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Originally Posted by RonnieFoos
I agree. ASU is taking up a just a tad bit too much Downtown land. Granted, ASU was a primary catalyst for the rebound of Downtown Phoenix, but now that Downtown has apparently hit it's stride, time for ASU to build a little taller and leave some space for future office, residential and retail.
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I don't see why ASU continues to get a pass on its many broken promises re: its role in downtown Phoenix. Their original mission was to integrate classes and students into the existing city fabric and build vibrancy by activating buildings throughout the entire downtown area, with little new construction and certainly nothing resembling a 'campus' atmosphere. Flash-forward, and everything they have built has been within a distinct boundary, with low-rise, single-use cheap buildings that keep the students segregated from downtown totally. I mean, they built the Student Rec Center ADJACENT to the city YMCA, where the original forced integration was one of the few immediate benefits. Now, two buildings with redundant uses take up 1st Ave frontage along the park, with 1 sterilized for student use only, just like the historic buildings at Civic Space.
They keep expanding outward, and the Wexford project is a horrible addition to downtown. That is the prime district right now in downtown, and a full block is being wasted on generic medical space with 1 space for a cafe fronting Roosevelt Row. Also on the agenda is a parking structure akin to the one built at Fillmore/5th St. Why have they not integrated 3 stories of underground parking AT LEAST into every building so far? A standalone garage is totally out of place in 2019.
Allowing them to buy the land on 1st Ave north of the YMCA when they own so much vacant land already was a huge mistake. That a student housing project is being built on such a long assemblage is already crappy, but we have NO details on the design. I'd bet there is little to no retail space, leaving both sides of the park pretty much deadzones.
ASU and the PBC are outdated ideas that are blights to downtown's revitlization. ASU should focus on redesigning 411 Central to resemble a word-class university's main tower, with tenants like Barnes & Noble, Apple, Amazon, and local restaurants like Oreganos, PF Changs, etc., fronting the park. They should focus on redesigning its 1st Ave and Taylor Street frontages to incorporate more retail and bring in the downtown community rather than push them out.