Quote:
Originally Posted by soleri
If there's one thing a citizen-based movement might plausibly accomplish, it's returning the Westward Ho to its roots as a great hotel. It's currently contracted with HUD to provide social housing for the disabled. Downtown has very few buildings with bones this good and it's a crime that it essentially functions as a homeless shelter. If you've never been inside, just check with the security guard at the Fillmore entrance. It contains magnificent public rooms that could add immeasurably to a vibrant downtown. The investment required will be high, but I can think of nothing besides the renovation of the Professional Building that could help downtown quite as much. BTW, I read on AZCentral this morning Doug MacEachern, a troglodyte my any standard, extolling the idea of development along the canals. This idea has been floating out there among the architects and activists since the 1970s. It's taken this long for it to finally achieve critical mass among political and civic leaders. I hope the recovery of the Ho doesn't take decades. Seriously, downtown can't wait that long. Bang your drum. Start something. And don't let the guilt-trippers win the debate. You can afford to give the current residents first-class accommodations someplace elsewhere. What you need first and foremost is a sense of urgency.
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We finally got our wish to have the Professional Building restored, who knows what's possible with the Ho? I did email their management regarding the ground level retail- if we end up with denser neighborhoods surrounding it, it would be nice if the ground level could be publicly accessed. I think the Hotel could be restored before the lease expires... the City has quite a few deals on their hands now, but maybe after, a campaign could be started. I'm not sure of the logistics, but I imagine it would involve building senior housing on city land worth the existing leasing terms and then swapping and RFPing the empty building in hopes of a hotelier swapping it up?
My concern with Hotel Monroe and with the ground level of the Westward Ho is the fact that none of the Security Buildings' spaces have been leased in 7+ years, in spite of a City RFP for tenants. Sure, the hotel space will be a great addition, but the added street life was the more exciting part to me, and I can't understand why buildings like The Security Building and Luhrs struggle to fill their spaces so badly. You would think such unique products would offer a niche alternative, at least.
DeSoto: Ah, I was actually trying to get a vintage furniture manufacturing company to move there and have either a showroom upfront of allow views of the factory process. But, this idea makes perfect sense, and I always envisioned a market there. Agree that it's a small miracle the lot won't be 100% parking. What exactly doe the Public Market offer now? Perhaps a rebranding effort is needed to better distinguish the two. It seems that, unlike the original Public Market with one coffee bar, this market will feature several stations with a variety of food options: I wonder how long spaces are leased for? Cool concept for a great building, I just hope Union gets off the ground and we have enough residential density nearby to support it.
Exit: Thanks for the info re: streetscape for Roosevelt. I guess we'll find soon enough; and, I agree about the organization. There are about 5 versions floating around. As for McKinley and 4th, no news, but I hope whatever gets built is higher and is a different product than Skyline and Roosevelt Pointe. Those two serve their purpose, but the area already looks redundant in architectural themes and both projects haven't had the best time leasing retail space. I know it's a never-ending complaint, but with all of the empty lots, it really sucks to continually see new development come at the expense of existing buildings. In this case, we lose even more affordable art space that was in a great area to help bridge ASU, Biomedical, and Evans Churchill. Can't the City stipulate a percentage of affordable/low income commercial space?
Hoover: I agree about Hance, but obviously the community is excited and rather than risk argument, I'll keep my comments brief. I asked the same exact questions you did. The Central rendering shows just how little was done to help draw attention to each entrance. Additionally, I thought the west side was perfect for a basketball court. Without an event, I'm not seeing much use for that end at all - again, another huge problem. That's why I asked about the food trucks and how often they'd be within the plaza, as well as the plan for the new structures listed: I'm okay with more parking via garage if it includes ground level uses that help bring a wider audience to the park. A garage might also be a small incentive for development in the north side of the library.
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