Flagstaff & Northern Arizona Development Thread

[kaneui]

RED Development is promising more tenants by next summer to fill the vacant retail spaces at Aspen Place at the Sawmill, while the city is soliciting buyers for the residential half of the project, approved for 237 new housing units:



retail portion of Aspen Place at the Sawmill
(photo: Arizona Daily Sun)


New Developer Takes Over Sawmill Project
By Shardaesia Rhodes
NAZ Today
October 18, 2010

RED Development L.L.C. closed escrow today, taking ownership as well as financial responsibility for the Improvement District Bonds for the Sawmill project. The company is already securing letters of intent with possible tenants to join Pita Jungle and Wildflower Bread Company. Their intent is to have new stores open in the summer of 2011. RED will be responsible for making annual bond to protect the city of Flagstaff from possible future defaults. A list of their past and current projects can be found here.

The city of Flagstaff officially released its invitations to bid on Sawmill South today.


For more info.: http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/bids.aspx?bidID=521

[kaneui]

After recent property tax hikes from the county and school board, voters were in no mood to approve $65M in bonds for a new city courthouse and public works yard:



New court, public works yard nixed
by JOE FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
November 3, 2010

Flagstaff voters defeated proposals to build a new city courthouse and public works yard that would have cost a total of $65 million over the next decade. They did, however, approve bonding for new radios for public safety and city operations as well as repairs to streets and utilities totaling $21 million. Mike Lyndon, interviewed Tuesday as he was leaving a Lake Mary Road polling place, voiced sentiments that mirrored the outcome of the bond votes. He said he was skeptical of the need for two new multimillion-dollar capital projects and that he didn't trust the city after cost overruns on several city bond projects over the years. Examples include the Wildcat sewage treatment plant and the Fourth Street Overpass.

Unofficial election results late Tuesday night had 63 percent of voters rejecting the $23 million courthouse/parking garage bond project. The public works yard failed by a margin of 58 percent to 42 percent. But 65 percent approved $16.5 million to repair city roads, fix sidewalks and replace aging utility lines. And 59 percent voted for new emergency radios.

TIMING DIFFICULT

Flagstaff City Manager Kevin Burke said the timing of the bond issues amid recent tax hikes for schools and the county and a deep recession played a role in the defeat of the proposals to build a new public works yard and city courthouse. "We recognize this was a difficult environment to ask for a tax extension and I am sure that while voters understood the need of the court and maintenance facility, they could not justify the expense in the light of the economy and other tax increases," Burke said. The city will continue to provide the same level of services with the existing facilities, he said. "We are very appreciative of the support for the communications and streets and utility bonds. These bonds will go a long way in addressing public safety and infrastructure issues of immediate concern," he said.

Burke said the city will study the results of the bond election over the next few days, but predicted that the city would not reduce the secondary property tax rate as bond debt is retired until at least 2017. The Flagstaff City Council will make the final determination on whether to reduce property taxes in the coming years as fiscal year budgets are approved.

NEEDS NOT GOING AWAY

LaVelle McCoy, who spent six months serving on the citizen bond advisory task force, said the city was in a bad position having to seek taxpayer approval only a few weeks after both the county and FUSD increased property taxes for homeowners. "I've always realized it was challenging in terms of the timing (of the bond questions)," McCoy said. He said the task force focused on pressing infrastructure needs rather than offering new amenities. The 14-member task force rejected proposals to build a competitive lap pool, a $20 million "sportsplex" and adding a second sheet of ice to the Jay Lively ice rink. The lifelong resident and owner of McCoy Motors predicted the city would again seek voter approval on the courthouse and the public works yard in the future. "The need is not going to go away," McCoy said simply.

[kaneui]

With soil contamination not removed by the original developer, the city will have to continue making bond payments on the residential portion of Aspen Place at the Sawmill until it can clean up the mess to get the lots sold:



Residential section of Aspen Place at the Sawmill
(photo: Jake Bacon)


Contamination stalls lot sales
by JOE FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
November 5, 2010

Another wrinkle has emerged in the failed Aspen Place at The Sawmill project off Lone Tree Road. The city of Flagstaff has postponed indefinitely the sale of roughly 20 acres containing hundreds of residential building lots after preliminary tests found chemical contamination that previous owners supposedly had cleaned up. The delay essentially gives the city little recourse but to use taxpayer funds to pay a $475,000 bond assessment due in December. Soil samples on each of the nine city-owned parcels known as Sawmill South showed dangerous volatile organic compounds throughout the site, which was the former Stone Forest Lumber Mill before being converted to a combination retail and housing development.

City Manager Kevin Burke would not disclose the extent of the contamination but said the preliminary soil-vapor testing was performed by a local engineering firm, Western Technologies. The company took samples from five feet below the surface in random locations at the Sawmill South property after owners of the northern parcel warned that pollutants might remain even after a cleanup. Burke said city officials needed time for additional tests to gauge the magnitude of the problem and research the extent of the environmental remediation performed by the previous owner of the site, The Aspen Group. "Sawmill South was a privately owned property whereby environmental testing and remediation was completed prior to construction of improvements on Sawmill South," he said. "City staff verified the Phase III remediation was completed by the developer in accordance with Arizona Department of Environmental Quality standards." Burke said it could take several months before the city will have all the necessary information.

The city was first notified of possible contamination by the new owners of the northern half of the Aspen Place at The Sawmill development, RED Development. The developer behind Cityscape, a mixed-use project in downtown Phoenix covering three city blocks, did research of the history of the former lumber mill site. It found most of the heavy industrial uses were performed on the southern portion of the site and notified the city of Flagstaff. Testing by RED Development inside Pita Jungle, Wildflower Bread and an empty building between the two restaurants found no contamination. Volatile organic compounds can be both manmade and naturally occurring chemical compounds, and prolonged exposure from some VOCs affect human health. New Frontiers Natural Marketplace is owned by a third group and was recently notified by the city of the findings in Aspen South.

The city was planning to sell the nine parcels in Sawmill South to pay off nearly $8 million in bond debt it incurred after taking over the property. The city took control of the project earlier this year after the Phoenix-based developer was unable to find a new round of investors as called for in an agreement with the city. More than $8 million worth of infrastructure bonds are tied to the development. Burke said the city did budget money this fiscal year to cover the bond payments in case the lots were not sold by the assessment due dates.

[kaneui]

NAU is planning a $28M upgrade and expansion of its Fieldhouse to include a 4,500-seat arena for basketball, ceremony, and arts events that currently use the Skydome:



rendering of expanded Fieldhouse; 1966 photo of original building.
(render, photo: NAU)


For related article: http://www.azdailysun.com/news/local...035aeb0bc.html

[kaneui]

The city will now perform a third round of soil tests on the residential section of the stalled Aspen Place at the Sawmill development:



A ribbon flutters in the breeze on the top of a marker at a test site in the
Aspen Place development Monday afternoon. Toxic chemicals have been
found in the soil of the Southside commercial-residential development.
(photo: Jake Bacon)


Soil tests inconclusive
by JOE FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
November 16, 2010

A second round of soil testing on the city-owned southern half of a major housing subdivision off Lone Tree Road has left Flagstaff officials with more questions than answers. Initial soil testing, made public by the city of Flagstaff roughly two weeks ago, found chemical contamination in several places on the roughly 20 acres containing hundreds of ready-to-build lots at Aspen Place at The Sawmill. A second round of soil testing using the same test holes found only slight traces of contamination, said City Manager Kevin Burke. The second test used a different laboratory operated by another company than the first soil testing.

With two sets of seemingly conflicting data, the city is now set to do yet another set of soil testing. Burke said the city will go back to the drawing board on the third set of tests with a new engineering firm. "We are going to start from scratch and drill new holes and then we will take two samples out and send them to two different labs to see if we get the same results," Burke said. "Obviously, we need to do a third round of testing to find out which test is right." The first soil-vapor test, Burke said, found 18 different substances in the soil, with two that were "outside of parameters." The second test found 17 different substances and only one that was in dangerous amounts.

Both labs stand by their work, the city manager said. Burke wouldn't identify the substance but suggested the risk from contamination could be greatly mitigated if the area was covered by concrete slabs. The city has refused to make public the actual results from the first test, despite a formal request by the Arizona Daily Sun 11 days ago. It also refused to release the actual data from the second test. An ambient air test on the site, also performed last week, was "clean," Burke said. The results from the third test are expected in about two weeks.

STORAGE TANKS REMOVED

There have been at least two separate environmental clean-ups on the site in the last two decades. Former owner Stone Forest Industries was given nearly $500,000 by the state in the mid-1990s to remove underground fuel storage tanks and clean up any material that may have leaked out, said Mark Shaffer, the communications director for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. A second clean-up was done by the previous owner, Valley-based The Aspen Group, on a voluntary basis. The developer removed truckloads of supposedly contaminated top soil prior to putting in roads and water lines. Shaffer said ADEQ had no formal role in the clean-up and the developer is not listed in any mandatory or voluntary program.

NO CLEAN-UP REQUIRED

The city also did not require any type of clean-up for the site in its development agreement with the Aspen Group, said Burke. "We were not in a regulatory position except in land use," he said, adding the federal EPA also was not involved. The city reviewed various construction reports listing soil tests after the clean-up was finished prior to committing millions in bond money tied to a improvement district. "We reviewed the reports given to us by the developer," he said. The founder and CEO of The Aspen Group, Donald Meyers, did not return calls on Monday seeking comment. The city took control of the southern half of the project earlier this year after the Phoenix-based developer was unable to find a new round of investors as called for in an agreement with the city.



Aspen Place at The Sawmill timeline

JULY 1996 Owner of closed lumber mill removes underground fuel containers from the site.

1997 Several car dealers, led by LaVelle McCoy, attempt to develop the site to be used as an auto mall.

2004 Valley-based The Aspen Group purchases the 38-acre site and submits plans to build a mixed-use development to the city called Aspen Place at The Sawmill.

MARCH 2007 Flagstaff City Council approves the creation of an improvement district at the site, authorizing $19 million in city-backed bonds for streets and other improvements. Rents, sale of lots expected to pay off bonds. Council also agrees to spilt new sales tax revenue between the developer and the city.

JUNE 2007 Aspen Group breaks ground on the development

MAY 2008 New Frontiers Natural Marketplace opens inside the development

MAY 2009 Pita Jungle opens inside the development

DEC. 2009 Aspen Group misses bond payment, city uses pledged letter of credit from Aspen Group to make $1 million bond payment

JAN. 2010 Wildflower Bread opens inside the development

MAY 2010 Aspen Group defaults on southern half of project, city assumes control

JUNE 2010 City uses remaining funds from letter of credit to make $465,000 bond payment.

AUG 2010 Council opts to sell off southern half of the project to make $8 million in bond payments

OCT. 2010 RED Development buys the northern half of the project except for New Frontiers, which was sold to a third party earlier in the year. New developers responsible for making bond payments on northern half of the project.

NOV. 2010 Soil contamination stalls planned sale of residential lots in "Sawmill South"

[kaneui]

Although funding for a new courthouse was rejected by voters in this month's election, the local Catholic parish is proposing a deal to build the courthouse on their downtown property and lease it back to the city:



The parking lot and school buildings of the San Francisco de Asis Catholic school sit
at the intersection of Cherry Ave. and Humphreys St.
(photo: Jake Bacon)


New courthouse still in play
by JOE FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
November 24, 2010

A private group has stepped forward with a conceptual plan that would build a new city courthouse and adjacent parking garage with no upfront costs to the city. The San Francisco de Asís Parish, in concert with an unnamed private developer, would build the courthouse to city specifications where the St. Mary's Catholic School currently stands in exchange for a long-term lease. Flagstaff voters earlier this month rejected a proposed $23 million bond project to build a new city courthouse. Roughly 63 percent voted against it.

City Manager Kevin Burke said the city is willing to explore the proposal, but funding will remain a key problem to any public-private partnership "We are happy to explore this and agree with all the benefits that (the developer) has identified, but until we have a revenue source to make the lease payments, I am not sure we are a viable partner," Burke said. He said the courthouse ballot proposition essentially asked voters to approve two items -- to build the courthouse/parking garage and to fund it with bonds.

"A lease arrangement may bypass the need for voter approval even though we are spending the same amount over the long haul, but it doesn't resolve the challenge of a revenue source," he said. The city manager said several developers have already proposed similar public-private partnerships prior the election. Terrence Milligan, working on the behalf of the parish, said the benefits are numerous. He said the multimillion-dollar project would be an economic driver for the Flagstaff economy, would revitalize the downtown area and bring in new tax revenues.



FYI: The site of the proposed courthouse at Cherry Ave. and Beaver St. was once the home of C.J. Babbitt, a devout Catholic and one of several brothers that formed one of Flagstaff's founding families. (The parish already has plans to move St. Mary's school to a new complex atop McMillan Mesa, so this proposal could provide additional funds needed to move forward with construction.)


C.J. Babbitt home, 1905
(photo: NAU Cline Library)

[kaneui]

Barring a new court injunction, the Snowbowl will begin six months of construction on snowmaking facilities early next year and be finished by Nov. 1:


Snowbowl beats second lawsuit
by CYNDY COLE
Arizona Daily Sun
December 2, 2010

Arizona Snowbowl has won yet another legal round in its bid to make artificial snow with reclaimed wastewater. And opponents have again vowed to appeal the ruling. But this time, Snowbowl says it is not going to wait for the appeal to be heard and decided before it proceeds with the project. On Wednesday, a federal judge in Phoenix ruled that Snowbowl's plans did not pose undue health or environmental safety risks.

A previous unsuccessful lawsuit had contended the plans violated the religious freedom of Native Americans. Unless stopped by an injunction pending the hearing of an appeal, construction for making snow at Arizona Snowbowl is slated to start next year and finish for skiing by Nov. 1, 2011. It will take about six months to build the snowmaking system, said Eric Borowsky, one of Snowbowl's owners. "It's a very strong ruling," he said. "We doubt if any court will issue a restraining order. And we intend to start construction probably in the spring."

WAITED TOO LONG

Federal Judge Mary Murguia ruled that the U.S. Forest Service did adequately consider whether reclaimed water is safe for making snow, and that the Save the Peaks Coalition and nine individuals suing to prevent snowmaking waited too long to file their case. Murguia ruled that the Forest Service had properly analyzed risks from reclaimed water, and that plaintiffs were adding delays to the case. "As the Forest Service makes clear, the scientific data regarding the health effects of human exposure to reclaimed water is uncertain, with some studies suggesting that certain compounds in the water do have potential for some health impact and others indicating there is no impact on human health," she wrote. Snowmaking would come with signs telling skiers not to eat the snow.

Murguia found that the plaintiffs in this case waited too long to bring their litigation, and could have joined the Navajo Nation's case against Snowbowl in 2005. "Plaintiffs are thus claiming that although the Forest Service issued a final decision in 2005 that could be and has in fact been reviewed by the district court and the Ninth Circuit, until every last permit necessary for the project is issued, successive plaintiffs can continue to initiate serial lawsuits against the Forest Service in connection with its decision approving the Snowbowl improvement project. This makes little sense," Murguia wrote. She also wrote that "much of the improvement project is now complete" at Snowbowl.

The attorney representing snowmaking opponents, Howard Shanker, vowed to appeal on multiple points. He also contended that the judge, who seemed to state that construction on snow-making infrastructure is well in progress, made an error. "They haven't even begun construction on anything having to do with snowmaking. So it's a remarkable decision, in a bad way," Shanker said. Although litigation and planning have been ongoing for a decade, construction to support snowmaking or expanding ski terrain at Arizona Snowbowl has not been permitted or started to date due to the litigation. Plaintiffs joining Save the Peaks in the latest lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service regarding Snowbowl were Kristin Huisinga, Clayson Benally, Sylvan Grey, Don Fanning, Jeneda Benally, Frederica Hall, Berta Benally, Rachel Tso and Lisa Tso.


Wasn't this already decided?

There have been a lot of headlines declaring one legal victory for one side or another in the case of the Forest Service, tribes, and Arizona Snowbowl.

Here's a quick recap.

--The first lawsuit (filed in 2005) raised the question of whether making snow on the San Francisco Peaks would violate religious freedoms for area tribes. Federal courts issued some conflicting views on that one, but ultimately decided "no," when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed snowmaking, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal.

--This newer case (filed in 2009) raises questions about whether the Forest Service adequately analyzed the risk of using reclaimed wastewater to make snow, and it was filed by individuals. The federal judge found the Forest Service did act appropriately under federal law by relying on the state to decide whether reclaimed water was safe for making snow. This newer case now appears headed for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals again, but the bigger question may become whether Snowbowl is permitted to start construction while it awaits a decision.


What's the issue this time?

In the second lawsuit, plaintiffs were not out to prove that reclaimed wastewater is unsafe, just that the Forest Service didn't study the issue enough to justify its conclusion that it was safe. The lawsuit cites some 2002 "talking points" issued by the Forest Service where officials say the agency will answer in a future environmental analysis the question, "Will my kids get sick if they eat artificial snow made from treated wastewater?" That analysis, released several years later, says the agency relied on the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to determine whether the reclaimed wastewater was safe for use in making snow for skiing, and "it is assumed" that human contact and possible ingestion were considered.

Signs would be posted informing skiers that the snow was made from reclaimed water, and it would be up to visitors or parents to keep themselves and their children from eating snow, as part of the Forest Service's plans. Plaintiffs assert that this was not as thorough an evaluation of the potential health risks of using reclaimed water to make snow as the National Environmental Policy Act requires.

[kaneui]

Looks like it's time for a six-month update for Flagstaff. Not a lot of new construction starts, but several NAU projects are wrapping up in time for the fall semester, including the $107M Health and Learning Center (largest in NAU's history), and the first major renovation of the 1977 Walkup Skydome (new seats, press box, ADA upgrades, etc.)

Also have updated the Flagstaff project list (post #1).


Workers, lower right, put the finishing touches on the northwest entrance of NAU's Health
and Learning Center.



Cindy Brown, of NAU's Public Affairs Office, passes by one of the many wall-sized photographs
and collages in the soon-to-be opened Health and Learning Center.
(photos: Rick Wacha, http://http://azdailysun.com/collect...0.html?photo=1)



The rebuilt Lumberjack Stadium will debut with the NAU women's soccer home opener
against Drake on Aug. 26.
(photo: NAU Media Relations; http://http://azdailysun.com/image_a...cc4c03286.html)



Major renovations at NAU are nearly finished

by HILLARY DAVIS
Arizona Daily Sun
June 30, 2011

Two high-profile building projects at Northern Arizona University are weeks away from their public debuts. The Health and Learning Center, the biggest construction project in NAU history, is essentially down to cosmetic work, and the Skydome is on pace for the anticipated Arizona Cardinals summer training camp. While heavy equipment and temporary chain-link fences still dot the Flagstaff campus, the start of the fall semester will mark the completion of several major remodels and new builds.

For full article: http://azdailysun.com/news/local/edu...d062f6a51.html

[kaneui]

With students and residents upset about the removal of numerous mature trees around the most picturesque area of its historic campus, NAU is promising a more pedestrian-friendly and park-like North Quad after a renovation this summer:



This conceptual rendering of the North Quad revitalization project proposes removing existing roadways from the heart of the quad and replacing them with an enhanced network of pedestrian walks. Once completed this fall, the area would be home to about 150 trees, showcasing a healthy mix of both evergreen and deciduous varieties, as well as dark sky-compliant lighting and an outside amphitheater.
(render: NAU; http://www4.nau.edu/insidenau/bumps/...5_11/quad.html)



North Quad area and Old Main
(photo: RCWS 2009; http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=172846)



Forums explain complex North Quad upgrades
Inside NAU
July 7, 2011

Members of the campus community and the public had an opportunity to learn more about plans for a North Quad revitalization project and provide input on the project’s design during two open forums hosted by NAU President John Haeger this week. Representatives from Peak Engineering, master plan consultant Ayers/Saint/Gross and local landscape architect Pam Symond presented conceptual designs for the project to about 100 people in the High Country Conference Center and another 150 online.

The project is intended to revitalize the iconic quad and better weave it into daily campus activity. The tranquil North Quad is often called a defining feature of NAU, and it is a popular destination for alumni events, graduation pictures and nostalgic campus visits.


For full article: http://www4.nau.edu/insidenau/bumps/...5_11/quad.html

[Buckeye Native 001]

It is ridiculously hard to get any decent pictures of Old Main without having a bunch of pine trees covering the building, but I'd rather they kept the trees intact. I'm of the opinion that there's no such thing as too many trees.

Can't wait to see what the Skydome looks like, and the new health and learning center looks fantastic from the outside. They tore down the old counseling center by the library and are constructing a Native American Heritage Museum.

[kaneui]

The Skydome's first major renovation includes replacement of 14,000 bench seats with backed seats, so total seating capacity will be reduced. (Also, all Cardinals practices in the Skydome this month will be closed to the general public, as it is still under construction.)



The media box and suites remain to be finished before Sept. 10.
(photo: Bill Harris; http://azdailysun.com/sports/college...4077190d7.html)


Dome to be ready for football home opener
by BILL HARRIS
Arizona Daily Sun
August 5, 2011

The Walkup Skydome's facelift is nearly complete. Driven by safety and outstanding issues regarding standards outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Association, renovations to the Skydome are starting to look like, well, a modern-day athletic facility. Built in the 1970s, the dome had fallen below current building code requirements, and the university decided to upgrade the facility, including new accommodations for those with disabilities. "The main reason for the remodel was due to safety and ADA issues," assistant dome director Ron Morrison said. "The upgrades help to provide the seating for all different types of disabilities that might walk or roll through the door." The dome's remodel also puts its fire safety system up to date with codes.

"The building is entirely sprinkled and we have fire alarms and sprinklers throughout, so it's a vast improvement throughout," Morrison said. The $26.5 million project started in December of 2010 and is scheduled to be complete by Northern Arizona University's first home football game, which is Sept. 10.

For full article: http://azdailysun.com/sports/college...4077190d7.html

[Buckeye Native 001]

Home opener ought to be interesting. I'm half tempted to go to the game just to see what the dome looks like now.

New health center is gorgeous, but they still don't have any signs or directories telling you where to go...which is a bit frustrating.

[kaneui]

Scheduled for completion in October, the $2.5M North Quad renovation will remove the McMullen Circle traffic loop, replacing it with landscaping and pedestrian walkways:



(photo, render: NAU; http://www4.nau.edu/insidenau/bumps/...9_11/quad.html)


North Quad revitalization begins
Inside NAU
August 10, 2011
http://www4.nau.edu/insidenau/bumps/...9_11/quad.html

Construction on the North Quad revitalization project begins this week, and fences have been set up around the area to protect passers-by. The project is intended to better weave the iconic quad into daily activity on a growing campus. Potter Square, the area south of the 1899 Bar & Grill, will be integrated into the area for student and visitor use. “We are trying to prepare this campus for 25,000 students by the year 2020,” President John Haeger said during a campus-wide forum in early July. “We must create a sustainable campus—not just now but for 10 years from now and beyond.”

The quad project will eliminate roadways while bringing the area into fire and life/safety code compliance. Features will include dark sky-compliant lighting; decorative ADA-compliant multi-purpose pathways that also provide emergency access; a small amphitheater for informal gatherings, classes, seminars and performances; and revitalized landscaping that will preserve most of the existing and healthy mature trees while incorporating new trees and other elements.

Input from two forums as well as a half-dozen walking tours provided designers with the opportunity to realign the fire lane and preserve additional trees, including a cluster of locusts near Taylor Hall that some have dubbed “the Sisters.” All the designated memorial and historic trees will remain, including the McCormick Rose and the Washington Elm, which already is receiving care to extend its life. New shrubs, plants and trees will be planted, including hardy varieties in varying trunk diameter and tree heights to integrate into the existing canopy. Once completed this fall, the North Quad will be home to about 150 trees, showcasing a healthy mix of evergreen and deciduous varieties. The changes to the North Quad are part of the university’s 2010 master plan, which was developed through wide campus participation and input.

[Buckeye Native 001]

I never thought anything was wrong with the North Quad that warrants an overhaul, except for the fact that its on the very north end of campus and unless you live in one of the dorms, there's really not much incentive to go up other than to take in the shade and architecture.

Trying to get my thesis published the past few weeks was the most time I've spent on North Quad in my tenure at NAU (Grad College is in Ashurst, but all my classes and professors were down in SBS on South Campus)

[kaneui]

NAU's new $107M Health and Learning Center, the largest construction project in the university's history, combines classrooms, recreation/athletic facilities, a rebuilt Lumberjack Stadium, and a health care center all within one complex:



NAU's new Health and Learning Center combines under one roof an expanded recreation facility, Campus Health Services,
NCAA team athletic facilities and flexible academic space.



The renovated Lumberjack Stadium comfortably seats 1,000 spectators and features a new stadium shell, concession
stands and a box office.
(photos: Derick Washburn, Charlie McCallie; http://https://picasaweb.google.com/...MMD-KEfpf5GQBA)



NAU officially opens Health and Learning Center
Inside NAU
September 2, 2011

Northern Arizona University officially opened the new 272,000-square-foot Health and Learning Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 29. NAU President John Haeger thanked students for their commitment to funding the multipurpose structure that houses Campus Health Services, academic space and an expanded recreation facility. Arizona Board of Regents members Ernest Calderón and Robert McClendon were in attendance, along with ASNAU President Blaise Caudill and Flagstaff Mayor Sara Presler.

http://www4.nau.edu/insidenau/bumps/...29_11/hlc.html

[kaneui]

(photos: NAU; https://picasaweb.google.com/1140400...99346180666498, http://www.1899barandgrill.com/index.html)


1899 called one of Arizona’s 10 best new restaurants
Inside NAU
August 23, 2011
http://www4.nau.edu/insidenau/bumps/...2_11/1899.html

Since opening its doors just a few months ago in Northern Arizona University’s North Union, the 1899 Bar & Grill is already making a name for itself. Phoenix Magazine placed the classic American bistro on its list of Arizona’s 10 Best New Restaurants in its September 2011 edition, citing its unique historical location and elegant décor as inspiring complements to its contemporary fare.

Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, 1899 Bar & Grill is located in the historic North Union building on NAU’s north campus at 307 W. DuPont. Free parking is available at the High Country Conference Center across the street. Lunch and dinner menus are available online. Dining Dollars, Jacks Dining Express, cash and credit all are accepted. Call (928) 523-1899 for more information or for reservations.


Phoenix Magazine article: http://www.phoenixmag.com/travel/gre...w-restaurants/

1899 Bar & Grill website: http://www.1899barandgrill.com/

[kaneui]

The $26M renovation of NAU's Skydome was completed in just nine months, the first major overhaul of the structure since it was built in 1977:



(photo: NAU; http://www4.nau.edu/insidenau/)


Walkup Skydome Set to Reopen This Week with Fort Lewis Game
Inside NAU
September 6, 2011

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The J.L. Walkup Skydome at Northern Arizona University has undergone its first major renovation since it opened in September 1977. The NAU Skydome is the second largest clear span timber framed dome in the country at 268,000 square feet ,with a seating capacity of 10,000. The Skydome is a multi-purpose facility that is home to the NAU Lumberjack football and track and field teams and is a premier location for conventions and conferences in the Flagstaff area.

"This project makes it possible for NAU to create a higher quality game-day experience," said Athletics Director Jim Fallis. "From the new press box and coaches' offices to the six game-day suites and new seats throughout, the Skydome renovation makes it possible for us to present the game in the finest environment to our fans." The Lumberjacks will host Fort Lewis Saturday at 3:07 p.m. in the first athletic contest in the renovated building.


For more info.: http://www.nauathletics.com/sports/f...201109054wca0i

[kaneui]

Similar to other college towns, Flagstaff is seeing a surge of new construction for student apartments and dorms. This nine, four-story building complex at the former Aspen Place at the Sawmill will join two other privately-developed projects under construction at NAU to accommodate nearly 1,700 students, as campus enrollment is expected to reach 25,000 by 2020:



The Grove at Flagstaff - apartment building render
(render: VFR Architecture; http://azdailysun.com/news/local/art...1e2330865.html)



Student housing off Lone Tree Road gets OK
by Joe Ferguson
Arizona Daily Sun
September 8, 2011

A North Carolina-based student housing developer has cleared the last hurdle to build a 216-unit apartment complex on the southern half of the former Aspen Place at The Sawmill project. The Flagstaff City Council approved during their Tuesday night meeting the rezoning of a portion of the development from urban commercial to high-density residential on the 20-acre parcel off Lone Tree Road. That will give Campus Crest Development the necessary zoning to build an estimated 216 luxury student apartments. The project is less than a half mile from the Northern Arizona University campus.

Conceptual plans for The Grove at Flagstaff submitted to the city call for a total of nine four-story apartment buildings designed to house about 570 students. The plans for the privately held property had exceeded the existing underlying zoning for the parcel by 29 additional units. The site formerly contained a lumber mill, and it was rezoned in 2006 by the Flagstaff City Council as part of the original Aspen Place at The Sawmill development. Those plans called for 187 housing units, but Campus Crest officials have submitted plans to replace lots zoned for single-family homes, condos and townhomes with apartments. Officials with Campus Crest expect to break ground on the project next month, city officials said.

Read more: http://azdailysun.com/news/local/gov...#ixzz1YN1mg3HY

[Buckeye Native 001]

Good riddance, vacant dirt lots

[kaneui]

A new $800k federal grant could bring back more air service to Flagstaff (probably to either Denver or Los Angeles), replacing Horizon Air's short-lived route to L.A. that ended in 2010:


Second air route for Flagstaff by 2013?

by JOE FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
September 28, 2011

An $800,000 federal grant could give Flagstaff-based air travelers another option besides flying to Phoenix. The city of Flagstaff learned on Tuesday that U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood had approved a proposal by the city designed to either recruit a new commercial airline or offer incentives to US Airways to provide daily air service to a city other than Phoenix. The proposal reflects more than a year of federal lobbying efforts by the city to bring new commercial air service to the community after Horizon Air pulled out of Flagstaff last year.

Horizon Air officials said in 2010 that the route to Los Angeles via Prescott was profitable, but the airline had made a decision to reduce the overall size of its fleet. About 41,000 passengers flew the Flagstaff-Los Angeles route during its second year of service. Service out of Flagstaff was one of six routes discontinued by Horizon as the Seattle-based airline looked to cut costs in June 2010. City Manager Kevin Burke said new fiscal austerity in Washington caused him to doubt the city would receive any funding, much less the entire $800,000 the city had asked for. "This is terrific news for the city of Flagstaff," he said.


For more info.: http://azdailysun.com/news/local/sec...8758695f6.html