Phoenix Development News (3)

[combusean]

This is actually happening:

http://www.containersongrand.com/flo...ns-renderings/

Apparently they got their last variance needed to reduce the number of parking spaces.

[HX_Guy]

Originally Posted by combusean

This is actually happening:

http://www.containersongrand.com/flo...ns-renderings/

Apparently they got their last variance needed to reduce the number of parking spaces.

Neat. Would have loved to see it between the 7s though.

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by HooverDam

I think the problem with a lot of the ground floor retail we've seen that sits empty is it's just horribly designed. It's either on the wrong street, or has huge ventilation boxes in front of it, doesn't have on street parking in front of it, is totally unfinished inside w/ dirt floors on the inside thus demanding huge amounts of tenant improvements.

I wonder how much more of the available ground floor retail space would be filled if these issues weren't present.

But in general I agree with you, it's just a street like Roosevelt I'd like to see fully lined with ground floor uses.

Exactly. It sucks that white elephants like Tapestry drive up vacancy rates and make Central look like a slum when it's an oddity with horrible interiors that can't be modified for restaurant use or bathrooms (IIRC).

Every building that went up during the boom was mixed use, which means that the majority are surrounded by dirt lots or low density. It's impossible for retail to survive when it's part of the only mixed use project in the area. That's why it's terrible when 1-use projects like Highland/Central get built - they create massive dead zones that break up any chance at having a continuous strip of retail. That's what creates synergies and success. Look at downtown - the successful retail areas are in places where there is retail on both sides of the streets and density in the form of office/hotel/residential to support it.

Alta/Skyline is always used as an example, but somehow it has defied the odds of being surrounded by dead space and actually leased much of its retail. That will only improve as the 4th/McKinley live/work units are built. More residents in the immediate area, as well as the visitors who will be coming to the businesses located on the ground level who will be in walking distance to window shop at a place like Alta.

It's just extremely short-sighted to say a street like Roosevelt shouldn't have retail built on it until surrounding areas fill up. What good does a street filled with St. Croix Lofts and The Met do for what is supposed to be the urban boulevard of downtown? Not only does it take away the convenience factor of attracting residents downtown, but it takes away the draw for visitors and tourists to come to the area, as well. Hopefully, all of the residential projects proposed get built and create the densities needed to start filling up spaces and creating demand for mixed use again.

rocksteady - There's no "zoning" for individual retail spaces within buildings. The building itself is zoned, and once it has - for example - an MU designation (Mixed Use), the retail uses can be used for anything, given that it receives the proper permits. The ground level of Summit can be used for any purpose... like most of Jackson, it's surprising that sports-oriented stores and bars/restaurants haven't been interested. A sports bar/even something like Buffalo Wild Wings would be cool there.

[PHX31]

The RFP for 206 E. Portland has been put out by the City of Phoenix. I think this has been discussed before.
https://www.phoenix.gov/financesite/...PT%20FINAL.pdf

It's the piece of land that previously had a smaller multifamily housing development under construction that was halted due to the recession.

One interesting note from the RFP was that the land was appraised at $215,000, which is for approximately 1/5 of an acre. I don't know how other pieces of land are selling, but typically I think of all of the downtown area's open land as being held by land bankers waiting for a huge pay day. How does this appraised value fall in line with what other land in the area has sold for or is selling for?

[exit2lef]

There was some discussion recently about Songbird's move. The coffee house has now posted on Facebook that it's moving to a new location on 3rd St: https://www.facebook.com/SongbirdCof...45224032230111

[Jjs5056]

That's a great location, IMO.

It's directly adjacent to the former Roosevelt Tavern; when that business closed, the owners mentioned that they would be re-opening a new venture in the near future... has anything come of that? If not, hopefully this is some incentive. Nice to see local businesses spilling over to the west beyond 6th and 5th streets.

As for 206 Portland, yes - I mentioned this as one of the properties outlined by the city for being RFP'd. I doubt any responses will vary from what was originally intended, and that would be fine. Owner-occupied units in that area would be a great thing. If anything is to change, my preference would be that the orientation actually faces 2nd instead of Portland and that the units are available as live/work. It would be nice for 2nd street to serve as the main connection to Hance for the Roosevelt area since 1st street is essentially 1-sided and 3rd street is highly trafficked. No matter what, anything will be better than the blight there now in the form of a foundation.

It's too bad that the plans for 2nd Street and The Knipe House restoration/The Row fell through.

MIDTOWN
AZCentral had a recent article relevant to our former discussions on what can be done to save Midtown. Apparently, the new economic developer wants to brand the area as the "Phoenix Innovation Corridor" and attract high-tech businesses. She is currently working with landlords and encouraging them to knock down walls and even floors to create larger, open spaces that are more attractive to these types of firms. I don't know how successful the strategy will be given the competition from the east valley and other cities for the same types of business, but I'm glad to see that both Midtown and attracting new business to Central Phoenix are both high priorities. Much of the proposed residential development has been slated for the Midtown area, so it would be nice if residents could actually have the option of being in a live/work/play environment as more business opportunities arise.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

That's a great location, IMO.

It's directly adjacent to the former Roosevelt Tavern; when that business closed, the owners mentioned that they would be re-opening a new venture in the near future... has anything come of that? If not, hopefully this is some incentive.

Nothing at all. Likewise, the old Matt's Big Breakfast space at McKinley & 1st St. has not been transformed into a to-go business, even though that was suggested when Matt's moved a block to the north.

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

Nothing at all. Likewise, the old Matt's Big Breakfast space at McKinley & 1st St. has not been transformed into a to-go business, even though that was suggested when Matt's moved a block to the north.

Both of those things have been disappointing.

Also disappointing, I recently found out Matt Poole's parents own that Coronado Hotel adjacent to the original Matt's Big Breakfast location. That thing is a seedy hole for those just getting out of jail or looking for a place to take a hooker.

I wish they'd invest in it and turn it into a low cost hotel/hostel for traveling artists and people wanting to visit the downtown Phoenix/Roosevelt Row scene.

[Jjs5056]

I had been slightly disappointed when Matt's moved, just knowing that it would be nearly impossible to fill the former space with a new business given the quality of the hotel and lack of any real business or dense residential in the immediate area. That's even more disappointing to know that 1) there were plans for it, and 2) that his parents own the hotel, as I would have hoped he would understand the importance of filling it. As is, there was no real gain for the area, just a move to a bigger space.

Is the building adjacent to the new Matt's filled? Looks like it is/was a gallery at some point, but not sure if it's still occupied.

I've heard the Coronado being referred to as some community asset by some; glad that I am not the only one who thought of it as a slum. There's no reason it can't be exactly what Hoover described. There are no boutique hotels in the Roosevelt area, and it could really help fill that void if cleaned up with an arts-themed cafe in the former Matt's building, for example.

[crwhiteinaz]

The city of Phoenix and a regional economic financing authority are hoping to redevelop the largest vacant piece of land in downtown Phoenix. It could end up being a 900-unit apartment or townhome development.
Some of the land is the former site of the Thomas J. Pappas School, which was torn down in 2011. The school for homeless children was caught up in accusations against former Maricopa County School Superintendent Sandra Dowling.
The Phoenix City Council is considering a deal to buy a 2.8-acre parcel at Fillmore Street and Third Avenue. The city and Phoenix Industrial Development Authority would buy the Maricopa County-owned parcel for $3.2 million under the proposed deal.
That land would then be combined with adjacent parcels totaling 4.6 acres already owned by the city and placed on the market for private development.
Scott Summers, the city's deputy director for community and economic development, said marketing separate county- and city-owned land on Fillmore would be less attractive to developers.
"That would be very complicated, and I'm not sure we would get quite as good responses from the private sector, nor would the product at the end of the day be quite as good," he told a council hearing.
Summers said the vacant downtown land could end up being a residential project, considering developers' interest in multifamily projects.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/n...-downtown.html

[Jjs5056]

That news had already been posted, but I don't remember reading that last quote regarding residential.

Sean made a good point about RFP-ing land in a down economy. It would really suck for this huge portion of downtown to be developed into lowrise, single-use rental residential projects because that's all the market can support right now. That isn't in the best interest of downtown's future at all.

The best thing for this project would be for it to be as diverse as possible so that it creates some semblance of a neighborhood, something sorely missing. I hope they do follow through with the plan to divide the superblock with an E-W street. In addition to that, I'd love to see Taylor Mall continued to become a neighborhood pedestrian path, not just an ASU asset. It could terminate with a large, neighborhood park on 5th.

With the county owning a portion of the land, I hope the City has been in talks with them regarding the location of the new Maricopa Corporate College. Locating that campus - since it should be rather small given it's mainly for continuing education purposes IIRC - along Fillmore with neighborhood retail below would be great, and help provide the jobs and educational amenities that could support owner-occupied residential as part of the offering.

[phxKent]

The former Reiff Photography/ Originally the Welnick Arcade Market at 4th Ave. & Van Buren is being developed. Leasing by CBRE, looking for restaurant tenants. Design is by Bob Graham of the Motley Design Group.

Here is a link to a facebook post
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&fref=nf

[Jjs5056]

That is probably the best news I have read re: Phoenix in a LONG time; the rendering looks fantastic.

I have loved that building ever since it was supposed to be razed during the boom for the Calder Tower. I could never understand how such a beautiful building could sit abandoned and unnoticed. I never thought the day would come that it would get scooped up by a developer who actually had an interest in bringing it back to life as opposed to destroying it.

This is directly northwest of the restored historic Church on Monroe. It's great to see that positive momentum spilling over to Van Buren, which is zoned to become Phoenix's shopping boulevard one day. Projects like this help tremendously - imagine a condo tower adjacent to it one day?

West Van Buren has so much potential - I would love to see the warehouses between 5th-6th redeveloped next. I wish the County wasn't so pathetic and would lease out the ground level of the Security Building to give it a proper entrance from Central.

[Jjs5056]

Looks like the Lexington Hotel renovation is on track for a Q3 opening. To be called 'The Foundry,' this should complement Portland on the Park and FEZ *very* well. I love the look of the restaurant fronting the intersection of Portland/Central.

http://www.visitphoenix.com/members/...5/details.aspx

Also, Sean posted the height for Linear and Illuminate - the apartments going up at 998 and 1002 N 3rd - at 70' but just confirming that they'll be 5 stories. Easy to guess from the height, but the latest site plan review references the number of floors. The one replacing the Scientology won't be much - if any - taller than the current structure, so that's kind of lame. Both have a pretty big presence on Roosevelt, making the lack of retail even more disappointing. Having the gym and sales center front the street could leave just 1 spot for retail if designed in the right way... and even 1 spot would go a long way in reducing a long stretch of dead space.

[Phxguy]

^ I imagine there should be some public art to detract from the shop-less street fronts. And I should imagine when the apartments are built, Roosevelt Pointe should fill out its retail. When is the triangle at 3rd street going to be renovated into a small plaza? And I read recently that The Union expects to break ground in 2015 after securing finances.

Any photos on the progress at the 1st Baptist Church or Hotel Monroe?

[HooverDam]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

Looks like the Lexington Hotel renovation is on track for a Q3 opening. To be called 'The Foundry,' this should complement Portland on the Park and FEZ *very* well. I love the look of the restaurant fronting the intersection of Portland/Central.

http://www.visitphoenix.com/members/...5/details.aspx

Looks nice. I like how it will open up to Portland Park. Its kind of hard to imagine that ugly building looking that good! The mural on the side is kind of odd, but I'm sure that's just sort of a place holder.

Not sure I get the name, "The Foundry", other than it sounds vaguely artsy...but whatever.

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by Phxguy

^ I imagine there should be some public art to detract from the shop-less street fronts. And I should imagine when the apartments are built, Roosevelt Pointe should fill out its retail. When is the triangle at 3rd street going to be renovated into a small plaza? And I read recently that The Union expects to break ground in 2015 after securing finances.

Any photos on the progress at the 1st Baptist Church or Hotel Monroe?

I guess we'll see once renderings are released, though that seems to take FOREVER with Phoenix projects. I hope that the ground level units are at least walkups and that the leasing offices at least front Roosevelt to give somewhat of a permeable facade. It's just a double whammy with the two developments facing each other, plus the loss of the GreenHaus retail building.

Who knows about Roosevelt Pointe and its retail - these apartments are only bringing in ~100 units each, which isn't that great as far as density. Another reason they should definitely both be taller.

As for The Foundry - I kind of like the creepy mural. The permit review mentions that Option 2 was chosen, so hopefully the final product doesn't differ too much from what was shown on this site. Knowing the City, they probably went with the version that has a huge parking lot fronting Central (kidding). In regards to the name, a foundry is a reference to old metal-work factories... so, yea, it's just some lame attempt at sounding artsy. The Lexington worked fine for me?

[combusean]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

That is probably the best news I have read re: Phoenix in a LONG time; the rendering looks fantastic.

Or consider the flipside of this statement, that there's so much disinterest in building anything in downtown Phoenix now (especially compared to Tempe) that the market has dictated creating more retail space on an already vacant and tattered stretch of Van Buren in an already vacant downtown is less of a gamble and ostensibly more profitable than attempting to redevelop a property that already has variances for a high-rise project. I'm not so inclined to believe that's good news.

I have loved that building ever since it was supposed to be razed during the boom for the Calder Tower. I could never understand how such a beautiful building could sit abandoned and unnoticed. I never thought the day would come that it would get scooped up by a developer who actually had an interest in bringing it back to life as opposed to destroying it.

I do like the Jane Jacobs approach to the meritorious of old buildings, I really do.

But today is about as far as you can get from the go-go 2005/6/7 days when practically any lot downtown had a highrise proposal from it. Without spewing false dichotomies, I'd rather have a downtown with that kind of promise rather than picking the meat off of old bones and trying to make a meal of it when nobody's hungry.

This is directly northwest of the restored historic Church on Monroe. It's great to see that positive momentum spilling over to Van Buren...

Am I missing something? The First Presbyterian Church has been in operation for decades. The First Baptist Church has been burned out for 30 years and there's been no news on it in 10 months--not even a mere proposal.

which is zoned to become Phoenix's shopping boulevard one day. Projects like this help tremendously - imagine a condo tower adjacent to it one day? West Van Buren has so much potential - I would love to see the warehouses between 5th-6th redeveloped next. I wish the County wasn't so pathetic and would lease out the ground level of the Security Building to give it a proper entrance from Central.

There's right now 300' of vacant retail on 8,400 feet of frontage between the 7s, most of which is gobbled up with messes like the Chase Tower and garage, the telco building, Arizona Center, the Mercado, the public transit building and adjacent Wells Fargo garage, the pending disaster of the Central Station redevelopment, three crummy hotels, and three auto service centers. The only vaguely luminescent (not going to use the word bright) spots to happen to it in decades are the side-ass of the District and a disused office lobby for Freeport McMoran.

All situated on a 35 MPH arterial with narrow sidewalks, no parallel parking, and no shade to speak of.

Take off the rose-colored glasses. We will be long dead in the ground before a shopping street gets rehabbed out of that.

[PHX31]

First Baptist church is currently undergoing renovations.

Combusean, I'm not sure what you are getting at (or wanting in this situation.... If a high rise were built in its stead, it would have likely been designed like the Freeport building. So you want that, yet deride it at the same time?

I would much rather the old building stay and be renovated as it's now planned, than have a nondescript contemporary tower. We all know way too much of downtown is over zoned, and way too much history has been demolished. Turning this building from boarded up to a renovated historic gem preserved for the future is a great win for downtown. Combine it with the renovated church on the same block and you're getting somewhere.

[Jjs5056]

Exactly. It's great news in the sense that it shows that there is some effort being made at historic preservation throughout downtown. This project is very similar to the DeSoto Market restoration, and both will add more to downtown than a soul-less skyscraper. I'm not saying it's great news for the Phoenix development market - quite obviously, there's no demand for anything more than crappy single-use market rate residential buildings, if that. But, if in the meantime, we get an area that was once desolate activated by restoring the First Baptist Church into a community center (which is ongoing and has been posted about in this thread) and this warehouse into restaurant/retail hub, then great.

I have no delusions that WVB (notice I say WVB - EVB is obviously a nonstarter with the telco building and other anti-urban structures you've outlined) will become anything spectacular in my lifetime. But, I'm not going to pretend that this isn't a positive development for that part of town, which has obvious potential should it ever be fulfilled.

I get shit when I post that single-use, lowrise residential on Roosevelt is crappy development for being negative; and, then get told to take off the rose-colored classes when I post positive news about historic preservation. Jesus.