Tempe Development Thread

[azsunsurfer]

So I was driving down Rural last night (on a side note I like the redevelopment of that old restaurant site south of the tracks) and I noticed that besides the College Store for sale sign- there was a sign near it for Davis....interesting....I wonder what they are "designing for that parcel. Speaking of Davis signs, does anyone know what Davis planned for that lot next to the APS station on University. There was a zoning sign for it awhile ago, not sure what was intended next to Chompies.

[MegaBass]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

So I was driving down Rural last night (on a side note I like the redevelopment of that old restaurant site south of the tracks) and I noticed that besides the College Store for sale sign- there was a sign near it for Davis....interesting....I wonder what they are "designing for that parcel. Speaking of Davis signs, does anyone know what Davis planned for that lot next to the APS station on University. There was a zoning sign for it awhile ago, not sure what was intended next to Chompies.

Speaking of Apache I haven't been able to read the banner for what they're building at the former Korean restaurant site in between Wendy's and Chevron.

Here's some photoset of Sun Devil Fitness Complex construction. Last Thursday ASU Business and Finance and Alumni Association mentioned on Twitter about their construction tour at Manzy. Removal of the landscaped rocky hill south of Ross-Blakley Law Library will make way for a service drive south of the Tempe campus bookstore. Bummer, Probably due to Terrace Road by ISTB IV and Biodesign becoming a pedestrian mall.

[phxSUNSfan]

Originally Posted by MegaBass

Removal of the landscaped rocky hill south of Ross-Blakley Law Library will make way for a service drive south of the Tempe campus bookstore. Bummer, Probably due to Terrace Road by ISTB IV and Biodesign becoming a pedestrian mall.

That is a great thing, IMO. Closing Terrace St./Orange St. and extending Orange Mall all the way to McAllister Ave. is long overdue. That is the last road that leads into the center of campus. It is dangerous with all the pedestrians, bicyclists, and skateboarders now.

[phxSUNSfan]

Tempe is now taking comments from the public through June 30 regarding the streetcar. You can comment and leave your opinion on the route the streetcar should take. The final decision will be made in the fall.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe...mpe-streetcar-route-input.html#protected

Link to survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CKX7MFJ

[Jjs5056]

Thanks. I voted Rio and essentially begged them to consider taking the Apache leg and moving it to extend Rio as east as possible, and terminate at Gammage.

I just don't understand how a city that usually gets it right when it comes to urban planning, is missing the mark entirely and wasting money on a system/route that is going to cannibalize the ridership and development opportunities of LRT.

We shouldn't be investing in a route whose only benefit is being an alternative to walking. Great- instead of walking from Mill/3rd LRT stop to go to PF Chang's, I can hop on the streetcar.

Meanwhile, extending to Rio and McClintock gives everyone who has access to light rail (by way of foot, bike, bus, park and ride, etc.) access to new amenities that are currently heavily skewed toward automobile use, like Tempe Marketplace, Karsten, sports complexes and all future potential lake development. Even going to Rural would at least open up transit options for those living just north of the lake. And, it's close enough to maybe influence development between Rural and McClintock - both the stadium district and SouthBank - both of which would be completely auto-dependent right now.

Finally, both suck at encouraging development. Apache is already seeing investment benefits east of Rural due to LRT, and there are hardly any lots left to the west. Even if there were, that investment would happen anyway because of ASU. Meanwhile, the empty lots on Rio that line would hit are already slated for development, but at least it hits both commercial and residential uses, something the Apache one doesn't (reaching residential only; students at that, who are apt to walk to bus or light rail to get to the places streetcar is serving). Though, again, people working at State Farm and considering public transit would almost definitely take light rail to 3rd/Mill and walk even if the streetcar didn't happen. So, again, just cannibalization until you get more to the east.

Sigh..... Sorry for repeating myself for the 100th time. If I am misunderstanding the purpose of streetcar, I am happy to learn!

[phxSUNSfan]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

Thanks. I voted Rio and essentially begged them to consider taking the Apache leg and moving it to extend Rio as east as possible, and terminate at Gammage.

I just don't understand how a city that usually gets it right when it comes to urban planning, is missing the mark entirely and wasting money on a system/route that is going to cannibalize the ridership and development opportunities of LRT.

Awesome, I voted for the C-shaped route as well. The possibility of extending the line to N. Mesa (Wrigleyville West) is very important. One thing I would point out is that the streetcar would not cannibalize LRT ridership because they do serve different purposes and areas. The streetcar is, of course, a more localized service and would benefit students on Apache wanting to get to Mill Ave and the Stadium (if the C-Shaped route gets built).

It would also benefit future and current residents and workers along Rio Salado who want to get to Mill quicker than walking would allow. The light rail is built to move faster over longer distances. The systems are supplemental; for instance, many living along Apache would likely take the streetcar to the nearest light rail station to get to Phoenix or to Mesa.

[Arquitect]

Originally Posted by phxSUNSfan

Awesome, I voted for the C-shaped route as well. The possibility of extending the line to N. Mesa (Wrigleyville West) is very important. One thing I would point out is that the streetcar would not cannibalize LRT ridership because they do serve different purposes and areas. The streetcar is, of course, a more localized service and would benefit students on Apache wanting to get to Mill Ave and the Stadium (if the C-Shaped route gets built).

It would also benefit future and current residents and workers along Rio Salado who want to get to Mill quicker than walking would allow. The light rail is built to move faster over longer distances. The systems are supplemental; for instance, many living along Apache would likely take the streetcar to the nearest light rail station to get to Phoenix or to Mesa.

Indeed, Streetcars are the lowest tier of what should be a three tier multimodal system. They are slow, and normally link smaller dense areas, they are fantastic for areas that are not yet developed, because they can link walkable corridors. But some of JJ's concerns are true, the street car could take pedestrians off from Mill. In my opinion, the benefit of getting more people in the area is greater that the lazy people that would just hop on the street car skipping most of Mill. Although, it could bring more pedestrians in summer, since people might be ok with the smaller walks. (It really depends how spread apart the stations are).

The other two tier are light rail and commuter rail. Spreading the light rail route is dumb, because its not fast enough. Instead having commuter rail cover the large distances allow light rail to be more flexible and precise. Therefore you would have commuter rail go from city to city, light rail from neighborhood to neighborhood, and streetcar as an interneighborhood/district mode system. In such a nodal city as ours, thinking of mass transit linearly is counter productive.

BTW- I voted for Apache/Rio too, and under my comments asked for the line to be extended past Dobson.

[ASUSunDevil]

Apache/Rio was an easy vote.

Julian Wright is doing great things for Mill Ave:

With Help From His New Partners, Julian Wright Is Taking Over Mill Avenue: Revitalizing Robbie Fox, Re-Opening Canteen as El Hefe Super-Macho Taqueria and Opening a Tiny New Speakeasy Called Nickel.

By Nikki Buchanan Tue., Jun. 4 2013 at 7:30 AM

You really do have to wonder if Mill Avenue mogul Julian Wright (who owns La Bocca Urban Pizzeria, Canteen Modern Tequila and The Handlebar on that street) ever sleeps. The restaurateur and CEO of Fork & Dagger Restaurant Group just opened Gringo Star Street Bar (also on Mill) not much more than two weeks ago, and earlier this spring, he debuted Modern Margarita in CityNorth.

And already, he has three more ideas for turning Tempe's main drag into the Wright Stuff. Here's how he plans to stay busy for the next few months.

Project One:

A few weeks ago (right around the time he was opening Gringo Star, in fact), Wright and his new 50-50 partners Ryan Hibbert, John Wright and Mike Troyan (who own El Hefe Super Macho Taqueria in Scottsdale) bought Robbie Fox's Public House, which they plan to revitalize.
Wright says he and his partners plan to "breathe new life" into Robbie Fox -- ironically, by taking it back to its original concept: an Irish pub. The first order of business? Scrap the DJ's for Irish bands. In fact, a band has been booked for this coming Saturday.

Meanwhile, the large menu (which, Wright says, was becoming more and more watered down from its original Irish inflection), will be reduced, featuring half Irish specialties and half American dishes. Recipes, he says, will also be tweaked for improvement.

He promises a nice brunch down the road and he's toying around with the idea of adding games as "something to keep people occupied." He says he and his partners will also do some renovating, possibly adding garage doors and opening up the small, seldom used front room. We're going to "throw more love" into the concept, Wright says, adding that they hope to roll out many of their ideas this very week.

"I love partnering with people and these guys are young and full of ideas," Wright says.

Project Two:

When Wright learned that the El Hefe boys were looking (to no avail) for the right space to open an El Hefe on Mill, he figured "if you can't lick 'em, join 'em" and invited them to partner with him on the space that currently houses his own Canteen Modern Tequila Bar. Canteen will close mid-July and re-open late September as El Hefe Super-Macho Taqueria, which Wright says will actually be a hybrid of the two restaurants. They want to keep the business clientele Wright had already earned at Canteen and to that end, they'll keep the vibe slightly more sophisticated, pouring over a million bucks into remodeling the space. If all goes well with the city, we can expect an expanded front patio as well as a whole other bar near the front entry, which will be re-configured. There will be new furniture throughout and cabanas on the back patio as well.

Project Three:

A month from now -- on July 3, to be exact -- Wright plans to have Nickel, a 1,000-square-foot speakeasy, rocking and rolling. Wedged between Gringo Star and the Valley Art, this venture (his own, without partners) will focus on live music (much of it acoustic, given the size of the venue), mixology and a 15-item menu with a decidedly Southern accent.

Wright plans to decorate around the historic building, bringing in antique furniture and custom lighting.

And here's some great news: Wright recently hired Mark Dow to be his corporate chef. Dow, who most recently worked at The Mint and before that at Aaron May's Iruña, has a great pedigree. He worked under Douglas Rodriguez as chef de cuisine at Deseo back in the early days, so he brings some chops to the table.

[TempeSilverFox]

Originally Posted by ASUSunDevil

Apache/Rio was an easy vote.

Julian Wright is doing great things for Mill Ave:

Where did find this information? It's great!

[ASUSunDevil]

Originally Posted by TempeSilverFox

Where did find this information? It's great!

Huh?

[Arquitect]

Originally Posted by ASUSunDevil

Huh?

You didn't include the source of the article, hence the confusion.

[phxSUNSfan]

Originally Posted by TempeSilverFox

Where did find this information? It's great!

He got it from Phoenix New Times:

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bella/2013/06/juilan_wright_with_a_little_he.php

[TempeSilverFox]

Originally Posted by phxSUNSfan

He got it from Phoenix New Times:

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bella/2013/06/juilan_wright_with_a_little_he.php

Sweet! Thank you

[Jjs5056]

Great news for Mill, and happy to see the variety of all the places described, so it isn't just a string of bars. Would love to see more passionate entrepreneurs like this for downtown.

Originally Posted by phxSUNSfan

Awesome, I voted for the C-shaped route as well. The possibility of extending the line to N. Mesa (Wrigleyville West) is very important. One thing I would point out is that the streetcar would not cannibalize LRT ridership because they do serve different purposes and areas. The streetcar is, of course, a more localized service and would benefit students on Apache wanting to get to Mill Ave and the Stadium (if the C-Shaped route gets built).

It would also benefit future and current residents and workers along Rio Salado who want to get to Mill quicker than walking would allow. The light rail is built to move faster over longer distances. The systems are supplemental; for instance, many living along Apache would likely take the streetcar to the nearest light rail station to get to Phoenix or to Mesa.

My concern isn't only cannibalization, but just being unnecessary. This students along Apache are making it to Mill ahd the stadium already- if it isn't by walking to light rail (typically, within about a mile), it's by walking, bus or bike. These residents already have quite a few options before resorting to a car; if this was just one area served, that would he totally fine. But, we are only getting such a small piece for this first stop that I think the focus should be elsewhere- gaining access to residents from areas without as many transit options currently, reaching attractions or amenities not already easily reached by any means but car, etc.

I totally agree that it should be supplemental. But, what about this line would make a resident in Mesa or near 19th avenue take the light rail when they wouldn't have otherwise? The route is hitting the exact same destinations: Mill Ave, ASU, SDS. The only benefit, as I mentioned, is easing their walk to the southern end of downtown.

Meanwhile, grabbing the part of the line that runs along Apache and using it to extend Rio further would allow the system to be truly supplemental. Terminating at Gammage (which I think is one important new stop; people aren't likely to light rail and walk in theatre clothing) still make it walkable to Apache residents if they feel it is more convenient than walking to light rail.

But, we would now give it purpose by reaching residents to the north way beyond light rail, commercial districts (once you get to Packard on Rio, I think you'd starting gaining workers who wouldn't walk that distance from 3rd/Mill), huge future mixed use residential and commercial development (SouthBank and Stadium District) and entertainment (Tempe Marketplace)... All of these places are currently hugely auto-centric, and the future developments won't be truly urban as they demand massive amounts of parking due to the lack of nearby transit.

[phxSUNSfan]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

My concern isn't only cannibalization, but just being unnecessary. This students along Apache are making it to Mill ahd the stadium already- if it isn't by walking to light rail (typically, within about a mile), it's by walking, bus or bike.

I totally agree that it should be supplemental. But, what about this line would make a resident in Mesa or near 19th avenue take the light rail when they wouldn't have otherwise? The route is hitting the exact same destinations: Mill Ave, ASU, SDS. The only benefit, as I mentioned, is easing their walk to the southern end of downtown.

This is just the start of the line. Putting it in along the busiest area of the city is an important first step. And really, there isn't another location that would make more sense especially given the fact that government funding relies heavily on ridership counts. This area gives the system the best chance for success and for more funding in the future. Remember, streetcars are very localized services, it isn't meant to benefit Mesa residents or residents in Phoenix unless they plan on going to Mill/Tempe for an event. The is no cannibalism going on with these systems and these systems are being built to stay ahead of growth. So while there might initially be less people walking, as the area continues to grow the streetcar will help ease congestion.

[nickw252]

Tempe - In a deal first reported by BREW in December 2012, The Hanover Co. in Houston, Tex. (J. Murry Bowden, CEO) has paid $7 million to buy a 2.76-acre parcel within the Centerpoint mixed-use project in Tempe that will allow the company to build 341 upscale multi-family units. The seller was Centerpoint Land LLC, a company formed by DMB Associates Inc. in Scottsdale (, pres.). As previously reported by BREW, The Hanover Co. agreed to buy the site contingent on zoning approval. Records show Mill Avenue Apartments LP (The Hanover Co. entity) paid cash for the land, which is located at the southwest corner of Maple Avenue and Fifth Street. The sale was brokered by Brent Moser, Mike Sutton and Brooks Griffith of Cassidy Turley in Phoenix. The parcel, which is now utilized as a public parking lot, is immediately northeast of the incredibly popular West Sixth towers multi-family rental units. Those 22- and 30-story structures have a combined 375 units in both buildings. The Hanover Co. will develop a six-story structure with 341 apartments and a parking garage with 711 spaces. Of those, 440 stalls will be used by residents of the apartments and 271 spaces will replace the number of public stalls that currently occupy the 2.76 acres. Sources say the cost to replace the existing parking spaces is more than $4 million and that was figured into the sales price. Hanover wants to start construction this summer, with an opening to follow 21 months later. The urban living developer has hired Wallace Garcia of Houston to design the project. Plans call for one- and two-bedroom units ranging from about 550 sq. ft. to 1,200 sq. ft. Hanover will be the general contractor. Development cost (land and buildings) estimated at $65+million. Sources say State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. in Bloomington, Ill. will be a financial partner in the project with The Hanover Co. Get more from Eric Kenney of Hanover at (480) 505-3377. Talk to Freericks at (480) 367-7000. The Cassidy Turley agents are at (602) 954-9000.

BREWAZ

I don't see any information on the Hanover website about this development.

[MegaBass]

Wells Fargo at the MU is relocating to 20 East University Drive.

[Spitfiredude]

Kolby Granville announced that AMC will be going into the theater on Mill. Opening in fall 2013.

[Arquitect]

Originally Posted by Spitfiredude

Kolby Granville announced that AMC will be going into the theater on Mill. Opening in fall 2013.

Although I am not a fan of AMC, I am glad this finally went through. I am sure it really will help reenliven that area. It used to such a huge draw for crowds when Harkins was there. I hope the continue the late night showtimes from the previous theater.

[TempeSilverFox]

Originally Posted by Spitfiredude

Kolby Granville announced that AMC will be going into the theater on Mill. Opening in fall 2013.

AWESOME! I hope that they open an Esplanade style theatre - where you can order drinks and food from your seat. How sweet would that be???