Quote:
Originally Posted by PHX06
I agree. We definitely need more towers between The Stewart and BMO to join downtown and midtown. Is there anything planned for that lot beside the The Old Spaghetti Factory?
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I'd rather DT connect to MT with a somewhat urban cityscape (1-2 towers + several mid-rises) vs. 4-5 over-parked towers on super-blocks with miles of ramps, docks, leasing offices, etc. at ground level. Phase I of this boom filled prime lots (McDowell/Central) with 4-5 story crap, while Phase II brought more height; but, DT is still missing a mix of employers (office), homeowners (condos), and retail (shopping, services) to complement hotel, rentals, and restaurants.
That's the issue with developers aggregating so much land; DT 'districts' are corporate creations: RED District (Washington / Central), CoP District (Adams / Central), Crow District (Fillmore / Central), True North District (Roosevelt / Central). That's being generous, considering the CoP / County extend into the WD / WVB; plus, PBC (largely vacant for 10+ yrs) and old superblocks like AZ Center in the middle.
The best projects have been infill; 1 block with several uses, heights, etc. True North has great ideas, for ex, but because they "own" RR, they can 'sacrifice' land like the lot on Moreland (2nd-3rd St) for a garage, while a different owner might see potential for a midrise condo a la Portland Place. I think a lot of TN's land will be vacant for years as lofty plans like Meow Wolf fall apart, when most could be built/filled with residents to support local biz quickly.
TN changing course from ideas like Atari / Meow Wolf - fit for RR - to student housing (could be built anywhere), is worrisome. I don't see why smaller projects, like wrapping the garage on 1st St./Roosevelt with micro-apartments, haven't taken off meanwhile? That's a project I'd hate to see get lost in all of this, since that garage is a major detriment to RR, and another developer could either 1. have a better, more immediate plan, OR 2. do absolutely nothing with it for eternity.