Some interesting news for Phoenix: Phoenix leads the nation for increases in home prices; probably means an uptick in apartment and new home construction. Hopefully, downtown gets in on this with more housing projects. Exurban/suburban development needs to be less of a focus for the region.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/n...-up-12-to.html

The City of Phoenix will not take on any liability or expense in a deal to takeover ownership of Chase Field:

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/n...rds-chase.html

Noticed signs up yesterday on the Southwest corner of Roosevelt and 1st Ave for a mixed-use development coming soon by Metro West Development. Anyone know anything more on this project? It looks like it will be taking over the empty triangle area at that intersection as well.

Don't know too much. I know that they're hoping for shopping and dining there. Three levels max.

Why would 10K be too much? I don't even know if knocking the capacity by 10K is possible, but I really think a capacity around 39-40K would much better suit this market than 49K. Look at the stadiums that have been built since Chase, they're for the most part much smaller.

The White Sox, Twins, Pirates, Royals, Red Sox, Marlins, A's and Rays all have stadiums in the neighborhood of 10K fewer than Chase. Most of the league has stadium around 42K, instead of Chase's 49K, so we could likely drop by at least 7K.

Its not like the D'backs need 49K seats. Lets look at their average attendance:
2012: 27K
2011: 26K
2010: 25K
2009: 26K
2008: 31K
2007: 29K
2006: 26K
2005: 25K
2004: 31K
2003: 35K
2002: 39.5K
2001: 33K

D'backs games are usually 50-55% full, it makes the stadium atmosphere awful. Even the year after they won the first/only Championship in State history, they averaged about 9K empty seats per night. Drop 10K seats and the stadium would feel a lot better on a 25K person night.

I agree that they should make the seats wider/more luxurious and that would help reduce capacity. Additionally, they could/should rework the upper deck. If you look at Chase's upper deck, it juts UP as it goes down the basepaths, it should do the opposite and tapper down, like Kauffman Stadium in KC:

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg850...pg&res=landing

If the upper level in Chase tapered down like that, they could likely put very large windows into the walls behind. This would help create a more 'open' feel, even with the roof and panels closed. It would also give views of Downtown, behind the 3rd baseline which would be nice. Additionally, more sunlight would penetrate the stadium and it may well help with the grass issues they have every year in Right and Left field.

Its silly to have the 6th largest stadium in Phoenix, a tough sports market and a place where lots of people leave town in the baseball season.

I think dropping capacity to about 46,500-47,500 would be perfect. Placing wide seats near home plate would accomplish this without expensive work that demolishing portions of the upper deck would entail; I'm not even sure that is possible and I don't much care for the Royal's ballpark except those fountains. I like the fact that the stadium is large enough to accommodate a growing market and fanbase.

The Diamondbacks need to build a winning franchise (for the most part they have done this in their young existence) to convert fans and grow the base and get more people into Chase Field. Stadiums like Kauffman are small because their ball clubs suck (perennial bottom-feeders) but people occasionally show up because they are old clubs with small, loyal fanbases.

But I have to admit, I like the huge capacity when Chase Field is sold out. Nothing like a full house with nearly 50,000 screaming fans. And for that reason (and having some of the most affordable tickets in the MLB) I'm hoping that capacity remains at current levels. Bank One Ballpark was even bigger than today's Chase Field...capacity has already been reduced so don't like the idea of that trend continuing and would rather the team build a successful franchise and increase attendance instead of the other way around.

If you raise prices, you're just going to eliminate those who only go because it is affordable. I love baseball but have been to pretty much two or three games a year since I moved to Seattle because you can't get a seat in the lower bowl for less than $40...whereas I used to have season tickets three rows from the grass at Chase that cost me $18.50 per game. Even if the M's didn't suck, I'm just not going to spend that much money when the Sounders charge $20 to sit with ECS behind the net.

The seats below the aisle between the dugouts (the lettered sections) have always been padded and wider with more legroom. Are you suggesting a more significant upgrade like adding counters/tables?

I recall Fox 10 mentioned during last year's Home Run Derby that fans at the nosebleeds were commenting how they couldn't really feel the AC up there. I'm all in favor of upper deck seat reduction for most of the ballparks in the League. Probably the worse one I been to was US Cellular Field before their renovations. Hardly any railing and they've had a few incidents of people falling over.

Seating in new Yankee Stadium behind home plate:

http://myteamrivals.typepad.com/phot...i/dscf2233.jpg

They are wider, padded, more legroom, and have a higher back; counters/tables...no.

I have sat in the nose bleed section at Chase once and it wasn't bad. Not 74° like the seats in the lower deck but more like 82° and nothing that is unbearable for a summer sport. Especially considering that baseball is played in outdoor venues in most of the country.

Get ready for something new and different, downtown Phoenix. Here comes Asia de Paris.
That's the French-Vietnamese restaurant scheduled to open in the historic Hotel San Carlos at the end of August. The hotel is at 202 N. Central Ave, on the corner of Monroe Street.
The restaurant's proprietor is Lan Tran, half of the dynamic sister act behind Rice Paper, the cool Vietnamese spot that opened a year ago at 2221 N. Seventh St.

What brings Tran to a downtown Phoenix hotel? The landlord at Rice Paper is the son of Gregory Melikian, San Carlos' longtime owner. He put her in touch with his father.
Melikian says he got the idea for a fusion restaurant after eating at Asia de Cuba in San Francisco, where the kitchen melds Asian and Latin American ingredients. (There used to be an Asia de Cuba in Scottsdale.)
Given Vietnam's colonial history, Tran suggested that a French-Vietnamese menu made sense. Once the concept was decided, the name naturally followed.
The Hotel San Carlos has been a graveyard for restaurants for several decades. In just the past few years, Ghost Lounge, Via Roma, Copper Door, Prive and Steakhouse on Central have all come and gone.
The Trans, meanwhile, have been flourishing. Along with Rice Paper, the family also operates Saigon Kitchen in Surprise. Hue Tran, Lan's younger sister, tells me that they are actively scouting out locations in Scottsdale for another Vietnamese restaurant that she says will be "half Saigon Kitchen, half Rice Paper."


Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/...#ixzz22Gnuo2sG

Does anyone know why the one-story (crappy 80s-ish stucco) building was razed on the southwest corner of 2nd Avenue & McKinley? No big loss, but are they putting something else there? Are there enough empty lots around there? Did I miss something?

EDIT: Apparently it is for a new project by Native American Connections. They have plans for 70 units in 4 stories over a concrete parking podium. It's called Urban Living on 2nd, city of Phoenix project #11-4101. I tried to find a rendering, but the architect's website is under construction. It'll probably be a lot like the Devine Legacy on Central, it's almost an identical sized lot and # of units and floors by the same organization.

http://www.nativeconnections.org/ass...central-79.jpg

Not the greatest thing in the world, and it's too bad it couldn't be put on one of the plethora of other empty lots, but I guess they gotta build where they gotta build. Definitely a welcome addition over what was existing.

I like the Devine Legacy building a lot, but do have one minor criticism. They have what amounts to fake ground floor retail along Central, I wish it was real. They have a gym and like a community room if I recall, which is nice. But I wish it also had a little market or cafe or something. It seems like it would've made sense for a Native American restaurant/currio shop to go there given the residents and who built the building. Maybe this new project downtown can have something like that. It would be nice to have another place to get fry bread besides Fry Bread house on 7th Ave, and also nice to have a place for tourists to buy actual authentic Native American stuff in the Central City without having to go to Old Town S'Dale.

GCU, city launch plan to improve neighborhood
 

AZC

It's too bad GCU is nearly 2 miles from the 19th Ave and Camelback light rail stop and separated by the 17. Since GCU is transitioning into more of a residential school it could be a nice campus area accessible by transit. Perhaps developers will start building mid-rise student housing similar to Concord Eastridge between 19th and 33rd on Camelback.

I agree with you but "fake" ground level retail is better to look at than window-less brick walls, parking lots, or parking garages. Unfortunately that area hasn't hit a critical mass of pedestrian traffic yet to sustain ground level retail.

Too bad GCU is as much a joke as University of Phoenix. They have more square footage dedicated to server space than classrooms.

Why do you say? I happen to be employed by them.

Wut

Anyone know if anything is happening with the Hotel Monroe? Last news I heard was back in March when a buyer was in the due diligence stage of its purchase.

There are no new building permits on the City's site. This one expires later this month:

http://i50.tinypic.com/qn4eww.png

PHOENIX (Feb. 02, 2012) - Phoenix-based Grand Canyon University (GCU) achieved an outstanding 95.79 percent pass rate for its nursing program from the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses in 2011.

GCU ranked first among all bachelor's degree nursing programs in the state, including the University of Arizona (95.59 percent), Arizona State University (90.09 percent) and Northern Arizona University (88.69 percent). This exam measures all first-time candidates educated in programs overseen by the Arizona Board of Nursing.

"This score shows just how robust our bachelor's of nursing degree program (BSN) is and the great pride we take in the success of our students," said Anne McNamara, dean of GCU's College of Nursing. "With the addition of our state-of-the-art simulation training lab and partnerships with highly respected health systems, GCU nursing graduates are among the best prepared and sought-after job candidates."

The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses was designed to ensure public protection by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Member Board. The NCSBN jurisdictions require a candidate for licensure to pass this examination, which measures the competencies needed to perform skills safely and effectively as a newly licensed, entry-level nurse. The licensure examination is used by boards of nursing nationwide to assist in making licensure decisions.

Grand Canyon University was founded in 1949 and is Arizona's premier private Christian university. GCU is regionally accredited and emphasizes individual attention for both traditional undergraduate students and the working professional in seven colleges: the Ken Blanchard College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Nursing, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Christian Studies, the College of Fine Arts and Production, and the College of Doctoral Studies. GCU offers traditional programs on its growing campus, as well as online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. The University's curriculum fuses academic and clinical rigor with Christian values to prepare its students to be skilled, caring professionals.


Yep what a joke .......... not! Hopefully their plan will work, because the construction on campus is looking good.

You may not believe GCU is a joke, but Congress has begun questioning GCU along with the other for-profit universities related to questionable recruiting tactics among other problems.

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