Phoenix Development News (3)

[Vicelord John]

too complicated to read from a drive by.

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by Vicelord John

too complicated to read from a drive by.

one word "Willo" (or two in the case of Encanto Palmcroft and FQ Story) in 10-12 foot high letters and the year the neighborhood was established is too complicated to read from a drive by?

[Vicelord John]

You're talking about neighborhood history, cactus gardens, and things you would generally find in the middle of a park, not roadside.

[Leo the Dog]

I agree with VLJ. The unique neighborhood signs should cross over the street, so it is nearly impossible not to know what area you have just entered.

[PHX31]

I think it's pretty obvious the intention is for motorists to see the "obelisks" on each corner and just the name of the 'hood, not read everything on the obelisk... then for the patrons/pedestrians on each corner to be the ones to read the history, see the information, and know what neighborhoods they are adjacent too.

A structure over the road wouldn't be able to explain anything correctly because McDowell and 7th Avenue split through each neighborhood. Each structure would have to have all four names of the neighborhoods on it. For example, if there was an arch from the Pei Wei over to the Circle K... heading west as you see the arch, on the left side of the arch would read FQ Story on the right side would read Encanto Palmcroft, then heading east as you see the arch on the left side would read Willo and on the right side would read Roosevelt. Way too confusing.

Hoover, maybe your "obelisks" could be in a crescent shape to sort of "frame" the neighborhood... with the ends of the crescent extending on a plane abstractly outlining the boundaries of each neighborhood. On the rounded side facing the street would be the large letters of the neighborhood's name. On the inner crescent side you could have all the info you mentioned before.

[HooverDam]

EDIT: ^^ Yes thanks, you got what I was going for. Yah I'm not married to what I drew, anything sort of vertical and on each corner would work I think. I'm all for them being unique and representing the neighborhoods as much as possible. If that meant each 'hood used different materials, colors, etc. they thought represented them, that would be great. Where possible it would be great to plant a few character trees near them as well that represent the neighborhood (this would be especially easy to do for the FQ Story sign which I imagine would sit on that little grass patch on the corner).

Originally Posted by Vicelord John

You're talking about neighborhood history, cactus gardens, and things you would generally find in the middle of a park, not roadside.

Re-read and look at what I posted please

The big part that would say the neighborhood name would face into the intersection so motorists could see it. The more detailed level of intricacy would be on the other sides, facing pedestrians and be for them to enjoy while waiting to cross, going in and out of stores, etc.

Originally Posted by Leo the Dog

I agree with VLJ. The unique neighborhood signs should cross over the street, so it is nearly impossible not to know what area you have just entered.

Normally I'd agree, but that doesn't work in this application.

Are you going to put a "Welcome to Willo" sign above 7th Ave for those heading Northbound? Because thats not accurate. 7th Ave is the border between Encanto Palmcroft and Willo, so it doesn't work.

All 4 neighborhoods meet at a point at 7th Ave/McDowell, so you have to have some kind of signage that works with that geography, its like the 4 corners area.

What you're talking about (and again, I'm all for in other places) would work great for say the Coronado Neighborhood. I'd love a sign that arches across Oak Street at 7th St as you enter that neighborhood. Likewise it could work going down McDowell over in the "Miracle Mile". Similar things could be done as one enters Midtown and Uptown (once those borders are firmly and officially defined), etc.

[Leo the Dog]

Yeah that intersection doesn't make any sense for overhead signs because like you said, many neighborhoods merge in the area. Perhaps, the city should name the intersection after a long time influential local. ie: 7th Ave/McDowell = "_____" Square.

I was just saying in general, neighborhood identity signs would work better if they hung over the roadway versus a monument style on the side of the road.

The problem is, Phoenix doesn't really have too many main street type pedestrian areas where an overhead sign would make sense.

[pbenjamin]

The controversial Willo "streetscape" project treats 3rd Ave. from the south and 5th Ave. from the north as the gateways into Willo. There used to be a PDF of what was proposed posted on the Willo website but it doesn't seem to be there any more. I think there was some form of signage involved.

[nickw252]

Anyone know what this 4 floor (and higher?) building at 3rd Street and McDowell is?

[phxSUNSfan]

Originally Posted by nickw252

Anyone know what this 4 floor (and higher?) building at 3rd Street and McDowell is?

It's a prison; a.k.a. a modern Arizona school building. Not sure if it is a charter or private school though.

[pbenjamin]

Arizona School for the Arts, a charter school.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

Arizona School for the Arts, a charter school.

Thanks.

Apparently it will look like this:



It certainly isn't the prettiest building I've ever seen.

http://azremagazine.com/new-market/e...l-for-the-arts

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by nickw252

Thanks.

Apparently it will look like this:



It certainly isn't the prettiest building I've ever seen.

http://azremagazine.com/new-market/e...l-for-the-arts

It should be noted that ASA is a performing arts school, not a visual arts school.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

It should be noted that ASA is a performing arts school, not a visual arts school.

Maybe it should be a school for the blind

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by HooverDam

Thinking about the 7th Ave/McDowell renovations and this article I wrote a while back...

It would be nice if each of the corners there had some kind of monument sine noting the adjacent neighborhoods. Four very well establish historic neighborhoods meet at that intersection, which is interesting/unusual in my estimation and that should be noted. If each corner had some kind of vertical monument sign that said "FQ Story", "Willo", "Encanto Palmcroft" and "Roosevelt" I think that would be nice.

Hoover... I read the article and thoroughly enjoyed it (and the comments).

Originally Posted by nickw252

I'm all for it as long as it doesn't look like the shitty and fake insignia at the entrances of all new subdivisions. This isn't "Del Boca Vista Phase II Condo Association" for fuck's sake.

Haha hilarious. I see you've had your humor "on." Humor is good. Contrasts nicely with the Vicelord John.

As for neighborhood signage, I'm mixed. Not without merit but sounds like a nightmare to get folks to agree on what, how and where. Certainly worth further thought.

[TakeFive]

So I've been familiar with both places on some level since the 1070's. Lived near Camelback and 7th Street for a period in the mid-eighties. I liken them to a race between
the tortoise and the hare to some degree. Both have had boom/bust periods. But when Phoenix gets it mojo going it's like a space rocket.

I can recall when there was an anti (City of) Denver mood: White flight, growing suburbanism, shiny new suburban office parks, freeways to new developments waay out there.
The anti-Denver movement included a state law that (effectively) prevented Denver from further annexation. It was then landlocked, isolated and a bit forlorn.
(The one exception being to build the new Denver International Airport)

Phoenix, of course, has been "lavished" by sprawl.

The attitude towards Denver softened in the late 80's into the 90's. The siting of Coors Field was huge. Then the city was enhanced by the decision to build a new Bronco stadium at its current site instead of
going outside the city. Finally, from a sports angle, a Wal-Mart descendant's hubby sited and built the new Pepsi Center downtown on his dime (which was a good business decision).

So far as its urban core Phoenix is a decade or two behind Denver. By way of keeping pace, though, Phoenix does now have light rail, its own new/expanded convention center and hotel as well
as some other neat stuff. Just as important, I sense Phoenix has caught "the bug," a progressive urbanism bug.

[TakeFive]

Phoenix has a lot of great neighborhoods and over the last decade or so, there has been a resurgence in living "in the city" and a rediscovery of it historical areas. I think an enhanced clarity
of its different neighborhoods will become more noticeable as the downtown core continues to build out and with continued appreciation for city living.

I enthusiastically agree with phxSUNSfan that the city needs to do much much more with street improvements and enhancements both in the downtown and in the surrounding neighborhoods.


Denver has always been know by its neighborhoods, except I'm not sure people much cared until all the revitalization occurred. One rather large neighborhood that is well known is called Highlands.
Recently they've added the moniker LoHi for the lower part. A long proud immigrant history from Italians and Irish to Hispanics. It also had many of Denver's Grande Dames of historic houses
along with bungalows, Tudors, Denver Squares and cottages. The whole neighborhood was itself a mixing bowl.

Gentrification started in the late 1980's in Highlands. The housing crash allowed younger couples (and others) to move into the area. As time went by,
you started getting more renovation. It also led to more density in areas appropriate for that.

After a couple of decades of urban love this area looks much different. Its ongoing but it now looks cleaned up and dressed up.
If you'd like to view just a few pics from a fav. photag of the results....
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=9324

To get a better sense of what phxSUNSfan envisions as it looks in Denver try this one minute video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz2We-hJxO8

Give Phoenix a couple of more decades, I suspect you'll be amazed. I can visualize Vicelord John, combusean and the rest of you clowns sitting around jabbering when someone says:
"I wonder whatever happened to TakeFive... he promised that all this would happen."

[Classical in Phoenix]

In defense of my daughter's school, ASA, I kinda like the building.

[Phxguy]

Found this...
http://azremagazine.com/new-market/m...-cancer-center
My computer won't allow me to paste it directly

[HX_Guy]

Nice find, looks like it's built up to the sidewalk, I like it.

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA CANCER CENTER

Developer: City of Phoenix
General contractor: Hensel Phelps
Architect: ZGF Architects
Location: NWC of Seventh and Fillmore streets, Phoenix
Size: 250,000 SF

The $135M, 6-story UA Cancer Center will be the latest addition to Downtown Phoenix’s Biomedical Campus. UA will partner with St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and provide inpatient care and clinical operations. Expected start and completion dates: 4Q 2011 to 1Q 2014.