My last posts were not meant to be that critical for once.
Regardless of any talks of gentrification, Evans Churchill looks like a true urban neighborhood finally. When you see what occupied tenants add, it's hard to argue that single-use lowrises are out of place and the long swaths of non-public spaces are just missed opportunities to have essentially built a true retail block from scratch. But, overall, Phoenix is killing it -- just imagine if they DID have jobs.
nick - Yes, I always mention Sprouts, too; imagine PetSmart at the PBC, Best Western at Central Station, Sprouts at VB/5th Ave, and Coldstone (with flagship factory) at Van Buren/7th Ave, with midrise education buildings mixed in and the adaptive reuse projects... sigh. I have to believe a HQ will land downtown eventually with the population boom, though. So, we'll see.
RE: The Papago/Gateway area, I have always thought the 3 cities missed a great opportunity there, especially landlocked Tempe. There is nowhere else with the density of attractions available, and the Airport, Skytrain, and Canal means it was a no-brainer for eventual office and hotel projects. But, SRP and National Guard engulf Papago, and most projects are suburban. I think this area is perfect for some form of transit invesment.
As far as those photos go, I too love the Oscar. Perfect infill. And, I love seeing the exposed brick on the retail building at Monroe... I'd love to see better tenants join Cornish in the spaces to its west, and hopefully the entire facade is unveiled eventually. On a different note, the Valley Bar building and the one housing Dunkin Donuts are two of my least favorite buildings downtown, but they help complete one of the few end-to-end blocks... I wish the Heard was on the corner so redevelopment could be possible, but the others' footprints seem too small. Is the Valley Bar sized for something like a House of Blues or Alamo House?
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So, the Garfield/Pierce project, while looking a bit like a pipedream, is pretty much perfection. Three mixed use towers surrounding Proxxy. Pierce, McKinley, and 4th would have a definite city vibe going if so. I won't do my full rant on the PBC, but damn it, it's so short-sighted.
https://www.facebook.com/DowntownVoices
That IS Garfield/Pierce, no?