I noticed that. As with most online petitions, all those virtual signatures didn't make a difference. Earlier discussions with the property owners and managers might have, but as with many historic preservation battles, the alarm always seem to sound at the last minute. I've also noticed that many of the retail tenants at Renaissance Square have closed recently. Tom's Tavern went out of business a few months ago, and in the area formerly shaded by the ficus trees, both Papa Christo's and Enjoy Sushi are now shuttered. I assume all of this is not coincidental and that many, if not all, of these developments are part of a completely refreshed look and tenant mix.

Note To: Biggus Diggus
Because you remind long time posters of negative nancies like Soleri, Vandercook and the douche that left to Seattle. An odd trolling need to find a negative spin on anything Phoenix related. There was even the guy named "Freeway" something that constantly talked about how people desired a suburban life yet joined an urban forum...go figure.

That's so awesome! :)

this is probably a dead horse and it will irritate some that i'm dredging it up for my worthless two cents but, honestly, who would/should care if some of these teams bolt? i mean, i agree, they won't ('cept the Yotes - but especially true here...WHO. CARES.) but the Suns are just a joke for so long now. i was a HUGE Suns fan from 1987 to 2010 but, damn, they just can't make any good decisions for nearly a decade now. one bad call after another. and their fans deserve so much better. Sarver is just a fucking joke. and nobody much cares about NBA anymore anyway. 100% against public-funding of stadiums for spoiled brat millionaire players and spoiled brat douchebag billionaire owners. the public will not tolerate further public plans to finance these adult playgrounds...esp. when the product sucks. and it does. Cards won't go anywhere is the only guarantee. nobody would take them as they return to medicority. and, besides, with Phoenix being a Top 12 market, any of these teams leaves (D'backs ain't going no matter what) and another (probably much better team) comes in. so fuck the owners and their ambitions. pay for your own damn stadiums yourselves. at least the portion you're going to use. we'll pay the concerts/other events portion. fair, right? otherwise, fuck them :cheers:

A lot of people would care. The Suns are Phoenix's team and have been here for 50 years. You don't jus throw away that kind of history because the team is going through it's longest playoff drought in franchise history. If that was the case, the Warriors would have moved long before Steph Curry played in Oakland.

I remember those guys. I don't think I'm a negative nancy, in fact I have been pretty excited about a few things I have read here. I stay guarded and realistic, though. I want to know what all the possibilities are with something and I want to base my hope/opinion on what could actually happen.

I also know enough people around the downtown area that I have some voices giving me pretty reliable information about things. Some members here don't want to hear those things because they don't jive with what they want to see happen. Classic case of shooting the messenger.

i never said i wanted the Suns to leave or that i think they would. i'm just stating that, honestly, with the exception of the Diamondbacks and Cardinals, very, very little success for Valley teams. Suns were the darlings for so long...the original and first pro franchise...but they have never been lucky and now they are both unluck and inept. they won't leave. but Sarver has no bargaining power at this point. public sector funding for sports is difficult these days and they are shit product with shit ownership. if they had any brains at all they a) would not have fired Horny 4 years ago, and b) they WOULD hire Dan immediately and get the fuck on with it. Bledsoe was a cancer and good riddance. but stop drafting fucking point guards and go get a star and either get serious about winning or...hell...leave. they are treading water for nearly a decade and it's getting old.

Dude, you just lost all credibility. You constantly contradict yourself in your Suns/sports rants. Name the last point guard they drafted. There is only two, Tyler Ulis and Tyler Ennis, in the last 5+ years. None have been first round picks are are backup PGs.

I stopped posting here partly because I knew it was pointless - this is a forum for cheerleaders. not urbanophiles - and partly because Phoenix is what it is. Nothing anyone opines here will change this city one iota let alone its ultimate fate. I'll note in passing that opinions different from one's own are usually better tolerated in cities less provincial than Phoenix.

I agree to a point. The Suns need to get serious about winning. They DO need a star leader. However, lately, I'm more about Sarver leaving. We need new ownership.

Hmmm....you sure about that? Anyway, hello Soleri.

Date Palms?

lol okay man whatever. you're missing the point. i DON"T care about the Suns...that's my point. and it's their fault. draft...acquire...whatever. they never get quality anything BUT PG's. i mean they had 3 legit starting PG's at one point...holy fuck, i don't even care! looks no disrespect and, hey, you got me if i don't have my facts down. point is...i would wager most Phoenicians could care less if the Suns left tomorrow where back in 1993 when the NBA and the Suns were WAY more quality than today...400k people showed up for the parade in DT. overpaid crybabies and their corporate overlords - we are sick of it and there is no way the public is funding another palace for those fucks, leave or not.

Been living in one of the apt towers for 4-5 years now. Have NEVER had a problem with the homeless up until this fall. Downtown homeless has (generally) been very nice, respectful, and perfectly okay. Have historically been totally comfortable with my wife walking around at night etc. we even know a couple of them by name!

My opinion and tolerance is QUICKLY disappearing.

JUST THIS WEEK, I’ve seen an absolutely unacceptable harrasement sitation, AGGRESSIVE begging, a fist fight between two homeless.... and was walking to Breakfast Club and literally witnessed one guy SHITTING on another guy who was sleeping by the bus stop on central and adams. Truely embarrasing as my wife was with me.. but thank godness we didnt have our young nephews this weekend

All that just this week.... First time I've ever had second thoughts about living downtown...

I wonder if it's the nicer weather or if they're being bused in from Los Angeles lol.

The other week a homeless guy was trying to pick a fight with a construction worker on Roosevelt St. He was all sorts of hocked up on some shit and being aggressive to all passersby. Strolling down Roosevelt sometimes is like walking through Jakarta. Piles of garbage strewn everywhere, camps setup on corners, and people sleeping atop electrical boxes and benches.

Central/Adams hosts no shortage of eccentric characters. I was showing a friend downtown from England Friday night, frankly I was a bit zinged after noting how downtown was recovering and then coming across that intersection.

So, what is the theory behind the SUDDEN change in the homeless? Trends like this usually aren't sudden. It's been an issue for decades. Because you don't witness something for a while and then suddenly you do, I don't see that as a trend. I'm not saying that it hasn't increased, but it has to have been over a period of time. Activity of any kind creates activity of even the unwanted kind.

As for the guy shitting on the other guy-I think that's gross, but hilarious! I would have liked to have seen that. Then, if someone asked me what's new, I could say...

I haven't noticed the same upsurge in the homeless -- except at the Downtown Civic Space Park. My guess is that we're seeing more daytime population there due to the closure of the Burton Barr Library.

Homelessness is up all over the West Coast.

No sufficient theories for it that I can tell. The typical culprit is rising rents, but that doesn't explain the depravity of the situation.

That would be my guess as well at least in the daytime. But it wouldn't explain more homeless at night when the library would be closed. I take a 4 mile walk around Downtown once or twice per week after work. I normally start at the Spaghetti Factory, make my way around Hance Park down 3rd all the way to AZ Center, over to Cityscape and back up Central. I can definitely say around Hance Park in the evenings, there are a lot more and I have had a couple comments thrown my way from below the Central bridge from homeless camped on the stairways. I did not feel threatened at any of these times...but I do get that "Okayyyy" feeling and step up my pace.

Wasn't there a new enforcement program announced just recently geared toward the homeless problem? Will that affect Downtown?

Yeah it just launched this month and here's the website. Roosevelt Park is getting just as bad with camps being setup. I plan on reporting activity soon, hopefully see an improvement.

https://www.phoenix.gov/phxcares