Tempe Development Thread

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

I think the arena will definitely be in the Athletic district. How could it not be? At this point it would be too contradictory to have the newest athletics facility not located within the new district.

I'd like to see them place it at the SEC of Rio Salado and Rural, where Packard Stadium is today. That would spur development on the remaining three corners of that intersection and in my opinion would have the greatest ROI. Plus, I don't believe new parking would have to be built. Although I'm not sure what would happen if ASU Football and the Yotes played on the same night.

You could very well be right, but you have to remember that the "Stadium District" is just a name for what is essentially a real-estate megaproject for ASU to use for funds. The highrise offices and multifamily housing shown are clearly not athletic uses. So, the goal isn't to concentrate athletic venues as much as possible; it's to attract as much investment as possible.

Also, the City of Tempe is very much part of whatever happens with the Coyotes, and if built in the Stadium District, they'd be forfeiting taxes they would receive outside of it.

ASU owns empty land that is not accruing revenue on Mill/University, and the City would be happy to see it developed for the taxes and for its impact on downtown. Both entities see the benefits of a convention center coming to town and this location could fit such an addition.

Can you see why it's worth at least considering? ASU loses out on potential District fees for its funding pool; that's about the only drawback, and is less of an issue than Tempe giving up tax revenue.

[azsunsurfer]

The Maxwell was pulled from the upcoming DRC agenda lolol

[PHXFlyer11]

But did you see... https://www.tempe.gov/Home/ShowDocument?id=38860

[azsunsurfer]

Lemon Street? Nothing new here. That was approved about 2 years ago. City of Tempe adjusting one of their maps as the result of the re-zoning.....

[Jjs5056]

The Lemon project, like most others on that agenda, have let their approved entitlements expire. That is why the applicant is the City - the owner has not pulled permits within the required timeframe, so zoning thus reverts to what is was beforehand.

Also, the area east of Rural and north of Apache is the perfect place for a concentration of dense student housing. For one, it already exists in lower intensity apartments, so why not replace them with more urban projects that hold more capacity? Two, students can afford the extra walk to campus or to mass transit... save properties directly on the light rail for older residents, disabled residents, seniors, etc. Three, unlike Mill, Apache, and College, these roads have no future as commercial corridors, so building single-use projects that empty out over the summer would limit the impact of seasonality in the more important areas of commerce. Projects like University Village 2.0 and 1010 Lemon have the perfect amount of retail - enough for a restaurant or convenience store here or there.

I wonder what the owners of Postino and Snooze were told by ASU/Tempe when they agreed to open in the Annex, and how the seasonality of the population has impacted their bottom lines. The entire Annex was dead when I ate at Snooze in July; I haven't been during the school year - is it busy enough to balance out the summer months? I wonder how many businesses are hanging on in the hopes of the big ticket projects being built, similar to what happened before Centerpoint went under and several upscale businesses on Mill opened and closed. At least the City is creating a viable urban neighborhood adjacent to The Yard on the west end with The Lodge, Brewery @ 922 1st, and the live/work spaces in between. Hopefully, the two market rate projects on Farmer get built and then that will be the ideal mix for a downtown block: apartments, senior housing, townhomes, live/work, retail, restaurants...

RE: student housing/Maxwell, anyone know if any of these would be legal?
1) Requiring The Maxwell to deliver market rate residential, but allow them to have student-friendly policies like allowing co-signers, per-room rents, etc.
2) Requiring all residential projects in downtown or within 1/4 mile of LRT to contain a minimum of 20% market rate or owner-occupied units
3) Determine the ideal mix of housing types in downtown and along the LRT corridor; for example, 20% owner-occupied, 30% market rate rentals, 15% student housing, 15% affordable housing, 5% senior housing. If a type exceeds its target by 2%, freeze approval of any new proposed developments.

Yes, I know, free market... socialism... I just want Tempe to look like something in between the 2007 renderings and today's. Most college towns do... I don't see why the largest school in the nation should have such a shitty backdrop with nothing but fast food around.

[Jjs5056]

Yes, I said the 1st Street/Farmer area is turning out well (The Yard, Lodge, Press Coffee..); and, I was trying to say somewhere along the line that it will be hard for Postino and Snooze to stay open esp considering the recent closures nearby. The rest of the places you mentioned are fine, and what I said was obviously hyperbole. Of course, it isn't 100% fast food. But, Foundation, University House, Gateway, etc. are pretty much 80-100% filled with fast food.

And no, I don't expect fine dining - I expect a grocery store, at least ONE store where men can purchase clothing, a place where men and women can buy professional attire, where men can buy shoes, where one can purchase books, furnish your apartment, get your suit dry cleaned, buy electronics.... attractions not completely dedicated to alcohol consumption: comedy clubs, bowling alleys, dance venues...

But, yes, most college towns do have these things. University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Cal Berkeley... even Rutgers.

Marina Heights was a great thing for Tempe, and most of the lakefront development has been really good. And, like I said, the west side has some cool neighborhoods. I only rant because I like cities, I like Tempe, I have liked many projects that have been canceled, I hate many projects that have been approved, and I just think it could be a more interesting place especially with the size of the campus and all the new employees coming in. I'm not running for council - I am just saying what I would like to see.

[combusean]

I deleted some posts about allegations of political leanings on certain individuals.

Please try to keep that sort of thing out of here. SSP is a politics-free zone.

[azsunsurfer]

Originally Posted by combusean

I deleted some posts about allegations of political leanings on certain individuals.

Please try to keep that sort of thing out of here. SSP is a politics-free zone.

Agreed! Thank you!

[muertecaza]

February construction update:

http://www.tempe.gov/home/showdocument?id=38886

Not too much new. Chase garage addition has received a building permit. McClintock Station and the Apache CVS have applied for building permits, which is good. Good to bring more bodies and a little more retail to Apache/McClintock.

[phoenixwillrise]

You have got to be kidding me. Some clown in Tempe decided it was a great idea to drain the lake during the heart of the tourist season. Are you freaking kidding me? They are going to have it drained from Feb 10th thru April. Why did they not schedule their construction accordingly doing the draining of the lake in the middle of the summer when no one is around?
Where do they find these amateurs?

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by phoenixwillrise

You have got to be kidding me. Some clown in Tempe decided it was a great idea to drain the lake during the heart of the tourist season. Are you freaking kidding me? They are going to have it drained from Feb 10th thru April. Why did they not schedule their construction accordingly doing the draining of the lake in the middle of the summer when no one is around?
Where do they find these amateurs?

ware are you getting this information?

[MegaBass]

Originally Posted by Obadno

ware are you getting this information?

Tempe Town Lake To Be Drained As Next Phase Of Dam Replacement Begins

Officials in Tempe are preparing for the next phase of the Tempe Town Lake dam replacement project. Crews are on schedule to remove the lake water on Feb. 10.

The water will be pumped into an Salt River Project canal on the north side of the lake where it will be stored until about the end of April.

While the lake is drained, crews will be removing the previous rubber bladder dam system and performing other lake maintenance.

Tempe city officials said they are taking steps to remove as many fish as possible before any water is drained. They also plan to treat for mosquitoes and other insects.

Construction for the new dam began in the summer of 2014. The dam is expected to last more than 50 years.

[exit2lef]

Here's a video about the upcoming drainage of the lake. There's no real explanation of why the dates were chosen, though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeYpjlnoawE

[azsunsurfer]

Yeah I forgot about that! My Rowing Club told me which is why I am not doing the Spring season!

[exit2lef]

I talked to someone who does triathlons about this. She made a good point that I hadn't thought about. Apparently, athletic events that involve swimming in Town Lake start in May and then become more prevalent in the late summer and fall. That makes sense in terms of water temperature. By proceeding with the drainage now, the lake can be refilled in time for those events. The downside is that tourists here for spring training and people attending festivals at Tempe Beach Park will see a dry riverbed.

[PHX31]

I'm interested to see what kind of junk has been thrown into the lake.

There is a canal in Paris they drain and clean periodically. They find unbelievable stuff cars, bicycles, mopeds, etc.

[azsunsurfer]

There is a proper construction trailer on the site of The Jefferson the other day. Glad to see it go vertical.

Looks like the owner of the awkward lot on the SW corner of 5th and Hardy is trying to sell the land along with the entitlements/ construction drawings of the townhouse development to another developer. Hopefully someone bites....

[exit2lef]

I went for a walk around Tempe Town Lake yesterday. I wanted to see it up close before the big drain started. On the north side, just west of the marina, I noticed some big pumps and two big hoses leading away from them. They went under the 202 and then towards the Crosscut Canal. My guess is the water will start flowing through those hoses this week as it slowly leaves the lake.

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

February construction update:

http://www.tempe.gov/home/showdocument?id=38886

Not too much new. Chase garage addition has received a building permit. McClintock Station and the Apache CVS have applied for building permits, which is good. Good to bring more bodies and a little more retail to Apache/McClintock.

Speaking of Apache/McClintock, it's too bad that Grigio was allowed to convert ALL of its retail into residential amenities. One denser housing is built, it would have been nice to have some restaurants and such next to a station.


The CVS is pretty disappointing. That intersection could have used at least one decent corner, and the hotel next door is fairly suburban as well - though, I am impressed by it being converted into a Moxy hotel. Tempe is doing well with boutique and lifestyle brands with this, AC Marriott, Kimpton, and Aloft.

The CVS on Mill served as an almost official border to downtown, which really could have extended a bit south. But, with Chase being built and now all of the single-story renovations being done (Blaze Pizza, Chik Fil-A years ago), it's unlikely that even midrise projects will be proposed on the south side of Uni.

The Barmeier Building - 5th street and Maple - is totally vacant and for lease. Being such an eyesore and underutilized lot, I wish the City could just purchase the thing and get a decent infill project in there. At the very least, I hope a decent tenant moves in vs. the pattern of smoke shops, and that they will be allowed to make exterior modifications - visible entrance, storefront windows, etc. I'd love to see the front parking lot turned into a plaza as well; it's a dangerous curb-cut.

[PHXFlyer11]

Hopefully the 13-story project doesn't get scaled back to community opposition. Although, if they are arguing against "luxury condos" then I don't see an issue and the DRC should easily pass this proposal since these are apartments!