I didn't realise there was another retail space nearby in the same garage.

December had some doom and gloom with a sudden surge in closures, albeit less than we've seen in the past and mostly Roosevelt Row, but it's exciting to see all these places opening up now or soon. Dunkin Donuts, Dust Cutter, Willie's Taco Shop, that Mexican restaurant in Cityscape, Whining Pig, the Park, and Cornish Pasty one of these decades. Any I'm missing?

Update: Focaccia Fiorentina is closing after 16 years of being downtown. To be honest, whenever I walk by the place it's always closed. It's a prime space, I'd like to see retail setup shop, a clothing store or something.

Ever since the Heard Building was renovated, I've been thinking that ground floor space has been underutilized. Focaccia Fiorentina has decent food, and the owner is a nice guy. Nevertheless, it's among the last of a generation of lunch-only restaurants with no weekend or evening hours in the Downtown core. The Downtown Deli and the Hero Factory were two others in that category that have folded in recent memory. With rents rising, places with only daytime hours are becoming less viable.

FYI: looks like we have updated satellite pictures for google maps "lite" not the 3d version but the static one.

I highly recommend trying Willies Taco Shop. Went there a few weeks ago with average expectations and was quite impressed. The pork belly taco was amazing and they have a great salsa bar. Love the attention that is starting to be paid to pre/post game/concert food/drink businesses. Seems like it should have been a no brainer but has been seriously lacking for years.

What's going on with this building on the east side of Central Ave. just south of the Heard Museum? It's completely gutted. Hopefully this is a sign of increased office demand in the Central Phoenix area.

http://i63.tinypic.com/30wmomo.jpg

http://i66.tinypic.com/15362gz.jpg

looks like a remodel to me

I have it on good authority it will be the AG's Office.

This a two-fer. First about the proposed building and price for the 7th & Mill/7th and Myrtle project and the multifamily boom that is still booming and has a long way to go.

Core Campus Pays Decade-High Price For Tempe Parcel
Core Campus Investment Partners recently plunked down about $8.4M for a quarter-acre site in Tempe. It's the highest price in Arizona in the last 10 years per SF, Cushman & Wakefield's Brian Rosella said.

"As a vibrant urban area, demand for land in Tempe has been unprecedented," Rosella said. "But this closing has set a new benchmark for pricing in the state." Core Campus expects the price to be worth it: The company is planning to develop a high-rise apartment project at the 7th Street and Myrtle part of the site, and is still working on plans for the 7th Street and Mill Avenue part.

Core Campus has developed in Tempe before. In 2013, it built the 19-story Hub On Campus (below), which features 269 units (637 beds). The student housing property is just south of ASU Sun Devil Stadium at 323 East Veterans Way. Chicago-based Core Spaces, the parent of Core Campus, also develops apartments and hospitality properties.

Student housing counts as a specialized niche, but can Phoenix sustain more apartment properties overall? More than 1,300 units were recently completed (six properties in Q4), but many more are on the way, according to ABI Multifamily. Nearly 12,500 units in the MSA are now underway (54 properties) and more than 20,300 are planned.

In all of 2016, over 7,900 new units were completed in the Phoenix MSA, according to ABI. That sounds like a lot, but it's fewer than in 2009 (more than 9,300 units) and during some years of the 1990s. Since construction was so low between 2010 and '12 — only 615 new units in '11, for instance — arguably the current boom is making up for lost time.

I posted details about that here.

http://downtownphoenixjournal.com/20...thering-space/

I hope this comes to fruition, I love the mix of retail and dining. This year is looking exciting for retail downtown! Also Dust Cutters looks amazing if you haven't already walked by the Renaissance Hotel. At night, the space opens to Adams with huge windows, soft lighting, and decorative fires. And where the Vapor Vortex lounge by Cornish pasty was, a florist is setting up shop, according to the sign on the window.

I walked down Monroe a few days ago and noticed something was missing but couldn't figure out exactly what. Now, I'm glad to know it was the vape shop. I can't think of a more fitting replacement than a florist.

I wouldn't mind the vape shop if it were elsewhere. I just hope the next tenant dresses the exterior up (i.e. Some potted plants and flowers and benches) so the sidewalk doesnt feel so barren next to Cornish Pasty's patio.

Has this been discussed here before?

This is from a letter from the City to the Phoenix Elementary School District. They are seeking GPLETs.

That would be awesome. That block is becoming so dense!

How is there enough room for three on that block when Proxy takes up half the block?

Proxy takes up 1/4 meaning 3/4 remains.

If we assume the building currently occupied by the MariSol Federal Credit Union is demolished. Do we know if this proposal includes that land?

I have no idea, but the post above mine says proxy takes up half the block which is not true. Its slightly more than 1/4

I hope this is truly a high-rise as the OP suggested. It would be so great to see a 20+ story building here with The Derby and The Stewart planned nearby with similar height! I think this or The Stewart breaks ground first. I don't actually have high hopes The Derby will happen.

I posted a while back that Derby submitted an FAA obstruction evaluation showing work starting sometime in Febuary. Also, they have now have a website up. The website clarifies they are breaking ground soon with a completion at the end of 2018. Not sure why this would not be built when they have been approved for a GPLET and with Transwestern at the helm. Transwestern has a pretty high track record of completing proposed projects.

http://www.derbyapts.com/


Check out the latest rendering!
http://res.cloudinary.com/hrscywv4p/...346_xz5gt7.png