Southeast Valley Development News

[azsunsurfer]

Sycamore Station housing proposal (directly west of the bus stops) http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=1&theater

[azsunsurfer]

Also this project has started site work

[Arquitect]

Proposal to bring artist housing to downtown Mesa:

Artspace tries to (offset rising costs when an arts area becomes more popular and expensive) by creating apartment complexes that offer below-market rents to artists. It has developed 32 such projects around the country, with each unit containing 100 to 150 additional square feet specifically designed as studio space.
The group believes downtown Mesa is well-situated for such a project because of the arts center and the pending arrival of light rail and four liberal-arts colleges.
The next step is finding partners to donate about $43K for a full-fledged marketing survey to look at artists’ needs Valley-wide.
Although the Artspace report is preliminary, it went so far as to identify possible sites. The authors were particularly interested in the 1895 Alhambra Hotel at 43 S. Macdonald, just a few yards north of the proposed Barry Goldwater library that was announced last year.
It would cost about $150K and take three to six months to nail down the project’s location and scope. Further pre-development work would require perhaps 18 months and $600K.
The final cost of a 50- to 70-unit project could reach $20M.

http://azbex.com/downtown-mesa-eyed-...tists-housing/

[MegaBass]

Elevation Chandler Likely to be Demolished by End of 2013

“In all likelihood, the Elevation Chandler is going to be demolished,” says Donald M. Arones, Executive Vice President of Cassidy Turley BRE Commercial. “We have a buyer doing their diligence right now.” No one is naming the developer or local architect yet. If Chandler likes the new plans, there will be a construction underway before the end of 2013 at the long-abandoned skeleton near the junction of Loops 101 and 102 in Chandler.
“We’ve had discussions with a strong national developer,” Christine Mackay, Chandler Economic Development Director said, “and it wouldn’t be appropriate to identify them this early in the discussions. It’s going to be a well-recognized name when an announcement is made.”
Arones says that working with a local design team, the prospective buyer of the Elevation will be bringing some concept plans to Chandler officials within a matter of weeks. The forlornly advertised “luxury condo” on the sign in front of the recession-stalled project is not a sign of things to come. Chandler’s reaction and review time will be the determining factor to estimate both a completed sale transaction and groundbreaking date.
“It won’t be luxury condos,” says Arones. The concepts being floated will result in the shell coming down.
Following a stalled project, foreclosure, tainted auction and protracted legal battle, Point Center Financial ended up owning the property on the south side of Chandler Fashion Mall. The initial site development started in 2005 and screeched to a halt in April 2006. Since that time, the building has been an open-air blight at the gateway to Chandler’s Price Corridor.
In the AZBEX August 15th interview with Mackay and Mayor Jay Tibshraeny, the pair were coy, but optimistic that something good was coming down the pike.
“We’re close to something happening,” echoes Arones. “This is a serious prospect and not a tire kicker.”
Chandler officials are open to a variety of ideas, and if the interested prospect has the resources, Chandler believes this is a site to develop with an iconic project.

[nickw252]

Mesa is on the verge of bagging its fourth new housing project with close proximity to light rail.

Amcal Multi-Housing Inc. of Agoura Hills, Calif., is proposing a four-story, 82-unit apartment complex immediately adjacent to the Sycamore Street light-rail station.

Like the three others, which broke ground last year, Sycamore Station Apartments would be financed by federal tax credits that are designed to encourage development of low-income housing. The tax breaks allow developers to charge lower rents and still make a profit.

Amcal is applying to the Arizona Department of Housing, which issues the tax credits on a competitive basis and will decide this spring which projects to support.

The department has focused in recent years on developments with access to public transit. That criterion resulted last year in a mother lode of projects for Mesa, which had gone for years without seeing much interest in tax-credit housing.

The three projects under way will:

Create 81 units of low-income senior housing near Center Street and First Avenue. It is the first privately financed major construction in downtown in a quarter of a century.

Replace the vacant Escobedo Apartments on the north edge of downtown with a 124-unit development called Escobedo at Vista Verde.

Replace most of the La Mesita Family Shelter on West Main Street with 80 units of workforce housing.

Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh, in whose district the project would be built, said Sycamore Station Apartments appears to be a prime candidate for state approval. “It has many of the elements that are prized in such applications,” he said.

Amcal, a powerhouse in California’s affordable-housing industry, would be making its first foray into Arizona.

The company has been in business for 35 years and since 1998 it has completed 3,900 units from San Diego to the Bay Area. It has an additional 520 units in the planning or development stages.

Kavanaugh has met with Amcal and called it “a very reputable company” that has worked well with city staffers, adding, “I think it’s a very good transit-oriented development.”

“We’re always looking to follow opportunity,” said Dayna Ranger, an assistant project manager with Amcal. “Our mission is to bring affordable housing to residents that need it.”

She declined to discuss details of the Mesa project until the necessary approvals are in hand.

But in a lengthy zoning application filed with Mesa, Amcal said it often “builds on urban land that is vacant, requires environmental remediation or has obsolete uses, and transforms them into livable homes with attractive architecture and high-quality construction.”

Amcal’s Mesa project would occupy most of an unused parking lot that once was part of the defunct Tri-City Mall. In addition to rail access, residents would be within walking distance of a Safeway-anchored strip mall, Mekong Plaza, medical care and East Valley Institute of Technology.

It would be another step on the way to realizing the redevelopment potential that has long been touted by light-rail advocates.

That potential has been slow to come to fruition in Mesa, however.

By the time the first leg of light rail opened in 2008, the Great Recession had already deep-sixed two rail-oriented projects in the city.

One, called the Element at Tri-City Pavilions, was planned just north of the Safeway store at Main Street and Dobson Road. Nine five-story buildings would have offered condos designed for childless couples in their 20s and 30s.

The other, West Main Station Village, was planned on the site of a former boat dealership at 1350 W.Main St., with 56 townhouses and 13 shops.

Both would have been what are called market-based projects, with standard rents or purchase prices.

That the first iterations of light-rail development in Mesa are aimed at low-income residents caused some heartburn last year when the council was discussing the three projects then on the table — especially the downtown senior housing, which never did receive a unanimous council vote.

Kavanaugh said market-based projects will arrive in due course.

Right now, low-income projects have the edge because tax credits make them attractive to lenders, Kavanaugh said. “Conventionally-financed projects haven’t been able to get their financing. ... It’s really a question of timing.”

In the meanwhile, Mesa’s experience with the three — and now possibly four — tax-credit developments should make the city attractive to other builders, Kavanaugh said.

“What I hope other developers do see is that the city, at least on the three tax-credit projects that are under way, has worked closely to move it through permitting,” he said. “We are a good place to build housing like that.”

In addition to state approval of the tax credits, Sycamore Station Apartments needs council zoning approval. That vote is scheduled for Feb.25; the Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval in January.

The final design also would need clearance from the Design Review Board

Great... More low income housing for downtown Mesa. It's a good looking building but there needs to be market-rate apartments in downtown Mesa.

[PHXguyinOKC]

good to see Mesa finally getting in on TOD.
that part of Mesa is primarily a low income area. I think it's a perfect fit... and Dobson and Main is not downtown Mesa

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by PHXguyinOKC

good to see Mesa finally getting in on TOD.
that part of Mesa is primarily a low income area. I think it's a perfect fit... and Dobson and Main is not downtown Mesa

If and when west Mesa sees upscale TOD, then we can all complain about gentrification instead.

[PhxER]

GM coming to Chandler
General Motors announced today it has selected Chandler as the site of its fourth Information Technology Innovation Center, with plans to hire 1,000 high-wage employees and invest $21 million in the new facility, planned to open early next year.

“GM could have chosen to locate this premier facility anywhere in the country, so it is a tremendous credit to our state and everything we have to offer that GM has decided to build right here in Arizona,” said Governor Jan Brewer in a statement. “Today’s announcement speaks volumes about the business-friendly environment we have created in Arizona, including our high-tech workforce, competitive tax policies and lean regulations. I could not be prouder of our state or what this announcement means for the future of the Arizona economy.” Brewer joined Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny, the Arizona Commerce Authority and the Greater Phoenix Economic Council at the press conference today. The centers enable Detroit-based GM to “in-source the company’s innovation, capabilities, strengthening its global competitiveness,” according to a statement.

The future Chandler facility will join Innovation Centers in Warren, Mich., Austin and Roswell, Georgia. GM will take temporary space in west Chandler immediately, and will build the facility in the Price Corridor near the intersection of Loop 101 and 202, said Jane Poston, a Chandler spokeswoman.

“The greater Phoenix area is a fantastic hub of emerging technical talent – from university graduates to working professionals. GM needs these kinds of world-class and skilled employees to be as successful as we want to be,” said GM Chief Information Officer Randy Mott in a statement. “Chandler is the perfect addition to our overall Innovation Center market strategy, locating in great communities that are on the leading edge of innovation and technology.”

The Innovation Centers are designed to “improve performance, reduce the cost of ongoing operations and increase its delivery of innovation,” according to the release.

“This is exactly the type of technology employer we need in Chandler and in our state,” Tibshraeny said in a statement. “The GM Innovation Center is a perfect complement to Chandler’s Price Corridor, and furthers the city’s reputation as a regional hub for innovation and high-tech businesses.”

Source

[MegaBass]

Chandler-Gilbert Community College's Coyote Athletic Center groundbreaking will be on March 22.

[DevilsRider]

Marriott SpringHill Suites coming to Wrigleyville West.

Mesa-based Sunridge Properties Inc. has agreed to build a 100-room Marriott SpringHill Suites hotel on the edge of a city park that will serve as the eastern gateway to the $99 million baseball complex.

Although Vice Mayor Alex Finter hailed the development as “great news,” City Council members questioned several aspects of the project during a study session last week.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/m...lex-hotel.html

[nickw252]

Agritopia, an agriculturally-focused, multi-use community in Gilbert, is planning what’s shaping to be its largest project since its establishment. Epicenter at Agritopia will be a food-based shopping center established over an estimated 25 acres that aims to showcase local farmers and retailers in an innovative way.

Joe Johnston, originator of the Agritopia community and founder of local hot spots like Joe’s Real Barbecue, Liberty Market and Joe’s Farm Grill – the latter is located right on the Agritopia grounds – is at the forefront of the Epicenter project.

In a blog posted by Johnston in 2010, when the project idea was introduced, he stated that the “goal is to create a district that is characterized by passion, craft, quality and a sense of pride in the State of Arizona.”

Working alongside him is Agritopia project coordinator, Katie Critchley. She described Joe’s vision for Epicenter as “the future of strip malls.”

“He wants to break down the grocery store,” she said, “and rather see individuals honing their craft.”

That “craft” is key in the layout of Epicenter, where shoppers would shoppers would find locally-grown products in an environment that exhibits proud, passionate service.

Part of establishing this sort of environment, Critchley explained, is to avoid any national, big-name chains.

“Joe really wants the best of the best of Arizona,” she said. “We want new places and people that are in Arizona and want to grow their business in Arizona.”

In addition to the quality of products and service, project planners are discussing using a form of development called vernacular architecture to help draw visitors in. Critchley explained that the shopping center would consist of buildings shaped to represent the product being sold.

“For example, we might have a coffee shop that is shaped like a coffee pot,” she said.

Another concept vital to the design of Epicenter is agriculture. As a core value of the Agritopia community, agriculture will be represented in nearly every aspect of Epicenter, “emphasizing the importance of agriculture and what we can grow here,” Critchley explained.

Agritopia’s head farmer, Erich Schultz, says that the Farm at Agritopia will be very closely involved in the project, providing much of what is sold within Epicenter.

Currently, a great portion of Agritopia’s acreage is covered with orchards of citrus, apple, and peach trees, as well as large plots of farmland and resident gardens. In the process of building Epicenter, Schultz says a number of the farm’s citrus trees will be relocated throughout the shopping center. Epicenter will also include a number of newly-planted fruit trees and rooftop gardens.

The idea, Schultz explained, is that what is grown within the farm is exclusive to Agritopia residents, the Agritopia Farm Stand (a small farmer’s market held on weekends), and the shops and restaurants at Epicenter.

“We don’t distribute all over the place,” he said. “We want anything that’s grown here for Epicenter to either leave in people’s shopping bags or in their bellies.”
In addition to providing food for retailers, Epicenter will offer plots of farmland to restaurant owners who would like to grow their own food.

Agritopia resident Chris Maddis said that he and his family are excited to share their community with the new attraction.

“Right now we have some really good places to go in Gilbert,” he said. “But we don’t have a place where you can just be all day long and not have to leave. Epicenter will be that.”

Maddis and his family own their own plot in the community gardens at Agritopia where they grow their own fruit and vegetables. With the introduction of Epicenter, many visitors who have not experienced urban farming before can come in and gain a new understanding of agriculture, and Agritopia’s involvement in preserving it.

“I think bringing more people into the neighborhood for that reason is going to be good for our food industry,” Maddis said.

When planning for Epicenter began, the goal was to have business open by 2013. At this point, however, Johnston, Critchley and those working with them are patiently waiting for the right moment to put everything into action.
“As much as we would love for it to be here today, it has to be done right,” Critchley said.

She explained that all the necessary planning has been done, but their concern is now with making the project financially feasible for the small local businesses they would like to be involved.

We don’t want it to be another run-of-the-mill strip mall,” she said. “We want it to be a unique place that people want to come and visit and be a part of."

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/mon...a4bcf887a.html

[azsunsurfer]

Does anyone know what that tower crane is about just south of Tumbleweed Park in Chandler? Noticed it going by on the 202 but I have no idea what project is over there that requires such a big crane.

[cygnusloop99]

Originally Posted by azsunsurfer

Does anyone know what that tower crane is about just south of Tumbleweed Park in Chandler? Noticed it going by on the 202 but I have no idea what project is over there that requires such a big crane.

Its for the expansion at the water treatment plan at McQueen and Queen Creek.

[MegaBass]

A lot of changes to continue for ASU Polytechnic and CGCC Williams campuses. ASU recent additions Century Hall (freshmen dorm), Citrus Dining Pavilion, Sun Devil Fitness Complex, pedestrian malls, reallocating landscaping and a couple of solar installations south of the campus. Old recreation facilities like Sacaton Hall will be converted as a high school facility for ASU Preparatory. Health Sciences Center will be converted for Kindergarten-Elementary for ASU Prepartory. Houses of the North Desert Village west of CGCC campus and north of the old dorms recently have been razed for some Applied Sciences building for CGCC.

[MegaBass]

Mesa, ASU to partner on tech business accelerator program

The City of Mesa and Arizona State University are partnering on a technology business accelerator site, to be located at the ASU Polytechnic campus, in the southeast part of the city.
Announced Monday, the accelerator program — to be located in the shadows of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport — is expected to focus on small technology business that have a plan, but need help transitioning from a startup to the greater marketplace, said Mesa councilman Scott Somers.
“We don’t have to look far to see the types of things we want to see happen in this specific area,” Mesa mayor Scott Smith added. “Gateway is where exciting things have happened, they are happening and they will happen.”
As part of the agreement, ASU will provide 6,500 square-feet of office space and meeting space. Mesa will provide the funding, establish a governing board to oversee the program and recruit businesses.
“When you can accelerate those types of businesses, that’s where you really create high-wage, high value jobs,” Somers said.
The goal for the Phoenix-Mesa-Gateway area is to create 100,000 high-wage jobs, he said.
In one example, Able Engineering was struggling to make the leap from three, unpaid startup employees to its current roster of 400, Smith said. As the firm grew and transitioned, it was close to relocating out-of-state before being able to connect with the Mesa Economic Development team, which helped facilitated a local opportunity. Able unveiled a new 191,000-square-foot Mesa site to much fanfare just last month.
“This is the kind of activity we want to see,” Smith said. “We want to see that entrepreneurial spirit to be connected with the resources that ASU Poly brings to us and an environment that includes a successful airport, a high security lab (AZ Labs), companies like Able with all the academia and all the energy that is happen at Gateway.”
The Gateway area is a natural fit for the business accelerator, Smith said. However, because the Polytechnic campus sits on what was once an Air Force base, there are specific guidelines and restrictions on the land use, he noted.
“When the Air Force base was transitioned into other uses, there were very specific guidelines put on the property transfer and so the city, university, airport and others have to work within those guidelines,” Smith said. “To fully accomplish what we needed to with this accelerator, we had to be cognizant that this is an educational institution, that the land was conveyed for educational purposes.”
The accelerator had to both fit into the university’s mission as an educational institution while also completing the goals of the city for a business incubator, he said.
“Certainly at the Polytechnic campus, where we have a very strong focus on entrepreneurship and a very strong focus on industry engagement, we believe this is the perfect location for this partnership,” said Mitzi Montoya, ASU vice provost and dean of the College of Technology and Innovation.
“We are attracting students to degree programs who want to be entrepreneurs while they are working on their degrees,” she added.
The accelerator would connect ASU students, faculty and alumni to startup business, Montoya said. Additionally, startups, who may not have the capital to pay many employees could create internship opportunities for students while they’re in school.
“This is a perfect partnership to provide these student-led and faculty-generated companies a place to go, continue to grow and more importantly to stay in Arizona and contribute to Mesa’s economic development,” she said.
ASU is launching new degrees at the campus in the fall, including manufacturing engineering, software engineering, information technology, health systems management and product development that will tie in perfectly with the business accelerator, she said.
“We are very excited to have this partnership with Mesa where we will continue to expand, create and grow an ecosystem for technology growth,” Montoya said.
The area will hopefully become an “innovation cluster,” in connection with the airport, the university and now this accelerator, Montoya said.
“When we talk about the types of students that we want to keep around, those students who are doing that type of high-end research and development as part of their studies, those are the kind of kids we want to keep in the state,” Somers said. “Technology incubators and technology accelerators have paid dividends to the communities that have invested in them.”
The partnership has began in earnest almost four years ago, but a series of delays prevented it from being created sooner, Somers said.
“We do an admirable job in this state, especially out at Polytechnic, at attracting people who are entrepreneurial and bright and start great businesses,” Smith said. “But what we don’t do a very good job is in nurturing those businesses and getting them to where they are larger businesses.”
The Mesa City Council will vote to approve the partnership in June and money in the city budget has already been allocated, said William Jabjiniak, Mesa economic development director. Next year, the city has budgeted about $150,000 for the program.
The Mesa Technology Accelerator will be located at 6113 S. Kent St.

[MegaBass]

ASU Chandler Innovation Center construction Facebook page

The ASU Chandler Innovation Center is an alliance between the city and ASU’s College of Technology and Innovation at the ASU Polytechnic campus. The center will be located at the city’s former public works yard, located at 249 E. Chicago Street.

[MegaBass]

ASU welcomes students to new, innovative Polytechnic Elementary building

Arizona State University Preparatory Academy's new elementary school has converted an existing building into one with forward-thinking architecture, intended to reshape students’ learning experiences through design.

The building, also known as Creativity Hall, is located on the ASU Polytechnic campus, at 6950 E. Williams Field Road in Mesa. The community is invited to its official ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at 4:30 p.m., Sept. 19; classes began July 31.

Claudia Mendoza, the principal of the new elementary school, said she and other school administrators are proud of the new classroom space because it offers students and faculty a learning environment that fosters teamwork, creativity and cooperation.

“ASU Preparatory Academy's Polytechnic Elementary prides itself with providing a highly rigorous and innovative approach to project-based learning,” Mendoza said. “We strive to cultivate a community of critical thinkers and life-long learners through teacher collaboration and parent involvement.”

The project took an approximately 28,000-square-foot portion of an existing Veteran’s Medical Clinic and turned it into a dynamic educational environment for grades pre-K through 6.

The public charter school’s academic goals outlined needs for a unique design approach that allows for multiple levels of instructional space, from traditional classrooms to smaller break-out areas. These different areas are both internal to classrooms and in the adjacent enlarged corridor called the “Gallery.” This design provides central circulation and smaller student learning nooks that provide space for small group and individual learning spaces. Teachers monitor these areas through window walls between the classroom and the gallery. The new space also offers technology bars and reading nooks in the Gallery.

Public spaces and classrooms are flooded with natural daylight by introducing new clerestory roof elements through the use of Solatube skylights. This is important for classrooms in the building with no direct exterior views. The increased visibility between the Gallery and classrooms allows natural light to be maximized within the space. This important design feature ensures inadequate lighting does not inhibit learning by diminishing a student’s ability to concentrate.

Exterior play areas were thoughtfully designed as another extension of the educational environment through elements such as vegetable gardens, outdoor seating for groups and individuals, chalkboard walls and turf areas, all designed to allow students a unique environment geared towards non-traditional creative play.

An emphasis was placed on providing an environmentally-responsible project that represents the commitment, goals and teaching style of the ASU Preparatory Academy.

The academy will bring together first-, second-, third- and fourth-grade students to create multi-age classrooms with fifth- and sixth-grade learning core content from content area experts in multi-age classrooms. These learning configurations enable the academy to provide a greater degree of continuous academic growth for each individual student.

Each day will end with all students participating in a project group activity within their teams. The curriculum focuses math and reading applications in authentic demonstrations of creative problem-solving and performance through science or social studies. The approach heightens the importance of learning by allowing the students to use what they learned that day in their academic classes. Students will work on projects to solve real-life problems and present their findings to their families and the community in a summative event at the end of each quarter.

Half-day kindergarten hours are 8:15-11:45 a.m. Tuition-based full day kindergarten is available.

In addition the high school of ASU Prep is going to be in Poly's former SRC facility. While the middle school stays in the existing ASU Prep facility.

[nickw252]

This is interesting... Hopefully it still results in high paying jobs from whomever buys the plant and doesn't spell further troubles for First Solar.

First Solar won’t be building any solar panels in Mesa after all, as the company has plans to sell its nearly unused factory for $100 million.

The Tempe-based solar manufacturer said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it would sell the facility and land to an unnamed buyer and move about 80 jobs to its main office in Tempe.

First Solar spokesman Steve Krum said the company could not identify the buyer until the purchase is closed, which could be in the next 40 days. The buyer is expected to use the facility for clean high-tech manufacturing.

The $300 million plant, which was to make First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) thin-film panels destined for power plants in the Southwest, was announced in 2011 and had the promise of employing 600 people.

Officials with the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and Mesa were bullish enough on the project that they believed even more than the 600 announced jobs were possible at the plant.

But First Solar wasn’t the only company that started building factories, and by 2012 the market was saturated with more panels than were in demand. Global panel prices collapsed and many manufacturers decided to abandon new factories.

First Solar kept the plant, and moved some jobs there.
The company expects the sale to close in the fourth quarter, and it will book a loss of between $55 million and $60 million in third quarter as a result of the sale. Another $5 million to $10 million in costs will be incurred for moving people.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/b...plant-for.html

[Jjs5056]

Heritage Marketplace is underway in downtown Gilbert; Phase I includes 1-story restaurants and a 2-story commercial building. Sounds perfect to the area, and 2 local brands are on board - Zinburger and Lolo's.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/g...nclick_check=1

I have always been a fan of downtown Gilbert, and as I mentioned in the Scottsdale thread, it's important for Phoenix to have suburbs with well-defined centers of their own. Scottsdale is an anomaly in that it's gained a niche for being the shopping/entertainment hub of the Valley, but for the more traditional suburbs, having thriving downtowns doesn't mean less business for downtown Phoenix. They should each have their own unique identity, be a place where residents can achieve their everyday needs in a central location, and encourage community through a cluster of locally-based mom and pops shops and eateries.

Not everyone will want to live the urban lifestyle, and someone moving from Chicago with his family for a job at TGEN should be able to choose from different areas without having to sacrifice a sustainable lifestyle. What we need here is for the 'burb he chooses to have a downtown with centralized amenities, so he doesn't have to spend $20 of gas driving from strip mall to strip mall each Saturday, and so he starts gaining a sense of place and pride as his main street gives him a sense of community that can't be found in a stucco box that could be placed on any intersection in the state, causing him to give good reviews to former colleagues in similar positions to move out, his kids to actually stay in the state post-college and not contribute to the brain drain, etc. And, of course, he'll take the kids to Civic Space or to the wife to the Herberger every weekend.

The crappy part is our lack of regional transport, because ideally, these downtowns should all be linked together, but that's a no-brainer for all of us to be wishing for. Not to mention the fact that our largest employers are also bleeding out of Phoenix and into the suburbs making this fairytale I just wrote more and more impossible as more likely, he'll buy a cheap house in Queen Creek and suck up the commute/gas money to get over to the Price Corridor; depending on gas prices that week, maybe he'll treat the kids to a trip to the Chili's on 1 of the 4 intersections within 5 miles of his house.

And, yes, I need to get out of the house...

[azsunsurfer]

I know that's why I bought my house in Gilbert near downtown. I can't believe the appreciation on my house in just three years. Phase II of the Marketplace will include space for that St. Xavier University which is why I am really excited by the long term prospects of downtown Gilbert. It's clean, unique local businesses, devoid of the undesirables and 'alternativeness' of Phoenix.