This Obama conversation has been dragging on for far too long.

Please, no more posts on the matter.

Sometimes development engenders political discourse...nothing wrong with that as long as name-calling and poo-flinging are avoided.

On a related note, you might be happy to learn that spitfirdude and I have taken care of it through PMs so as to avoid getting too political or too far OT.

About TOD, does anyone know if the Metrowest/Sustainable Communities Collaborative development on 1st and Roosevelt is supposed to look like this:
http://www.lisc.org/phoenix/images/w...e584_16798.jpg

Construction should begin sometime later this year, "before the end of the year" is what we have been told, and ready by September 2014.
http://www.lisc.org/phoenix/what_we_do/tod_update.php

Do you know if that's a recent update? I haven't seen any action on the Phoenix building permits page.

I'm still not convinced that this project will actually happen.

It was on the Roosevelt Action Association's agenda for August 5th. In May, the Downtown Devil reported that construction will begin in early 2014. I have heard that it could start as early as November though I must add that those rumors are mostly unsubstantiated. I guess someone could call Metrowest to get clarification. If I have time, I'll call tomorrow. I'm also interested in knowing how many units will be available for rent: Downtown Devil reported approx. 60 but the developer claims 100 units will be built.

That looks too big for that lot, depth wise. It seems to go back too far to the south. I haven't seen any actual renderings for that project.

That is a rendering of the Mesa TOD project referenced in the article. :)

http://www.azcentral.com/community/m...-downtown.html

New plan review permit for the apartments at Central and Highland.

http://i42.tinypic.com/29zaf4x.jpg

Construction is scheduled to commence in December 2013 with the first units available in February 2015.

http://veduraresidential.com/home/elevation-central

Looks nice, but I wish it was 6 stories, not 4. I also wonder how well the 4 story building is going to hide a 6 story garage, or if it'll stick out above like a bump on the head.

I live in the Roosevelt Square 'C' building and I think our garage is 6 levels counting the roof and it doesn't stick up above the actual building. The first level is open parking for the Gold Spot, then 4 levels of secured covered parking above that, then the roof.

Yes, whenever they say a parking structure will be "x" levels tall, the roof counts as the final level. So it basically will be a 5 story structure with a 3 foot parapet. My guess is that the building should block it from Central. You probably will be able to see it from either Highland or Coolidge.

Ok good! It looks too short compared to descriptions I have heard. If it is indeed going to have 100 units it will be taller than that building slated for Mesa. I'm thinking, 8-12 floors since the first 2 or 3 will be retail and office space.

Also, the historic building on the SEC of Central and Roosevelt is moving ahead full steam now. Passed by there not too long ago and the building has workers inside and out and the large (what used to be garage) door is open. Someone in the area with a good camera would be able to get some great shots of the brick building. There is a backhoe digging up what was the parking lot on the north side of the building. I hope the work being done on the façade is as beautiful as the rendering.

I really hope the owners are going to build their project, rather than get the lot improved and just sit on it. I would have thought it would be further along at this point... but maybe they are biding their time because they have to wait until leases run out at the existing apartment building. That's going to be demolished as part of their plans.

The historic building is the DeSoto building, check out the facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/TheDesotoBuilding

Why would it be further along at this point if construction isn't set to begin until late this year/early 2014? I'm pretty sure there are no other plans but to build it since much of the funding is coming from Sustainable Communities Collaborative.

Yes, that's it the DeSoto Building. Before picture and after rendering:
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/featur...s/13000019.jpg

http://www.downtownphoenixjournal.co...o3-300x184.jpg

/\ Good information, I didn't know about the Sustainable Communities Collaborative.

Farther along meaning: plans, renderings, anything. Maybe they're doing a lot behind the scenes and being tight lipped about it (just because there aren't any new permits doesn't mean they aren't doing anything)... however if they're planning to be U/C by the end of this year that gives them very little time to pull permits, get their plans approved through PC, council, etc. That can take a long time, I don't believe they can get all of their approvals starting from scratch right now by the end of this year.

At this point, for all we know, nothing has happened except the information you just provided, and the fact that they released a tiny bit of the info about the size of the future development, and that they've tied together the lot and improved the utilities. I feel like we should know more and see more progress by now.

I know they have been working closely with the city (which is how they got the old street to be taken out in order to enlarge the property). My guess is that they have also been working closely with them on permitting. It might not be as big of a time squish as it might normally be. Which honestly, is not that much. Unless you have a horrible set of drawings and a bad group of architects and engineers, you can normally get a set passed in about a month to a month and a half. You'd be surprised about some of the stuff that gets passed.
Also, you can start underground work with a different permit than your construction permit, so I know of many projects where construction has started while the city is still reviewing the drawings. In fact, there are some that are still being designed and finalized while the digging has begun.

Here are some pics I took yesterday. The sign says "Now Leasing-Occupancy Summer 2013", but it doesn't look like they'll have it ready for at least another couple of months at the earliest.

http://imageshack.us/a/img96/8265/nxok.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img843/2100/im3l.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img189/7457/yhw3.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img694/4213/zbij.jpg

Haha, yeah since only a month left this Summer, they won't be making good on that. It looks like they were doing some structural work and stabilizing the brick walls and adding interior walls. Nearly the entire roof had to be rebuilt and I bet they found some problems that weren't anticipated ... which is normal for a building that was as neglected as the DeSoto.

It is also really hard to find financing without at least one committed tenant. Maybe they needed someone to commit in order to secure the funding to finish the remodel.

I really hope this is successful. It really could be a great looking building. Its a shame it was let deteriorate so bad.

Is old building will be demolish? They will rebuilding a new store. I am not quite sure who will be there.

No, it is not being demolished. It is currently undergoing renovations ... an extensive LEED Silver Rehabilitation to be exact. I am not sure if they have any tenants lined up but I wouldn't be surprised if a restaurant, store and small offices moved it. It doesn't look like a large building from the exterior, but the interior space is expansive and I bet they could even retrofit the interior with upstairs, loft-style offices; when I looked into the building the ceilings seemed rather high. The DeSoto's website states that they can "accommodate users from 1,000 to over 11,500 square feet." I'm assuming they mean that if a large tenant moved in, they could take the entire 11k sq ft.

You can find Obama's initiative here. His trip to Phoenix was part of this push, although he did not directly address it in his speech, he did speak about it.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews...sing-diversity

So I'm silently cruising the forums at 1:32 AM (Japan time) and I come across this....
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

And our wish has come true. Looks awesome!

That looks great! Love the street side seating and the corner entry!

http://www.nitnelav.com/roosevelt.jpg

Is this where 1st ave splits from Central at Roosevelt, looking southbound?

If so, that's an awesome use of land and exactly what Central Phoenix needs more of.

Wow, that is a great looking building! Good find!

Now THAT's what I'm talking about! Great looking building and a perfect use of the lot. It makes that great stretch of Roosevelt even better.

Thanks phxguy

Yep, that's the spot.

That is a great find and a great use of space and land use!!!!

It not only is a great use of space, it also ties in with the urban fabric in the area.

Haha, nice! Yesterday we were discussing this and today they post this rendering on their Facebook page. They are calling it Union at Roosevelt. I was hoping the developer would incorporate brick into the building to complement the neighborhood. I love how it is built up to the sidewalk and it would be nice if the finished product is exactly this. Could use a little more height ;), perhaps 2-4 more floors, but overall it is a great addition for Roosevelt.

That would be nice, but that lot is pretty small and you'd likely need to provide more space for parked cars and that would get tricky.

The rendering looks fantastic, quite frankly, I'm floored. The size, the way it presents itself to the corner, the materials, A+ all the way around.

In additional good news, I've heard Matt Seaman is trying to get the city to ditch the extra auto lane on 1st Ave south of his lot. There are 3 southbound lanes on 1st Ave, and thats really not needed. When that lane was shut down for the YMCA expansion, there was no increase in traffic. Apparently Seaman and SCC worked with the Y to put up cameras to monitor the traffic, that way streets can't come back and say "we need that lane or it'll be an auto nightmare!"

So the obvious thing to do there is a bike lane and parallel parked cars, which would be great. Apparently Seaman has all the land owners on board, with the exception of one, the Circle K on 1st Ave/Fillmore.

Rumor has it that the Circle K wants to buy the lot directly to the East, knock the building down, and build the huge super pumper station that we stopped them from building on 7th St/Roosevelt.

They could use light rail credits and downtown's Urban Form Code, which basically eliminates the need for parking if a developer so chooses, to address parking concerns. This neighborhood is one of the most pedestrian and bike friendly in metro Phoenix and right across the street from light rail. I think it has more to do with expense and I bet they will be building a concrete base for parking and a wood/brick frame for the higher floors. If they were to build a taller structure it would likely need to be poured concrete, like RoPo, which would add to the cost. I hope I am wrong and it is all poured concrete because it would be much easier to upgrade and renovate in the future.

It would be great if 1st Ave were to be put on a road diet with parallel parking and a bike lane. The Circle K wants to knock down which building? East of Circle K is 1st Ave, west of the Circle K is an older building. However, they won't be getting permission to built a larger gas station in that area of downtown ... they are out of their minds.

Not trying to give you a hard time but directly to the east of that Circle K is the Westward Ho. Did you mean the lot directly north?

The lot directly north is a parking lot owned by Phoenix College. North of the parking lot is Phoenix College Downtown. I believe he meant west of the Circle K. I noted the discrepancy in the post before yours.

Im sorry, I typed East but meant West. Its that little building right behind the Circle K Minimart that they apparently have their eyes on.

At least thats what was explained to me. I suppose they could try to acquire land from PC Downtown (seems unlikely) and expand to the north, which then wouldn't require any demolition. But I doubt PC Downtown is selling.

I know what building you are talking about now...it isn't the prettiest but having a huge Circle K in that neighborhood would be awful. What is it with that company wanting such a huge footprint in the urban center of Phoenix? Of course profit is their motivator but this needs to be put to an end by Phoenix. The city needs to make it clear that a Super Circle K that would basically take up 1 or 2 whole city blocks is not appropriate.

Wasn't there some talk of Phoenix College expanding their downtown campus? Or did that pertain only to their main campus? If PC Downtown expanded it would be problematic for Circle K and great for the area.

The above posts have been cleared. Anyone who posts on Obama this or poverty that will get suspended.

Back to development news.

In that case you forgot one...first post on this page. :cheers:

So, is this project the real deal? And, definitely starting construction by EOY? Super excited if that's the case. The building looks fantastic. A couple more floors would've been ideal since we need all the residents we can cram into downtown, but what a great addition to downtown and Roosevelt. The historic renovation just east is also making progress- any timeline or news on a tenant? Sorry if I missed that.

I know the MetroWest development was trying to nab Postino; now that that's a definite no, any rumors on the retail portion? I believe it was Matt Seamann who was had been quoted that he was hoping to attract local businesses. Can we tell from the rendering how many spots are on the ground level- 2?

This building shows that you can do urban residential right if you have the vision. Such a shame that Roosevelt will be bookended by this fabulous project and the offensive RoPoint to the east.

As for Circle K, they are truly evil. If only the ciy could make some kind of land swap deal with them, or allow their horrible monster station at the least hurtful location with the stipulation they clean up the grounds of the former site and covert it for public use: park, basketball court, tennis court, dog park, monument memorial, etc.

This project is real, the rendering is new and I believe it was posted today. There hasn't been any change in the project's timeline. I wrote earlier that 2-4 more floors would have been perfect for this location. No word on a tenant or how many would fit along the ground floor but it is big enough to support a few. The point of this mixed-use TOD was to incorporate live/work/play so I am assuming there would be some office space as well as retail.

Chateau on Central closes $5.4 million double home
 

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/m...4-million.html

http://www.4-traders.com/news/Chatea...ion--17204501/

Great to see home prices rising in the urban core, and money coming in to the area, but that sounds awful. 11,000 sf? And an indoor waterfall?

Everything about that complex is horrifying.

While attending ReInvent Phoenix workshops, we did an exercise where we placed stickers on a map. One sticker signified where we wanted to see stabilization (ie historic 'hoods and buildings), another sticker signified change/OK for demolition and rebuilding. EVERYONE placed the latter sticker on Chateau.

When I lived DT, seemed like there were lowlifes/drunks that would congrgate at the first ave circle K. Now that the community is changing for the better, this is no longer acceptable to have an establishment that attracts this element. Hopefully they won't be able to expand to a super pumper station. Those belong outside of DT.

I completely understand why Circle K wants to expand. Having a large station near downtown would make them a lot of money. But this location makes very little sense. First off, it is not really off the highway, the same way 7th street is. This limits the clientele they are targeting. Second, as the area continues to develop more around light rail and create more transit oriented developments (which will happen), the need for a large gas station will be greatly reduced.

Agreed, I was just going to basically say the same thing. I could see the 7th St location being good (for them) for a large expanded gas station (even though it would be bad for us/the city), but 1st Ave is not nearly as busy, and that neighborhood is not nearly as car centric as almost any other neighborhood.

We all know the horrible demise of the historic neighborhoods in and around DT Phoenix. The Roosevelt area, especially the area south of Fillmore really had a rough time. Looking at old aerials, I've been on a mission to recover any photos of neighborhood streets that I can of this area. Mostly to quench my thirst of curiosity of knowing what the area really used to look like when it was a beautiful neighborhood, and to know what we lost. I finally found one picture that gives a little bit of a glimpse.

Here's the aerial of a portion of the Roosevelt area from 1930:
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...moreaerial.jpg

It basically looks like a beautifully-gridded early 20th century neighborhood full of all sorts of interesting houses.

The picture I found is of 3rd Ave looking north from Fillmore. Here is the current view (from google street view):
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...p/fillmore.jpg

We've had discussions (long ago) about this parking lot and there have been several condo proposals in the area. And although I believe that mid-century apartment building recently got a nice new update, I'd still rather have streets lined with great historic houses as seen in the aerial.

Here is the picture I found. The houses used to sit on what is now that parking lot:
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...anor_1960s.jpg

It looks like it might be from the late 1960s. The houses are great 1900s or 1910s bungalows. I really wish they could still be around. However, seeing this picture makes me realize that the area really was doomed. The yards look unkempt, there are some ratty mail boxes randomly placed, large trees are dead (unless it's winter but I don't think it is), and crappy signs for parking lots are already popping up. It's sad that the area took a turn for the worse and ultimately died due to many factors, but it was probably unavoidable.

At the time it was built, the circle K just a block away probably was a sign of progress, or, at least, no one cared. Unfortunately, now we're left with trying to fight the spread of the cancer we created, or trying to clean up a gigantic mess, and it's difficult.

Awesome find and post phx31! I've been following the LA Noir thread big time and own many before and after/devleopment Boston books (and even a few Phx books). This subject has always been very interesting to me.

Notice how the date palm (or is it a pineapple palm?) in front of the apartment building has grown up.

The noirish LA thread is amazing! Those guys are incredible. And they are very lucky to have seemingly endless photographs to pull from (and seemingly endless subject matter from historic LA). Phoenix was infinitely smaller than LA back in the day, but there also seems to be much less photographic documentation here as compared to LA.

Yeah, I did notice that palm. It's pretty cool it is still alive.

Haha! I really like that building. The interior of this mansion is definitely gaudy but the outside looks great. I don't like that glass box next to it, however.