Phoenix Development News (3)

[dtnphx]

Originally Posted by HooverDam

This Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong guy has been around PHX for a while. He was trying to bilk Phil Gordon and the city into free land deals all the time, now he's back again. These 'super computers' he wants to build sound curiously like data centers to me, which are absolute killers for urban areas. I'm not at all excited by this announcement.

Bilk? Most developers who try to build anything are always trying to get money on the table from the city or entity ("bilk" as you call it) to do business. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong is an impressive guy. He's not some loon. He's a preeminent cancer physician and is reportedly the richest person in LA and the richest physician in the world. His studies are controversial but sound. And, if he talks up his projects and stuff, he's no worse than any other CEO trying to make a name for himself and his research. We need to attract more people like this to downtown (or to Arizona for that matter). Guys with brains, with money and with a will to do big brain stuff.

I am curious which lots we're talking about north of Fillmore though.

[poconoboy61]

The crane from Portland Place is really visible from the eastbound 10 just past the Stack. If the apartments are going to be as tall as the crane indicates, the building will at least help to make Phoenix appear more urban to people who are passing through the city.

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by poconoboy61

The crane from Portland Place is really visible from the eastbound 10 just past the Stack. If the apartments are going to be as tall as the crane indicates, the building will at least help to make Phoenix appear more urban to people who are passing through the city.

It definitely helps to fill a big gap in the skyline.

I hope the developer continues to move on to bigger and better projects. This is supposed to be 14 stories, so it'd be awesome if we saw his next project in the 18 story range!

[nickw252]

Here's the crane from Roosevelt and Central/1st.



Union is starting to make progress also. No crane yet though.



The apartments at the 11th St. and Jefferson area are looking good also:

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

It definitely helps to fill a big gap in the skyline.

I hope the developer continues to move on to bigger and better projects. This is supposed to be 14 stories, so it'd be awesome if we saw his next project in the 18 story range!

I don't think anyone has really grasped how big of a complex this is... Its 14 stories tall and wide which I think will make an awesome impact especially along the 10.

For Comparisons I think the biggest Marina Heights building is 14 stories, similar residential complexes in Tempe, 922 place (formerly the Vue) Is 11, Hannover is 6, Roosevelt Point is 5 or 6 The District and the Grove are both 7 or 8 I believe.

This is a pretty huge addition.

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by nickw252

The apartments at the 11th St. and Jefferson area are looking good also:

There's also a similarly sized apartment building at about the same stage of construction at 12th St & Washington. And a zoning hearing sign across the street from that.

There are some good bones along east Washington & Jefferson (light rail station, some nice historic buildings, houses, and churches, and Eastlake Park... good to see the new development.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by PHX31

There's also a similarly sized apartment building at about the same stage of construction at 12th St & Washington. And a zoning hearing sign across the street from that.

I think that's the building in my second picture. My understanding is that they're both being built by the same developer. Isn't one project being called "The Blue" and the other is "The Blue on Washington"?

[poconoboy61]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

It definitely helps to fill a big gap in the skyline.

I hope the developer continues to move on to bigger and better projects. This is supposed to be 14 stories, so it'd be awesome if we saw his next project in the 18 story range!

18 stories would be nice!

Originally Posted by nickw252

Here's the crane from Roosevelt and Central/1st.



Union is starting to make progress also. No crane yet though.



The apartments at the 11th St. and Jefferson area are looking good also:

The apartments on Central and Highland are also coming along very well too.

[TakeFive]

nickw252... The Blue looking cool


Condos?
You want condos?
How 'bout a hundred condo towers?

March 24, 2015 By Peter Zalewski
"100 new condo towers now under construction..."

[biggus diggus]

There are actually two parcels with Zoning Hearing signs in front of them at 12th and Jefferson, both on opposite corners. I feel like it's going to get pretty dense around there in a fairly short period of time.

[biggus diggus]

Originally Posted by nickw252

I think that's the building in my second picture. My understanding is that they're both being built by the same developer. Isn't one project being called "The Blue" and the other is "The Blue on Washington"?

They are called 11 Capital Place and 12 Capital Place

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by biggus diggus

There are actually two parcels with Zoning Hearing signs in front of them at 12th and Jefferson, both on opposite corners. I feel like it's going to get pretty dense around there in a fairly short period of time.

I would love to see downtown become a sea of 5-20 story buildings. That would create an awesomely dense and walkable city. Like D.C Vancouver or any number of European cities.

I would prefer that to a couple of huge office towers. Height in the Skyline is overrated.

Ill tell you there are plenty of spots in Hong Kong and Beijing that look cool from far away but feel oppressively dystopian at ground level.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by poconoboy61

It would be nice to see some mid-rise development outside of the traditional areas. Not everyone in metro Phoenix wants to live or can afford to live downtown, midtown, in the Biltmore area, Scottsdale, or Tempe.

Who knows? Add some transit connecting these hubs and I will truly feel like metro Phoenix is starting to take shape as a large metro area.

It can happen...

There's a neighborhood east of downtown Denver called Five Points, an historical black residential area with a history of Jazz artists from way-back-when that the city has made various efforts for decades to revitalize. The very first 5-mile "demonstrator" light rail line went to Five Points 20 years ago. Part of the impediment was there were a number of "transitional housing" units and homeless services on this edge of downtown. In 2010 the city made the Welton Street corridor an urban renewal district. FINALLY in the last 12/18 months the street has exploded; there's now 18/20 different projects either planned or under construction from adaptive renovation to new 8-story apartments.

Also amazing changes in an area that would be comparable to Monte Vista Rd to the ten. Some blocks of neat older housing stock but many blocks of total crap as well. There has been new construction from townhomes to 300+ apartments units.

When things get cranked up there's no reason that the Warehouse District and parts of South Phoenix won't join in the fun. Also consider that there are many blocks in Maryvale that are already (mostly) owned by one investor. It wouldn't take that much of a push once urban development really takes off in downtown.

Interesting Urban Story
As part of a five year project to revise the whole city's zoning code a Latin neighborhood south of downtown was downzoned and given an historical designation to preserve the history and character.

Where HUD projects existed the Denver Housing Authority with the help of HOPE VI funds set out to redevelop that part. The First Phase was 10-story senior housing. The residents were very involved in an extensive planning process. A lot of nifty features were incorporated. They also wanted some color and artistic pieces. Not so unusual in the desert but more interesting to Denver. Examples HERE, HERE, an interior shot, a streetscape and the POOL. Everything is being built to sustainable standards.

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by nickw252

I think that's the building in my second picture. My understanding is that they're both being built by the same developer. Isn't one project being called "The Blue" and the other is "The Blue on Washington"?

Ah, gotcha. They look pretty similar to each other so I didn't know you had pics of both of them. I'm not sure of their names. I do think they are great for the area.

[biggus diggus]

Originally Posted by PHX31

Ah, gotcha. They look pretty similar to each other so I didn't know you had pics of both of them. I'm not sure of their names. I do think they are great for the area.

They are called 11 capital place and 12 capital place

[cwhite]

Another view of the Portland on the Park crane - it looks particularly massive compared to the other cranes that are up. Makes me wonder just how much of my view this building is going to block - not that I'm complaining!

[soleri]

Originally Posted by Obadno

I would love to see downtown become a sea of 5-20 story buildings. That would create an awesomely dense and walkable city. Like D.C Vancouver or any number of European cities.

I would prefer that to a couple of huge office towers. Height in the Skyline is overrated.

Ill tell you there are plenty of spots in Hong Kong and Beijing that look cool from far away but feel oppressively dystopian at ground level.

I was in Beijing last week and dystopian doesn't begin to describe it. I've ragged on Phoenix for so long that it was nice surprise to discover a city that makes Phoenix look wonderful. Beijing has significant historical and economic assets, but the felt experience is very dreary - thousand upon thousands of new 35-story condo towers sitting empty. Cranes everywhere but not moving over their stalled projects. Horrendous traffic snarls. Countless apartment buildings from the 1980s and 90s that look worse than anything you see in American public housing projects. Pollution at levels that would be a scandal in any 1st-world nation.

China is trying to leapfrog into the 21st century any way it can. Phoenix, for all its troubles, is relatively stress-free and clean. This points out why zoning, environmental regulations, and planning are important. I've seen the face of anarcho-capitalism in a nominally communist country. It doesn't work.

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by phoenixwillrise

Totally disagree. It's college buildings downtown I really don't care if it's insular it's there and it's alive and it brings students downtown. It is achieving it's goal. One of the main goals right now for downtown Phoenix is to get bodies down there working, studying, living, eating, attending performing arts, sporting events, conventions, seminars, governing etc. The sleeping giant needs to wake up first. As long as the architecture is decent I don't really give a rip about every single last building being insular at this point. Similar to that guy who always rants about parking garages. It's Phoenix it's 120% in the shade cars still dominate and because of that stinking heat so what is so bad about parking near what you plan on walking to?
Hell Seattle is an incredible live downtown and there are parking garages everywhere.

Why does it always have to be either/or in Phoenix? Achieving good design or achieving the goal of added students and life to the street?

ASU's insular design is, by definition, NOT accomplishing its intended purpose which was to integrate itself into the downtown community. There is absolutely no benefit to downtown if the influx of teachers and students brought to the new classrooms are able to park beneath their building and eat lunch in an enclosed cafeteria. Without proper design, who cares how many bodies are down there if the built environment continues to fail at producing walkable, community-focused, urban environments? ASU has had a huge impact on downtown, but it also has created a rather large gap in the center of downtown that is entirely disconnected from its surroundings.

[PHXFlyer11]

Well, that was quick.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/b...l-project.html

Glad that somebody called out the walkability concern. A little disappointed that buildings will be developed "as high as 9 stories."

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by Obadno

I would love to see downtown become a sea of 5-20 story buildings. That would create an awesomely dense and walkable city. Like D.C Vancouver or any number of European cities.

I would prefer that to a couple of huge office towers. Height in the Skyline is overrated.

Ill tell you there are plenty of spots in Hong Kong and Beijing that look cool from far away but feel oppressively dystopian at ground level.

I totally agree, but just want to say that high development doesn't preclude good design, nor do midrises guarantee an engaged ground level. I think the buildings going up east of 7th Street are great additions to that part of town. However, in the downtown core, height is fairly important because if Phoenix ever wants to achieve the critical mass needed for grocery stores, retail, etc. it needs the density of taller projects. It's essentially starting from scratch due to the destroyed neighborhoods that surround it.