Tempe Development Thread - Page 37

Downtown_resident · #**721** Posted **Apr 17, 2007, 7:26 AM**

The project lineup is this, heading from west to east along Rio Salado-- Hayden Ferry Lakeside (western boundary at Mill), Marina Heights (western boundary at the eastern end of HFL, eastern boundary at Rural) and then on the other side of Rural Road is Pier 202. Somebody who's good with the maps might be able to better illustrate this.

I didn't get a timeline for Marina Heights, and Betts really didn't give any details about the project other than what I mentioned above. I'm guessing it's at least 2-3 years away, as SunCor still has its hands full finishing up HFL (one more office building plus the hotel and I believe two more 12-story condo towers), and ASU is famously slow in developing its Tempe properties.

http://downtownphoenix.blogspot.com

sundevilgrad · #**722** Posted **Apr 17, 2007, 1:49 PM**

Thanks for the info Downtown.

... You're correct Pier 202 is west of Rural. Its east side will border Karsten.

andrewkfromaz · #**723** Posted **Apr 17, 2007, 6:33 PM**

Thanks for the clarification, somehow I missed that important fact.
Question:
Do average ASU students know of the plans for Lot 59 north? I don't park in it anymore, but I think it's safe to assume it's still widely in use, to the extent that it's usually full in the afternoon. Do, in you guys' opinions, average students know that in the next few years ASU will stop selling passes and begin to develop the land? I think someone should call the State Press...

Archdevil · #**724** Posted **Apr 17, 2007, 7:44 PM**

I havn't purchased ASU parking since my first year, its a complete rip off! I will not pay any amount of money to ASU to park 3 miles away from campus when they just keep on raising the tuition. I park off campus near Mill Ave, its still a bit of a distance but its free and I would much rather walk down Mill than walk through the blacktop waistland of Lot 59. I think ASU should develop the entire lot 59 and just build a few more parking structures close to campus. But I don't really care what they do cause I won't be there anymore! What do we have now, about 2.5 weeks?

sundevilgrad · #**725** Posted **Apr 17, 2007, 8:03 PM**

Lot 59 will still be there, although much smaller. The section that is going to be developed is north of Rio Salado, which is about half (maybe less) of the current lot. I would imagine they have addressed this issue, though I don't know for sure

desertdj · #**726** Posted **Apr 19, 2007, 11:30 PM**

Fill it in? I would think that would be perfect for underground parking right? ASU will loose an awesome place to go tailgating at though. Soon the only place to tailgate will be from the tops of parking garages.

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrewkfromaz

Hang on. Driving along Rio Salado from Mill towards Rural, it goes (correct me if I'm wrong, b/c I'm confused) Hayden's Ferry Lakeside, Pier 202, Marina Heights (ok, stupid name alert) and then Rural Rd. Is this correct?
Downtown_Resident, did Betts offer any kind of a timeline for the Lot 59 project phases? I've seen some fairly old plans for the site, and it looked at the time like they were planning on adding a lot of dirt to raise the land above the flood plain. Dirt haul? Sounds like more traffic troubles...

Azndragon837 · #**727** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 6:17 AM**

I was given an awesome behind-the-scenes tour this afternoon of Hayden Ferry Lakeside Phase II, and the building is incredible! A representative I know from SunCor (the development company that built HFL) took me around the complex and into the unfinished floors. I got a tour of the lobby, and the underwater theme is incredible. The 9th level is already occupied with a tenant, and the building is 75% leased, which triggered the construction of Phase III, which will begin in earnest late this year I believe.

We then went to the top floor (the 12th level), checked-out the awesome view and discussed downtown projects going up as our eyes saw it. We then went to the 10th floor balcony (the top of the rectangular piece of the building jutting from the curve), and soaked in a view of Downtown Tempe from the exterior. I forgot to bring my camera, as I would have snapped some quick shots of the skyline.

I was then given a tour of a 5th level unit in the Edgewater Condominium (the 8-story one that is finished), and the views and amenities are the selling point, although I cannot afford the insane 1.2 million dollar price tag, LOL. Anyways, HFL is becoming the micro-city within Tempe. If any of you get the chance, hangout by the lakeshore, they have a cool water feature that will definately cool people during the hot summer days.

Also, if you have seen the development at night, it's awesome. Both parapets of the 8-story and 12-story tower are lit at night, while the "sail" spire on the edge of the Phase II tower has a blue neon light. I need to get some photos of it soon.

-Andrew

Archdevil · #**728** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 3:40 PM**

I live in Phoenix and a lot of my classes are downtown this semester so I don't get to Tempe at night very often. I was there last night and I saw the way they lit the HFL buildings, very cool. I love that blue neon light and the way it reflects off the lake! Plus I could see from the 202 at about 44th st, just after the freeway tuns South. I hope they continue to light it up! I read in an earlier post that the phase 3 building will have some kind of electronic video boards , that is going to be awesome too. I love the way Tempe is developing.

sundevilgrad · #**729** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 3:44 PM**

I really like the blue sail on Phase II, it does look cool at night. Good news on Phase III! That means that they're hoping that both Phase III and the Le Merdian (can't remember the exact name, but I think that's close) break ground this year!

Andrew - any idea if City of Tempe plans to update their development chart any time soon? I'd be interested in seeing how far along some of these projects are. It's been a while since we've heard anything official about Uni Square, Onyx, Stadium Towers, Centerpointe on Mill, The Marriot at Bandersnatch (LOL, that would be a cool name), Seventh and Mill, Pier 202, the US Airways property, Mosaic, etc...

PS - finally got my new computer (it only took 2 months) (went with the black MacBook), so I'm hoping to get some pictures up soon. We haven't had enough photo updates lately...

Azndragon837 · #**730** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 7:25 PM**

^All those projects you mentioned above are either:

1) in the planning entitlement process, and they take some time
2) in the preliminary planning entitlement process, where they submitted for site plan review, but have not gone through the "main" development review process. Again, the reason is time.

Another reason: some developers have received their building permits, just haven't started work on their own site yet.

sundevilgrad · #**731** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 7:30 PM**

Thanks Andrew. That's what I figured. Its nice to see it in a graphical form the way they present it though. Maybe you could get them to update that chart quarterly?

Azndragon837 · #**732** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 10:15 PM**

^I am not involved with that chart at all...Community Development is (they are a separate department from our Development Services Department).

You can possibly give them a call. Redevelopment, Housing, Neighborhood Enhancement, Economic Development and Historic Preservation are part of Community Development. Planning, Building Safety and Commercial Code Compliance is part of Development Services.

Azndragon837 · #**733** Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 10:14 AM**

Tempe's dropping the ball at New Year's Eve party

http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/0423ball0423.html

Betty Beard
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 23, 2007 12:00 AM

Downtown Tempe is going to get its own New Year's Eve "ball drop," similar to the one in Times Square in New York City.

Although details are being worked out, the permanent feature would probably have an electronic image of a ball or some other object dropping from a yet-to-be-built 10-story office building northeast of Mill Avenue and Rio Salado Parkway.

In addition, there would be some form of electronic countdown at ground level to show the seconds before the new year begins, said Randy Levin, a vice president at SunCor Development Co.

The ball drop would face Mill Avenue and be across the street from Tempe Beach Park, well in sight of the thousands of revelers who attend the annual Block Party.

Levin said the Tempe City Council asked the company about five years ago to include some feature on the building, which will be the third office tower in the Hayden Ferry Lakeside project. Construction will begin this year.

Azndragon837 · #**734** Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 10:17 AM**

^I have seen renderings for the final Phase III of Hayden Ferry Lakeside. It looks spectacular (it was posted here sometime ago, though I don't know where). The corner or the building will be facing Mill Avenue from Rio Salado, drawing people into the HFL development. Once this building is done, it will complete the commercial portion of the development, first envisioned a decade ago. This part of Downtown Tempe has become a micro-city of sorts, and the sleek blue architecture sure stands-out among the skyline, a beautiful backdrop to the lake!

-Andrew

vertex · #**735** Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 5:18 PM**

^^Andrew, I agree that HFL will serve as a nice backdrop for the lake, and it is a micro city of sorts, in the sense that it is more-or-less self-contained. For me, this is the problem.

The development is already fairly closed off from the rest of downtown, not only because of the way the back of the garage-mahal faces Rio Salado drive, but also due to the way tower #2 is placed; it rises up like a massive wall, especially when you view it from the beach park, and blocks out the views of the lower-half of the town lake.

Right now the only engagement Mill ave has with HFL is with the small opening between #2 and the garage (stand at the corner of Mill and Rio Salado to see what I'm talking about). Unfortunately, this will be closed up by #3. When it is complete, I'm sorry to say that the whole development will look more like a walled city, and be visually disconnected from the rest of downtown.

andrewkfromaz · #**736** Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 7:11 PM**

I think it's already so far from the rest of downtown plus you have to cross Rio Salado to get to it, so I don't think HFL really is downtown. I think we should wait and see what the site looks like completed, at least the commercial part closest to Mill Ave. The retail shops on the ground floor aren't thriving yet, so I think it's an indicator that people don't see HFL as a mixed-use development. Hopefully, with the third building, that will change...

Azndragon837 · #**737** Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 7:50 PM**

Here is a site plan from their website (www.haydenferrylakeside.com):

B3 (Phase III) is ready for construction by the end of the year, and as soon as it's done, the corner will attract pedestrians along Mill Avenue into the site. Also, R1 in the Parking Garage is all retail.

Although the garage turns itself away from Rio Salado, the development's layout "pulls" people in from the intersection, eventually inviting them out into the south shore of the lake with a cool water feature included.

Hotel guests and condo residents will use the private drive (shown in the middle as brown street from the end of the last condo in the east all the way to the cul-de-sac on the west) and walk along it to the intersection. I personally wouldn't mind walking, especially if there are retail options, a lake and shade.

Also, development at the northern edge of Downtown Tempe will start drawing more people north. By the end of the decade, we will have 2 major redevelopment projects either under construction or operating:

-Tempe Gateway (the U.S. Airways development on 3rd & Mill)
-Hayden Flour Mill (the Avenue Communities redevelopment of the old Mill site)

Those two, plus the completion of HFL, will soon draw more people into the northern part of downtown and connect it to the lake and park, which was the plan anyways years and years ago. Everything will come together eventually, it just takes some time. Tempe did it right, and it's surely paying off big-time.

-Andrew

Azndragon837 · #**738** Posted **Apr 27, 2007, 5:49 PM**

Took some photos of Centerpoint this morning. They are on the 20th floor of the 22-story tower, and on the 5th floor of the 30-story tower. Windows are being installed on the bottom floors of the first tower, barely noticable in the last photo.

-Andrew

jvbahn · #**739** Posted **Apr 27, 2007, 6:34 PM**

You're kicking ass and taking names with these pics, Andrew. Thanks for the updates!

DracoCaifan · #**740** Posted **Apr 28, 2007, 7:27 AM**

Now.... that's an update.......... I haven't seen this one until now!!! I'm speechless!!! After this project Tempe is going to be transformed forever!! Thanks for the pics Andrew!! You rock!!!