack of Hohokam elements.

Despite the complaints, I was impressed with the comments from the commission. And ultimately, it passed.

Glad to hear it passed. The anti-development activists are making things up out of thin air. Take this quote from an event on the Maple Ash Farmer Wilson page (https://www.facebook.com/events/720160871452062/):

At some point, city council, developers, and the design review comission will move to Citrine for drinks and cheese plates. We are told that "no city business will be conducted nor will actions be taken. This is an event only and not a meeting."

Citrine has been closed since last fall. There are no drinks and cheese plates being served to anyone there.

[Jjs5056]

These kind of people kill me, and I hope their words/actions are blown off just as easily by those on council, etc. If you are going to dedicate time toward any sort of cause - delusional or not in nature - at least make sure you are well educated in the issue(s).

Where is the demand? Who is the demand? How does this impact the people who already live here? How congested will traffic be? Do we have the infrastructure for this density? What is the vacancy rate in all these new buildings? When will Tempe Butte be surrounded by condos?

Questioning the demand for infill/residential development - typically in tandem with misleading or outright incorrect statistics on other projects' occupancy rates - seems to be en vogue with NIMBYs. I think it's pretty ballsy of them to assume that successful national development companies have not done the appropriate research in deciding to build. Believe it or not, there goal isn't to destroy neighborhoods, but to make money, so if they break ground, chances are they feel pretty good about the market.

How do these projects impact current residents? Well, for starters - did all of these NIMBYs participate in the multiple planning processes the City has held in the fast several years such as the General Plan, which outline density and land use policies? These developers are simply trying to make money off the land that they own by following the vision the City has developed for itself.

Long-term impacts include such horrible consequences as: shifting the tax burden for town lake maintenance from residents to developers, reducing traffic by promoting centralized living along transit corridors, improving the chances of future transit funding by increasing density along key routes, providing a more convenient lifestyle option for those wanting to live near amenities downtown, diversifying the retail mix downtown by introducing more residents with larger disposable incomes, and giving small business owners a greater chance of surviving the peaks and valleys of a college town economy by bringing professionals, etc. nearby.

Also, if there is any chance that traffic will be impacted by a project, the report will include a detailed analysis paid for by the developer. If you're too lazy to read the resources provided for you, you have no right no complain.

----

OTOH, did Citrine not reopen? When it closed, the owner mentioned it coming back with a new menu, etc. If it is indeed closed for good, that's a real shame, as I think that brings the retail occupancy of the transit center from 100% a year ago to 0%. The 5th Street corridor between Farmer and College could be a very successful commercial link between ASU and downtown with the athletic facilities, transit center, and municipal services... so, it's a shame to see it continue to struggle. The City Hall garage has done well in its leasing efforts, but it's telling that the Residence Inn has yet to land an on-site restaurant/bar tenant in 4+ years. It's kind of a chicken-or-the-egg problem, because having brewpubs at the TCC, 5c Studios, and in the Residence Inn could create enough of a cluster to drive enough foot traffic over that way.

The dead zones created by the Towers, Municipal Complex, City Hall park, and Mission Palms parking lot probably do more to prevent 5th from being more of an urban street. The Towers' residents have no reason to head that direction, the Mission Palms' guests are more likely to walk out toward Mill, etc. The Towers are long overdue for a renovation, but I also think the City uses sprawled about the area need to be consolidated. It would be great to see the long-awaited Tempe Convention Center built adjacent to the TCC with a sustainability-oriented hotel like an Element. Really, ANY use other than a jail and court would seem to be a better complement to the Transit Center which is fantastically designed on top of being an important hub.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

OTOH, did Citrine not reopen? When it closed, the owner mentioned it coming back with a new menu, etc. If it is indeed closed for good, that's a real shame, as I think that brings the retail occupancy of the transit center from 100% a year ago to 0%. The 5th Street corridor between Farmer and College could be a very successful commercial link between ASU and downtown with the athletic facilities, transit center, and municipal services... so, it's a shame to see it continue to struggle. The City Hall garage has done well in its leasing efforts, but it's telling that the Residence Inn has yet to land an on-site restaurant/bar tenant in 4+ years. It's kind of a chicken-or-the-egg problem, because having brewpubs at the TCC, 5c Studios, and in the Residence Inn could create enough of a cluster to drive enough foot traffic over that way.

The dead zones created by the Towers, Municipal Complex, City Hall park, and Mission Palms parking lot probably do more to prevent 5th from being more of an urban street. The Towers' residents have no reason to head that direction, the Mission Palms' guests are more likely to walk out toward Mill, etc. The Towers are long overdue for a renovation, but I also think the City uses sprawled about the area need to be consolidated. It would be great to see the long-awaited Tempe Convention Center built adjacent to the TCC with a sustainability-oriented hotel like an Element. Really, ANY use other than a jail and court would seem to be a better complement to the Transit Center which is fantastically designed on top of being an important hub.

Citrine is still closed with no notice of when, if ever, it will reopen. For all the reasons you note, 5th Street doesn't have the same volume of pedestrian traffic as either College or Mill. In addition, the volume of bus traffic in and out of the transportation center may reduce the appeal of patio dining in that location. That may be part of the problem for the two restaurants that have failed there. There was also a short-lived tea shop next to Citrine. It was hidden from the street and never seemed to have any customers when I passed by.

[azsunsurfer]

I'm sure ASU will eventually partner with a private developer to come up with a regeneration scheme for the towers. it's probably not high on the priority list. I believe those businesses should flourish once all surrounding sides of the transit center are regenerated with retail opportunities. It will be an exciting area especially for games and events.

[MegaBass]

After a long wait, Palo Verde Main dorm gets an upgrade

Cranes invade the picture-perfect Tempe skyline and the sound of trucks and drills fill the air as ASU prepares to take on the $120 million project of rebuilding freshman dormitory Palo Verde Main.

PV Main, located on the north side of campus, serves as the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering's housing complex for freshman students. Matthew Brown, executive director and assistant vice president of University Housing and Dining Services, said that the need for renovations to PV Main were long overdue.

“It was part of a strategic plan to look at long-time facilities needs,” Brown said. “We’re very excited to offer more housing options for students and modernize our housing.”

Brown said the engineering schools have grown significantly over the past several years. Due to limited space, ASU moved many freshman engineering students to University Towers, which is off-campus housing near the University.

He said he hopes to have the towers shift back to upperclassman housing and have PV East eventually transition to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Brown said the look of PV Main will be aesthetically similar to the freshman complex Manzanita Hall and will have two bedrooms with two students in each room, connected by one bathroom.

“We think it’s a real popular floor plan that students like," Brown said. “We want freshmen to connect with their peers and have a more collaborative experience.”

In order to bring the vision to life, ASU is partnering with American Campus Communities, which has helped plan and build other ASU housing complexes like Barrett, the Honors College and Vista del Sol.

Vice President of Management Services at ACC Michael Polzin said PV Main will house more than 1,500 students, making it the biggest housing complex on the Tempe campus. The dorm will feature multiple amenities, including a multipurpose engineering space.

“This facility will feature E-Space, which is a 3,500 square foot maker lab outfitted with resources that specifically cater to the needs of the Fulton Schools students,” Polzin said in an email. “Student amenities include study spaces, communal kitchens, lounges, a private courtyard, bike parking and a fitness area.”

Despite many changes being made to the Palo Verde area on campus, many things like PV Beach and the P.O.D. Market will remain the same.

Although excited about the new complex, biomedical engineering sophomore Wanda Sihanath said she'll miss the some of the older aspects to the dorm.

“What I miss about PV Main is Devil's Greens and Devil’s Dinner,” Sihanath said. “It was the best food on campus. I definitely miss it now that it’s gone.”

Sihanath said she hopes to see a new gym, better bathroom quality and improved elevators in the new engineering complex because she will be living there when it opens in fall 2017.

“I’m very excited especially because I work with the engineering residential community,” Sihanath said. “I’m really excited to get to live there.”

Hmm, for the Towers sake you would think they would want to something with it to keep it up with Vista del Sol for upperclassmen. Same deal with Cholla.

[Jjs5056]

I don't see much, if anything, being done by ASU at this point... yes, somewhere like Vista del Sol offers a more modern mixed-use environment, but the Towers are adjacent to SDS, College Ave, the TCC, and just beyond Mill Ave. I think they'd be quite content keeping some ASU offices on the ground level and sending residents off to Mill for retail needs.

At some point, you'd think the city would try and collaborate with ASU in fulfilling the many promises it makes to improve its connection with downtown. It seems like a no-brainer to have a plan for 5th Street as it is the only major E-W connection between Rural and Farmer, but it's obvious the talk of extending downtown beyond Mill and of ASU using College Ave to transition the campus to the city was just... talk.

Ensuring the Towers are renovated again just seems like a no-brainer. They're adjacent to SDS and the TCC, and connect City Hall garage and Residence Inn with College Ave. Retail nearby has struggled with the lack of permanent residential foot traffic and gaps in the urban design of the street... and, there's continued demand for multifamily downtown. Given their age, renovating them into apartments should still allow them to be priced at a more affordable level which would provide new living opportunities. The ground level already has space for retail, which could be further expanded onto the large setbacks to create continuous frontage on 5th from College to Mill on the south side. The old PAC across the street is being turned into an incubator - office space for those businesses that receive funding could be added along Forrest or 6th Street.

This site would have an amazing project on it in any other urban college town. Tempe has to have the least amount of non-F&B retail of any college city I have ever seen... obviously TMP changed that dynamic for good, but why not an urban Target so close to many residential towers and across from the TCC? An Apple store or Best Buy Express next to College Ave Commons? Trader Joe's where that awful Cox building is on 5th/Maple? A Marshalls/TJMaxx/HomeGoods in the Brickyard? Surely, downtown can still offer the chance to purchase at least a decent amount of goods, but the infrastructure and catalyst need to be there... so, why not start with 5th St and College?

[ASUSunDevil]

http://azbex.com/tempe-advances-80m-pier-mixed-use-project/