Tempe Development Thread

[muertecaza]

More coverage of 20 sorry senior tower proposed for Mill/Myrtle:

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/asu-...ving-new-meaning-to-senior-class-8400415

Arizona State University plan to lease land for a 20-story, senior-housing project on a high-profile site in downtown Tempe.

"Mirabella" is the latest plan for another mini-skyscraper in the college town east of Phoenix, which has seen a construction boom in recent years. And it's another chance for ASU to make use of land that nearly ended up as a conference center and home for USA Basketball last year before the lofty plans fell apart.

The senior-living project is a $200-million, 1.5-acre tower complex slated for the southwest corner of University Drive and Myrtle Avenue, just east of University and Mill Avenue, records show. It would take up part of a 10-acre parcel of ASU land that the school has tried for years to improve...

By 2020, according to an April 18 press release that flew under the radar of local news media, Mirabella could be home to hundreds of occupants living in "291 independent, assisted, memory-care and skilled-nursing units" in the double-tower complex. "The facility will engage older alumni and retired faculty, staff and friends by providing lifelong learning, a continuum of health-care services for aging adults and an environment rich in performing arts, social, athletic and research activities."

Eighty percent of the residential area would be apartment units, and the rest would be assisted-living units.

The nonprofit ASU Foundation and Oregon-based Pacific Retirement Services company will develop the project.

On Wednesday, the 10-member Board of Regents approved ASU's lease request in a special meeting at Northern Arizona University, allowing the project to move forward.

If the 500,000-square-foot complex takes shape, it will have "extensive amenities," including on-site physicians, a fitness center, a 5,000-square-foot restaurant and underground parking. Mirabella also would offer residents estate planning, educational and mentoring opportunities, concierge services, and an intergenerational child-care program...

The plan is in an early phase, with a marketing and feasibility study still under way, says university spokeswoman Elizabeth Giudicessi.

The project will advance only upon "proof of financial feasibility, committed funding and an acceptable delivery schedule for the senior housing product," records show. A 99-year lease would be based on a value of $85 per square foot. The records indicate that ASU sees the plan as a potential money-maker: In the current favorable market, the school anticipates "financial returns with little debt and maximum cash flow."

...Giudicessi was unable to immediately say whether the senior project means that USA Basketball, the organization that governs non-professional basketball and selects teams for the Olympics, might still move its headquarters to Tempe. The $350 million-plus USA Place project was announced by USA Basketball chair and sports mogul Jerry Colangelo in 2014, but negotiations fell apart in January 2015 when the hoops group failed to deposit an earnest-money payment.

ASU still wants to turn the rest of the old strip mall and parking lot into a hotel and conference center, the Mirabella records show.

[exit2lef]

Senior living? It should be interesting to see the reaction. I remember the hysteria a few years ago about a very small amount of age-restricted living proposed in the Roosevelt Row area of Phoenix.

[ASUSunDevil]

I posted this in the Tempe thread because the bold sections make me think the arena will be built in Tempe. "Organization" makes me think ASU, and "real-estate project" makes me think Athletic District. Also have to think that Salt River leaders would have some involvement if it were going there, but who knows...

Sarah McLellan - The Republic - azcentral.com

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Arizona Coyotes have identified a location for a new arena in the Phoenix area but expect to be playing at Gila River Arena in Glendale through the 2018-19 season, President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said Friday in Buffalo ahead of the NHL draft.

"We're not at liberty to disclose the site at this point, but we are moving forward and are actually in the process of trading legal documentation between us and the organizations we are working with," LeBlanc said. "We anticipate getting that done over the next several weeks."

Once the Coyotes finalize a real-estate agreement, they plan to reveal the site, potential partners looking to utilize the arena and what else the facility may feature, with LeBlanc anticipating the announcement coming this summer. The arena will be financed in a "public-private" fashion, LeBlanc said, with more than 50 percent contributed privately by the Coyotes.

"What we are going to be approaching this is with a concept of not looking for taxpayer dollars," he said. "Are we looking for some form of refund of sales tax generated? Perhaps. Those are preliminary discussions we had with the state legislature a couple months ago."

Uncertainty about where the Coyotes will play beyond next season has loomed ever since Glendale nixed its 15-year agreement with the Coyotes more than a year ago. The two sides were able to sign a two-year deal to keep the Coyotes in the West Valley for the interim, but team brass has been exploring other options, with Tempe, Phoenix and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community considered possible landing spots for the Coyotes.

"I can’t get into specifics of the actual location," LeBlanc said. "But it comes down to, it's morphed into more of a real-estate project than an arena project, which obviously a number of the sites that we looked at had that potential."

The Coyotes do have backup plans should this deal fizzle, but LeBlanc said the team is committed to this site.

While the team pursues a new venue, LeBlanc envisions the team playing two more seasons after the 2016-17 campaign in Glendale, and discussions with AEG Facilities, which manages Gila River Arena, have begun on an extension with the two sides meeting this week. But LeBlanc said there isn't a rush to get a new deal done at this time since the Coyotes are already set up to play at the arena for the upcoming season.

"We’re expecting a full three years additional at Gila River Arena before we'd be in a position to skate in a new facility," he said.

Earlier Thursday, newly signed defenseman Alex Goligoski made his own pronouncement concerning the Coyotes' home ice during a telephone interview with the hosts of the SportsNet program "Hockey Central."

Goligoski said uncertainty about the Coyotes' future weighed on him before he met the team's executives in Arizona.

"I mean obviously, that was a major concern of mine. That was put to rest very early in the time I was there," the former Dallas Stars player said.

"I think I might have a scoop that you guys maybe don't have, so you guys will know more, I think, in the coming weeks here," Goligoski said. "They made me feel very comfortable about that situation."

The Coyotes have played at Gila River Arena since 2003, but the team's investors have been seeking a new arena elsewhere in the Valley.

Coyotes executives have been involved in discussions with representatives for Phoenix, Arizona State University and various American Indian tribes, according to previous statements by LeBlanc.

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community official Gary Bohnee said he was aware of discussions among individual land owners and developers about a potential Coyotes-related development in the area of the defunct Scottsdale 6 drive-in movie theater on the Salt River Reservation.

Salt River's leaders are not involved, said Bohnee, tribal special assistant for legislative affairs.

"It's not a role that the government has, because it's private property," he said. "Maybe down the road, if there are plans that come to fruition that require the government to act in terms of infrastructure requirements or just making sure there's conformance with existing ordinances."

The Coyotes have been looking for a new venue since losing a 15-year contract to operate Gila River Arena last year.

Glendale cancelled the deal, claiming conflicts of interest by former City Attorney Craig Tindall and former Assistant City Manager Julie Frisoni, who both left the city's employment and went to work for the Coyotes.

The contract had paid the Coyotes $15 million a year and required the team to make partial reimbursements to the city based on revenue generated at the arena. The reimbursements failed to meet projections.

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by ASUSunDevil

I posted this in the Tempe thread because the bold sections make me think the arena will be built in Tempe. "Organization" makes me think ASU, and "real-estate project" makes me think Athletic District. Also have to think that Salt River leaders would have some involvement if it were going there, but who knows...

The more I think about it the more I like Tempe as a location. It's too bad Hockey is played during the school year, because it would be great to have an economic driver in Tempe during the summer months. But regardless I think a stadium at Rural/Rio on the golf course would be an awesome primer for the planned athletic district developments.

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by ASUSunDevil

I posted this in the Tempe thread because the bold sections make me think the arena will be built in Tempe. "Organization" makes me think ASU, and "real-estate project" makes me think Athletic District. Also have to think that Salt River leaders would have some involvement if it were going there, but who knows...

Originally Posted by muertecaza

The more I think about it the more I like Tempe as a location. It's too bad Hockey is played during the school year, because it would be great to have an economic driver in Tempe during the summer months. But regardless I think a stadium at Rural/Rio on the golf course would be an awesome primer for the planned athletic district developments.

Well I like your theory but the local reports are saying that it's going to be on the old Scottsdale 6 Drive-In Site. If the partnership is with ASU, wouldn't it be built w/in the Athletics District borders?

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by airomero83

Well I like your theory but the local reports are saying that it's going to be on the old Scottsdale 6 Drive-In Site. If the partnership is with ASU, wouldn't it be built w/in the Athletics District borders?

The hockey boards have been stating the Scottsdale 6 site for the past week from an inside source. I'm going to guess this is probably accurate.

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by RonnieFoos

The hockey boards have been stating the Scottsdale 6 site for the past week from an inside source. I'm going to guess this is probably accurate.

Hmm. Not the biggest fan of sticking the arena between fields, a trailer park and a cemetery.

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

Hmm. Not the biggest fan of sticking the arena between fields, a trailer park and a cemetery.

Me neither. Problem with this location is it's pretty much only accessible by auto. Won't be a very good location to get by bus, foot, bike, no light-rail access, etc. Even though it's closer than Glendale, still the same problems as Westgate IMO.

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by RonnieFoos

Me neither. Problem with this location is it's pretty much only accessible by auto. Won't be a very good location to get by bus, foot, bike, no light-rail access, etc. Even though it's closer than Glendale, still the same problems as Westgate IMO.

Well Gambo from 98.7 AZ Sports just noted that he has sources saying it's going to be in the new Athletics District...so ASU partnership may indeed be in the works. But who knows?

[PHXFlyer11]

That's not accurate. Gambo is reporting it's Karsten on his show. He has really good sources and is almost never wrong.

[soled]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

He has really good sources and is almost never wrong.

Intentional or not, I haven't laughed out loud like this time at a post on any message board in a long time.

[MegaBass]

Umami ramen shop to return to Tempe this summer

When Jared Lupin was forced to close Umami in December, he vowed to reopen.

Now, he’s making good on his word.

Lupin said on Thursday that he has found backers for the downtown Tempe build-your-own ramen shop and expects to reopen this summer.

“(They) felt Umami was one of those things that needed to be on Mill (Avenue) and near Tempe,” Lupin explains. “They’re going to throw me in a space and we’re going to start cooking and probably be open by August.”

Though Lupin said he was unable to disclose the precise location, he said that it will be near the original Umami — previously at 21 E. Sixth St. — and that the new restaurant will be a significant upgrade.

Lupin won the space for the original Umami in a restaurant-startup contest put on by the building’s landlord and Salt Public Relations (now Awe Collective). Umami first opened in March 2013, but closed for financial reasons in December 2015.

The new Umami, according to Lupin, will seat 180 to 200 diners, or roughly double the capacity of the original. Though the menu will follow a similar format, the new location’s significantly upgraded kitchen will allow Lupin to offer more.

[nickw252]

I just saw this morning that the Grand at Papago went vertical recently. That should make a nice impact along the 202.

[ASU Diablo]

AZ Central article explaining why Tempe struck down both The Standard and The Maxwell

What the council wants

The mayor and council member Arredondo-Savage said they want to see more proposals for high-rises and would consider mixed-use developments that were a combination of hotels, residences, offices and retail space.

High rises are not a problem. But who and what occupies the skyward space in downtown Tempe, which aspires to an eclectic urban core, would affect future developments for decades, they said.

"People say I hate density," Arredondo-Savage said, referring to high-rises. "But when we're talking about an urban center, there is going to be density."

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/loca...-not-high-rise-student-housing/86185758/

[Jjs5056]

They had no problem OK-ing the massive student projects that line Apache, or for nixing dense projects like Farmer Arts which was being purposely built to attract professionals with its floor plans. Height and mixed-use are never encouraged - look at Hanover.

That said, good riddance; the fact nothing over 5 stories has been built for condos/apartments during this boom while several student towers have risen was a wasted opportunity as offices like HFL3 and Marina Heights fill up.

One tower adjacent to the Church next to a market rate, mixed-use tower to the north on College would be ideal; it's too bad that couldn't be arranged. But, had it gone through, all of College would be student-oriented, and with the project next t it on Forest/7th and The Standard, 7th Street would be well on its way. Hopefully, the College/7th and College/6th sites end up developed with retail that isn't a chain restaurant and with upper-level uses that will add diversity to a block that is the transit hub of the city.

[Jjs5056]

The senior tower is essentially a rip-off of the Villas at SouthBank, which noted its demographic being former students, etc. Safe to say that's dead. From a dense district with an Omni, conference center, events center, and the HQ for a USOC member team, to.. a senior housing tower. If ASU wanted the hotel/conference space badly enough, I have to assume they would make it happen. I wouldn't be surprised if it's eventually built in a transit inaccessible area in the Stadium District.

Oh, and that Whole Foods project is gross. A stumpy 9 stories of which most is parking, with a ground level that is nothing beyond a corner entrance into the store... there's nothing urban about that. And, I don't think there is enough year-round density to support any grocery, let alone a version of WholeFoods.

[TempeSilverFox]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

Oh, and that Whole Foods project is gross. A stumpy 9 stories of which most is parking, with a ground level that is nothing beyond a corner entrance into the store... there's nothing urban about that. And, I don't think there is enough year-round density to support any grocery, let alone a version of WholeFoods.

I think a major grocery store in that location (or nearby) would actually do very well. I used to live on First Street between Beck and Hardy and the area is by and large a "food desert" with the exception of that scary Rollins Market on Fifth and Beck and the Tempe Farmers Market on University and Farmer. The closest major grocery store is Safeway all the way over at Rural and Broadway.

I personally don't like Whole Foods at all though (WAY too expensive for me...) and I wish that downtown Tempe could attract a normal grocery store more like Safeway, Fry's and Bashas etc. But anything is better than nothing.

I just can't believe that Whole Foods is willing to relocate to downtown Tempe and give up their current location at Baseline and Rural which appears at least to be highly successful. It's quite a gamble - especially for a company that has not been performing all that well due to the fallout from their weights/ pricing scandals etc.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by TempeSilverFox

I think a major grocery store in that location (or nearby) would actually do very well. I used to live on First Street between Beck and Hardy and the area is by and large a "food desert" with the exception of that scary Rollins Market on Fifth and Beck and the Tempe Farmers Market on University and Farmer. The closest major grocery store is Safeway all the way over at Rural and Broadway.

I personally don't like Whole Foods at all though (WAY too expensive for me...) and I wish that downtown Tempe could attract a normal grocery store more like Safeway, Fry's and Bashas etc. But anything is better than nothing.

I just can't believe that Whole Foods is willing to relocate to downtown Tempe and give up their current location at Baseline and Rural which appears at least to be highly successful. It's quite a gamble - especially for a company that has not been performing all that well due to the fallout from their weights/ pricing scandals etc.

According to Tempe City Councilman Kolby Granville, the store will not be a traditional Whole Foods, but instead one of the new 365 stores. 365 is Whole Food's reasonably priced store brand, and giving this identity to certain stores is an attempt to reach a broader market.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/introducing-our-new-store-concept-365-whole-foods-market

[muertecaza]

July development projects update:

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

Most relevant updates seem to be

(1) a whole bunch of building permits officially issued for projects that already appeared to be under construction, including Jefferson, McClintock/Apache, Grand at Papago, and the Wedge (retail on Rural in old College Bookstore);

(2) Design review for the Foundry approved (which we knew); and

(3) Design review process started for "Watermark, Tempe" on the Hayden Harbor land on the north side of the lake by Audio Express. Proposal is 14.84 acres, with 656,041 building SF, 993 residential units, 281' max height, with multi-family and retail. Will be interesting to see how the proposal differs from the old Hayden Harbor proposal. For comparison though, the old proposal called for over 3,000,000 SF of retail, hotel, residential and office.

[Obadno]

IM confused. Did Tempe kill the Maxwell or the Foundry.... or both??

http://azbex.com/tempe-leaders-nix-high-rise-student-housing/

And in either case, WTF are they thinking?

Also looks like Liberty Trust is expanding to the NWC of Rio and Priest

http://azbex.com/office-parking-proposed-for-tempes-liberty-center/