PHXFlyer11- thanks for sharing your ideas on the Stadium District.
A few scattered thoughts:
I think that no matter how hard both entities try to sell this as a cooperation between ASU and Tempe, the final product is going to be one that provides the greatest revenue for ASU in the end. Unfortunately, Tempe's land use decisions beyond downtown (see: TMP) and ASU's own "sustainable/urban" development projects (see: ASU Downtown) give me little faith that this district will serve as an expansion of the City's core and as a way for the campus to integrate itself further within the city limits.
I think the problem for me that is that I still don't quite understand the goal of this District necessarily, aside from developing land that will be attractive to tenants for the tax-breaks given to ASU. It could very well be a large, midrise, suburban-style development (i.e., ASU Research Park) filled with a variety of tenants that don't necessarily even complement each other. While the theme of amateur sports has been tossed around, I don't know that ASU can really bank on the area becoming a hotbed for such programs, and therefore, they could end up simply filling in spec office space with whoever puts in the best offer.
You mentioned how the District could serve as an important connection between downtown, the lakefront, TMP, Riverview, Papago Park, etc. And, I totally agree, which is yet another reason I think the current and planned routes for the streetcar are a miss. In my dream world, these are my key points for the District:
1. For Veterans Way and Rural Road to become the main, urban "boulevards" of the District; if designed correctly, the retail along these roads would broaden the boundaries of downtown (though Veterans Way obviously has some tricky shapes to it). The idea of a completely mixed use village across this amount of land seems unreasonable, and rather than scatter random restaurants and retail throughout, I think it would work much better to create small blocks that are all oriented toward these boulevards for their retail needs.
2. For the corner of Rural/Rio Salado to become the mass transit center that should have been built at Phoenix's Central Station. 2 streetcar lines (the currently proposed line extended through Mesa, as well as a 2nd that runs along Priest and Rural and down McDowell into the Papago Park region) and 1 BRT line (planned from Chandler Blvd. to McDowell Rd.) would converge in a mixed use tower whose ground level would become an ethnic markeplace opening up to the lake and which would become the center of ASU's international study programs. A seasonal restaurant would border the lake, where ferry services would be launched, and the upper levels would be used or transit offices and a 4-star hotel.
3. Rural Road would between Rio Salado and University would become a defining gateway to ASU, with an expanded linear park running down the length of it with large signage/monuments. The west side would be lined with 5-story live/work units targeted toward recent graduates, wrapping 2 parking structures that serve the campus and stadium/arena. On the east side, similar mixed-use midrise residential would wrap some big box retail outlets.
An office/classroom tower at the corner of Rural/University would help transition into more school-focused buildings.
4. The lakefront would be used for state-of-the-art athletic training/competition facilities in an "athlete's village" setup; Wells Fargo Arena, the baseball/softball stadiums, and Mona Plummer Aquatic Center would all be moved to the area. High-rise residential dorms would put student-athletes right next to these facilities, and would serve as living quarters for international exchanges and future multi-sport Games such as the PanAms.
5. On the south side of Rio Salado, research and medical buildings will feed into a health-and-wellness campus with a health clinic, physical trainers, public gym (e.g., LA Fitness), spa, etc.
6. A mix of residential options throughout is important so that this doesn't become a giant deadzone during the summer as students leave campus. Undergrad dorms, loft-style apartments for recent grads, live/work units for the creative class, and even smartly-planned single-family homes should all be included, as this should be an inclusive part of Tempe comfortable for people of all ages. I'd also like to see the Villas senior project at SouthBank eventually built.
Prev
Linear Mode
