I wonder why they would do that. I've been to the Paradise at Collier alot and it always seems pretty busy. I don't think that having a Panera at Thomas and Central and the Paradise at Collier would be redundant as the majority of downtown workers tend to stay downtown for lunch and the majority of midtown workers tend to stay in midtown.

Old-school cool: More Phoenix businesses becoming interested in adaptive-reuse projec
 

Did you know Starbucks just open in a few weeks ago. There is one on Bell Rd/Tatum. It is on Southwest corner right next to Shopping Center.

Actually, there is one at Desert Ridge Marketplace near AMC Theatres.

Sorry about missing the apparent Panera locations. Their website does not show them, only ones in Tucson.

You know things are slow when there is an almost page-long discussion about a possible Panera Bread. Panera isn't that great. It's just another overpriced fast casual place like Paradise Bakery.

Drive by so you can confirm it in person so you can really believe it.

http://www.switchboard.com/store-loc...x/Panera-Bread

Why did that vice lord guy get banned? We should ban anyone who mentions the opening of a subway or paradise bakery on here! Unless its there corporate headquarters!

Does anyone know what's planned for 2330 N. 7th St. (Across from Humble Pie in the empty lot). There was a zoning hearing on Oct. 3rd to allow outdoor dining and a drive through queuing lane within 300 ft of a residential zone

[QUOTE=Sepstein;6317790]Why did that vice lord guy get banned? We should ban anyone who mentions the opening of a subway or paradise bakery on here! Unless its there corporate headquarters![/QUOTE

Heh, heh. Yeah, that's hilarious.

A while ago it was mentioned that Core Crossfit was going to be moving out of that great old building on 7th Street and Garfield.

They just posted they're going to be moving to 9th St and McKinley (in that old church?), and the Mother Bunch Microbrewery is going to be moving into their old space.

Not sure if that has been posted yet.

The more breweries Downtown the better! Can't wait for the day that I can hop from brewery to brewery Downtown (similar to Denver). Would love to see Four Peaks have a presence Downtown. :cheers:

Thats all correct, yes, the church.

My girlfriends event floral shop (Tabletops, Etc) is in the adjacent building. We've been hearing about the brewery potentially coming for months and months now, I'm so glad its happening even though I'm a teetotaler.

These are the rehabbed brick buildings with green accents, correct? Such great examples of what can be done with what look to be dilapidated historic structures. Thank goodness the buildings on Rooesevelt and 7th were salvaged so that this energy can continue to spread (sarcasm); seeing 7th st in that area turn out like the area further north with Green, America's Taco Shop, etc. Would be terrific and maybe help Garfield start turning things around more quickly.

What's the fate of all the single story abandoned structures on the west side of 7th, south of the Bio Campus? Will they be demolished for the campus? Perfect example of why historic building stock is crucial to a thriving, pedestrian-scaled downtown. That campus is essentially a dead zone, while the fabulous adaptive reuse projects around town have shown that, if given the proper care, the great stuff going on in Rooselvet can move toward and along 7th. Alas, they'll surely be torn down for a garage.

Does the Urban Form require aything of garages? I just don't understand how, after all the city has done to try and turn downtown around, blossoming areas are being stifled with little protest. Not a street of our downtown avoids hitting into a massive garage at one point... Surely, it can't be that much more cost-prohibitive to include retail space on the ground level?

Lastly, 2 questions regarding 7th:
1) Is there a restaurant of anything inside the Children's Museum? I really wish they'd have an outdoor patio or exhibit given that the original entrance is inaccessible. Such a waste in its current form, art fence or not.
2) There were rumors that a couple other structures near the Florist/Brewery building were going to be rehabbed...any news there?
3) Did I read that Circle K is trying to develop the infamous 7th/Roosevelt location again? If so, I wish the city could require that they leave their current site developable upon leaving, seeing how costly it is to build on abandoned gas station land. Also, what is the best possible way a gas station can be designed in an urban location? Can the convenience store front the intersection and pumps be hidden behind the building? If nothing else, something like the Londen Center on Camelback would be a respectable attempt.

It's been said far too many times, but how sad that the gateway to the most dynamic/urban area of our city will be covered in 2 gas stations, an abandoned gas station, and a usually-empty 1-story retail structure. Really wish they'd keep auto-oriented business between the 10 and Portland (or whichever street is just north of Roosevelt).

While I don't know the above answers and on the topic of bars, Burger Joint and Bar Chicago is opening up where 101 Bistro used to be at the NE corner 1st Avenue and Adams.

Which buildings are you referring to? The historic buildings on the northwest corner of 7th St & Van Buren are now part of the Biomedical Campus. I can't think of any abandoned buildings south of the campus.

As for the Children's Museum, CMOP has a small cafe just inside the historic entrance that faces 7th St. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a restaurant. It's basically a room where families can eat food they've brought to the museum or buy prepared, packaged foods from a counter. The cafe extends to the museum's front yard via the historic entrance. There are a few picnic tables outside where museum visitors can eat; however, I haven't seen them heavily used during my frequent visits to CMOP. Maybe with the better fence and the cooler weather that will change. Next time we take the kids to CMOP, I may make a point of bringing a picnic lunch to eat out there instead of making our usual post-CMOP run to La Tolteca.

As for Circle K, the store is indeed trying again. There will be a hearing on the store's application for a use permit tomorrow at 1:30 PM in Assembly Room C at City Hall. This article from the Downtown Phoenix Journal describes a better design for the store that a variety of organizations are encouraging: http://www.downtownphoenixjournal.co...e-k-solutions/

Well, the news is waiting for...Phoenix Council has been approved today. They will start terminal 3 modernization and also, they will be close the terminal 2.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/p...ill-close.html

Finally!! Long overdue....Let construction begin.

I wonder, would that change the height restrictions for the downtown area?????

Huh? Why would that change anything? Height restrictions have to do with runways. They are not moving. They are just tearing down terminal 2 and adding to terminal 3.

Does anyone know what the extremely tall crane (not a tower crane) is doing at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital? The hospital is 151' tall and the crane is quite a bit taller than that. Haven't seen or heard of anything being done there.

I think it was just maintenance work. I saw I lifting something that looked like an AC to the roof. You're right though, for a non-tower crane it was really tall.

I tried to take a pic but I was really far away.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2u978n5.jpg

I think I need a Lumia phone with a better camera/zoom

I thought that might be the case. It just seemed like such a large crane for such a mundane task.

Airport....I thought there was a separate runway for terminal 2. My bad. If there was, then it would affect heights. I thought each terminal had their own runway.

There are 3 terminals and 3 runways. The terminals are situated between the the north and two south runways.

Runway 8/26

Terminal 2...3...4

Runway 7L/25R
Runway 7R/25L

But to sort fact from fiction, the runways have absolutely nothing to do with which terminal you go into. The longer south runway is used for launch most of the time as planes use more fuel in the air then on the taxi way so even though you see planes stack up on the south longer runway taxiways they prefer that so that planes can land unimpeded on the north and the newer short south runway.

Arlington, VA has a gas station squeezed partially underneath the Arlington Temple United Methodist Church. From how I understand it, the gas station leases part of the land from the church and the church gets the benefits of the monthly revenue.

Can't find very good pictures, but this gives an idea of the setup:

http://cdn.eventfinda.com/uploads/lo...-141894-14.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/...0eb723cdb9.jpg

Of course, this type of setup would never fly in Phoenix, even downtown. Too innovative and land is just not at a high enough premium.

I'm talking about the buildings further south near Filmore. They're pretty crappy looking, and some of them front 7th (they're painted white brick IIRC), but letting the artistic class get their hands on them and help connect all the pockets of good work in the area will do so much more for the 24/7 vibrancy of downtown than the anti-pedestrian, cold buildings of the BioMed campus.

Thanks for the info on the Museum - I had never noticed tables or people eating out front. Any other ideas on how to bring some activity out there? Not a huge deal, but it's a stunning building and great amenity so the fact that it doesn't look like it is even in use just kinda stinks.

Wow, that letter essentially summed up what I had been hoping for out of the new K.

1) Why can't there be two entrances? The store seems small enough that it could be designed in a way that the interior dissuaded any security issues. Being built to the street is nice and all, but just like the CVS on McDowell, having to enter through a parking lot is just embarrassing in the core
2) Having the structure developed as 2-story with a small office space above , super low-income loft, or additional retail for something like a Sidebar would have been awesome; this entrance could be street-facing to help a bit if the K double-entrance is just impossible
3) Alternatively, a small, 2/3-story building with street frontage on the south side for other uses would've been another great solution.

All in all, great work by the community. Hope the K follows through and that a decent proposal for the current site on the south side won't be too far off. Gradually beautifying this gateway and helping connect Garfield to Roosevelt is great.

Would almost be cool for the city to turn that property into an eastern "point 0" for Roosevelt Row, with maybe a cafe gallery on the ground level and tourism office on top with a ticker scrolling between the floors outlining upcoming community events. Outdoor space could be used for art, food trucks, etc.

Anyone going to this?
http://www.downtownphoenixjournal.co...n-celebration/

Love that this building has been saved. Any thoughts on the unfortunate lot along Roosevelt? Clearly, parking was needed, but given its almost adjacent to a light rail stop, I would have thought they could afford to eat into that space through a modern extension or even outdoor patio space that could be used for dining if a restaurant moves in, or maybe just a small exhibit showcasing the history of the building.

The positives surely outweigh the negatives, but the lot is a large break in the urban fabric along this important street. Will be fun to see this intersection if that damn "mixed use project" on 1st ave ever happens.

I think you mean further north, then. I suspect those buildings will go whenever the Biomedical Campus is completed. I think the museum does have occasional craft activities and parties in its "front yard." I hope the more attractive fence encourages them to do more there.

At yesterday's hearing, many speakers, including me, urged something along the lines of the proposal made by the eight Downtown organizations. The hearing officer concluded the long meeting by saying she'd take the matter under advisement. That means a decision may take several weeks.

Maybe if we're lucky that land could be converted to a patio or an extension of the building later. A lot probably depends on the type of tenants the renovated building can attract.

Burger Joint Chicago coming to downtown Phoenix

Burger Joint Chicago is setting up shop in a long-vacant restaurant space on the ground floor of the U.S. Bank building. The restaurant is on the northeast corner of First Avenue and Adams Street.

Earlier this week, workers put up signs with the Burger Joint’s logo and the promise that the restaurant is “coming soon.” The signs also note that Burger Joint was named “Restaurant of the Year” by Chicago-area radio station WGN 720.

Courtney Auther, a broker with Cushman & Wakefield, who handles leasing for the space, declined to share more specifics because final financial details of the deal still are being worked out.

I also sent an email via Burger Joint’s website seeking additional details on its expansion to Phoenix, but haven’t heard back.

According to the restaurant’s website, it operates one location on Franklin Street in Chicago. Its menu boasts hamburgers, gyros and a number of specialty French fry options such as spicy feta fries and blue cheese fries.

At the restaurant’s Chicago location it offers delivery through third-party services GrubHub and Eat24. It is unclear whether delivery will be available at the downtown Phoenix location.

Burger Joint garners an average review of four stars on Google but averages three stars on Yelp.

When Burger Joint opens it will enter a highly competitive lunch scene in downtown Phoenix. In the immediate vicinity of the U.S. Bank building are lunch options such as Spoonz Cafe, Coney Island Grill and Downtown Deli.

And just down the block is the massive CityScape development, which is home to national chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Five Guys Burgers & Fries, all of which draw heavy lunch crowds from workers in downtown Phoenix.

Burger Joint also is the latest Chicagoland company to make a leap to Phoenix. The Valley has long been a hotbed for Chicago transplants and visits, with both the Cubs and White Sox spring training here every March serving as draws.

Earlier this year, iconic Chicago-based hotdog purveyor Portillo’s opened its first Arizona restaurants. Both openings in Scottsdale and Tempe drew large crowds.

This is a great addition to downtown Phoenix. We can always use more bars and restaurants down there. Any idea if this place will serve liquor?

While I love all the local restaurants popping up, I also like to see foods from other parts of the country/world taking root too. Makes tourists and locals feel like Phoenix is a bit more "worldly".

Yes, further north, sorry. And, I assumed they would be demolished which really sucks. The BioMedical Campus, as important as it is to downtown as a major employer of high-tech jobs, etc. is really a soul-sucking, sprawled out, anti-urban dead zone. It has resulted in the demolition of human-scale structures that could have been readapted, the soon-to-be creation of a massive parking garage in the middle of one of the few thriving downtown neighborhoods we have, and extremely long-term land banking by the city for lots that should be prime private real estate given the proximity to ASU and Roosevelt.

Thank you for showing up to the Circle K meeting and helping to come up with a solution rather than just complain about the situation. Wish we could get a mixed use building for the storefront, but hey...

And, that would he great if the tenant(s) are able to convert the De Soto parking lot into a patio or something else.

In other news, the parcel on Highland and Central, formerly slated for Brophy Towers and more recently the Elevation apartments, has been sold. Would've loved to have seen some residential infill there. :(

I think I was wrong in speculating that buildings along 7th St might be demolished for the campus. If you look at this map of the project's boundaries, it shows they do not include the blocks with the small buildings:

http://phoenix.gov/webcms/groups/int...t/d_038190.pdf

So those four blocks NW of Alta are set for Bio-med? Those are perfect for more mid density apartments/condos I hope the zoning regulations allow for residential.

Yes, essentially all the land left to the south of what has become one of the best pockets of downtown is land banked by the city for BioMed campus and will likely be left empty for the foreseeable future given the rate of development of that campus. We'll soon have a massive 6-story garage on Filmore and 5th to serve the campus, so we'll soon get our first taste of the cold, closed-after-5 atmosphere the city will be creating.

Proposed International concoursse redevelopment
 

There is proposed for International concourse redevelopment. They will have to change the international concourse at terminal 4 and expanded more new baggage claim and also, there is proposal for new S1 concourse as well. I think they will have 9 new gates.

Here is the video:

http://phoenix.gov/citygovernment/ph...bco-dar-s1.mp4

Very unimpressed. The modification for the existing international concourse are minor, and they don't get into the gate realignment at all, other than saying they can only fit one wide body right now and plan to change that.

The S1 Concourse looks awful. It looked like there where four gates. So they are going to split the international arrivals into 2 concourses?

This truly lacks vision. Look at what Las Vegas, San Jose, Atlanta, Denver and others have been doing lately.

The long-term vision should be an international terminal where T2 now stands, connected via the SkyTrain to the rest of the terminals.

Yeah, I think they will have 9 new gates at S1 concourse instead of 4 gates, but it is not enough. I think the S1 concourses will have CBP facility. I think other international airlines or Southwest Airlines will operated at S1 concourse.

The long-range plan from Sky Harbor is to put the Customs facilities where the parking garage sits between the N1 and S1 concourses. Gates at N1, S1 and S2, would be equipped with a "switch door" of sorts that would direct deplaning passengers to a walkway that would lead to the new Customs facilities. A corridor then would connect the Customs facility to the west end of T4 Level 3. Once the facilities are completed, the N4 gates would no longer be international gates.

S1 would have 4 gates for international carriers, while gates at S2 (SWA), and N1 (AA/US) could be utilized as a domestic or international gate by those airlines as needed. There will be more than enough capacity when this is built.

I think that's silly. A four gate concourse? Why on earth is it horizontal (east/west) oriented instead of vertical (north/south) like the others? That's gonna look horrible.

Good point on the Southwest international flights. They will definitely launch if US pulls down their international service post-merger. Air Canada, West Jet, Aeromexico and Volaris would also increase flights if US drops them.

Aren't all the terminals oriented east/west? Either way, the modernization and expansion of T3 will expand the terminal in every direction and it will look quite nice. I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion that it will look horrible. Here is a YouTube video of the project:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWPbrm93i84#t=26

Plans include the removal of many blank concrete walls and replacing them with glass façades.

They're finally breaking ground on the 2nd phase of Portland Place today.... I'll post pics later

Are they using a different project number and name for their permits? I've been watching 04-2178 on Phoenix's DSD page and nothing has shown up. Please post pics. Does anyone have renderings?

I live at Roosevelt Square and the only thing going on there today is the Certified Local Fall Festival: http://www.localfirstaz.com/fall-festival/

They're using the dirt lot for parking as far as I can tell.

Not the greatest pic:

http://imageshack.us/a/img10/5029/qtxu.jpg

That makes sense. There was a "Public Assembly/Outdoor Event" permit pulled (project number 13-2406) for the festival but unfortunately no news on Portland Place Phase II yet.

1st Ave and McDowell Apartments
 

There is a meeting for the proposed apartment building at 1st Ave and McDowell. It looks like the building will be two floors above one level of parking. It'll be great to get more residential in the area, even though it's a small development and won't take up the entire lot. It's crazy that the whole McDowell and Central has been a dirt lot for so long.


http://i41.tinypic.com/2njk10y.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/f3z4o1.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/2ng6iw3.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/3024axh.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/2m5bcj8.jpg

It looks like it will be directly to the west of/behind the Arizona Opera Building if I'm reading it correctly.

Yes, at least there were previous articles discussing an apartment complex going in there. I am guessing that the increase in traffic on 1st Ave. may necessitate a traffic signal. There is frequently a line of cars backed up there waiting to turn left/east.

That's my understanding also. I'm happy about the location. It's kind of a hidden; multi-family residential is perfect for the area. Plus it leaves the entire McDowell and Central corner available for development.