I went for a run on Tuesday and took a couple of pics along the way... Three days have passed since then so not "current" representations of each site.
Tempe Streetcar making its way down Rio Solado
Does anyone know where this will end/if plans are in place to get the light rail going all the way down to Tempe Marketplace?
Flour Mill rehab appears to be starting... believe this is slated to become a hotel?
Skyline view forming from Mill, looking dense
Oliv, Westin, Mirabella
Westin, Oliv
Light Rail approaching University/Mill intersection from Ash Ave to University turn
707 Forest (?)
ASU campus building (cannot remember the name of the hall), finishing up on the reno)
[b] A different view of Oliv, Forest, and Union from College Ave [b]
I'm not sure if I'm imagining things, but wasn't the A mountain sign white?
Hyatt House
Excessively large and tall parking garage for Novus
ISTB7
More Novus
Trader Joe's
Apollo baby cranes as seen from University, as well as another crane for another project on Apache Blvd
This next update is for Mesa Riverview, taken on 05/14/20, not technically Tempe, but...
This thing appeared out of nowhere
Also general updates... no pictures:
The Level on University is now building out 4 houses, wish I could grab a pic but I'm always driving.
The skyline when approaching from 202 east around the bed towards the Priest Exit, is VERY impressive. Gives a full stretch effect from Watermark to Townlake all the way to DTWN Tempe appearing as one solid skyline and A Mountian looming in the back. Again, would grab a pic, but always driving.
Across the way from The Level, something is happening with what appears to be an old warehouse as they have dug up the lot and boarded up the windows and now placing steel structures.
Thanks for the pics.... Question: I couldn't tell from the picture, what gives you the indication that the Hayden Flour Mill is under construction?
Great news if so, but this seems stalled for a half decade now.
Yeah, I noticed after I uploaded the pic that the shadows make it hard to see but all of the windows/caging (I think there were bars in some of them if I'm not mistaken) have been completely removed and you can see that some removal is being done on the interior. Additionally, the fence was opened up and there were a couple of guys walking around the site, so I think it may start picking up. Over the past couple months I've noticed the exterior slowly changing but it had looked different enough on Tuesday to warrant a pic, albeit a bad one haha.
Just a couple of comments. 1. To answer you question the electric trolley will end at the Marina Complex (State Farm) for now.
2. Unless it started since 4-27, (when I headed back to Bellingham), nothing is happening at the Hayden Mill. We have seen now two great proposals go by the wayside. (My total guess is when they look at retro fitting and earthquake proofing the silos for hotel rooms it is too cost prohibitive.)
You mention Light rail tracks on University and Ash, to be technically correct those are electric trolley rails not Light Rail. Electric Trolley goes with traffic and Light Rail has dedicated track where only light rail can travel.
Behind the deal: How ASU's engineering growth attracted Zoom to Arizona
More media coverage on Zoom announcement. Between InfoSys and potentially Zoom, Novus about to take off.
Quote:
efore Zoom became synonymous with how people communicate during social distancing, the California video conferencing giant that shot to popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic was already in talks to open a research and development facility in the Phoenix area.
Lev Gonick, chief information officer for Arizona State University, had known three Zoom Video Communications Inc. executives for years and was a teacher and former neighbor to Zoom’s chief technology officer, Brendan Ittelson. ASU was an early adopter of Zoom and is the company’s largest higher education customer in the U.S., Gonick said.
“We began talking about the interest in scaling the use of Zoom before Covid,” Gonick said.
Several months ago, Zoom executives told Gonick they were interested in Arizona for a new facility, so he introduced them to Kyle Squires, dean of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Gonick said the team was “blown away” at the size of the engineering school and the plans to expand enrollment.
Zoom announce the finalized plans on May 14, and said the firm plans to hire 500 people total between two locations, one in the Phoenix area and one in Pittsburgh, near Carnegie Mellon University.
Gonick said the relationship with Zoom will go beyond having graduates work at the company. The university and the company will develop different ways to use the video technology, such as in virtual reality or mixed communication methods. The technology allows a subject matter specialist to give a guest lecture without having to travel all the way to the university.
“We are in a very good position to scale,” Gonick said. “This is not a flash in the pan.”
Zoom has not announced where the firm’s office will be, and the company is working with real estate professionals from Savills to locate a site in the Valley, said Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.
Tempe a potential location Gonick said ASU also will pitch the university’s “innovation zones,” which includes the Novus Innovation Corridor on the Tempe campus, as a potential location for Zoom.
Zoom has added Tina Thorstenson, deputy chief information officer at ASU, to serve as a security adviser for the company, Gonick said. Zoom experienced security issues when its popularity grew exponentially at the onset of the pandemic.
Camacho said he had met with Zoom leadership for months before the decision was announced, and said ASU’s plans to greatly expand its engineering school was an advantage for Arizona.
While Zoom has not announced how many jobs will be split between Phoenix and Pittsburgh, Camacho said he expects the division to be roughly half in each place.
“The growth they are experiencing in the Covid pandemic will be sustained at a substantial level because it became clear to many CEOs that using Zoom-type technology allowed continued productivity remotely,” Camacho said. “To have companies that are on the front page [of newspapers] with massive notoriety choose to put research and development in the market is a huge deal.”
Zoom has not been offered any incentives from the state as part of the deal, officials from the Arizona Commerce Authority said.
I just learned that Sweet Republic, probably the best ice cream shop in the Phoenix Metro Area, is opening its third location at Watermark. I look forward to dessert there after a meal at Obon, another planned Watermark tenant.
Most of the first tower has been leased. I am assuming if it is a more substantial footprint they will go in Phase II or III. I believe Phase II had another large company that is waiting for it to be completed before they move in there, I think they were in temp space in Sky Song for now, I forgot who it was.
I just learned that Sweet Republic, probably the best ice cream shop in the Phoenix Metro Area, is opening its third location at Watermark. I look forward to dessert there after a meal at Obon, another planned Watermark tenant.
Most of the first tower has been leased. I am assuming if it is a more substantial footprint they will go in Phase II or III. I believe Phase II had another large company that is waiting for it to be completed before they move in there, I think they were in temp space in Sky Song for now, I forgot who it was.
Are the different phases other proposed buildings? And I believe you're thinking about InfoSys. Between ASU (3 floors/80K SF) and Infosys (2 floors/40K SF), only the last floor (40K SF or so) remains at 777 Tower.