Quote:
Originally Posted by Obadno
There are several high-rises just waiting to get moving im getting antsy.
Once there are a lot of people living downtown well see office development too; which will be great especially now that downtown is dropping sub 15% vacancy
As for Ballpark last I saw was that they changed the plan to not close Buchanan which was a good move. But I haven't seen anything yet. Ballpark is kind of in a deadzone so I was always worried about it getting built.
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As another posted mentioned, I actually have a feeling the city got duped again and the developer simply cleared the land for a flip. Nothing explains why else they sat on it for 2+ years before demo. I am aware that they opened up Buchanan, but they still were using the historic buildings for leasing and fitness. Given that every cool warehouse is becoming an office thanks to Mackay and WebPT, we should keep as many cool structures as we can for actual public use. Those would make great authentic Mexican restaurants with a beer garden in between with a cultural center and apartments behind paying tribute to the historic landowners in the area.
But, this was a dumb project from the start. Who would build apartments adjacent to an effin railroad? Who would build in possibly the most desolate corner of the downtown area and not include any sort of retail for the residents? It just seems bogus and I hope it is even though the loss of yet another warehouse is a shitty casualty.
RE: OCPE, I agree that phased projects have not worked out but the fact that even this piece is being developed is progress. Remember when this was going to be a single-use garage originally? The shitty part is that Central will stay void of any real active storefronts in that area, but I don't see why a project would be announced now if it weren't real... by now, developers should know whether there is true demand or not, no?
And, until Phoenix grabs something on the level of the State Farm deal, I just don't see how offices will get built. The tech companies are just gobbling up warehouses and Midtown offices with massive parking lots for their less-than-50 employees. So many companies make total sense downtown... Petsmart in a tower with a veterinary school on the PBC, for example; or, a flagship Best Western + HQ + College of Hospitality... Hopefully, it will work backwards and jobs will follow talent, but with ASU the only player in town, that pool is somewhat limited. I am no expert and would like to see it happen.