Phoenix Development News (3)

[DesertRay]

Originally Posted by Mr.RE

The fact that they were able to see a patch of grass and dead sidewalk space and propose this new project is outstanding. Creativity is finally flowing here in Phoenix!

I like it, but I can't help but look at it and think of the stacks in Ready Player One.

[RichTempe]

Originally Posted by DesertRay

I like it, but I can't help but look at it and think of the stacks in Ready Player One.

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by ASU Diablo

Saw this as well and wondered if the previous reports were incorrect or Bosa Donuts realized opening up at Summit at Copper Square was a mistake and chose AZ Center instead?

Okay never mind. They still plan on opening one up at Summit

https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news...beefs-up-downtown-phoenix-expansion.html

[azsunsurfer]

Just saw the renderings for the R02 Office Tower and I can say I am impressed. Think along the lines of Watermark office tower in Tempe but "splashier."

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

Just saw the renderings for the R02 Office Tower and I can say I am impressed. Think along the lines of Watermark office tower in Tempe but "splashier."

The tower itself is nice. I just don't like the alley abandonment. I would rather have 2 separate towers and retain the alley. But nothing is perfect I suppose.

[gymratmanaz]

Is there a rendering to see? I may have missed it.

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

Just saw the renderings for the R02 Office Tower and I can say I am impressed. Think along the lines of Watermark office tower in Tempe but "splashier."

Is it this one from their website?

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

Is it this one from their website?

Yup

[muertecaza]

Demo permit issued for the parking canopy on the south half of the 200 W. Monroe site this week. Doesn't mention the building on the north half, so not sure if that will have to be under a separate permit. But it's progress.

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

Demo permit issued for the parking canopy on the south half of the 200 W. Monroe site this week. Doesn't mention the building on the north half, so not sure if that will have to be under a separate permit. But it's progress.

Great news!

Anyone attending this weekend’s DVC meeting? Would like to know more about Hyatt agenda item.

DEVELOPMENTS & ADVOCACY
State Legislative Watch items ~ Ryan Boyd, DVC (10 minutes)
Hyatt Downtown & Adams Street Activation ~ Tom Delaney and Manjula Vaz, Hyatt; Terry McAvoy, CED (20/20 minutes)
Greenwood Brewery in Evans Churchill ~ Megan Greenwood and Greg Esser (15 minutes)
Transportation & Transit ~ Kyle Foxcroft, DVC (5 minutes)
City of Phoenix Bond Program and Budget Community Meetings ~ Jim McPherson, DVC (10 minutes)
APS Substations, Illuminated Signs, Other (15 minutes)

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by TJPHXskyscraperfan

Well, while they are closing I noticed Friends Grill and Cocktails pop up on Yelp yesterday, must be opening right there at Union in the US Bank Tower. Anyone been there yet? Yelp says it’s open from 8 am until 2 am daily. If that’s true that’s a whole lot better than the hours those other spots in Union have!

The Monroe Bar is opening up next to Friends Grill & Cocktails at US Bank. This bar also open till 2am

https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertai...onroe-opens-downtown-phoenix/3080496002/

[combusean]

Originally Posted by RonnieFoos

The tower itself is nice. I just don't like the alley abandonment. I would rather have 2 separate towers and retain the alley. But nothing is perfect I suppose.

I have lamented the alley abandonment but it is probably necessary at the end of the day to have a big enormous parking garage like modern requirements dictate. This thing looks a lot closer to some of the developments in Tempe that have been more or less impossible downtown because spaces per square foot have skyrocketed lately.

[azsunsurfer]

Originally Posted by RonnieFoos

Yup

That's a different version than the one I saw. Disappointing if that's a revised rendering.

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

That's a different version than the one I saw. Disappointing if that's a revised rendering.

That's the one that was in the Ro2 development packet posted a couple weeks ago. I am not familiar with any other renderings of it. Do you have a link to the one you saw?

[ASU Diablo]

Article up on PBJ about the ASU/Wexford research building on BioMedical campus. Behind a paywall but has a new rendering I haven't seen before, an aerial shot of the building w/ the neighborhood around it.

https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news...s-77m-research-facility-in-downtown.html

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by ASU Diablo

Article up on PBJ about the ASU/Wexford research building on BioMedical campus. Behind a paywall but has a new rendering I haven't seen before, an aerial shot of the building w/ the neighborhood around it.

https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news...s-77m-research-facility-in-downtown.html

You mean Roosevelt isn't putting up "Stop the Campus" signs for that huge "monstrosity"??

Just kidding on the monstrosity part. Looks pretty good. Here's the article. Has a little on the Mayo biomedical campus as well:

When Christine Mackay took over as economic development director for the city of Phoenix, one of her first meetings was with Tom Osha.

Osha is senior vice president in charge of innovation and economic development for Wexford Science & Technology LLC, and he was in town during January 2015 to see how Wexford might help Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University develop the Arizona Biomedical Corridor in north Phoenix.

In 2013, New York-based KUD International LLC had worked with Mayo and ASU and was planning to buy 225 acres of state trust land to develop the biocorridor next to Mayo Clinic's hospital campus at 56th Street and Mayo Boulevard. KUD eventually backed out of the deal, opening up an opportunity for others to take over.

"I went with Tom up to Mayo and we talked about opportunities," Mackay said. "I had done research on Wexford and realized these guys were the real deal and was trying to figure out a way to get them into Phoenix."

The deal to develop a biocorridor with Mayo and ASU never materialized.

That same year, Mackay and ASU were in talks with Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the world's richest doctor, to see how they might develop a research center together on a 7-acre parcel on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown. But that agreement eventually fell through by summer 2016.

That's when Mackay called Rick Naimark, associate vice president for program development planning for ASU, asking if he would meet her for lunch so she could introduce him to Wexford's Osha.

"At that lunch, we constructed the deal," Mackay said.

As a result of that meeting, Wexford on Thursday was set to break ground on a $77 million research center on the north side of the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

"We have a model for where and how we're going to grow the company," Osha said. "The model looks at the dynamics of the university, the city and larger region and looks at where growth is coming from — what sectors. Our model is one that blends university research, discovery, commercialization, startup activity, large company engagement, community outreach and brings it all together to create this innovation district."

Phoenix has been among the top cities in the company's location metrics for the past five years, he said.

When Doug Woodruff joined Wexford as vice president of development in 2016, he was put in charge of the West region, and Phoenix quickly popped up on his radar.

"Most of what we did was on the East Coast," he said, adding St. Louis was as far west as the company had developed when he joined.

"When we looked at urban markets that have not only the commitments of major research universities, medical centers or research institutes, but all the urban attributes that young people are looking for and employers are looking for to grow their business, Phoenix popped right up the list," Woodruff said.

That's not to say developing a biocampus at Mayo's north Phoenix hospital campus is out of the picture, he said.

"It's early days as to what Mayo and ASU are planning out on the Mayo campus, but as those things gain momentum — and there's plenty of ground out there — there's not the same urban landscape," Woodruff said. "I think we have to think about how do you make it so it's where people want to be. Those are big challenges. What we love about the downtown market is the urbanity of that market."

ASU President Michael Crow said the project on the Mayo hospital campus is not off the table.

"We're still working on it," he said. "It's hard to find partners with capital, with courage, with willingness to innovate. I mean, the world doesn't need another biocorridor. The world needs things that are beyond that."

Meanwhile, the downtown Phoenix project will be transformational for ASU and the city, Crow said, as ASU continues to expand downtown.

ASU is taking some space within the Translational Genomics Research Institute building on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, Crow said.

"The assignment that we have is to stimulate research-driven knowledge enterprises to cluster in downtown Phoenix, which is different than a medical school mission," he said.

With no state-funded capital budget to use on the site, ASU partnered with Wexford to develop the project, Crow said.

"If you recall from our deal we have from the city, we're authorized to build 2.5 million square feet of space on that site," Crow said. "So this building will represent slightly less than 10 percent of the capacity of the seven-and-a-half-acre site."

Designed by Dallas-based HKS Inc., the 200,000-square-foot building will be anchored by ASU, but will have space for other tenants. ASU has subleased the land to Wexford for the new project, creating the first public-private partnership for the biomedical campus.

Norio Tsuchiya, regional design director for HKS, has worked with Wexford on several projects over the years. He said his team designed "fins" on the building, mimicking Saguaro cactus flutes that provide shade.

"The saguaro uses those flutes to shield itself at certain angles, which is what the fins do on this building," Tsuchiya said.

The building has several other shade features throughout, including using the third floor as an overhang to create shade.

The location of the building near Roosevelt Row is seen as important to recruit employees who are close to bars and restaurants and community-hosted events such as First Fridays.

[ASUSunDevil]

^ I liked the original rendering with the bucket windows a little more, but that's still a beautiful building. Excited for this one

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by combusean

This thing looks a lot closer to some of the developments in Tempe that have been more or less impossible downtown because spaces per square foot have skyrocketed lately.

Space efficiency has definitely changed the landscape with respect to calculating parking needs. Still, using transit for Amazon workers in Seattle is working well in an urban setting.

Originally Posted by RonnieFoos

Just kidding on the monstrosity part. Looks pretty good. Here's the article. Has a little on the Mayo biomedical campus as well:

Great read!!

[haux]

Hello, everyone. This is likely my last update since I am moving on the 20th. Most of my time now will be spent at work, packing and preparing to move to Maryland, so I don't think I'll have time to get many more photos. These are all from this evening, with the exception of what is noted. These were shot with a Canon 5D MkII using a 16-35mm f/2.8 lens and a Canon 60D using a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.

They are divided by project.

Block 23


Glass is slowly wrapping around the commercial side.


More glass on the west side


Ground floor south side


Southwest corner


On the east side where the apartments are, the facade is going in.


How it looks compared with the surroundings


Southeast corner


This corner is pointy.


More of the facade. It is going to look like every other modern apartment building.


A closer look

The Link


From Roosevelt and Third Street on March 7


Southwest side


South side


East side


Close up on the top of the west side


South side from Monroe and Third Street


North side from Portland and Third Street. It stands out when you're driving south on Third Street. This tower is a great addition to the skyline.

The Stewart


From the west. I like how it looks when you're on I-10. It fills in what was a barren area in the skyline.


They've started turning the lights on. It looks nice and livable.


Lots of glass on the bottom two floors. Note the alternating tints from light to dark on the second floor. I wonder what that's about.


Glass walls on the 17th-floor swimming pool area.


Bonus before and after comparisons




This is from nearly a year ago, Feb. 26, 2018. It's at the light-rail station at Central and Roosevelt. It's only a few stories tall.


This evening during the blue hour, The Stewart is a formidable presence in the neighborhood.


On May 6, 2017, there is nothing there. The view of the skyline from my apartment's parking garage is clear.


Today, The Stewart blocks the view. Not that that's a bad thing. The three bright lights on it are the balcony lights that also are being tested in the Central side.

Cambria hotel


On Third Street and Portland


Already up to four floors

Native American Connections' Urban Living on Fillmore


Looking at the project from the northeast. Lots of brick is going up.


From Fillmore


Southwest corner


West side

Hyatt


There's still work going on at the Hyatt.


For one, it's now got the Hyatt Regency name up top. It used to just say "Hyatt" there


They're still painting it white.

That's it, folks. I am going to miss this forum and Phoenix immensely. I was born here and came back just over five years ago. I love how much it's grown and how downtown has become a true city center in its own right. The food is excellent, the neighborhoods are fun, and the development is truly happening. Keep covering the city. I'll be checking in to see how my favorite place is doing. Thanks for checking out my photos.

[michael85225]

Wow, thanks for the amazing photos. Much appreciated and I wish you good luck with the move.