- GateWay Community College purchased the awesome-looking warehouses between 5th and 6th avenues along Van Buren. It is going to be a co-working/classroom/incubator space. While it's great to bring more higher education into the area, I wish these warehouses were left for a more creative adaptive reuse considering what's going on with the Welnick Marketplace and Baptist Church just up the street. MCCCD has expressed the desire to build another college focused on corporate education/training, and the County owned a large chunk of the land that was RFP's for the Fillmore project. Why not build a mixed use midrise combining both of those uses there instead?
- The health clinic planned for the Sun Mercantile building is finally moving along; another 50/50, IMO. Better than vacant, but it's disappointing to see Jackson being converted into office uses.
- Sutra opened its downtown location on Portland/2nd Street, with plans of building a cafe/studio on the empty lot to the south.
- Someone asked what the renovated hotel on Portland will look like. Here is a link to renderings:
http://www.visitphoenix.com/members/...6/details.aspx
Really great looking, if a little bizarre. But, a huge transformation from the old hotel, and Portland/Central will be a fantastic area with this and Portland on the Park complete.
- There were several posts that mentioned RED Development looking into developing the parking lot between CityScape and Colliers; AFAIK, Colliers owns that lot, or did as recently as 2012 when it was trying to get an office building off the ground.
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/p...n-phoenix.html
I agree that residential or hotel would be preferable to office so that there isn't a large 9-5 hole downtown, but a grocery store would be an awful idea. The lot is surrounded by USAC, a strip of downtown's only real nightclubs, and CityScape's best designed street lined with restaurants. Entertainment/nightlife makes much better sense. I kind of agree that it makes for good open space, though... especially with those active streets surrounding it. I still think it's stupid that there is a Legends Entertainment District with absolutely no context... it'd be cool if at least a portion of this block was used for a "Legends Square" and an Arizona Legends HOF/Museum included in whatever tower is built.
- DTPHX.org makes reference to a proposed apartment project on Fillmore/Central, but I haven't seen anything about it. It would be cool to see such a prominent empty lot developed, but a 4-story building with leasing center along the ground level will look really crappy. Hopefully, it's more Portland on the Park than Linear.
- The developers of Optima referenced plans for a 315-unit project planned for downtown Phoenix here:
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/reale...struction-loan
They have a project planned for Kierland, but I think that would be more likely to be mislabeled as Scottsdale than downtown Phoenix? Optima would be a great addition downtown, but I can't picture where something that upscale would be ideal? Maybe on the east side of Portland/Central? Probably not happening at all, but interesting if they are planning something.