Tempe Development Thread

[flyer84]

The new parking garage is being built directly east of Tempe City Hall, a.k.a the upside down pyramid building, on 5th St. It will be next to the new Marriott Residence Inn that will be going up on the corner of Forest Ave. and 5th St. Apparently, part of the parking garage will be reserved for the hotel to use. I too really like the design of this parking garage. It has such a nice street presence and a lot of stone and brick incorporated into it. Very nice for downtown Tempe.

[tempedude]

Originally Posted by flyer84

The new parking garage is being built directly east of Tempe City Hall, a.k.a the upside down pyramid building, on 5th St. It will be next to the new Marriott Residence Inn that will be going up on the corner of Forest Ave. and 5th St. Apparently, part of the parking garage will be reserved for the hotel to use. I too really like the design of this parking garage. It has such a nice street presence and a lot of stone and brick incorporated into it. Very nice for downtown Tempe.

blech....downtown Tempe....is that a joke?..actually....I asked asked about this stupid garage weeks ago...and I also spoke to a site foreman connected to the garage and hotel construction.... and he said the hotel was to begin in two weeks....huh...that hasn't happened yet has it?

[PHXguyinOKC]

what's the word with the Monti's project??

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by tempedude

blech....downtown Tempe....is that a joke?

Huh? Are you saying there is no downtown Tempe? Downtown Tempe is the most urban, walkable place in the entire state. From the river on the north, to Apache on the South, Rural on the East and Hardy on the West, its all very urban, infilling at a good clip, and quite walkable. Once light rail is running, it'll be even more so. Add in the Orbit shuttles and its all connected quite well.

[tempedude]

Originally Posted by HooverDam

Huh? Are you saying there is no downtown Tempe? Downtown Tempe is the most urban, walkable place in the entire state.

No...I am not saying that there is no downtown Tempe. Actually, DT Tempe is very walkable, urban, and enjoyable. It still has a long way to go though before I'll declare it the best spot on the planet. Just my opinion.

From the river on the north, to Apache on the South, Rural on the East and Hardy on the West, its all very urban, infilling at a good clip, and quite walkable. Once light rail is running, it'll be even more so. Add in the Orbit shuttles and its all connected quite well.

LOL...I live in the heart of Tempe...I see this stuff everyday. I am simply not very happy with Tempe (city hall) right now.

So...ehhh...yeah you caught me slamming my city on a day where I was in a very lousy mood. Sorry. Was I being mature? Probably not. Did it feel good? Heck yeah! For a minute.

In all reality, I love Tempe, Phoenix, and basically the whole metro area very much. Its where my loyalty lies. Quite awhile ago, I stated that I was more interested in the developments going on in downtown Phoenix than anywhere else in the valley. That statement is still true today, and it is not in any manner a slam on Tempe. Both cities have stuff going for them that I am excited about.

And, I can't wait for the light rail to open. The rail is going to bring about development we haven't even forseen. Take a drive down Apache Blvd. in Tempe, you will be quite surprised at whats going on. In fact, ground was broken just this week (on an old dusty lot) for a retail development right across from the Apache and Dorsey Station. Its going to be built right up to the sidewalk with no parking in front at all from what I know of othe plans.

This development would not have happened for a very long time (if even at all) if it were not for the light rail. Its a prime example of good things to come for properties close to the light rail. Tempe, Phoenix, and Mesa (and all other cities where the rail will be) are going to benefit greatly. Mark my words.

[Jsmscaleros]

Anyone else wondering why neither Tempe or Phoenix seem to think it's possible to build apartment/condo high rises that are not strictly for the rich?

[Jsmscaleros]

On an entirely different note, to anyone who runs/bikes/otherwise likes to exercise or hang out at Tempe Town Lake, you might find this of interest:

http://www.tempe.gov/maps/DevProjectDetails.aspx?LocationID=764f27c4-439c-4794-95fb-1c335a5aac43

I was thoroughly disappointed with the appearance of the LRT bridge spanning the lake, so it seems they upped the ante a bit with this one.

[Sonoran_Dweller]

WOW!!!! I never expected it would look that good. I was expecting a lame straight slab of concrete like the Rural Road bridge is. This is great, glad to see it is a eye pleasing design. Thanks for showing us. Welcome.

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by Jsmscaleros

On an entirely different note, to anyone who runs/bikes/otherwise likes to exercise or hang out at Tempe Town Lake, you might find this of interest:

http://www.tempe.gov/maps/DevProjectDetails.aspx?LocationID=764f27c4-439c-4794-95fb-1c335a5aac43

I was thoroughly disappointed with the appearance of the LRT bridge spanning the lake, so it seems they upped the ante a bit with this one.

What disappoints you about the Tempe LRT bridge? That thing is pretty awesome, especially at night.

[Jsmscaleros]

Did they recently turn the lights on? Haha, must be a recent development - I've since been in Tokyo for a few months so I've only seen it unlit. Not necessarily sold on rainbows, but it looks a lot more vibrant at night, for sure.

[vertex]

^Nope, the lights have been installed and operable since they finished the bridge last summer. They only turn them on for special events.

The lights are animated; the colors will cycle thru, and are designed to change color whenever a train passes over the bridge. It's not a fast, flashing, strobe-like effect designed to induce a seizure, but rather subtle, especially up close. It's easier to see the effect from a distance, like the Mill Ave. bridge.

[ciweiss]

Jsmscaleros
Anyone else wondering why neither Tempe or Phoenix seem to think it's possible to build apartment/condo high rises that are not strictly for the rich?

Welcome Jsmscaleros! That is a good question. I think the reason everyone was going highend is because 2 years ago there were a lot of investers that were easily able to afford those types of places. Now that times have changed I think they will start some developments that are aimed at the middle class. The high end ones will sit for a while I believe. Not everyone needs granite countertops. I think the developers were also making big profit during the high times of a few years ago. I think they will also have to come back down to earth with smaller profit percentages on new developments.

The lightrail bridge is cool especially at night. The pedestrian bridge is a great design. They did a good job on that one. Also - for you bikers they are finishing up the sidewalk from the Art Center to Priest. So soon you will be able to bike around the whole area and cut across on the bridge. Course it sounds like they will need to replace the dams pretty soon. I would hate to be on the lake when one of those things gives...

[tempedude]

Whats really cool about the lighting on the light rail bridge is that it is all fiber optic. I have seen some really cool lighting displays done with the bridge. For example, I once saw the lights mimic something like LRT vehicles traveling across and passing each other on the bridge over the lake.

I hope that once the light rail opens in December, that the bridge will be lit up at nite all the time. Just like the lights on the Mill Ave. bridge.

ciweiss...I was wondering the same thing about the west end dams also. I don't think we will see any pedestrian bridge until a permanent fix is found for the dam. Right now fixing the dam is priority, and it sounds like it may cost upwards of $22 Million if the dam has to be replaced. Its sad to hear that Bridgestone quit making the type of dam that is installed there now.

I pulled the pic (for easy viewing) of the pedestrian bridge from the link that Jsmscaleros posted.

Jsmscaleros welcome!

The concept looks really hot! I hope that when built, it really does look like this.


Source

[trigirdbers]

Welcome new guys-

Populism aside, the reason that high rise condos are so expensive is that the materials needed to build them are very expensive. In fact, many buildings in the Valley are selling for very close to what it cost to build them. The reason that other cities have cheaper condos is because they have a bunch of old building stock that they can rehab, avoiding the cost of new construction.

Hope this helps.

[UTAZLoVer]

Originally Posted by Jsmscaleros

Anyone else wondering why neither Tempe or Phoenix seem to think it's possible to build apartment/condo high rises that are not strictly for the rich?

Land prices are too high to make affordable/attainable projects pencil without significant subsidization from the government. That's why you see all these projects available only to those who can afford a lot more than your average Arizonan. (Or any other average American for that matter....)

[PhxSprawler]

Originally Posted by UTAZLoVer

Land prices are too high to make affordable/attainable projects pencil without significant subsidization from the government. That's why you see all these projects available only to those who can afford a lot more than your average Arizonan. (Or any other average American for that matter....)

It is more about construction costs than land prices around the valley, hence the sprawling single-family homes vs. high-rise condos.

[ciweiss]

Interesting. The sprawling days are nearing an end with gas going up. Who wants to live in Buckeye or Queen Creek as gas reaches 5$. My guess is any vacant land within the main City limits will start to get utilized pretty quick. All them fields and dirt lots will start to get bought up and projects way out of town will start to slow down. Light rail WILL BE well used.

[PhxSprawler]

Originally Posted by ciweiss

Interesting. The sprawling days are nearing an end with gas going up. Who wants to live in Buckeye or Queen Creek as gas reaches 5$. My guess is any vacant land within the main City limits will start to get utilized pretty quick. All them fields and dirt lots will start to get bought up and projects way out of town will start to slow down. Light rail WILL BE well used.

If you hadn't read a newspaper or watched the news, you would never know there was a housing slowdown when driving through Chandler, Gilbert, North Scottdale, Glendale, Buckeye, Peoria, Tolleson, Maricopa, Casa Grande, etc. Masterplanned communities and strip malls are still going up and roads are still being widened. It will be interesting to see when the progress comes to the inevitable stop being widely discussed in this forum and in the media.

[UTAZLoVer]

Originally Posted by PhxSprawler

It is more about construction costs than land prices around the valley, hence the sprawling single-family homes vs. high-rise condos.

Although steel construction (obviously) is more expensive to build than wood-frame, it is the high land prices that keep highrises so expensive per square foot versus the suburban single family homes. The reason we see all this sprawl in Phoenix is in fact because land at the edges of our desert metropolis is the least expensive, whereas land in the more central areas is many times the price of its exurban counterparts. Land in Downtown Tempe is trading at over $100 a foot, whereas land in Buckeye is being sold (or not being sold in this market...) at a fraction of the price, allowing builders to offer homes at a much more attainable price.

In the end, both factors play into the equation to determine the final selling price of any given dwelling unit. Rising construction costs and high land prices come together in downtown Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale to force nearly all these highrise projects to cater to the rich in order to turn a profit. You could build an identical high rise in Queen Creek (put aside the fact that you'd never get such a project past the City Council or local residents) at a much more modest cost, enabling you to pass the savings to the buyer and offer beautiful condos at an attainable price. That scenario, however, will obviously never play out in the Phoenix Metro and highrise condos will continue to be offered at exclusive pricing without significant government subsidization that would encourage developers to offer a lower-priced product.

[HX_Guy]

I think due to density, the cost per unit in the downtown for the land is actually lower then in the suburbs, therefore it has to be the construction cost of building with steel and concrete vs wood.

Saw a developer picks up a few acres in the suburbs at $250,000 per acre (which I think is pretty accurate, depending on the area of course) and you build a typical 7,000 sq ft lot...that comes out to about 6 homes or $41,666 per house in land costs.

If a developer picks up a lot downtown, say 1/2 acre for $5 million, and builds a 200 unit tower...you're looking at $25,000 per unit in land costs.
Plus, you can build way more then 200 units on a 1/2 acre and lower your price even more.