Southeast Valley Development News

[PHXguyinOKC]

sounds good, get chandler some more hieght

[Don B.]

http://www.azcentral.com/community/m...te0625-ON.html

Major Mesa development deal falls through
3 commentsby Gary Nelson - Jun. 25, 2008 12:26 PM
The Arizona Republic

It may be back to Square One for one of the most barren squares of real estate in Mesa. A New York-based development firm has backed away from plans to turn 25 acres at Mesa and University drives into an urban mixed-use project, City Councilman Kyle Jones said Wednesday.

"They had a time frame to do their due diligence and decided not to proceed with their project, which leaves us to start working on other contractors," Jones said. Calls to the Athena Group and city officials were not immediately returned Wednesday.

Athena had won council approval in January to buy the land, which has been a thorn in the city's side for most of a decade. Mesa assembled the property beginning in the 1990s when a Canadian company said it wanted to build a resort there. Those plans evaporated when the funding dried up, and other ideas for the property have come and gone in the years since. The Athena proposal looked like the best hope in years for the northeastern corner of Mesa's original square-mile. But even as the council approved the deal earlier this year, the company said it was no sure bet.

Athena vice president David Greeff, who had flown to Mesa to present his proposal, told the council then that the plans could fall through, although "we don't think that's a likely outcome." City staffers said the Athena deal was the best among three viable proposals at that time.

--don

[Don B.]

^ One bad article above, one good article below:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/c...r-met0625.html

Metropolitan project next to mall moves forward
1 commentby Luci Scott - Jun. 25, 2008 08:01 AM
The Arizona Republic

The sales center has just opened for 342 condominiums to be built at the Metropolitan of Chandler, a 14-acre, $100 million, mixed-use project including luxury retail and offices immediately west of Chandler Fashion Center. The project will include Club Sushi, the first Arizona location for the California-based restaurant. Other businesses planning to locate there are Apricot Lane, a high-end men's and women's clothing retailer; an organic car wash and an organic dry cleaners.

The Metropolitan, designed as an urban village to attract people who want to live, work and play in one spot, will wrap around the existing Windmill Inn hotel across from Nordstrom on the west side of the mall. Condos will range from the high $200,000s into the $600,000s, said project manager Steve Earnhart of Calgary-based Statesman Corp., which has offices in Scottsdale. The condo sizes will range from a one-bedroom unit with a den totaling 1,100 square feet to a three-bedroom unit of up to 2,000 square feet. Most of the two-bedroom condos range from 1,400 to 1,600 square feet.

"The buildings will be six stories tall, which is pretty rare around here," Earnhart said. There will be more than 1,000 parking spots below ground and 215 above ground. Valet parking will be available, too.

Club Sushi, based in Hermosa Beach, Calif., will make its first foray outside California and open in Chandler in early fall 2009, Earnhart said. It will be on a restaurant pad facing Nordstrom and Chandler Village Drive. The condo-construction schedule depends on sales, but Earnhart hopes to start building early this fall with completion of the first phase in a year. Construction on the total project will probably take three years, he said. Retail space will cover 80,000 square feet.

The developers want to make the project environmentally friendly, with a possibility of solar panels on the roofs, Earnhart said. "A lot of thought is going into it," he said. The dry cleaners, Organic Cleaners, has two locations in Phoenix and a third one planned for downtown Phoenix, owner Brad Keeling said.

"We use an alternative to what a normal dry cleaner uses," Keeling said. "We use eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaning solvents, even on the laundry." He provides free pickup and delivery Valley-wide. Keeling also owns the organic car wash planned for Chandler's Metropolitan, where autos will be washed by hand. "We actually re-use 85 percent of the water used in the car wash process," he said. The water goes down the drain to a clarifier to clean it for re-use.

The condominium sales office is at Chandler Boulevard and Hearthstone Way. The architect for the Metropolitan is Whitney bell Perry. Tempe-based developer Lawrence & Geyser had been involved in the project initially as a partner with Statesman, but Statesman bought them out.

--don

[Sekkle]

Originally Posted by Don B.

The sales center has just opened for 342 condominiums to be built at the Metropolitan of Chandler, a 14-acre, $100 million, mixed-use project including luxury retail and offices immediately west of Chandler Fashion Center.

This sounds like a fantastic idea. With sales approaching 30% for just one of it's two towers, I think Centerpoint has proven the viability of the luxury condo market in the East Valley.

I think it's a little strange that the article mentioned a sales office for 300+ new condos but didn't see fit to question or discuss how well they might sell in the current market.

[PHX31]

/\ the azrepublic's "articles" can be nothing but free advertising sometimes.

[PhxSprawler]

Originally Posted by ForAteOh

This sounds like a fantastic idea. With sales approaching 30% for just one of it's two towers, I think Centerpoint has proven the viability of the luxury condo market in the East Valley.

I think it's a little strange that the article mentioned a sales office for 300+ new condos but didn't see fit to question or discuss how well they might sell in the current market.

Centerpoint started out at $500/sqft and required 20% down (I'm sure that has changed now), so there is quite a difference. Still, your point is taken. They are obviously counting on a turnaround in the market over the next few years.

[innov8]

EDIT: I posted this before I drank my morning caffeine... Glendale's in the west valley, sorry

Mixed-use project to change Glendale landscape, make it 'edge city'
Phoenix Business Journal
Friday, June 27, 2008

Taller buildings could change the landscape soon in Glendale, Peoria and Avondale.

The plans are in place, but they're not set in stone.

Glendale is leading the charge in proposed tall buildings. Plans were approved in April for cbd101, a 77-acre mixed-use development on the east side of Loop 101 and the south side of Bethany Home Road, near the Jobing.com Arena and University of Phoenix Stadium. It is being financed by the Bidwill family, which owns the Arizona Cardinals football team.

The proposed development's centerpiece is a 400-foot tower that is tentatively set to have office, hotel and condomunium space, according to Rob Gaspard of Will Bruder & Partners Ltd., the master plan architects. Two additional 200-foot buildings also have been approved. The entire project will take eight to 12 years to complete.

[PhxSprawler]

I heard rumors about Wells Fargo consolidating jobs nationally (from CA and some mid-western places) to Chandler, and a Google search pulled up recent site plans to add over a million square feet to its existing 410k square feet at the corner of Price and Queen Creek Rd. The plans call for two more four-story buildings, one three-story building, and two two-story buildings.

Yeah, I know... suburban development, but it is always nice to see the possibility of more jobs, especially a mix of customer service and better-paying administrative jobs.

More info:
http://www.oca-az.com/PDF/Newsletter...ttachments.pdf

[vertex]

Interesting article in the Republic about DMB's plans for the old GM Proving Grounds in far east Mesa. Of course, it's full of the usual hype, accompanied by an odd sense of underwhelming expectations (given that this is DMB afterall).

That said, there are a few interesting bits...

New urban design for southeast Mesa

7 comments by Gary Nelson - Aug. 1, 2008 07:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Southeast Mesa is about to become a giant laboratory for a brand-new way of living in the American desert.

The Planning and Zoning Board this week was scheduled to get its first look at the concept being pitched by Scottsdale-based DMB Associates for developing 5 square miles now occupied by the General Motors Desert Proving Ground.

The meeting was only a hearing and no decisions were to be made. But it was the board's first look at a 70-page "vision book" describing how DMB sees its development unfolding over the next four decades.

The Mesa Republic got an exclusive preview of the presentation early this week. Here are some highlights:

WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

DMB calls its concept "21st Century Desert Urbanism."

"The challenge is to pair living well in the desert with an urban context," said Grady Gammage Jr., a Valley zoning lawyer who is working with DMB on the project.

While the Valley is famous for low-density desert living, Gammage said, it has little experience with creating urban centers.

Such a center is likely on DMB's land, Valley planners say, because of its proximity to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, which is expected to boom in coming decades as a passenger and cargo terminal.

SO WHERE DO YOU START?

"You can't just decide you want a bunch of jobs," Gammage said - an obvious reference to Mesa's oft-expressed goal of turning Gateway into an employment center. "And you can't just lay out a bunch of land and say this is where the jobs go. You have to do what is necessary to support the kind of jobs you want to get."

Early on, Gammage said, that means building a big-time resort and upscale golf courses to attract executives.

It also means creating environments for "knowledge workers," the brainy sorts who nail high-wage jobs and want cool places to spend their money.

AND YOU DO THAT HOW?

This is where DMB's plans stretch the limits of past Mesa zoning policy, which always has focused on specific land uses for specific parcels.

DMB and Pacific Proving LLC, which owns the southern part of the GM property, want Mesa to give the land a new designation called mixed-use community.

It would divide the land into several broad categories defined more by density and building style than by how the buildings are actually used. Thus, you could have a convenience store right next to an urban loft, with the buildings actually touching each other.

"Rather than drawing absolute hard lines on a map and saying this is what can go here, nothing else, you make a big-picture policy decision about, generally speaking, what goes in various areas," Gammage said. "But you allow significant adaptability as to what those uses can change into over time in response to the market."

MUST I LIVE BY A FACTORY?

No. DMB is trying to make its neighborhoods as attractive as possible.

"The intent is to create a different kind and character of neighborhood," Gammage said.

That will be done by dividing the land into smaller blocks with more and smaller streets designed to attract pedestrians.

"You do that by creating streets that have more shade, that have sidewalks pulled away from the curb so you don't feel like you're walking in the middle of six lanes of traffic," Gammage said.

DMB also expects a vast array of housing styles, from urban high-rises to luxurious executive homes, with single-family homes on smaller lots, lofts, condos and apartments.

What you won't see is a conscious effort to build the cheapest homes possible.

"You can't have a community that has this level of amenities and thoughtfulness about development and come in at a low price," Gammage said.

WHAT OF THE ENVIRONMENT?

DMB thinks its project is just what Arizona needs as energy prices soar and concerns grow about overall sustainability.

For one thing, the street grid will run diagonally southwest-to-northeast at a 22-degree angle to maximize solar exposure and enhance views of the Superstitions.

Numerous other steps will be taken to conserve resources, especially water.

Karrin Kunasek Taylor, a DMB vice president, said soaring fuel prices actually favor what the company is doing.

"If there's a silver lining in expensive fuel prices, it's that people are forced to think about the new paradigm in the Southwest, where we have for many, many years had the luxury of driving 20, 30 miles to work. We really don't have that any more," she said.

"We're setting up a platform that helps people respond to that paradigm shift."

WHEN DOES IT HAPPEN?

Over several decades, to be honest. But big stuff is expected soon.

By Oct. 6, the City Council is expected to approve DMB's and Pacific Proving's requests for annexation, general plan amendments and zoning.

There also will be a development agreement between DMB and the city outlining responsibilities as to infrastructure, public services and other issues.

DMB also has been working on deals to kick-start its development, possibly with big-time hospitality firms. While major announcements on that front had been expected this summer, several sources have told The Republic the news now is more likely to break this fall.

As for housing, DMB Vice President John Bradley said current market conditions suggest nothing is likely until 2012.

And the big high-rise office buildings? Those would come over time.

"Don't expect five 20-story buildings all to sprout up at once," Gammage said. "It doesn't happen that way."

[andrewkfromaz]

Smells like Form-Based Code to me.... I didn't realize Gammage &c was all up on that, but maybe he's not involved in the actual code design portion of the project. I could imagine him being more of a promoter, trying to get the entitlements and code changes won, which would fit his talents AND fill a substantial gap in DMB's abilities... Hopefully Mesa listens.

As for the project itself - commercially-oriented Verrado, anyone?

[PHXguyinOKC]

is this thing ever going to finish?

Elevation Chandler shell likely to remain idle another year

11 comments by Luci Scott - Aug. 21, 2008 07:43 AM
The Arizona Republic

Residents tired of looking at the abandoned Elevation Chandler structure next to the mall better get used to it. The project, which is in bankruptcy, is likely to remain in its unfinished state for at least another year.

Developer Jeff Cline has filed a plan with the bankruptcy court asking for an auction, which may take place in 2009. But that plan needs to be voted on by creditors and approved by a judge. Formal comments on the plan can be filed with the court, and Cline wants those to be allowed until May 31.

Another two or three months would then be required while an auction is advertised. A winning bidder would then need time to line up contractors and obtain city permits before restarting construction on the structure, at Loop 101 and the Santan Freeway next to Chandler Fashion Center.

The saga has gone on for years. Cline bought the two parcels that make up the 10.5-acre site in September 2003 and March 2004. The land was acquired through financing provided by Mortgages Ltd., which also funded a $3.5 million construction loan in 2005.

Construction stopped in April 2006 because contractors weren't being paid. In late 2006, Cline got a $24 million bridge loan from a new lender and paid off the general contractor and Mortgages Ltd., saving the site from foreclosure.

During 2006 and 2007, Cline sought construction loans but the real estate bubble burst and credit became tight. Cline filed for bankruptcy protection this past April.

The project was originally planned as a 10-story hotel tower with the top two floors luxury condominiums.

[DevdogAZ]

Check out my new thread about the announcement of a Gaylord Hotel at the GM Proving Grounds in east Mesa.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=157076

This is huge news for Mesa and the East Valley. They are proposing building Arizona's largest hotel right next to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Gaylord hotels are designed to house "Everything in One Place," and attract hundreds of thousands of conventioners every year. If Mesa and Gateway Airport can get in on this, it will be an incredible development for the East Valley.

[vertex]

More on the Desert Proving Grounds

Mesa takes first big step for new urban center

7 comments by Gary Nelson - Sept. 23, 2008 10:47 AM
The Arizona Republic

The first major legal step toward turning southeast Mesa into a new urban center is now a done deal.

The City Council on Monday night approved major general plan amendments for the two companies that now own the General Motors Desert Proving Ground. The measures will allow DMB Associates and Pacific Proving LLC to develop the approximately 7.5 square miles as mixed-use communities.

"This is a big deal," Mayor Scott Smith said. But he cautioned that Monday's vote was only the beginning.

"It also carries some risk with it," Smith said. "We're all going down a new road. . . . I'm sure there are going to be some challenges."

Over the next few decades, the companies expect their properties to become a new city center tied to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, which lies just west of their land.

"The idea is to make this a regional center, a center of distinction," DMB attorney Grady Gammage Jr. told the council.

Monday's twin 7-0 votes changed the general plan that Mesa voters approved in 2002. While that plan anticipated a new city center in the Gateway area, it focused more heavily on industry with far fewer housing units than are now forecast.

"This is much more urban than the city's previous vision, the previous general plan," Gammage said. "That means more intensity, more density. It means offices predominately as the employment center."

General Motors' lease on the property expires next year. Shortly thereafter, DMB aims to begin site work for a massive Gaylord resort/convention center near Ellsworth and Elliot roads. DMB also is expected to announce a second big-name resort partner in the near future.

Councilman Scott Somers, in two recent study sessions, has worried aloud whether DMB's project has the makings of a true employment center.

Gammage addressed that issue Monday by citing economic studies that show DMB will generate 1.2 to 1.8 jobs per resident, a quantum leap from Mesa's current job-to-resident ratio of 0.34. Eventually, DMB's five square miles will generate 50,000 jobs, Gammage said.

"This is the part I was waiting to see," Somers said. "This is the important part."

Several other DMB-related items were dropped from Monday's agenda as the city and DMB fine-tune the complex paperwork that will govern the development.

The council had intended to introduce ordinances to annex and rezone DMB's land, but that step has been postponed to Oct. 6, with votes expected two weeks thereafter.

A development agreement among the city, DMB and Gaylord also was stricken from the agenda because it's still being worked on. A draft of the deal released two weeks ago said the resorts would get property-tax breaks and be allowed to use bed-tax money to promote their properties.

[HooverDam]

Its just a mall and not urban at all, but its nice to see something interesting happening at the end of the Light Rail line. I'm planning on riding the rail from Christown to Mesa on the first day its open, I think Ill stop in and check this place out:

http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dining/...020mekong.html

Seftel: Mekong Plaza opens in Mesa
by Howard Seftel - Oct. 20, 2008 01:06 PM
Republic restaurant critic
According to census figures, there are about 120,000 people of Asian descent in Maricopa and Pinal counties.

Every single one seemed to be at the grand opening Saturday of Mekong Plaza, the new Asian indoor mall in Mesa. Other nationalities were also very well represented.

By 11 a.m., the parking lot was full. By noon, the parking lot at the shopping center across the street was full.


Anchoring the complex is giant Mekong Supermarket, a gleaming showcase that rivals the Valley’s other premier Asian markets, Lee Lee and Super L Ranch Market.

You’ll want to spend some time at the handsome seafood counter. It’s flanked by tankfuls of live fish, including spot prawns ($25.99 lb.), geoduck ($16.99 lb.) and catfish ($3.49 lb.) The produce section is also very well stocked, and prices are substantially lower than those in your neighborhood American supermarket.

Three inexpensive mall restaurants also debuted Saturday. As you might expect, Unphogettable focuses on Vietnamese meal-in-a-bowl soups, more than 30 varieties, including several regional specialties like a shrimp, crab and pork hock noodle soup from central Vietnam ($8.50). You’ll also find grilled meats and rice dishes. Another Vietnamese restaurant, Thuan Kieu, spotlights more than 60 “broken rice” platters and some 50 rice vermicelli dishes. Taiwan Food Express, meanwhile, offers Chinese dim sum, noodle dishes and stir-frys.

Also scheduled to open over the next few months are three other restaurants, Boca Vietnamese Cuisine, My Lynn Café and Mekong Dim Sum, along with Mekong Bakery. And eventually there will be a fast-food row featuring Indian, Korean, Japanese and Filipino fare.

Details: Mekong Plaza, 66. S. Dobson Road (at Main St.), Mesa.

Mekong Supermarket, 480-833-0095; Unphogettable, 480-835-2298; Thuan Kieu, 480-668-5959; Taiwan Food Express, 480-668-9888.

[HooverDam]

http://www.azcentral.com/community/c...horse1101.html

Construction of hotel-casino hits a milestone
by Luci Scott - Oct. 30, 2008 01:02 PM
The Arizona Republic
The Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, under construction on Interstate 10 south of Ahwatukee and due to open at the end of next year, will bring 750 new jobs to the area, the owners say.

"The job creation is going to be nothing short of astonishing," director of operations Paul Jarosik said this week at the topping off that celebrated the last beam being put in place on the hotel's 10th floor.

Officials with the Gila River Indian Community, the owner of the project, say the jobs will mean an infusion of more than $15 million in payroll into the area - $20 million plus when tips are counted. "This is going to be another jewel in the crown of the community," said Dale Enos, president of the board of Gila River Casinos.

The community wants to lure not only gamers but regional conferences and people in search of entertainment and dining.

The Valley's first Shula's Steakhouse will open on the site; the restaurant chain is owned by legendary pro football coach Don Shula. Another restaurant will be an expansion of Scottsdale's Ling and Louie's Asian Grill.

The site also will feature a Las Vegas style nightclub and a 1,400-seat showroom.

This week's topping off celebration included a blessing by tribal member Tim Terry and the hoisting of the American flag to the 10th floor by members of the Ira H. Hayes American Legion Post 84 out of Sacaton. They also raised the Gila River Indian Community tribal flag.

The project's general contractor is Kitchell, which created a Native American division a decade ago to build schools, homes, hospitals, hotels and casinos for tribes. The Kitchell division is run by vice president Brad Gabel, who came up with the idea.

Kitchell was the owner's representative on another Native American project and Gabel discovered the other contractor thought it didn't have to give the same level of service to Native Americans that it did to other clients.

"We thought if we took the same level of service we would give to Mayo hospital and brought it on the reservation, we could be successful," Gabel said.

Since then, the company has done a number of Native American projects throughout the West.

Topping off a new building is a tradition in the construction industry. The rite can be traced to the ancient Scandinavian practice of placing a tree on top of a new building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits of their ancestors that had been displaced. The practice migrated to England with Scandinavian invaders.

[Vicelord John]

http://www.azcentral.com/community/c...ation0516.html

[HooverDam]

Superior isn't really the East Valley, but close enough for jazz I guess:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...dswap0521.html

Bill revives land swap for Ariz. copper mine
by Erin Kelly and Dan Nowicki - May. 21, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., introduced legislation Wednesday that throws her support behind a controversial underground copper mine near Superior that developers say could turn into the largest source of copper ore in North America.

Kirkpatrick's bill could herald the long-awaited breakthrough for a federal land swap that is critical to the development of the mine. The proposed land exchange stalled two years ago, after her predecessor, Rep. Rick Renzi, was engulfed in a public-corruption scandal. Renzi is accused of trying to pressure Resolution Copper Co., the project's developers, to buy unrelated property from his former business partner in exchange for his help on the deal.

Renzi, a Republican who denies any wrongdoing, was indicted in February 2008 and is awaiting trial on federal charges. He did not seek re-election in 2008.

Kirkpatrick is seen as vital to the project because she represents the area where the mine would be developed and because she is a Democrat.

The mine already has the support of Arizona's Republican Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, but it needs bipartisan support to have any real chance of being approved in the Democratic-controlled Congress. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, also a Republican, recently voiced her support for the project.

Resolution Copper has been lobbying Kirkpatrick for months.

"For me, it comes down to jobs," she said in an interview Wednesday. "This could bring as many as 1,000 well-paying jobs to the area."

The federal land is thought to contain the world's largest undeveloped deposit of high-grade copper, worth billions of dollars even at today's depressed prices. Lawmakers must vote on the project because Resolution is seeking to gain control of the 3,000-acre site in Tonto National Forest.

In turn, the developers would give up more than 4,500 acres of environmentally sensitive land throughout Arizona.

Legislation praised
Company officials praised the legislation.

"This is the culmination of Congresswoman Kirkpatrick's countless hours of meetings with stakeholders and her deliberate and thorough discussion of this matter with constituents regarding this important legislation," said David Salisbury, president and chief executive of Resolution Copper. "Introduction of the bill is a very important first step in making the Resolution Copper project a reality."

The company has been trying since 2005 to acquire the site but has been blocked by the corruption scandal, environmentalists, rock climbers and Native American protests.

The land contains cultural and religious sites that are sacred to the San Carlos Apaches and other Native American tribes. There also have been concerns about the project's environmental impact.

The land includes some of the state's best rock-climbing terrain and a 600-acre campground that was set aside in the 1950s by presidential order as a national-recreation site.

Kirkpatrick, a freshman who represents Arizona's 1st Congressional District, said she met with all interested parties before deciding to introduce the bill in the House. Kyl already has introduced it in the Senate, with McCain as a co-sponsor.

Kirkpatrick said she is convinced the overwhelming majority of residents in the community support the project, which developers have said could bring as much as $800 million a year to the state. The mine would begin production in 2020 and produce an estimated 500,000 tons of copper ore a year.

'Long process'
"We worked a very long process bringing all the stakeholders together to address everyone's concerns," she said.

"I'm sure some groups may not be 100 percent happy, but I think we struck as good a balance as we could between helping the economy while preserving the local culture and environment."

The next step for the project is a hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which is scheduled for June 17.

Kirkpatrick said she will be working to drum up support for the bill among her colleagues and on the House Resources Committee, which must vote on the land exchange.

She said Wednesday that she was pleased that Rep. Jeff Flake, a Republican who represents Arizona's 6th Congressional District, has already signed on to her bill as a co-sponsor.

I can't imagine this not going through in this economy. A few years back maybe the environmentalist side would've won out, but I think now the pull of new high paying jobs will be too much to resist. From my limited knowledge it sounds like it should be a good deal for the state, theyre giving up 3,000 acres and getting 4,500 in return. Though I would be interested to know where the 4,500 acres they're getting back are. Plus we know we're damned good at copper mining in this state, can't complain about new jobs I guess.

[HooverDam]

http://www.azcentral.com/community/g...velop0523.html

'Artists village' considered for downtown Gilbert
by Katherine Greene - May. 22, 2009 11:09 AM
The Arizona Republic
Could the heart of downtown Gilbert become home to an "artists village"?

That possibility emerged Wednesday as the town Redevelopment Commission reviewed options for developing an area bordered by Elliott and Gilbert roads and W. Washington Avenue.

Commission Chairman Gene Valentine has been working with WH Pacific, an architectural consulting firm that helped design Chandler's proposed new city hall.

The firm presented the commission with three plans for the corner that all offered a mixed use development of retail, townhouses or apartments, and offices or studios.

But central to all three plans was the idea that artists would own or lease most of the retail and even live in any townhouses that might be part of the development.

The architects said they were inspired by a combination of downtown Phoenix's First Friday events and the retail activity of 5th Street and Mill Avenue in downtown Tempe.

And they thought they also could play off the Gilbert Historical Museum across the street, noting its quilt exhibitions. One plan even incorporated some of those quilts in its design.

The site under consideration involves two empty town-owned lots for which officials have no particular development in mind right now.

The artists-village proposals were meant to start a more focused discussion about what should go on the site, which is part of what's called Gilbert's "zero-zero" intersection because all street addresses for East and West Elliott and North and South Gilbert start there.

The commission oversees the development of the Heritage District, which town officials hope will become a key tourist magnet for tourists. It recommends Heritage District developments to the Town Council, which has the final say in determining what goes there.

Of the three plans discussed Thursday, two involved a cluster of eight to ten buildings surrounding a pedestrian plaza. Valentine personally conceived of one plan that focused more on townhouses, small artist studio-shops and townhouses.

A second plan also sported a pedestrian plaza, but included a pharmacy on the corner of W. Washington Avenue and Gilbert Road.

The third plan had no plaza and a Fresh 'N Easy mini-supermarket on the corner.

For now, the proposals aren't likely to go anywhere because no developer has expressed an interest in the site.

[Leo the Dog]

http://www.azcentral.com/community/g...trail0523.html

East Valley cheers project transforming 14 miles along canal
14 comments by Edythe Jensen - May. 23, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic


Tempe, Chandler and Gilbert are transforming 14 miles of canal bank and power-line route into a paved and landscaped pathway that will give people a new way to travel for errands, job commutes and recreation.

When work on the final portions are completed next year, the $18 million project will stretch from Higley Road to Interstate 10.

Bicyclists use superlatives when they talk about this off-road route, which runs mostly in a straight line east and west between Elliot and Guadalupe roads.

"It's huge," said Reed Kempton of Mesa, a transportation planner for Scottsdale and avid cyclist. "Some people use trails when they're dirt, but it's difficult for road bikes with skinny tires, Rollerblades and strollers. And you get dirty, so they don't work well for people trying to get to work."

Called the Western Canal and Powerline Trail, the route is part of a 177-mile Valley trail system that mostly follows historic irrigation-delivery lines.

But this trail offers the most potential connections to mass transit along with urban detours. It runs near stores, restaurants, parks, through downtown Gilbert, near the Southeast Regional Library and Gilbert Riparian Preserve, next to Arizona Mills mall and the Tempe Family YMCA.

It crosses major roads near bus stops and runs close to a light-rail station in Tempe.

Mike King of Gilbert takes his children - ages 2, 4 and 6 - on Western Canal bicycle rides several times a week for park-hopping. His wife takes it to the grocery store. The youngest child rides in a trailer, and the 4-year-old's bike is attached to his father's.

"It's a nice, smooth, scenic ride for the kids - with no cars. That's a huge benefit," he said.

A self-employed business analyst, King said he used to ride the trail from his home to work in Mesa until he was recently laid off.

"I don't ever want to go back to riding in traffic," he said. "(On the canal trails) you don't have the danger of cars or the exhaust fumes. You can feel the difference."

Motorized vehicles, including scooters and pocket bikes, are banned on the trail, but horses are allowed.

Kempton said the Valley's first push for a regional canal-side trail system came from the Arizona Horsemen's Association during the 1960s, when the pathway was envisioned as an equestrian trail.

Interest in improving the waterway paths for pedestrians and bicyclists started in the 1970s, he said, but there was no money to do the work.

Momentum grew when the Maricopa Association of Governments got involved in the late 1990s, bringing cities together for regional planning and helping them secure federal grants.

"It was all about creating livable cities, increasing physical activity, cleaning the air," said Maureen DeCindis, MAG's transportation planner.

Alan Lepak, owner of Global Bikes in Chandler and Gilbert, said a paved canal-trail system will be a giant boost to Valley bicycling. The biggest deterrent to cycling in the Valley is safety concerns, he said. Riders don't like traveling in narrow bicycle lanes with fast traffic and inattentive drivers.

The 10-foot-wide canal system includes concrete paving, lighting, landscaping, respite areas with benches and fountains, public art and local-history displays.

About half the $18 million cost of the project came from federal transportation grants.

This includes Tempe as well, and it could technically go under transportation developments too.

[HooverDam]

Some news about East Valley downtown developments:

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/139673

Neighbors await plan for Arizona Avenue
ARI COHN, TRIBUNE

May 26, 2009 - 7:26PM

A group of girls play in the street of a mobile home park in downtown Chandler. The city is looking to purchase the land as part of the Arizona Avenue corridor project, which would displace residents of the park. May 26, 2009.
Ralph Freso, Tribune
Homeowners in some of Chandler's historically low-income, largely black and Hispanic neighborhoods could find themselves significantly wealthier in the next few years as the city invests in downtown redevelopment.

Other downtown residents, however, won't be so lucky. Up to 70 residents of a old mobile home park on Fairview Street could be displaced if city officials go ahead with plans to punch California Street through the property, said David de la Torre, a city planner, on Tuesday.

The roughly 6-acre mobile home park is owned by a California-based company, de la Torre said. If Chandler buys the land, the city would pay the relocation expenses of any residents forced to move.

Officials have already had several public meetings on a similar project in the downtown area involving the extension of Washington Street between Fairview Street and Pecos Road. That project is expected to displace nearly a dozen homes, officials have said.

De la Torre said the California Street plans haven't progressed as far as those for Washington Street.

"When we get to that point, we would definitely have meetings with those neighbors," he said.

POOR HOMEOWNERS BENEFIT

City officials have big plans for California and Washington streets, both of which are residential roads that parallel Arizona Avenue, the main north/south strip through the downtown. During a recent City Council retreat, Chris Mackay, economic development manager, said park amenities and landscape nodes could be added to the two roadways to make them conducive to community gatherings such as musical events.

De la Torre said California and Washington streets will serve as the boundary line between the properties along Arizona Avenue where the city wants to encourage commercial and high-density residential redevelopment in the coming years and traditional residential neighborhoods outside of those roads. The city plans to install traffic-control devices such as speed humps on Washington and California to preserve the streets' residential nature.

"The landscaping is going to be boulevard-like," de la Torre said.

Chandler's overarching plan for its downtown, called the South Arizona Avenue Entry Corridor Study, calls for overhauling Arizona Avenue between Chandler Boulevard and Pecos Road to encourage a pedestrian-friendly feel and for encouraging private redevelopment along the road to create a thriving downtown district, instead of the existing utilitarian commercial corridor.

De la Torre said the redevelopment plans, coupled with city-funded infrastructure upgrades like roads and sewer improvements, will increase property values significantly in the surrounding neighborhoods. Chandler also has broken ground on a new $74 million city government complex on the west side of Arizona Avenue at Chicago Street.

"I do see the area increasing in value significantly. This might take several years," de la Torre said.

Historically - dating back to Chandler's founding in the early 20th century - neighborhoods north of Chandler Boulevard were established for the affluent, while poor laborers settled on the south side of downtown, de la Torre said.

"It's been a minority area for a long time," he said. "There's a large minority population living there."

ARIZONA AVENUE CHANGES

Last week, the city's Transportation Commission recommended against a proposal to narrow Arizona Avenue from two lanes to one lane in each direction through the downtown in an effort to foster pedestrian activity.

Dan Cook, deputy public works director, said the City Council is expected to vote in mid-June on Arizona Avenue's future footprint. City staff will then spend up to nine months fleshing out designs for other improvements such as wider sidewalks, landscaping and medians and whether to use diagonal or parallel on-street parking, he said.

"We're extremely early in the design process for Arizona Avenue. What we have to do is tick off the major decisions one at a time," Cook said. "From there, we start looking at the details."

The northern portion of Arizona Avenue, adjacent to the planned city government complex, is slated to be done by the end of next year, around the same time the new City Hall is completed.

I hope Chandler can get all of these issues worked out. I've always thought Downtown Chandler has a lot of potentially to be a nice pocket of walkable urbanism, and from this article, they're talking the right talk.

And in Mesa news:
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/139675

Mesa downtown group planning for future
ANDRE BOWSER, TRIBUNE

May 26, 2009 - 8:25PM

After 5 p.m., the streets of downtown Mesa are desolate leaving only the street sculptures figures to inhabit the walkways around local merchants who remain open.
Ralph Freso, Tribune
A walk in downtown Mesa along Main Street Tuesday offered some of the hallmarks of a ghost town: empty storefronts and little pedestrian traffic.

But Downtown Mesa Association president Tom Verploegen said there is a lot of life, vibrancy and potential, and his group is tapping resilient businesses, civic leaders, residents and others downtown sources to determine the best course.

The association hosted a meeting last week that drew people even on one of the recently stormy nights, in creating a vision for the square mile known as Mesa's downtown.

Light rail in downtown Mesa gets go-ahead

"We're trying to cast a net as wide as we can," Verploegen said Tuesday.

Wednesday night will be more of the same, and the public is encouraged to attend the second meeting on the same topic of a "vision for downtown" at 7 p.m. in the Community Room of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce, 120 N. Center St.

Verploegen said the process of idea mining will go through October and his association will report to city officials in November. A third meeting is scheduled for June 2.

"What we're looking for is a lot of interaction," said Verploegen, who ran off a list of several viable suggestions received at the last well-attended meeting. "We're looking for additional input in terms of what we would add to the vision."

That vision includes one suggestion received from a resident that a cultural district was sorely needed downtown, one that would rival downtown Scottsdale's maze of art galleries and arts venues to lure visitors from far and wide.

Verploegen said some suggested more museums, night clubs and a grocery store. "We had some really, really great discussions and great ideas," he said.

Members of the association include businesses located downtown as well as larger organizations, such as the Mesa Arts Center.

The center's spokeswoman, Sarah Moran, said her organization considered itself a national draw more than a regional one.

"We're the largest arts center in Arizona," she touted, pointing to the sprawling campus that includes Mesa Contemporary Arts and its five galleries, art studios and theaters.

"It pulls a lot of different people from across the Valley," she said of the $100 million center.

MAC Executive Director Johann Zietsman is scheduled to attend next month's meeting to discuss ways of incorporating the center in the vision being planned for Mesa.

Its good to hear Mesa at least talking about their downtown and trying to do something. However this article doesn't mention the key element for an active downtown- people! Downtown Mesa has no residential (other than a tower for senior housing) and so of course its dead. It also has a lot of potential, the Downtown Mesa area has a lot of surface lots, many streets that are unnecessarily wide and theres a huge bunch of empty lots on University and Mesa Dr, all which could be infilled.