Tempe Development Thread

[azsunsurfer]

Good news! I drove by (what was previously called the Grove) next to 922 Place and site work is going on! It will be nice to have a nice new 14 story tower with ground floor retail on Apache even if it is all student housing (im thinking long term here). So with that and the CVS that end of Apache is filling up nicely. I am dying to see a proposal for that triangle corner of terrace and apache as well as the previously dead sorostitue towers....

[PHXFlyer11]

I don't believe this one has come up before. It is essentially West of Sky Water. Nice project! 7 stories! Great density there. I am very impressed.

https://www.tempe.gov/Home/ShowDocument?id=36314

[Butta]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

I don't believe this one has come up before. It is essentially West of Sky Water. Nice project! 7 stories! Great density there. I am very impressed.

https://www.tempe.gov/Home/ShowDocument?id=36314

I like the height and location, not too keen on the design but good addition regardless.

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by Butta

I like the height and location, not too keen on the design but good addition regardless.

I think the design is pretty cool, but I do not like the large setback from Rio Salado.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

I think the design is pretty cool, but I do not like the large setback from Rio Salado.

Everything has a large setback from Rio it isn't a pedestrian street 1st is the pedestrian street

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by Obadno

Everything has a large setback from Rio it isn't a pedestrian street 1st is the pedestrian street

Fair enough. I wish Tempe would RFP some of that arts land. Not all of it, but enough for a tower (as short as it might be under the flight path). It would be good to get some life on the other side.

I hope they someday do something with that setback. Whether it's widening the road or building a more pedestrian and bike friendly path.

[dtnphx]

I would love to see Tempe Town Lake go west to Priest and maybe further east to McClintock. There's so much development potential, seems like a no-brainer. Is it still possible? I understand they would need to build another dam or two, but I think it would be worth it. Case in point. I hate that the lake ends so abruptly right at the Tempe Center for the Arts. Aesthetically, it would look better if went to Priest. I'm sure they didn't realize how successful development would have been when they initially designed it and had to start somewhat small, but, I think it's time to start thinking about this.

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by dtnphx

Why didn't Tempe Town Lake go west to Priest and further east? There's so much development potential, seems like a no-brainer. Is it still possible? I understand they would need to build another dam, but I think it would be worth it. Case in point. I hate that the lake ends so abruptly right at the Tempe Center for the Arts. Aesthetically, it would look better if went to Priest. For that matter, even if it went to McClintock.

Cost. Also, most of that area was industrial.

The brand new reallyyyyyy expensive damn is under construction. So... not gonna happen.

[dtnphx]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

Cost. Also, most of that area was industrial.

The brand new reallyyyyyy expensive damn is under construction. So... not gonna happen.

Well, I guess that's it then....

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by dtnphx

I would love to see Tempe Town Lake go west to Priest and maybe further east to McClintock. There's so much development potential, seems like a no-brainer. Is it still possible? I understand they would need to build another dam or two, but I think it would be worth it. Case in point. I hate that the lake ends so abruptly right at the Tempe Center for the Arts. Aesthetically, it would look better if went to Priest. I'm sure they didn't realize how successful development would have been when they initially designed it and had to start somewhat small, but, I think it's time to start thinking about this.

I wish they would expand the river(I always try and call it the river to make it clear to people that it is indeed a river, like I call the "ligh rail" the train)

Anyway It would be awesome if they could expand the river from Mesa through Avondale but it probably isn't going to happen anytime soon.

[phoenixwillrise]

The original idea was to run that thing from Mesa out to Laveen I believe. They still could expand it but the costs only go up as the years go by. Now they have built that natural riparian part of the salt river around 7st to 7ave in Phoenix so the odds of it getting built through Phoenix are pretty nil now. The environmentalist would go berserk. Like a lot of things in Phoenix had they had professional planners who could have thought outside the box in the cities and counties in the 60's and 70's some incredible things could have been done. Can you image a Saquaro Lake running through Tempe and Phoenix? That would have been incredible. Woulda, coulda, shoulda so often the story in greater Phoenix. That being said maybe they could expand it a little each way from Tempe if they could get the funding.

[exit2lef]

"In 1987, a Maricopa County property tax to support implementation of
the Rio Salado concept was put to public vote. The proposal was
defeated in Phoenix and other municipalities because of concerns
about the original billion-dollar estimated project cost, lack of benefits
to outlying communities, and impacts on neighborhoods and adjacent
property owners. Tempe was the only municipality to approve the
property tax. Subsequently, Tempe moved forward with development
of Tempe Town Lake using inflatable dams and relying on local,
county, state, and federal funding sources."

Source (PDF): https://www.phoenix.gov/pddsite/Docu..._pdf_00064.pdf

[combusean]

I emailed Tempe three years ago about this and got this back:

[T]he 100 foot extension to the lake [with the new dam] is a result of finding the best location to construct the steel hinge gate within the river channel while preserving the required area to convey the flow of flood waters when needed. Additionally, the intent of our project was to replace the existing rubber bladder dam system with a more permanent dam system. Expanding the lake further west dramatically changes the scope of the project from a dam replacement project to a lake expansion project which would include significant regulatory review by the Army Corps of Engineers, County Flood Control, FEMA and others. Lake expansion was never the intent of the project. On a practical level, if the lake were expanded to Priest Drive, because of the evaluation and grade of the river bed, the dam need to be about 27 feet tall.

What I'd like to see more than the river extended is to see channelization from the diversion dam upriver and then see that water pumped *around* the lake and dumped out at the end so Phoenix gets an actual river from Mesa's treated effluent rather than have that pool up below the 101/202 interchange.

I emailed them about that in the same letter as above, and apparently it never happened.

Regarding the east pond, we are studying and considering constructing a bypass pipe that would allow waters from the east side of the lake to flow past the lake to the west side of the lake, then flow through the river into Phoenix. We will be examining this closely in the next few months.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by phoenixwillrise

The original idea was to run that thing from Mesa out to Laveen I believe. They still could expand it but the costs only go up as the years go by. Now they have built that natural riparian part of the salt river around 7st to 7ave in Phoenix so the odds of it getting built through Phoenix are pretty nil now. The environmentalist would go berserk. Like a lot of things in Phoenix had they had professional planners who could have thought outside the box in the cities and counties in the 60's and 70's some incredible things could have been done. Can you image a Saquaro Lake running through Tempe and Phoenix? That would have been incredible. Woulda, coulda, shoulda so often the story in greater Phoenix. That being said maybe they could expand it a little each way from Tempe if they could get the funding.

IT's alright, I think Phoenix is just starting to really mature into more of a real feeling city. It is just hitting its stride like an awkward teen slowly becoming an adult.

It's nice to live in a place like Chicago or Philadelphia where that stuff has been in place for 100 years.

But there is something cool about being around in the beginning!

[azsunsurfer]

Wow, really excited to see renderings for "The Pier" to be released...nearly 300' tall tower with 551 units and retail. Just to give you an example the nearby Villas (senior tower) will only be 211' tall (about 18 stories). I am glad the City rejected those previous proposals.

[azsunsurfer]

Also...the old Dos Gringos on 8th will be redeveloped into "Valor on Eighth" 60' tall, 50 units...also looks like The Grand at Papago is nearing to move forward with its first building (about 6 stories). Something is better than nothing.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

Also...the old Dos Gringos on 8th will be redeveloped into "Valor on Eighth" 60' tall, 50 units...also looks like The Grand at Papago is nearing to move forward with its first building (about 6 stories). Something is better than nothing.

Also the Rio business park next to Tempe Marketplace looks nearly level, they have begun building the streets for within the office park. The park itself is about 15' above Rio built on fill. Reminds me of california

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

Wow, really excited to see renderings for "The Pier" to be released...nearly 300' tall tower with 551 units and retail. Just to give you an example the nearby Villas (senior tower) will only be 211' tall (about 18 stories). I am glad the City rejected those previous proposals.

Where did you hear about this one? When can we expect to see plans? The December DRC meeting?

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

I don't believe this one has come up before. It is essentially West of Sky Water. Nice project! 7 stories! Great density there. I am very impressed.

https://www.tempe.gov/Home/ShowDocument?id=36314

Stopped by the DRC after work today to hear about this one. Unfortunately they are pushing back on the height/density of this project, particularly the height along the back end along 1st St. Project is being redesigned to try to address the concerns.

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

Where did you hear about this one? When can we expect to see plans? The December DRC meeting?

The only place I've seen is that it's listed here:

http://www.tempe.gov/home/showdocument?id=36316

as in Review for Planning Entitlements.