I think the city should be worried about ushering intoxicated fans out of DT immediately.

I don't think the NIMBY's give much of a rat's ass about the neighborhoods west of 16th. That was the suggestion I heard many times about their height fight in 2006.

http://www.downtownphoenixjournal.co...land-dedicated

Hoover,
Let us know if the futuristic artwork shows Chase tower as still the tallest building in Phoenix in 2075.......

And it could be a good forum to catch the ear of any parks department people who may be there to ask them to turn up the lights on Her Secret is Patience. I just added my two cents worth with the parks department. Drove by it last night and heading south on First Ave, you can barely see it unless you are right on top of it. Should have been called, Her Aversion to Brightness.

Also, The Phoenix City Council is ready to approve the design contract on the Third St. Promenade. A subcommitte approved the funding, but that hasn't been sourced yet. Talking about the area from Indian School to McDowell. Downtown Phoenix Partnership has also been asked to weigh in on the portion south of McDowell.

Kinda cool.

Like I didn't fucking see this coming...


Tall buildings plan pulled back for Central and Camelback
5 commentsby Michael Clancy - Oct. 16, 2009 02:37 PM
The Arizona Republic
A Phoenix developer has pulled back from seeking approval for a project that would have included some of the tallest buildings in Phoenix.

Reid Butler submitted plans for the southwestern corner of Central Avenue and Camelback Road in May 2008, but the plans immediately ran into nearly unanimous opposition from the area's historic neighborhoods and the city councilmen who represent them.

Butler wanted to put up three buildings holding offices, a hotel and condos, topping out at 400 feet. The Chase Tower and US Bank Center in downtown Phoenix are the only buildings in the state that are that tall. The Qwest Tower at Thomas Road and Central falls just short.
What the project might have had going for it is its location at the north end of Phoenix's Central Avenue business area, and its inclusion of a light-rail station at a point where the tracks change direction.

But Butler never reached a point where he could argue those points before any official body.

Butler did not return a phone call, but in a letter to Councilmen Tom Simplot and Sal DiCiccio, Butler said he was responding to requests from both council members to discontinue the project. DiCiccio made his request publicly, while Simplot handled it personally. The corner is in Simplot's district.

But in the same letter, Butler says, "We continue to believe that significant density located directly on the light rail line, particularly at this unique property, would be of great benefit to the city."

Butler said he had worked closely with neighborhood organizations and residents, and believed he had the support of many of them. The project would develop "positive interaction and strong connections" between it and the neighborhoods, he argued.

"We continue to believe that a highly integrated project will create the best result for the adjacent neighborhoods," Butler wrote. "However, we now understand we have not done enough work on our project and with the neighborhoods to proceed with our 400-foot height request."

The property already is entitled to 250 feet of height. The tallest building on Central north of the Grand Canal, which cuts through north of Central High School, is an apartment building that is a little over 200 feet tall.

Less design.

More build.

When resources are scarce to implement what we have designed (urban form), the last thing we need to do is go out and design more (3rd st).

Not saying the two can't coexist and whatnot but the amount of talk, study, and design we do around here with little action is pretty ridiculous.

And ... oh yeah, wtf should we trust the DPP to make 3rd st look good when their present domain is concrete ramshackle wasteland?

...

I didn't see the Central and Camelback project dead this early. I thought Reid woulda gone to council with a staff report in his favor.

The DPP is a bunch of fucking idiots. The one I met at the light rail meetings was a toolbag, who was spewing things that weren't even true.

The Fish Market on Camelback and the 51 is closed. From what I understand, that has been there since the late 80's. I drove by it the other day and noticed new signage. I don't know if they changed their name and colors or if a new Seafood restaurant opened up.

It closed september 1, and bluewater grill is in its place. Where have you been??

Took an out of town guest from Atlanta through downtown Phoenix in the convertible yesterday on the way to South Mountain, and her comment was "this is your downtown?" "We have a long ways to go, Virginia," was my response.

In real news, the last First Friday we had on 10/2 was amazing. It was bigger than I ever recall it before. Many more vendors, a live stage, and tons of people. If you were there, I would have been hard to miss: I was wearing 5" platform boots amongst other things. :D

--don

Thanks for the info. I'd only eaten there once, but I've been to the one in San Diego many times.

Yeah a lil late, I only noticed because I saw the new signage going up and had no idea it had closed weeks prior.

Civic Space Park - looks like they have the north extension of the park fenced off - the part that blends into the old post office. I wonder if they really are going to do that extension before the end of the year. That would be awesome!

Dining in the Streets set for Nov. 17 in downtown Phoenix
Phoenix Business Journal

Local chefs, restaurants, bands and businesses will hit the streets of downtown Phoenix on Nov. 17 to highlight what the city’s central core has to offer.

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon will kick off Dining in the Streets at the CityScape project at Central Avenue and Washington Street. The project is under construction, with some tenants expected to open in March.

The event -- the sixth annual celebration of downtown -- will run from 5 to 8:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

I never realized that the string of empty lots between roosevelt row and CBD are all owned by the city and will not be developed until the biomedical campus is expanded...

They are going to "beautify" the streetscapes because of complaints from people staying at the Sheraton feeling scared while walking around. That explains the rezoning sign up at like third street and garfield? Not that it would be any better if they were privately owned, but it sounds like they are going to stay empty for a looooong time.

Also, I keep seeing a tower crane from the 51. I would guess that it is located around 16th and Osborn... is this for the hospice offices?

I am involved in a project that is proposing temporary infill on those lots (between Roosevelt and Fillmore). We have a meeting with city officials and stakeholders scheduled in December. If the event is made public, I'll surely post the time/place here. There's not a whole lot we have to work with here, but there is certainly a large community backing for this temporary project. I'm a realist, but relatively optimistic that something can be achieved :tup:

^Obviously Im not sure what your group is proposing as far as 'temporary infill' is concerned but I for one would be thrilled with green space. Citrus groves, park space, community gardens, desert gardens, etc would all be high on my list. Stuff that will cool the neighborhood, beautify it, have a use, but also be easily replaceable when it comes time to build the medical facilities.

EDIT: VV I know it probably would make the skin crawl of the generally left leaning downtown population but Id be all for corporate sponsorships/ads if it helped made something like this possible. Though in this economy Im not sure how much corporations would be willing to spend. But if we fill an empty lot with an orange grove and its the "Fresh & Easy Citrus Grove" or whatever Id be A-ok w/ that.

You said it - there are a host of issues we're dealing with, however, including brown-field concerns, liability, security, lack of funds, etc...

The problem is not so much that there is a lack of great ideas for these lots - the uses you suggest are all fantastic - it is coming up with a way of dismantling the obstacles that will allow them to materialize. First and foremost, naturally, is $$$.