ASU/UofA Downtown Phoenix construction thread

[Arquitect]

Originally Posted by MegaBass

Opinion: ASU, build the law school – but only if you reach for the sky

I really like the idea of building a solid enough structure to allow for future expansion, butin reality, that would probably never happen. I've seen it done, but it is normaly in kuchdenser cities like chicago. I do like the rendering though, i think it would be a good contemporary design. Our downtown really lacked interesting architecture before asu moved in (with a few exeptions). ASU and the biocenter have done a great job at least at making downtown a little more interesting. It might not seem like it, but things like this bring more visitors downtown.

[gymratmanaz]

This really would be a great addition both architecturally and population-wise!

[nickw252]

The Arizona Board of Regents has given final approval for the construction of a $100 million University of Arizona Cancer Center-Phoenix outpatient clinic at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

At its regular board meeting today, ABOR also approved a ground lease for 1.56 acres from the city of Phoenix at the downtown Biomedical Campus, and a 20-year facility lease with St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, owned by San Francisco-based Dignity Health. As part of that deal, St. Joe’s will operate inpatient clinical cancer services at its campus in Phoenix and outpatient services at the new facility and its hospital campus.

“As our affiliation with the UA is established and evolves, our cancer services will continue to expand and develop an extraordinary level of specialization,” said Linda Hunt, president and CEO of Dignity Health Arizona. “Through this effort, we are collaborating with talented UA and community physicians, as well as other providers throughout the valley. Patients will now have access to care that is truly exceptional.”

Construction of the 230,000-square-foot cancer center is expected to begin later this month. The 6-story structure will be built at the northwest corner of Fillmore and Seventh streets. Services will include infusion, radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, endoscopic/interventional radiology, a breast center, specialized cancer clinics, wellness and support services, a prevention/executive health clinic, clinical lab space and other related support spaces.

The outpatient clinic is expected to be open by early 2015.

Funding for the $100 million project came from a variety of sources, including $14 million from Phoenix. The UA will issue $66 million in system revenue bonds. UA officials also hope to raise $20 million from philanthropists.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said he is thrilled to call Phoenix home to the new cancer center.

“We look forward to the wonderful advances in cancer care and treatment that will arise from this collaboration between the UA and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center,” Stanton said. “Not only will patients in the Greater Phoenix area benefit from the advanced cancer care, but also the city’s and state’s economy will benefit from the economic impact and the jobs that will be created. The Arizona Cancer Center is a tremendous next step on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, and we look forward to continued growth.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/n....html?page=all

[nickw252]

[nickw252]

After years of planning, the University of Arizona is ready to start construction this month on a $100 million cancer-treatment center in the heart of downtown Phoenix, joining three other cancer centers that have opened recently or are preparing expansions in the Valley.

The Arizona Board of Regents gave the green light this week to build a six-story outpatient clinic at Seventh and Fillmore streets that is expected to open in early 2015.

The University of Arizona Cancer Center-Phoenix is the latest in a series of new or expanded cancer-treatment facilities in the Valley.

Last year, Houston-based MD Anderson opened a $109million cancer center in Gilbert. Mayo Clinic plans to consolidate cancer-treatment services in a new $130million building on its Phoenix campus, and Cancer Treatment Centers of America has bought 42 acres next to its Goodyear location for expansion.

UA officials expect the Phoenix center to treat up to 60,000 patients annually within 10 years and create several hundred permanent jobs. The addition of another cancer facility in the Valley gives patients more choices on where they can be treated.

Cancer is the second-most-common cause of death in the U.S., behind heart disease, and more than a half-million Americans are expected to die of the disease this year. The number of cancer cases is only expected to increase as the population ages and people live longer.

“There’s a great number of patients, unfortunately, dealing with cancer in Phoenix, so it made a lot of sense to have a presence in Phoenix,” said Anne Mariucci, a member of the regents.

UA has operated a research-focused cancer center in Tucson since 1976. In 1990, it was designated a comprehensive-care center by the National Cancer Institute. University officials wanted to open another facility in a major population center, such as Phoenix, to serve more patients and expand their clinical trials, which are important factors in keeping the NCI designation.

The Phoenix facility is a partnership among the university, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and Phoenix. St. Joseph’s will operate inpatient clinical cancer services at its hospital a few miles away and outpatient services at the new facility. The city is providing $14 million in funding toward construction, and UA will finance $66million with revenue bonds. Private donations are expected to make up the remaining $20million, with about $5million already raised.

The cancer center is the newest addition to the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, a 28-acre downtown site developed over the past decade to house biomedical-research, academic and clinical facilities.

The area near Seventh and Van Buren streets is home to a six-story Translational Genomics Research Institute building and UA’s College of Medicine-Phoenix. Earlier this year, UA and Northern Arizona University opened a six-story, $135 million health-sciences building. The 268,000-square-foot structure is occupied by medical students and NAU’s new physician-assistant program.

University officials say the new 230,000-square-foot cancer center is a natural extension of UA’s growing presence in the Phoenix area.

“We see medicine and biotechnology as part of our future here, so we wanted to expand on that,” said Milton Castillo,UA’s senior vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer.

The Phoenix facility will provide a wide range of services, including infusion, radiation, diagnostic imaging, a breast center and specialized-cancer clinics. The cancer center expects to draw patients from Maricopa County and Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. Some patients will come from outside the country.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/p...ork-start.html

[HX_Guy]

Looks like the ASU Law School got the go-ahead to move downtown.

Phoenix gives ASU $12 million to move law school downtown
Phoenix Business Journal by Mike Sunnucks, Senior Reporter
Date: Tuesday, December 11, 2012, 2:46pm MST

Mike Sunnucks
Senior Reporter- Phoenix Business Journal

Arizona State University is moving its law school from Tempe to downtown Phoenix and is getting city-owned property and a $12 million reimbursement from the city to sweeten the deal.

The Phoenix City Council and Arizona Board of Regents have approved plans for development of ASU’s Arizona Center for Law and Society on a downtown block that currently houses a parking lot.

The city owned lot is bounded by Polk, Taylor, First and Second Street and is just north of ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The move includes ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. The new center could eventually house as many as 1,000 ASU law students downtown, said Phoenix economic development manager Jeremy Legg.
Legg said ASU will spend between $100 million and $120 million to build the law school center. The city will give the state school $3 million when construction starts and then eventually another $9 million as development progresses.

ASU is in the midst of hiring a design firm for the project. Construction is slated to start in early 2014 with the completion expected in 2015. The law school and center are expected to open for the Spring semester of 2016, Legg said.

The ASU building will be six stories tall and encompass 250,000 to 300,000 square feet.
“This is an investment that makes sense for ASU College of Law, its students and the city of Phoenix,” said Phoenix Councilman Bill Gates in a statement. “The move will position one of our nation’s top public law schools within walking distance of local, state and federal courts, our state’s top law firms and business headquarters.”

ASU already has its journalism school and several other programs at its downtown campus -- which serves more than 10,000 students.

The law school project is expected to create 1,000 construction jobs and generate $1 million in construction related sales tax revenue, according to city estimates.

[Vicelord John]

Is anyone else becoming concerned that all of these ASU buildings are going to create a rather large dead zone in downtown Phoenix in the evenings and summers?

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by Vicelord John

Is anyone else becoming concerned that all of these ASU buildings are going to create a rather large dead zone in downtown Phoenix in the evenings and summers?

Some of us have been trying to raise that point with the City. When ASU Downtown was 'sold' to the public, we were told it would be integrated into the City, much like NYU is into NYC. It wasn't meant to be a campus merely adjacent to Downtown.

The ASU buildings need to be denser, and more mixed use in nature for Downtown to get the maximum benefit.

[Vicelord John]

Well I think they started with mixed use and given the lackluster results of the first two buildings, Cronkite and Taylor Place, they probably just gave it up. Who knows, but it really doesn't work in my mind when there are blocks and blocks of campus.

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by Vicelord John

Well I think they started with mixed use and given the lackluster results of the first two buildings, Cronkite and Taylor Place, they probably just gave it up. Who knows, but it really doesn't work in my mind when there are blocks and blocks of campus.

Its really disappointing that the areas that were planned for retail space along the Taylor Mall have be converted to more offices by ASU. I wish they would've been more patient, considering the horrible recession and waited for retail to happen. Now that much of that space has been converted, I don't see it making a comeback as retail any time soon.

[nickw252]

The Arizona Board of Regents has given final project approval for construction of The University of Arizona Cancer Center – Phoenix outpatient clinic at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

On Dec. 6, Regents also approved a ground lease for 1.56 acres from the City of Phoenix at the Biomedical Campus, and a 20-year facility lease with St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center/Dignity Health, which upon finalization of the lease will operate inpatient clinical cancer services at its main hospital campus and outpatient services at the new facility and at its hospital campus. Construction on the new facility will begin later this month.

The six-story, 230,000-square-foot, $100 million cancer clinic will be located at the northwest corner of Fillmore and Seventh streets and will offer comprehensive cancer services, including infusion, radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, endoscopic/interventional radiology, a breast center, specialized cancer clinics, patient wellness and support services, a prevention/executive health clinic, clinical lab space and other related support spaces. The new clinic should be open to patients by early 2015.

Plans call for four floors to be built out for immediate use; the fifth floor will be constructed as “shell space” for future development, and the sixth floor will consist of enclosed space for mechanical equipment.

The University of Arizona Cancer Center is one of just 41 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. It is the only NCI comprehensive cancer headquartered in Arizona.

“We are very pleased with this progress,” said UA President Ann Weaver Hart. “Effective partnerships are one example of ways in which we can make our boundaries more permeable and our innovations more effective. The University of Arizona is proud to work with St. Joseph’s Hospital and the City of Phoenix to further cancer research, prevention and treatment.”

“We also give a special thank you to Mayor Greg Stanton and members of the Phoenix City Council. The center will create several hundred permanent jobs and have an economic impact of $250 million per year,” Hart added.

“As our affiliation with the UA is established and evolves, our cancer services will continue to expand and develop an extraordinary level of specialization,” said Linda Hunt, president and CEO of Dignity Health Arizona. “Through this effort, we are collaborating with talented UA and community physicians, as well as other providers throughout the valley. Patients will now have access to care that is truly exceptional.”

Of the total $100 million project budget, the cancer center will raise $20 million from philanthropic giving. The City of Phoenix is supporting the UACC-Phoenix project with $14 million in funding. The UA will issue $66 million in system revenue bonds. The University will use UACC-Phoenix lease revenues and operating revenues to fund the project’s debt service. 

“The City of Phoenix is thrilled to be the newest home of The University of Arizona Cancer Center. We look forward to the wonderful advances in cancer care and treatment that will arise from this collaboration between the UA and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center," Stanton said. "Not only will patients in the Greater Phoenix area benefit from the advanced cancer care, but also the city’s and state’s economy will benefit from the economic impact and the jobs that will be created. The Arizona Cancer Center is a tremendous next step on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, and we look forward to continued growth.”

“The establishment of this Cancer Center is a momentous event for the landscape of health care in Arizona and represents a new beacon of hope for cancer patients in our state,” said Anne Mariucci, chair of the Arizona Board of Regents Business and Finance Committee. “Not only will this Cancer Center provide access to the leading-edge cancer treatments for patients, but this prestigious facility will attract top researchers to our state, generate new jobs and result in important research expenditures as well, all important markers for our economy.”

“The University of Arizona Cancer Center – Phoenix will focus on delivering the highest standard of cancer care with an evidence-based, research-driven, disease-oriented multidisciplinary model, along with the most modern technologies and a compassionate, patient-centered approach,” said UACC Director David S. Alberts, MD.

The new UA Cancer Center – Phoenix will be home to approximately 100 providers and hundreds of health-care professionals and administrative staff members. The innovative Cancer Center will add a clinical health-care component to the Phoenix Biomedical Campus and is projected to treat approximately 60,000 patients a year within 10 years of opening.

In keeping with the UA’s commitment to responsible and sustainable design, the cancer center building will be designed to conform to the standard United States Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification.

http://azcc.arizona.edu/node/4611

[MegaBass]

Originally Posted by Vicelord John

Well I think they started with mixed use and given the lackluster results of the first two buildings, Cronkite and Taylor Place, they probably just gave it up. Who knows, but it really doesn't work in my mind when there are blocks and blocks of campus.

They could have done better than Sbarros. That was a joke.

[HX_Guy]

[phxSUNSfan]

Slide show of the construction of the Y@ASU (warning: it is rather unimpressive as of now):

http://downtowndevil.com/2012/12/17/...n-lincoln-src/

[MegaBass]

Originally Posted by phxSUNSfan

Slide show of the construction of the Y@ASU (warning: it is rather unimpressive as of now):

http://downtowndevil.com/2012/12/17/...n-lincoln-src/

The Y at ASU Facebook Page

Post Office Project Facebook Page

[nickw252]

The Sandra Day O’Conner School of Law has taken a few steps toward relocating from Arizona State University’s Tempe campus to its Downtown Phoenix campus.

“Moving downtown is the next logical step,” said Douglas Sylvester, dean of the law school, in a press release. “In addition to providing us with modern space, moving downtown will further increase job opportunities for our graduates by bringing us closer to many of the region’s largest private and public employers, and will also enhance the wide array of hands-on clinical opportunities, externships and pro bono experience we provide our students.”

This month, the Arizona Board of Regents approved ASU’s capital improvement plan, which included the new building.

The Phoenix City Council approved city staff to begin negotiations and to enter into contracts with ASU to develop the Arizona Center for Law and Society on city-controlled property.

It will be located on the square block between First and Second streets, and Taylor and Polk streets. Costs for the new 6-story building are estimated at $100 to $120 million and should open in 2016.

Phoenix is investing $12 million into the project, which is estimated to produce about 1,000 construction-related jobs and $1 million in construction sales tax, according to ASU and Phoenix press releases.

“Our downton location will also allow us to increase the financial benefit we provide the region in free legal services by placing us in closer proximity to community organizations in particular need of legal assistance,” Sylvester said. “We currently provide $10 million in pro bono legal services per year to local community organizations and indigent individuals. We expect this financial benefit will increase dramatically by virtue of our downtown move.”
The facility will also house continuing legal education facilities, community legal services, public retail amenities and approximately 200 to 250 parking spaces.

“This is an investment that makes sense for ASU College of Law, its students and the city of Phoenix,” said Councilman Bill Gates in a press release. “The move will position one of our nation’s top public law schools within walking distance of local, state and federal courts, our state’s top law firms and business headquarters.”

Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2014, with a completion in late 2015. It should open the following spring.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/loc...a4bcf887a.html

[nickw252]

Tempe’s Sun Devil Stadium may get renovated soon, forcing the Sun Devils to play football elsewhere. Read more about it here.

While it’s not clear where the Sun Devils will go, there are two obvious choices: downtown Phoenix’s Chase Field or Glendale’s University of Phoenix Stadium.

And downtown Phoenix leaders aren’t shy about making their pitch why their stomping grounds are a better than Glendale:

- Greg Stanton, mayor of Phoenix

“ASU is in downtown Phoenix, so we’ve got a great and growing campus right in the heart of the city, so it will be fun for the students that already call downtown Phoenix home. And it would be so convenient for the Tempe students. We’re just a short light rail ride away. They may even get some of the U of A medical students to attend an ASU football game if they come downtown.”

- David Roderique, president and CEO of Downtown Phoenix Partnership, a downtown development group

“During the majority of the football season, Chase Field is not being used, and so you’d have fewer scheduling and logistical conflicts. At Glendale stadium, on weekends when both teams are playing the stadium crew would have to a tough time cleaning, preparing the field, etc. in time for the Cardinals after an ASU game.”

- Joseph Grossman, student body president of ASU Downtown Phoenix

“If you move to Chase Field, it fits much more in the New American University model that (ASU President) Dr. Crow set for us – that you can enjoy an experience on any campus. I think Chase Field would be very convenient. We were just at the (Kraft) Bowl game that was played in the (San Francisco) Giants Stadium and to be honest, that was the first time I saw a game played in a baseball stadium. It actually worked very, very well.”

http://www.azcentral.com/insiders/ph...vils-downtown/

Downtown would make perfect sense. You already have thousands of ASU students there, quick and easy transit from Tempe, and the Diamondbacks Stadium will be empty during most of the football season.

Maybe it could turn into a recurring event like hosting an exhibition game at Chase Field once a year. For example, in Ohio the Buckeyes play their first game of the season in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by nickw252

http://www.azcentral.com/insiders/ph...vils-downtown/

Downtown would make perfect sense. You already have thousands of ASU students there, quick and easy transit from Tempe, and the Diamondbacks Stadium will be empty during most of the football season.

Maybe it could turn into a recurring event like hosting an exhibition game at Chase Field once a year. For example, in Ohio the Buckeyes play their first game of the season in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

As a Diamondbacks season ticket holder I would prefer that they not do this. It would screw up the turf, etc. when the seasons overlap.

They had the Insight (now Buffalo Wild Wings) Bowl there for a few years before they moved to Sun Devil Stadium. I attended a game (Cal vs. VaTech) and it really isn't a very good venue for football. Most of the seating is on the 3rd base side and they put temporary bleachers up on the the opposite side of the field. It would likely only seat about 35,000.

[PHX31]

I really hope they play downtown. As an ASU season ticket holder that rides light rail to all of the games I'm not at all looking forward to the possibility of having to drive to UofP stadium in glendale. Aside from UofP stadium being made for football, the logistics and convenience factor for everyone, especially the students, favor and makes much more sense to play downtown at chsse field.

[phxSUNSfan]

Originally Posted by PHX31

I really hope they play downtown. As an ASU season ticket holder that rides light rail to all of the games I'm not at all looking forward to the possibility of having to drive to UofP stadium in glendale. Aside from UofP stadium being made for football, the logistics and convenience factor for everyone, especially the students, favor and makes much more sense to play downtown at chsse field.

It would be somewhat inconvenient to have it in Chase Field. Aside from the weird configuration, the max capacity for a football game is around 45,000 (although I remember reading in one of the earlier stories that Chase Field could max out at 50,000 for a football game). The 2004 Insight Bowl between Oregon State and Notre Dame drew 45,917 and 43,536 for the ASU and Rutgers bowl game in 2005. So that is nearly 30,000 less seating than Sun Devil Stadium.

Average attendance numbers for ASU the last two years has been between 58,000-62,000 with the biggest games (USC, Oregon, Arizona, Mizzouri, etc) drawing sellout crowds of about 72,000. In recent years with ASU performing well, capacity overloads were experienced at Sun Devil Stadium with attendance over 74k-76k...considering the football team is expected to improve it could cause some issues. We would have to deal with much less seating and upset fans. Although for one year, I think that wouldn't be too bad considering there are only 7 home games. I am hoping they split the venue sites so that the biggest games are held at the University of Phoenix Stadium to accommodate larger crowds.