Phoenix Development News (3)

[Leo the Dog]

Originally Posted by HooverDam

None of which are CD/record stores. Theyre likely subsidizing or will be soon the CD portion of the stores.

Exactly. And who, by the way, buys CDs anymore? It doesn't make sense to spend $10 on a CD with only 3 good songs when one could buy a $10 iTunes card, purchase all the preferred songs and burn it on their own CD.

[Leo the Dog]

Anybody know what the old Circle K gas station at 7th St/McDowell will become?

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by Leo the Dog

Anybody know what the old Circle K gas station at 7th St/McDowell will become?

Good question... someone mentioned it on this site a couple weeks ago and I can't for the life of me remember what it is supposed to become. Every time I drive by it my mind is blank.

What about the gas station on the SWC of 7th St and Roosevelt. How great would it be if they tore it out and built a small something.

[Vicelord John]

They re-opened that gas station at 7/roosevelt... Wtf was that all about?

[PHX31]

oh they did... i didn't notice

[NorthScottsdale]

I still buy CDs if I really like the artist.. I recently bought Lady Gaga, Shakira, Adam Lambert, Britney Spears and Rihanna CDs.. but I reallly like those artists, so I know that I'm going to like just about every song on their CDs..

[PHX31]

I wouldn't have admitted that... j/k

[Vicelord John]

Seriously... Did you buy gay bar club hits 2009" too?

[phxgreenfire]

Originally Posted by glynnjamin

2ndly - an eco-urban bar that allows smoking? Talk about hypocritical.

Yes, well, unfortunately that's just the way it is. That smoking ban brought down a lot of bars and it left a lot scrambling to get smoking areas installed to cater to the smoking crowd, or even the social smoker crowd. The only other unique idea I could think of isn't feasible: try to get Phoenix to gain the first "Dungeon" series outside of Europe. They appear in London, York, Amsterdam and Hamburg... why not have one detailing the Wild West history here? I'm not sure if that's a corporate decision or available by franchise. It would an extremely expensive investment regardless.

[Don B.]

Originally Posted by plinko

Just a few corrections or adds...

You have lots of Emporis heights which were converted to meters then back to feet, and thus usually 1 foot off:

Wells Fargo Center: 371'
Bank of America Tower: 361' (actual built height is 360'-8")
Phoenix Plaza I: 330'
Phoenix Plaza II: 330'
1 North Central (Phelps Dodge Tower): 289'

Also, I'm not sure why you are showing a 'Proposed' year for completed buildings. Many of the dates you've listed are incorrect. For instance, Phoenix Plaza I & II + Phoenix Center were all proposed as one complex in 1985. So were the two towers at the Arizona Center (1985) and One & Two Renaissance Square (1985). My point is though that you seem to be assuming that the proposed date is just two years before the completed date. Not necessarily the case at all. Anyway...

The 'Wachovia' Tower at Cityscape is 368', comes from Urban Rising, a forumer who's some form of contractor and has given us specific info from drawings for both this and OCPE (which is 341'-8").

2600 North Central (listed on your list as the Phelps Dodge Center) is only 249' tall. I got this height directly from the City of Phoenix Planning Department. Look at pictures, it isn't that tall. It's wrong on emporis, it's wrong on the diagrams...ad infinitum...

Missing completed buildings over 250':
Sky Harbor Control Tower: 326'
2800 North Central: 258', 20fl, 1987
Executive Tower (207 W Clarendon): 255', 22fl, 1963

Missing dead proposals over 250':
Dial Corporate Center Tower II: 374', 24fl, 1988
Three Collier Center: 361', 24fl, 1998
Four Collier Center: 361', 24fl, 1998
Collier Center Marriott Hotel: 345', 31fl, 1998
Crosby Financial Center (4352 N Central): 725', 50fl, 1999
First Interstate Tower II: ~400', 34fl, 1985 (was to be a fraternal twin to 3550 North Central, now the Valley Bank Tower)
Arizona Center Doubletree Hotel: ~350', 27fl, 1999 (a later iteration in 2003 was 20 floors and was to be an Embassy Suites)

Lastly, the twin Cielo Towers in midtown was to be exactly 399' (I've seen the approved drawings).

I have a fairly complete list of all of the buildings in metro Phoenix over 10 floors (well, it was complete in 2002), but I'm missing a few buildings around the Biltmore and in Scottsdale. I even have the architects and square footages on most of them.

Also, there were a whole bunch of towers in the 350'-400' range (at least 5) that were proposed for midtown in a few locations in the late 1990's by the Cole Companies. Unfortunately I don't have the information anymore. It's availabe in the Arizona Room at the main City of Phoenix Library.

Thanks, plinko. I'll work on these changes/corrections/additions as my schedule permits.

Originally Posted by phxgreenfire

Yes, well, unfortunately that's just the way it is. That smoking ban brought down a lot of bars and it left a lot scrambling to get smoking areas installed to cater to the smoking crowd, or even the social smoker crowd. The only other unique idea I could think of isn't feasible: try to get Phoenix to gain the first "Dungeon" series outside of Europe. They appear in London, York, Amsterdam and Hamburg... why not have one detailing the Wild West history here? I'm not sure if that's a corporate decision or available by franchise. It would an extremely expensive investment regardless.

If you will need financing to pull any of this off, you should work on that first, because I see that as being a major stumbling block. Meaning all of this will be an exercise in mental masturbation unless you can arrange financing in advance. My guess would be that to secure any commercial funding commitments right now, you will need a rock solid proposal, superb credit and a lot of cash down into the project to help insulate the lenders from losses. Kind of like buying a car...the days of little down are gone...and you may need as much as 50% of your own funds to put down to secure any outside financing.

--don

[phxgreenfire]

Right now I'm formulating the business plan. I'm getting costs, operations, all that budgeted so I can present it. Immediately though, I'm gathering feedback to decide if the risk is worth it, as there's a lot on the line. I understand that's my biggest obstacle. If I don't get it... then I'm going to consider alternatives. Awhile ago I posted something about trying to get out of my current job, seeing if anyone knew of anything coming to the city and nothing has really come to fruition since then. The newsstand at light rail stations idea was presented, and I hate to sound ungrateful for the suggestions, but I just would rather not do that, especially in the summer months. I had an idea for a non-profit organization too, but I'm not certain I could get adequate funding... though admittedly I would explore that as it would be eligible for federal grants. If companies aren't hiring, I'm totally willing to create my own thing, but a good, cohesive, sure-bet idea is the hardest part.

[Teacher_AZ_84]

Originally Posted by NorthScottsdale

I still buy CDs if I really like the artist.. I recently bought Lady Gaga, Shakira, Adam Lambert, Britney Spears and Rihanna CDs.. but I reallly like those artists, so I know that I'm going to like just about every song on their CDs..

Nothing wrong with any of these artists. These artist represent diversity and many of my high school students listen to them.

[combusean]

Circles actually did represent a niche.

If you notice, it was "discs and tapes" .. they sold tapes because at Arizona State Prisons, you can't bring in CD's because they can too easily be fashioned into a weapon.

Tapes are the only thing they'll let you bring, and thats what Circles was known for.

[RichTempe]

Originally Posted by Leo the Dog

Anybody know what the old Circle K gas station at 7th St/McDowell will become?

My old co-worker who has an office in that building was told it's going to be a bank. She thought it was Chase, but couldn't remember for sure.

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by NorthScottsdale

I still buy CDs if I really like the artist.. I recently bought Lady Gaga, Shakira, Adam Lambert, Britney Spears and Rihanna CDs.. but I reallly like those artists, so I know that I'm going to like just about every song on their CDs..

If you are a heterosexual male my mind is going to be fucking blown.

EDIT: To make this post worth while, here's an article from the DPJ which Im sure most of use read but I thought we could talk about it or whatever:

http://www.downtownphoenixjournal.co...reuse-program/

Three New ‘R’s: Rezone, Reuse and Revitalize — The City of Phoenix’s Adaptive Reuse Program
Posted by Yuri Artibise on 12/22/09

Over the past two years, amidst all the new buildings popping up, Downtown Phoenix has quietly become a leader in promoting adaptive reuse. Adaptive reuse is the process of tailoring old structures for purposes other than those initially intended. As old buildings outlive their original purposes, adaptive reuse offers a process to modify these buildings for new uses while retaining their historic features. As a result, an old warehouse may become an apartment building, or a rundown church may find new life as a restaurant.

By taking buildings that are either historical, dated or in older, established areas of the city and ensuring their presence long into the future, adaptive reuse is one of the ultimate expressions of sustainability. Not only does this take advantage of materials that are already there (which is environmental and economical), but it also respects a city’s history and plays an important role in community revitalization. Adaptive reuse also demonstrates that old buildings make great places for new ideas. As the famous urbanist Jane Jacobs said, “Old ideas can use new buildings, but new ideas need old buildings.”

The city’s Adaptive Reuse Program began as a pilot program in April 2008 to streamline the process of modifying older buildings for new business uses. In addition to adopting the International Existing Building Code, the city offers guidance, expedited time frames and reduced costs to individuals and companies looking to “recycle” older buildings for new business uses. Program participants can save between two weeks to three months time and $2,000 to $40,000 during the development process. In September 2009, the program won a “Crescordia” in the “Livable Communities” category at Valley Forward’s Environmental Excellence Awards. The Crescordia, named for a Greek term meaning “to grow in harmony,” is the highest honor awarded in each category.

This issue is important to the city, because as Mark Leonard, Director of the Phoenix Development Services Department explains, “Adaptive reuse preserves our history, helps small business owners be successful, creates unique restaurant and business settings for all of us to experience and it’s environmentally friendly.” Mayor Gordon concurs, noting in a 2008 speech, “Historic buildings are a critical part of what makes the Phoenix skyline truly our own, truly unique.”

One example of adaptive reuse that will be familiar to many DPJ readers is modifying a historic, single-family residence for use as a restaurant or business. Some notable participants in the program include Tuck Shop (2245 N. 12th St. in Coronado), The Lost Leaf (914 N. 5th St. in Evans Churchill), The Paisley Violin (1030 NW Grand Ave.) and Hula’s Modern Tiki (4700 N. Central Ave. in Uptown). In total, the program has supported 30 total adaptive reuse projects in the past 18 months, although a few of them did not proceed past plan review due to the economy.

Earlier this month, based on the recommendations of a Development Services Ad Hoc Task Force, council unanimously approved expanding the Adaptive Reuse Program. During its deliberations, the task force looked at the existing program’s experience to date, as well as best practices from other cities, and came up with what may be the most comprehensive adaptive reuse plan in the country.

The expanded plan now includes buildings constructed prior to the year 2000, increases the size limits from 5,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet and allows for occupancy change flexibility. This expansion of the program provided increased opportunities to rezone, reuse and revitalize vacant strip malls, big box centers and other blighted community areas and keep them out of the landfill.

A prime candidate for adaptive reuse: the city-owned (ca. 1909) Leighton G. Knipe House at 1025 N. 2nd Street

Sounds like this is a good program and I hope it helps save whats left of our historic building stock and put it to good use.

[Leo the Dog]

An interesting read. The story is primarily about Texas pop. growth, however it does talk about AZ and surrounding states as well. Has anyone heard of CA, AZ, NV, FL referred to as the "Sand States" before? I never have until I read this article.

Source: CNN Money http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/23/real...ates/index.htm

Don't mess with Texas: More Americans moving in


Texas was a big winner in the new Census Bureau estimates with cities like Houston drawing new residents.
By Les Christie, staff writerDecember 23, 2009: 9:33 AM ET


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Americans, it seems, still have a love affair with the West. Texas and Wyoming were the big winners in the Census Bureau's annual population estimates, which were released on Wednesday.

In the year ended July 1, Texas added more people than any other state, and Wyoming had the highest growth rate in the nation.

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The population of the United States has grown more than 9% to 307,006,550 since the 2000 census. The population grew 0.86% since last year's estimates.

Just three states shrank during the year. Michigan's population fell by 0.33%, Maine dropped 0.11%, and Rhode Island lost 0.03%.

The report is a kind of sneak preview of the next big 10-year census, which will be released in December 2010.

The 10-year census determines congressional representation and federal aid, among other things.

"The census counts will not only determine how many U.S. House seats each state will have but will also be used as the benchmark for future population estimates," said Census Bureau Director Robert Groves.

In Nevada, for example, the population has risen 32.27% since the 2000 Census, more than any other state in the past decade. Nevada currently has three seats in the House and will almost certainly pick up another as a result of its population growth.

See where your state ranks
On the other hand, large states that are growing slowly such as Ohio (1.67%), Pennsylvania (2.64%), New York (2.98%) and Michigan (3.13%) could lose at least one seat each.

The future of the so-called Sand States - California, Arizona, Nevada and Florida - is still in question, though. The rapid rise of many of these states through the early part of the decade has been curtailed by the housing crisis.

In Florida, which averaged about 2% a year in population growth from 2001 through 2005, residential numbers inched up only 0.62% during the 12 months ended July 1. In the previous 12 months, the state recorded only a 0.71% gain.

A similar dynamic played out in Nevada. Its average population increase was 3.6% per year in the five years through 2005, but it grew only 1% this time. And the growth was due to the birth rate, not people actually moving in.

Both Nevada and Florida actually had more people leave the states than arrive.

Many communities in these bubble states now have long lists of homes for sale. New construction has slowed, idling workers and hurting local economies.

Some of the once-booming cities in the Central Valley of California, such as Stockton, Modesto, Fresno, Merced, El Centro and Visalia, are now plagued by job losses. Seven out of the 10 metro areas with the highest unemployment rates are in California.

Other Sun Belt states have fared much better. Texas, for example, never went through the boom-and-bust housing cycle that devastated the Sand States. Home prices remained affordable, and the state's unemployment rate was 8% in October, a full two percentage points below the national average.

So, it's no surprise that Texas added more than 3.9 million residents during the 2000s. Its population also grew by the greatest number of people (478,000) during the 12 months ended July 1. California was second with 381,000 followed by North Carolina with 134,000.

Wyoming boasted the fastest growth rate for the 12-month period: 2.12% to a total of 544,270. The Cowboy State was followed by Utah (2.1%), Texas (1.97%) and Colorado (1.81%).

[HooverDam]

http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/...edowntown.html

New restaurant cluster emerging in downtown Phoenix
by Howard Seftel - Dec. 22, 2009 11:43 AM
Republic restaurant critic
A new cluster of restaurants looks poised to bring some energy to yet another part of downtown Phoenix.

This time the location is the stretch along Roosevelt Street between Second and Third Avenues.

There's Bambino Bistro, formerly Vinery 214. Chef/owner Leonard Jay threw in the towel on Vinery's small-plate concept - the neighborhood didn't get it, he says with a sigh.


Now, armed with a new name and concept, the restaurant features sandwiches built around three kinds of homemade flatbread; from-scratch pasta; wood-fired, brick-oven pizza; burgers; mussels; and several off-beat specials. Prices are very neighborhood-friendly, as is the BYOB policy.

Look for sandwich combos like goat cheese, fig jam and arugula ($7.50) and Spanish chorizo, Manchego cheese and tomato pesto ($7.50). Pizzas include a Greek ($12) and Sicilian seafood ($16), while pastas range through gnocchi Bolognese ($9), pappardelle alla vodka ($10) and eggplant lasagna ($15). Among the burgers are a Cuban burger ($8) and Mardi Gras burger ($7), while the mussels ($9.95) come seasoned nine different ways, including Thai-style with coconut milk; Portuguese-style with chorizo; and Provencal-style with olive oil and tomato puree.

The specials are all over the map: Moroccan sliders ($10); bone marrow with marmalade ($18); bricked chicken and waffles ($12); and paella for two ($21).

At the moment, the kitchen doesn't appear working up to full speed. When I stopped in, several dishes were not available. But the sandwich and pasta I did have were nicely done. Bambino Bistro is a cute spot that could turn out to be a neighborhood sleeper. Jay, meanwhile, is determined: "We've made a commitment to the community," he says. "No matter what it takes, we're going to be here."

A few feet down the block is Lola Coffee, the second branch of Daniel Wayne's hip coffeehouse. (The original is at 4700 N. Central Avenue, just south of Camelback Road.) It opened Dec. 18 in the remodeled circa 1925 Gold Spot Market building.

Why here? "Downtown is finally ready," Wayne says, pointing to the growing number of neighborhood residents. He's roasting his coffee beans and baking pastries on the premises.

Finally, the 10th Valley branch of Pita Jungle is coming to the same building as Lola Coffee. It's scheduled to open by the end of March.

By my count, the area bounded by Fourth Avenue on the west and Fourth Street on the east, and Roosevelt and Fillmore Streets on the north and south, is now home to 10 new places in the past year. Along with Bambino Bistro, Lola Coffee and Pita Jungle, the list includes Nine 05, Local Breeze, Pasta Bar, Sens, Turf Restaurant & Pub, Moira Sushi and Phoenix Public Market Urban Grocery and Wine Bar. And several more restaurants are on the way.

Details:

• Bambino Bistro, 214 W. Roosevelt Street, Phoenix, 602-218-6368. Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday.

• Lola Coffee, 1001 N. Third Ave., Phoenix, 602-252-2265. Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday. lolacoffeebar.com

• Pita Jungle, Third Avenue and Roosevelt Street, Phoenix. pitajungle.com

[PHX31]

One new restaurant coming is called Verde.

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by combusean

Circles actually did represent a niche.

If you notice, it was "discs and tapes" .. they sold tapes because at Arizona State Prisons, you can't bring in CD's because they can too easily be fashioned into a weapon.

Tapes are the only thing they'll let you bring, and thats what Circles was known for.

I feel like I could easily make a weapon out of the plastic casing tapes come in as well. Maybe Im just more creative than prisoners :/

[Vicelord John]

they are prisoners for a reason.

i laughed because I told my gf about your post Sean, and she said wait I could kill someone with a tape just as easily.

Touche.