Flagstaff & Northern Arizona Development Thread

[kaneui]

The local Catholic parish now says it will be selling the downtown city block it owns between Cherry Ave., Dale Ave., Humphreys St. and Beaver St. next year, once the new San Francisco de Asis School on McMillan Mesa is completed.

http://azdailysun.com/news/local/san...b19e32e2d.html

Previously, the diocese had planned to be a partner in redeveloping the site for a new city courthouse (didn't happen after voters rejected the courthouse bond package); then the diocese said it would be holding onto the property. However, a decision to sell should finally open up this prime downtown parcel for redevelopment.



aerial photo showing construction of new San Francisco de Asis School next to the parish church on McMillan Mesa
(courtesy: San Francisco de Asis parish)


*As noted in a prior post, the SE corner of this block was once the site of a three-story Victorian mansion owned by C.J. Babbitt, one of the five Babbitt brothers that were early pioneers in Flagstaff.

[kaneui]

A 70-acre mixed-use development proposed by the Navajo Nation next to Twin Arrows Casino could include up to 375 housing units and 400k s.f. of retail, restaurants and hotels, with a 10-year time frame to complete:

http://azdailysun.com/news/local/pla...b99d18a70.html

[kaneui]

http://azdailysun.com/business/local...a642de0f7.html

[Buckeye Native 001]

The problem with all of these housing developments is that the majority of them seem to be geared toward NAU students (which makes sense given that this town lives and dies by the the university).

That said, there's little to no push for affordable apartments or townhomes, which means that the rest of us who live and work here suffer from ever-increasing rents with no recourse. Buying a house is out of the question since the market seems to be back to pre-recession levels. I'd love to know who has the money to afford a house up here...

[kaneui]

The past year saw a fair amount of development activity in the Flagstaff area, and that pace is expected to continue in 2016:

Expected Completions:
- The Student & Academic Services Building ($29M) and North Campus Athletics and Recreation Complex ($47.5M) at NAU.

- Harkins Flagstaff 16 Theatres at Flagstaff Mall.

- The Trax at 4th--Phase I in east Flagstaff.

- Mountain Trail Apartments near NAU (160U).


Possible Starts:

- Runke Drive Apartments at NAU (620 beds).

- One or more of the proposed but controversial off-campus student housing projects: The Lofts of Flagstaff (227U), Trailside Apartments (111U), The Standard (160U), Hub at Flagstaff (233U), and Aspen Heights (224U).

- Start of ADOT Milton Rd. redevelopment, including University Ave. realignment.

- The Trax at 4th--Phase II (includes two Hyatt hotels).

- 4-story Marriott Residence Inn in downtown Flagstaff.

- 2 hotels near I-40 and Country Club Dr.

Additionally, there will be ongoing street repairs from bond funding approved by voters in 2014 (2015 saw over 125 linear miles repaired for $9.1M).


http://azdailysun.com/news/local/the...89f39bb85.html

[kaneui]

City planning staff has approved a new design for the controversial Hub at Flagstaff student housing project, with five stories on Milton Rd. and three stories on Mike's Pike:

http://azdailysun.com/news/local/gov...be2cd9127.html

[pollymath]

kaneui, I'd like to thank you for doing this. It's very helpful. I wish someone at AZ Daily Sun would give us a quarterly update that is similar, but host images, updates and new project pictures on their website.

I've noticed most of your image links are broken, any chance those could be fixed?

[kaneui]

Originally Posted by pollymath

kaneui, I'd like to thank you for doing this. It's very helpful. I wish someone at AZ Daily Sun would give us a quarterly update that is similar, but host images, updates and new project pictures on their website.

I've noticed most of your image links are broken, any chance those could be fixed?

Glad you're finding the updates useful--I've rechecked the URL links, and only found one that wasn't working. However, Photobucket was down for awhile last week, but they're back up now and all the images seem to be showing again.

[Buckeye Native 001]

I should probably go out and get some pictures of the developments taking place and post them here.

The space for The Hub is currently a vacant/dirt lot (although I saw an excavator on the lot a few days ago while on my way to Granny's Closet) now that all the buildings have been torn down to make space for it and the hotel downtown is starting to take shape.

I really hope the municipal courthouse bond passes. If it means the old jail no longer sits vacant (although to be fair, it's asbestos city in there), I'm all for it.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Photos I took yesterday afternoon of the new Marriott and The Hub on my camera, so apologies for the poor quality.

Marriott:




The Hub:


Source

[kaneui]

^Haven't been able to locate any renders for this hotel, but I'm guessing it will be a rather generic Residence Inn design (but happy to see they saved the street trees).

[Buckeye Native 001]

I'm curious to see what happens to the southern stretch of Aspen between Beaver and Humphreys across from the new hotel if the Municipal Courthouse bond passes and the Municipal Court moves over to near the Superior/Justice Court.

With the right kind of development, I'm hoping for better street activity along that stretch of Aspen (better connecting Wheeler Park and Downtown). That area's been a dead zone for as long as I've lived here (since 2009).

[kaneui]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

I'm curious to see what happens to the southern stretch of Aspen between Beaver and Humphreys across from the new hotel if the Municipal Courthouse bond passes and the Municipal Court moves over to near the Superior/Justice Court.

With the right kind of development, I'm hoping for better street activity along that stretch of Aspen (better connecting Wheeler Park and Downtown). That area's been a dead zone for as long as I've lived here (since 2009).

Unfortunately, that section of the block is now designated as parking for the new hotel, so any development there would have to preserve those spaces, or perhaps relocate them to the hotel block if and when the city court moves to a new facility.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Well, damn it. That segment of Birch between Beaver and Humphreys isn't much better. It's just a dead zone in that part of Downtown aside from maybe Dark Sky Brewing and the Indian restaurant.

[Buckeye Native 001]

I should've posted this Daily Sun article sooner (it was published on October 24), but here's a rundown of most of the projects planned and/or under construction in Flagstaff and Coconino County

Building Boom: Flagstaff Adding Housing Units by the Thousands

Corina Vanek Sun Staff Reporter



The sounds of hammers and bulldozers have become familiar in many parts of Flagstaff, as new apartments, hotels and shopping centers continue to pop up around the city and nearby in unincorporated Coconino County.

The biggest single player in town, Vintage Partners, is involved in three large projects around the city, including one multi-step development that will involve relocating existing businesses and government services and creating new business locations and student housing.

West of Milton, there are two new apartment complexes on the rise, and downtown, a Marriott Hotel is on the rise.

Article Source

[Buckeye Native 001]

Here's a photo I took on Thursday of the new Harkins movie theater that is set to open on November 17 across from the Flagstaff Mall (minus the overbearing scent of dog food coming from the nearby Purina factory):



Sorry for the quality, it was taken on my Android phone. I'm trying to do a better job of tracking developments around town as they're happening.

Also, don't know why yet, but longtime establishment Granny's Closet closed. I've also heard that Maloney's in downtown has also closed. I suspect the closings might have something to do with both AZ Prop 206 and Flagstaff Prop 414 passing last Tuesday.

On the plus side (for me at least since I work for the criminal justice system), the municipal courthouse bond passed.

[kaneui]

With the recent building boom at NAU winding down due to state budgetary cutbacks, this year's commercial development in Flagstaff will center around hotels and student housing:

HOTELS
2017 will see the completion of the downtown Residence Inn, as well as the Fairfield and Hampton Inns being built near Continental CC and I-40. Additionally, the proposed Hyatt House and Hyatt Place hotels near 4th St. could possibly break ground.


STUDENT HOUSING
With NAU enrollment continuing to grow, there is increasing demand for more student housing options, both on campus and off. In 2017, NAU's on-campus 626-bed SkyView complex should be ready for the fall semester, as will Fremont Station, an 815-bed off-campus development on W. Forest Meadows St.

Other projects in the pipeline include the controversial Hub at Flagstaff (still tied up in the courts) and The Standard, both of which could break ground in 2017. The Chason Affinity Companies recently completed the 160-unit Mountain Trails Apartments on W. Forest Meadows St., and is slated to break ground in the spring on the Trailside Apartments, a 111-unit project on W. University Heights Dr.


MISC.
Other projects finishing construction during 2017 include the $22M NAU South Dining renovations, as well as the 40-bed Rehabilitation Hospital of Northern Arizona on Gemini Dr.
Also, Vintage Partner's Mill Town project on Milton Rd. could see some start-up activity this year, once ADOT offices have relocated to the repurposed former Harkins Theatres.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Kaneui, any idea of what's going on along the northeast section of Route 66 and Ponderosa Parkway next to the Starbucks? I keep hearing one of the buildings might be a Culvers? (Should I be looking up this stuff on the County Assessor's website?)

Also, I'm half-convinced that the prospect of In-N-Out coming to Flagstaff was a rouse by former Mayor Nabors to get reelected that won't ever see the light of day (not that I need to be eating In-N-Out).

I live on the west side. It's kind of weird/eerie driving along Woodlands Village past the old Harkins and not seeing it all lit up right now. I'm still not sure how MVD is going to renovate the interior of that building for office space, but I'm neither an engineer nor an architect.

[kaneui]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

Kaneui, any idea of what's going on along the northeast section of Route 66 and Ponderosa Parkway next to the Starbucks? I keep hearing one of the buildings might be a Culvers? (Should I be looking up this stuff on the County Assessor's website?)

I'm afraid I don't have any additional info. for you, although it appears that two of the vacant parcels to the east that have had the chain link fence around them have sold within the last year, so it seems something will be happening there soon.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Yeah, there's been some some cement mixers and what appears to be the foundation for a fast food restaurant along that side of 66 for the past several weeks.