Phoenix Area Low- and Mid-Rise Development Thread

[biggus diggus]

Looks better than an empty lot.

[TAZ4ate0]

Originally Posted by biggus diggus

Looks better than an empty lot.

If you are referring to Tempo on Apache, I'll give you that. Anything is better than an empty lot, and it's way better than what was there before.

...and granted, that project was completed in record time. I was surprised how fast it went. I just don't care for it. It just is very bland imo.

[combusean]

I think with this kind of exuberance we can get over the "better than an empty lot" argument.

The problem with crap is that it stays crap for decades and it becomes full circle.

Like, they could be converted to condos and we'd be stuck with them forever. It was a threat that the owners of the Biltmore Club made when they didn't get needed entitlements amidst high construction costs to make their proposal pencil out.

Fortunately that never happened.

[biggus diggus]

I've lived in this city longer than most of you have been alive. Trust me, take the 5 story ugly developments over the empty lots that have been there for decades. It's the smart thing to do.

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by biggus diggus

I've lived in this city longer than most of you have been alive. Trust me, take the 5 story ugly developments over the empty lots that have been there for decades. It's the smart thing to do.

Oh God is this one of those other I bike 1000 miles a day posts? Unless you were born pre-WWII, this argument is irrelevant. Old guard vs New Guard? Economic climate is different now...Phoenix is actually growing up to be a real city and this “old mentality” will hurt us in the future.

[combusean]

I find it fascinating how biggus pisses people off here.

Such inoffensive comments that have to be attacked without mercy. God forbid somebody has a contrary opinion about something...

[biggus diggus]

You're right, we should tell developers they may only build what we like. Watch a lot of guys decide not to build and the economic climate gets worse, then you get to keep that empty lot.

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by biggus diggus

You're right, we should tell developers they may only build what we like. Watch a lot of guys decide not to build and the economic climate gets worse, then you get to keep that empty lot.

To an extent, you're correct. But I question if an empty lot would stay empty in the fastest growing city in the country where single family sprawl is no longer the norm and urban development is the trend. I think settling for large block-sized 5 story developments in the current market is no longer needed. If these developers would actually try something unique instead of just going with the flow, I think we would have some surprise success. Developments like Stewart, Link, Barrister, Central Park East and maybe Derby may just prove that taller developments with less land use can work here.

It will be interesting to see the state of developments by 2020. Here's to hoping!

[Ballister]

Originally Posted by combusean

I find it fascinating how biggus pisses people off here.

Such inoffensive comments that have to be attacked without mercy. God forbid somebody has a contrary opinion about something...

It's not his opinions, it's the constantly used preamble of 'you're not old enough, smart enough, educated enough, experienced enough' that is annoying about him. You're defending someone who immediately shuts down debate by saying I'm the only one who can see something as it truly is. That's why.

[pbenjamin]

Not sure whether this has been discussed here, but last night the Encanto Village Planning Committee approved a stipulation modification for the 4.04 acre property at 31 E Thomas, currently a parking lot behind the Panera at Central and Thomas. The developer is Toll Brothers and in 2006 they obtained a zoning change that planned two 658 foot towers and one 514 foot tower. That plan got a lot of attention at the time. Now they want to build a 4 story 256 unit apartment complex wrapping a 6 story parking garage instead. The stipulation changes were to remove "substantial conformance to site plan" as well as the restriction of no parking on the first two floors. Although concerns were raised that the proposed complex was overparked (1.7 per unit), as well as hopes expressed for inclusion of solar, the committee voted to recommend approval. The stipulation modification request goes to a Planning Hearing Officer on the 15th. This was not a rezoning, just modification to stipulations, which is why there has not been more public awareness.

[CrestedSaguaro]

Seems like that is one heck of a step down from their original plans. I understand them not wanting to build the towers...but 4 stories? At least go 6 or 7 for that lot. This is near a prominent intersection of Midtown. I think it deserves better.

[mdpx]

That Toll Bros. proposal back in the day was ridiculously out of whack: A strip center on Central with Singapore-sized highrises behind it was out of scale completely for Phoenix at that time, let along off the corner of Central and Thomas.

It's fun to look back at some of these proposals. Back in the 1980s there was a plan to build the worlds tallest building on the still empty parcel just north of George and Dragon. Like 120-something floors! Naturally, it seemed like a good idea at the time surrounded by one story homes. The worst yet, was a building that was proposed on the site for the Phelps Dodge building on Washington and Central. The design was actually designed to look like rock. The only thing I can say it looked like was a climbing wall, just bigger. It was hideous. Thank god some proposals fail. But I agree, a 4 floor garage wrap is so uninspiring...

[azliam]

Originally Posted by RonnieFoos

Seems like that is one heck of a step down from their original plans. I understand them not wanting to build the towers...but 4 stories? At least go 6 or 7 for that lot. This is near a prominent intersection of Midtown. I think it deserves better.

I think this was the original rendering for those towers:




Thread discussing it:http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=105009

[RichTempe]

Originally Posted by mdpx

That Toll Bros. proposal back in the day was ridiculously out of whack: A strip center on Central with Singapore-sized highrises behind it was out of scale completely for Phoenix at that time, let along off the corner of Central and Thomas.

It's fun to look back at some of these proposals. Back in the 1980s there was a plan to build the worlds tallest building on the still empty parcel just north of George and Dragon. Like 120-something floors! Naturally, it seemed like a good idea at the time surrounded by one story homes. The worst yet, was a building that was proposed on the site for the Phelps Dodge building on Washington and Central. The design was actually designed to look like rock. The only thing I can say it looked like was a climbing wall, just bigger. It was hideous. Thank god some proposals fail. But I agree, a 4 floor garage wrap is so uninspiring...

It was actually supposed to be 114 floors on Central just south of the Papago freeway and 1,700 feet tall!! Can you imagine how out of place that would look now, much less 1985 Phoenix

https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/...31/story1.html

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by RonnieFoos

Seems like that is one heck of a step down from their original plans. I understand them not wanting to build the towers...but 4 stories? At least go 6 or 7 for that lot. This is near a prominent intersection of Midtown. I think it deserves better.

Remember back to the original post on this very thread.

This block apartment schlock is what you need to actually create density and take up lots, and make futur highrise development economically viable.

Every city is filled with forgettable apt blocks, these 4-6 story wood frames are our modern version of 1900’s red brick tenements

[combusean]

It's still a loss for that lot.

So far Muse went up where there was a proposal for a 3-tower, 375-foot project.

That one lot around the Blue Fin was for the twin 500' Museum Towers.

And this.

[Obadno]

New Senior living on Camelback Between 17th ave and 15th ave

https://azbigmedia.com/rainbow-housi...-developments/



Also Prescott is getting a smaller scale version, Prescott is experiencing incredible growth too, something I think we overlook focusing on Phoenix

[SunDevil]

Originally Posted by Obadno

New Senior living on Camelback Between 17th ave and 15th ave

https://azbigmedia.com/rainbow-housi...-developments/



Also Prescott is getting a smaller scale version, Prescott is experiencing incredible growth too, something I think we overlook focusing on Phoenix

True, the Prescott MSA is larger than Yuma, Flagstaff, or Lake Havasu-Kingman. It's the third largest MSA in the state.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Prescott Valley and/or Yavapai County need to figure out how to alleviate traffic along 69. It's like someone took a chunk of a Valley suburb and plunked it down east of Prescott with no regard for existing infrastructure (or lack thereof).

[Ballister]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

Prescott Valley and/or Yavapai County need to figure out how to alleviate traffic along 69. It's like someone took a chunk of a Valley suburb and plunked it down east of Prescott with no regard for existing infrastructure (or lack thereof).

I like riding 69 personally.