IDK, I haven't been over to check it out, but I can see it from my bedroom pretty vibrant orange.

Hole done.

http://emvis.net/~sean/ssp/projects/...y/20110925.jpg

North East Corner of 7th Ave and McDowell
 

Here is the Green Building that had the trees in front of it. Before they were cut down you couldn't see the second floor. Although I hate to see trees go, they were covering a good looking building.

http://i53.tinypic.com/2hp0rjq.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/dhfw9j.jpg

Right on the corner is what appears to be under renovation. It had a chain link fence around it and the windows are knocked out. This is looking west (from the gas station).

http://i52.tinypic.com/21cgtb4.jpg

This is looking inside through the chain link fence:

http://i53.tinypic.com/2qc31vo.jpg

South East Corner of 7th Ave and McDowell
 

This building is going up fast.

http://i54.tinypic.com/odx6h.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/mmdd6u.jpg

An addition was built on the back (south side). South of the addition is a surface parking lot.

http://i51.tinypic.com/10fqqlc.jpg

^^^^ I'm confused....on the South side of McDowell there, thats all new construction? or they're just re-doing that center that once had the Antique market and the Bonzai whatever it was?

Also, you're right that My Florist is a nice looking building, I didn't really realize. What they need to do is move the sidewalk in, eliminate that diagonal parking, add a planter strip and some patio seating fronting McDowell.

I hate that Mid Century set up you see in a lot of Central Phoenix of the diagonal parking actual on the property behind the sidewalk. It leaves the sidewalk unprotected from the main street and leaves no real place for shade trees.

E: Also, WTF is that orange fronted building in the first pic of your second post? Did Zoe's paint their front orange? It used to be white.

The SE corner is not new construction. It is the old building with a new facade and a bunch of structural enhancements. There is a bit of addition to the back by the parking lot where there will be some communal dining patio type thing.

Patio seating at My Florist would be great, but my understanding is that the neighbors on Almeria (street directly north) were fighting outdoor seating at the proposed outdoor wine cafe on the dirt lot next door. Hell, they were fighting proposals for outdoor seating at the SE corner. I know the prior owner of the building had a nasty habit of pissing everyone off to the point that they just fought him on everything.

Zoe's is the orange building.

Idiots who complain about patio dining when they choose to live in the central city are beyond confounding.

I do not agree with them, but I can see their point about moving to a place without any patio dining, and then suddenly having patio dining in their backyards. They moved to the city core, but it's not like they moved next to a restaurant with outdoor dining. Some of those people have lived there since My Florist was a florist. And while the city core, it's not like they are in the middle of downtown. Willo for the most part is pretty suburban.

There probably wouldn't have been the backlash had the owner of My Florist not been a bad neighbor by doing things such as throwing the restaurant's garbage into the residents' dumpsters because they were closer than his garbage. Employees took smoke breaks in the alley along the houses and threw cigarette butts in people's yards.

I don't like nimbys getting all pissy about neighboring businesses, but I also don't like neighboring businesses who forget that there are residents next door.

That was not diagonal parking, at least it wasn't striped that way, it was parallel parking, people just pulled up in front of the restaurant (or the bakery/grocery when it was there).

Here's another bit on the downtown sunflowers project and a 3D mock-up of the field in full bloom:

http://forum8az.com/news

Planting happened last week and sprouts seem to be on their way - despite frequent pigeon attacks!

I know this has been discussed, but now I guess it is more official

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/n...al-school.html

Z'Tejas to open new restaurant in central Phoenix
The Arizona Republic

Scottsdale-based Z' Tejas Southwestern Grill plans to open a fifth location in central Phoenix next summer.

The nearly $3 million restaurant is expected to open July 2012 and is being built on the southwest corner of 16th Street and Bethany Home Road. It joins a cluster of independent neighborhood restaurants and specialty markets, including Texaz Grill, the Vig Uptown and Luci's Healthy Marketplace.

"Like everyone else, we just think that central Phoenix is really a dynamic area that has a lot of neighborly attributes, and we thought it would be great to build there," chief executive officer Steven Micheletti said.

The neighborhood is similar to the historic neighborhood in Austin that's home to the first Z'Tejas, which is housed in a Victorian home, Micheletti said.

The new restaurant, which will employ 100 people, will feature a similar look, Micheletti said. Features will include small dining rooms and a greenhouse with a retractable roof in the center of the restaurant. The Phoenix opening will be followed by new openings in Austin and San Diego.

Z'Tejas, which appeals to families, business lunch professionals and happy-hour crowds, offers creative Southwest fare with Cajun, Mexican and Pacific influences. Popular dishes include voodoo tuna, shrimp tostada bites, catfish beignets, Santa Fe smoked-chicken enchiladas and ancho fudge pie.

The company has 11 locations in Texas, Arizona, California and Washington.

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It's going to go where the closed gas station is on SWC.

You know, I'm starting to think the stretch of 16th street from Bethany Home to Indian School (maybe Thomas) is prime for narrowing and making pedestrian friendly. It's not as major as 7th St. and it's close enough to the highway so that it really wouldn't cause traffic problems. There are already a lot of good local businesses there.

That intersection is becoming a neighborhood center. 7/McDowell is becoming a neighborhood center.

Could it be we are seeing Phoenix finally start to cultivate unique neighborhoods with identities?

Domed Church at Grand/15th Ave
 

http://i56.tinypic.com/24zj8jt.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/2rhoin5.jpg

Looks like a Mosque, or a rocket launch pad (tower to the left). It's odd.

The weirdest thing is the cutout looking north. I would assume it's to be used as an obervatory, but in that location looking over a freeway, they won't see shit.

Perhaps it's a window to the heavens... lmao.

I'm fairly certain the design was selected out of a book of premade designs. Thats the impression I got from the Church when I was a guide on the Grand Ave Re-Dapt Tour last year. So it makes sense that features of the building don't necessarily fit the site.

Downtown Phoenix’s Thai Elephant is closing its doors Nov. 1 after four years.
Assistant Manager Nee Vo said the restaurant’s lease at 20 W. Adams St. was up, which contributed to the decision.
Several similar restaurants, including Thai’d Up and Thai Basil Signature, have opened nearby in the past few months. That drew business away from Thai Elephant and prompted the eatery to introduce a loyalty card that gave away a ninth meal for every eight purchased.
Even though the restaurant remains busy, Vo said the new competition and the lease expiration led to the decision to close the downtown site. Vo said customers can still get Thai Elephant cuisine at the original Tempe location: 815 W. University Drive.

I guess the rumor I heard that Thai Elephant had a relationship with Thai Basil was incorrect. It does seem stupid as shit to put three Thai places that close to each other.