Tempe Development Thread

[ASU Diablo]

FOX 10 News had a profile on Robert Sarver and shared his thoughts on future of USAC. Seems like he's pretty adamant on a new arena:

Sarver is already talking about building a new arena; he says the current arena is now the smallest building in terms of square footage in the National Basketball Association.

"It's possible to re-tool it but it would be a very poor investment. In some ways it's like an old house, the bathrooms are too small, the kitchen is too small, you don't have enough storage... and does it really make sense to put $250 million into redoing a facility that just won't be right when you're done, or would you rather spend $450 or $500 million and have a brand new one that can really take you for the next 30 years," he said.

http://www.fox10phoenix.com/story/28086005/2015/02/11/on-the-court-with-suns-owner-robert-sarver

[exit2lef]

^

His unfavorable comments about "an old house" are unsurprising given the Suns' demolition of two historic hotels to make way for a VIP parking lot.

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by airomero83

FOX 10 News had a profile on Robert Sarver and shared his thoughts on future of USAC. Seems like he's pretty adamant on a new arena:



http://www.fox10phoenix.com/story/28086005/2015/02/11/on-the-court-with-suns-owner-robert-sarver

Why is this posted in the Tempe thread? Also, this was discussed weeks ago (and is still being discussed) in the Phoenix thread.

[ASUSunDevil]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/loca...c-transit-helped-tempe-get-hub/23734761/

[DevilsRider]

Both the final (eastern-most) Marina Heights building and SALT have started going vertical. The two central Marina Heights buildings look like their exteriors are nearly complete, and the western-most building is starting to glass up the section above the parking garage.

Also, Hayden Ferry 3 has begun covering with glass, at least on the west side. It's looking VERY nice at that corner, and hard to believe that there was a dirt/grass lot there last summer. Also hard to believe a building that size could fit in what always seemed like a not-large footprint from the ground. Looking good!

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by DevilsRider

Both the final (eastern-most) Marina Heights building and SALT have started going vertical. The two central Marina Heights buildings look like their exteriors are nearly complete, and the western-most building is starting to glass up the section above the parking garage.

Also, Hayden Ferry 3 has begun covering with glass, at least on the west side. It's looking VERY nice at that corner, and hard to believe that there was a dirt/grass lot there last summer. Also hard to believe a building that size could fit in what always seemed like a not-large footprint from the ground. Looking good!

Looks like the 10th and final floor is going up at HFL 3. I hope the Marriot AC breaks ground soon. The project on the north side of the lake is also close to major construction, looks like they are doing more than pushing dirt now.

On a weird note, Tempe has not posted anything in the DRC section of their web site since 1/27. There are also no agendas for upcoming DRC meetings (or dates).

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

Looks like the 10th and final floor is going up at HFL 3. I hope the Marriot AC breaks ground soon. The project on the north side of the lake is also close to major construction, looks like they are doing more than pushing dirt now.

On a weird note, Tempe has not posted anything in the DRC section of their web site since 1/27. There are also no agendas for upcoming DRC meetings (or dates).

I noticed that, too (about the DRC site).

I, too, hope the AC breaks ground to complete the entire Rio streetscape from Mill - Packard. But, I believe they were going to make design changes so I don't know if they're still needing to go back for approval before getting close to construction?

And, I agree that it's strange how HFL3 fit onto that corner; I honestly never thought anything was planned for that space until reading it here. Am excited that half of the ground level has been reserved for restaurant space... just what that entire project needs to really connect the lake with Mill.

Also, the Rio+Mill project is being built in 2 phases: the 1st phase includes the hotel and office towers, while the 2nd includes the reuse of the Hayden House. Seems like a strange approach and it's a shame that the corner of the street might sit empty for years in that case.

[TempeSilverFox]

Hey all! I went out for a bike ride this cloudy afternoon and took a few shots I wanted to share.

Marina Heights is looking awesome!




Love this one- Sky Water is really turning out cool. I love the shapes and textures. I think it looks awesome opposite the cool geometric shapes of the TCA!







Here is the Lodge - where Sail Inn used to be. It's coming along nicely! And of course across the street is the Yard at Farmers Art District / Culinary Dropout etc.




Here is Hayden Ferry 3 with the first two floors of glass in!




I can't remember the name of this one- but it's where Papago Stables used to be. They are definitely moving dirt around!

[Jjs5056]

Thanks! SkyWater still looks a little cheap to me compared to the rendering, but it's definitely unique.

HFL looks great right on the intersection - I hope a really good restaurant nabs the retail space right there; even though the overall impact will be diminished with Monti's gone across the way.

Didn't happen to catch any photos of Hanover, did you?

[TempeSilverFox]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

Thanks! SkyWater still looks a little cheap to me compared to the rendering, but it's definitely unique.

HFL looks great right on the intersection - I hope a really good restaurant nabs the retail space right there; even though the overall impact will be diminished with Monti's gone across the way.

Didn't happen to catch any photos of Hanover, did you?

lol I can't believe I didn't get any! I work practically right next to it! I'll try to snap a few tomorrow. It's looking pretty good. The finishing is nice. SkyWater's architecture for me makes up any deficiencies with materials... It just looks cool! The angles... the layout... I dunno, I just really like it.

[michael85225]

Wow, look at Tempe! The city is changing and progressing so fast that it's hard to keep up. This is a city that is a model for any suburb in the sprawling southwest region.

[azsunsurfer]

So my mom was talking to her neighbor who works for a concrete supplier. She said they won the bid for the AC Marriott but what was more interesting was that she said the job included adding a few more stories of parking to the parking garage. That seems interesting...I can kinda understand how they will need more parking however I am not sure how a taller garage is going to look.

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

I noticed that, too (about the DRC site).

I, too, hope the AC breaks ground to complete the entire Rio streetscape from Mill - Packard. But, I believe they were going to make design changes so I don't know if they're still needing to go back for approval before getting close to construction?

And, I agree that it's strange how HFL3 fit onto that corner; I honestly never thought anything was planned for that space until reading it here. Am excited that half of the ground level has been reserved for restaurant space... just what that entire project needs to really connect the lake with Mill.

Also, the Rio+Mill project is being built in 2 phases: the 1st phase includes the hotel and office towers, while the 2nd includes the reuse of the Hayden House. Seems like a strange approach and it's a shame that the corner of the street might sit empty for years in that case.

Where did you hear about design changes for AC? Hopefully they are deciding to add more height based off of all the offices going in and the news of the Omni project at USAplace failing?

That corner is set up to be the new prime corner on Mill. Once the Mill is redone with the amphitheater and the Rio+Mill towers there will be restaurants on three of the four corners. Really hope we hear something constructive on the street car soon.

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

Where did you hear about design changes for AC? Hopefully they are deciding to add more height based off of all the offices going in and the news of the Omni project at USAplace failing?

That corner is set up to be the new prime corner on Mill. Once the Mill is redone with the amphitheater and the Rio+Mill towers there will be restaurants on three of the four corners. Really hope we hear something constructive on the street car soon.

Unfortunately, Rio+Mill is phased and phase II is the one that includes utilizing the old Monti's site. So, we are a ways out from having that intersection completely activated.

The design changes were discussed in the minutes from the last presentation. It definitely didn't include any additional height. For some reason, they felt it didn't fit the feel of HFL. I kind of liked how it wasn't a complete copy, but rather a complement. Oh well.

As far as the garage, that's horrible news. The garage already completely overwhelms the entire HFL site, especially if the once planned retail addition for Phase III is nixed, which I suppose it has been. They should add parking to the hotel 'tower' if more parking is needed.

[azsunsurfer]

It's not just for the hotel but for HFL III as well I assume...

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

It's not just for the hotel but for HFL III as well I assume...

The rationale for the garage being as huge as it already is was that it was being built to meet the future demands of the development, which included more condos, a hotel, and HFL3. So, I don't see why that's changed when the hotel has been downsized and the condos cut. Maybe the condos have their own parking, I'm not sure. But, if there was going to be more parking infrastructure needed for the longterm goals, it should have been incorporated into one of the office towers a la Marina Heights, or broken into 2 separate garages with retail attached at key points and screening/foliage surrounding it.

For everything they do right, when Tempe misses the mark, they miss it bigtime. The garages at HFL, CenterPoint, and Gateway Tempe (on 3rd St) are all horrendously anti-urban.

[DevilsRider]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

The rationale for the garage being as huge as it already is was that it was being built to meet the future demands of the development, which included more condos, a hotel, and HFL3. So, I don't see why that's changed when the hotel has been downsized and the condos cut. Maybe the condos have their own parking, I'm not sure. But, if there was going to be more parking infrastructure needed for the longterm goals, it should have been incorporated into one of the office towers a la Marina Heights, or broken into 2 separate garages with retail attached at key points and screening/foliage surrounding it.

For everything they do right, when Tempe misses the mark, they miss it bigtime. The garages at HFL, CenterPoint, and Gateway Tempe (on 3rd St) are all horrendously anti-urban.

I think Tempe did a parking analysis study last fall, but I can't remember if results were made public. It would be interesting to find out what the current utilization rate is, particularly at different times of day, and how much of it is HF use and how much is Mill Ave, Marquee, or other uses.

Regardless, I do agree that the best course of action would have been/would be to incorporate that new parking needed into the AC Marriott. I'm pretty sure HFL3 included one-two floors of underground parking, but I can't imagine that would be all that many stalls.

Also, every time I go by HFL, I feel like there's a bunch of extra landscaping between the garage and Rio Salado. There's got to be like 50 feet there. Maybe, if demand grew with the Mill and the Monti's development, there would be enough space for HFL to add retail fronting Rio in front of the garage? I mean, yeah, it would basically be lipstick on a pig at this point, but maybe the potential is there...

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by DevilsRider

I think Tempe did a parking analysis study last fall, but I can't remember if results were made public. It would be interesting to find out what the current utilization rate is, particularly at different times of day, and how much of it is HF use and how much is Mill Ave, Marquee, or other uses.

Regardless, I do agree that the best course of action would have been/would be to incorporate that new parking needed into the AC Marriott. I'm pretty sure HFL3 included one-two floors of underground parking, but I can't imagine that would be all that many stalls.

Also, every time I go by HFL, I feel like there's a bunch of extra landscaping between the garage and Rio Salado. There's got to be like 50 feet there. Maybe, if demand grew with the Mill and the Monti's development, there would be enough space for HFL to add retail fronting Rio in front of the garage? I mean, yeah, it would basically be lipstick on a pig at this point, but maybe the potential is there...

The HFL garage was never even an option for me or any of my friends when we would go to downtown Tempe for anything. I doubt many people would travel that far north for parking. I would also think that many would assume the parking was reserved for the office tenants and condo residents. JMO.

Regarding your second point, have you seen the north side of the garage? It's completely covered in retail and office lofts. There was no reason the same treatment couldn't have been done to the Rio Salado side, except that the development is essentially a suburban office park and not designed in an urban way AT ALL. The Marriott will also turn its butt to Rio, so any attempt to urbanize the south side of the garage is probably now futile. They were, however, supposed to add a small retail addition to the SW corner of the garage flanking the path between the garage and HFL3. I think those plans were nixed, as the only retail I see being marketed is at the ground level of the new tower. This addition would have at least made the intersection and entrance to the development inviting.

Just more reasons the streetcar - in its currently planned state - is a complete waste of money and resources. Who from HFL or Marina Heights is going to use mass transit when they have monster garages on site?

[DevilsRider]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

The HFL garage was never even an option for me or any of my friends when we would go to downtown Tempe for anything. I doubt many people would travel that far north for parking. I would also think that many would assume the parking was reserved for the office tenants and condo residents. JMO.

Regarding your second point, have you seen the north side of the garage? It's completely covered in retail and office lofts. There was no reason the same treatment couldn't have been done to the Rio Salado side, except that the development is essentially a suburban office park and not designed in an urban way AT ALL. The Marriott will also turn its butt to Rio, so any attempt to urbanize the south side of the garage is probably now futile. They were, however, supposed to add a small retail addition to the SW corner of the garage flanking the path between the garage and HFL3. I think those plans were nixed, as the only retail I see being marketed is at the ground level of the new tower. This addition would have at least made the intersection and entrance to the development inviting.

Just more reasons the streetcar - in its currently planned state - is a complete waste of money and resources. Who from HFL or Marina Heights is going to use mass transit when they have monster garages on site?

Yeah, I agree, at least in the short term. Who knows, maybe new property managers come in a decade from now and decide that more retail on site would be good, and those are the only opportunities for it. Doesn't help us right now though.

Does anybody know if HFL does (or if Marina Heights will) charge employees for parking like some places do in downtown PHX, or is it more like suburban office complexes where parking is provided free as a perk? If there's a cost to the employee for parking, that's one thing that could help shift people to transit (IF good transit connections are available when Marina Heights opens, or in the future).

[apocalyptic0n3]

Originally Posted by DevilsRider

Does anybody know if HFL does (or if Marina Heights will) charge employees for parking like some places do in downtown PHX, or is it more like suburban office complexes where parking is provided free as a perk? If there's a cost to the employee for parking, that's one thing that could help shift people to transit (IF good transit connections are available when Marina Heights opens, or in the future).

I worked in the back office of the first floor of HFL1 (the large one behind the Bean) for a year (May 2012-May 2013); I was a developer with Xhibit before the SkyMall acquisition. When I first started there, the parking was deducted from my pay and was actually shown on my pay stubs. I think it was $22 every two weeks. This was shortly after the company had been formed and we made a huge stink about it and it disappeared for the full-time employees (I believe contract workers, paid interns, and part timers were still charged).

I never considered it would be standard for employers to charge employees for parking in HFL, though, and just assumed it was one in a long line of bad management decisions.

For the record (and this may have changed), that garage was never near capacity. Only during Sun Devil games did it ever come close. I parked along the south wall, third pole from the eastern wall, on the third floor. That floor was maybe 40% occupied on business days. Higher up and the garage was almost entirely empty and occupied mostly by people with nicer cars that didn't get the VIP spots under the garage.

Even with HFLIII and possible overflow from Marina Heights, I can't see it ever being full on normal days. Will Monti's replacement have a garage with it? That's the only thing I can think of that could maybe push it toward capacity.

EDIT: Just remembered the (I think) hotel going up to the east of the garage. That will make the garage more crowded, but unless it's a 20 story hotel filled to capacity every single day, I don't see it making that big an impact on a garage that was as empty as that one usually was.