:tup:

I was in Austin recently and there skyline is so nice It's gotta be one of the top 10 best skylines easy in the USA, So sad we are like 4 times the size and cant even get a project like Astra built they got like 15 Astra like projects already up! That Block 185 building and the independent is so cool! We get lame 20 story brown building. We need more buildings like Central station just taller!

^ simmering omnipresent shame is most definitely a part of being a Phoenix skyscraper fan. it's kinda like being a fan of the Arizona Cardinals :tup:

And then you realize the pragmatic realities of height limits, risk, and demand: also known as growing up.

Don't take it personal and no need to be overly apologetic about Phoenix. higher height limits than we ever build. pretty weak design overall compared to other cities. No real civic pride to put pressure on developers. It's pretty sad indeed compared to cities like Nashville and Austin. But it's our city and we support it. But let's not kid ourselves here...

Skylines don’t matter, it’s pure vanity,

Did London or Paris become better cities when they built high rises?

Would Manhattan be any worse off if you couldn’t see above 5 floors?

I'm not saying that at all. I am saying Phoenix is an underachiever. Not really debatable. But do I like our skyline for what it is? Yes.

No, it does perfectly fine for a city built on everything that's not urban unlike Nashville or Austin. A decades-old live music scene kind of depends on a city. I'd take Piestewa Peak or Camelback Mountain and Phoenix's live music scene over those hicks anyways if you want to talk about what 's in the skyline.

I think Phoenix excels in other areas that other major cities over look. I’m currently in Houston and while their skyline is miles better their infrastructure isn’t and their roads aren’t better. The fact that Phoenix is on a grid is a blessing. I like Phoenix’s highways, roads, and overall infrastructure more than some major cities I have been too. Phoenix is behind on their downtown but they certainly make it up in other areas.

Also is Austin a fair comparison? Similar to us, they're going through a high rise boom but for different reasons. Austin also has what can currently be considered the best looking skyline in TX despite being behind the big 3 in population.

So is LA, Dallas, Houston, ABQ, Tucson, San Diego, San Jose and countless post WW2 cities.

Santa Fe has a much better downtown than Albuquerque with 1/10 the population and 0 skyline. Arguably better than downtown Phoenix too. Skyline is only one part of the equation.

The irony of this reference is how many people in Austin will tell you the city is absolutely destroyed now, and the impressive skyline is one of the signs that Austin lost it's weirdness.

I used to work in Austin in the early 2000s, now it may as well be Seattle or San Francisco. It's chalk full of luxury apartment towers and trendy bars and restaurants. Cool? I guess... If you dig that just live in Scottsdale, it's the same vibe if you don't look up. Did it lose a lot of what made it interesting to begin with? 100%.

Are the buildings taller? Yeah. Are they really that unique or special? Maybe 1 or 2 but really, they're just taller boxes with an offset floor pattern or a different top. None of the new buildings are so unique that you know it's Austin just by seeing the building.

Ya'll get bored when it's slow, don't ya? :haha:

Let's keep this thread focused on Phoenix development.

I'm in total agreement. I'm also one of those former residents from way back in the 90's. The city priced out many artists who made Austin as unique as it was. Now it is a manufactured version of its former self. I still enjoy visiting, but it's just not the same. I understand this happens to many cities over time; however, the city just can't continue to market the 80's, 90s, or even 2000s version of itself now because it's just not there anymore.

[QUOTE=locolife;10241433]
I used to work in Austin in the early 2000s, now it may as well be Seattle or San Francisco. It's chalk full of luxury apartment towers and trendy bars and restaurants. Cool? I guess... If you dig that just live in Scottsdale, it's the same vibe if you don't look up. Did it lose a lot of what made it interesting to begin with? 100%.
./QUOTE]

Iv always thought Austin was overrated but I feel that way about a lot of places like NYC, Seattle and Denver.

Except for San Francsico, I love SF to bad they are kind of losing their minds at the moment, maybe we'll check back in 10 years and see if they've settled down over there.

Can Anyone Get this full article: https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/...k-gateway.html

Development along the 202? "A commercial developer is seeking to expand its Valley footprint with another industrial project proposed for a key infill site along the Loop 202 in Phoenix."

What cross streets? what Lot?

It's the property immediately SE of the Mini-Stack Interchange.

Baker Development Corp. is looking to add to its Phoenix portfolio with a business park on a prime infill site.

The developer wants to build an approximately 130,000-square-foot development across three buildings along 24th Street and the Loop 202, just north of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The individual buildings comprise 12,000 square feet, 46,260 square feet and 72,200 square feet, respectively.

Through Berry Riddell LLC, the firm has applied for a general plan amendment and rezoning to allow for flexible industrial, warehouse, employment and showroom and retail uses. The project was presented at an informational Central Village Planning Committee meeting in May. A further hearing has not yet been scheduled by the city.

Called Phoenix Airpark Gateway, the 10-acre project has been proposed as an gateway into the residences south of the site.

"The proposed development will be the catalyst to transform this underutilized, vacant site to a start-of-the-art development which will create new jobs, generate tax revenue, enhance public safety by infilling the current unsightly vacant property, and enhance the overall aesthetic of the neighborhood all within a walkable urban-like setting," project documents said.


Along 24th Street, the development will feature commercial space for neighborhood-oriented retail and showroom space designed to attract pedestrians through landscaping, art, shade and more. The development will be inspired by Baker Development's existing VB|143 industrial project in Goodyear but it is not being envisioned as a space for large-scale distribution uses, project documents said.

Other companies involved include Butler Design Group as the architect, Hubbard Engineering as the engineer and Laskin & Associates as the landscape architect.

Baker Development paid $5.5 million for the site
Baker Development, which has offices in Chicago and Phoenix, acquired the site for $5.5 million in July 2022 from Vesta Real Estate LLC, according to Maricopa County land documents.

Recently, Baker Development received the final approval it needed from the city of Phoenix for the redevelopment of the former Motorola and Onsemi semiconductor campus near McDowell Road and 52nd Street.

The firm plans to demolish the remaining semiconductor campus site for a future corporate headquarters campus. The company previously said the property was being eyed by multiple companies and could accommodate about 2 million square feet of space.

Separately, it's also working on plans for two new industrial buildings totaling 70,000 square feet and 130,000 square feet in the Deer Valley submarket in Phoenix.

Metro Phoenix has the largest industrial pipeline in the country right now with nearly 40 million square feet of space underway in Q2 with a vacancy rate of 4.7%, according to a June 2024 Yardi Matrix report.

Major Confernce now coming to Phoenix every other year!

(Sorry for the MSN link its what I got) https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/comp...776dd2dc&ei=18