Tempe Development Thread

[Mr.RE]

Novus Apartments


777 Novus - Hardscape and landscaping going in.. looks awesome.


ITSB-7


Novus Garage - one floor to go



Hyatt House - love the blue panels, looks so sharp!



Atmosphere apartments - Canyon forming


Oliv - the exterior red in the renderings looked more pronounced, this is more of a terracotta color.


Westin


Hilo - just a storage yard for westin now but this thing will be tight up against westin when it gets going.


All downtown projects


Mirabella - looking sharp and exterior so close to wrapping up.


Apollo




Park Place



The Pier - no photo update but their cousins are out there with a concrete truck-crane going ham on those columns!!

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by Mr.RE

The Pier - no photo update but their cousins are out there with a concrete truck-crane going ham on those columns!!

When I drove by on the 202 yesterday, the columns for Pier were sticking above ground by a couple of floors. They must have their 2nd cousins working too!

[muertecaza]

Unsurprisingly, the US Supreme Court denied review on the Sussex/Squatter case.

https://arizonaslaw.blogspot.com/202...s-door-on.html

[CB1]

Thanks for the pics. What a difference a month makes. Everything is getting built so fast.

[Mr.RE]

https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/...BRPT0ifQ%3D%3D

Development is ramping up on the south bank of Tempe Town Lake east of Arizona State University, as a mixed-use project called Pier 202 begins early construction work and a nearby build-to-suit office development is marketed to potential office users.

The Pier 202 development includes 587 apartment units, 22 retail suites and a restaurant on the first floor. Developer Rob Fransway of Springbrook SGC chose City Electric Supply Chandler to supply electric parts for the development, which will include two towers connected by a sky bridge.

“Beneath the apartments will be several shops and a restaurant accessible on the ground level. It will also add more luxury living spaces for a growing city,” said Scotty Evans, outside sales rep for City Electric Supply, in a statement. “This will just bring even more people to the area. In a couple years, when Pier 202 is finally wrapped up, it’s going to be a really great development for Tempe.”

City Electric Supply has begun sourcing electrical parts for the development and will continue working on the project for the next two years, a company representative said.

“Right now, we’re still putting together a lot of the quotes and proposals,” Evans said in a statement. “But we’re making some headway.”

Nearby the master planned development, to the west of the Pier 202 development, KDC and the Weitz Co. plan to construct a 400,000-square-foot build-to-suit office project.

Peter Yates, vice president of development for KDC, told the Business Journal that brokers from Cushman & Wakefield are marketing the site for a Class A build-to-suit office, ideally for one large tenant.

“We are really excited about the site,” Yates said. “We expect corporate activity to pick up when we unpause from Covid. We expect user activity to remain strong.”

Yates said the property owner is still deciding the best use for the land but actively marketing for office.

“We’ve had strong activity from several large users in the marketplace,” Yates said. “We are very bullish on the site, it has great access and traffic patterns being on the east side of Rural Road and the visibility on the water is incredible.”




So it looks like the Pier is moving full steam ahead and the KDC office wont begin until they sign up a large single tenant so probably wont see this one move for a couple years.. fingers crossed still.

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by Mr.RE

So it looks like the Pier is moving full steam ahead and the KDC office wont begin until they sign up a large single tenant so probably wont see this one move for a couple years.. fingers crossed still.

Sounds like a total fluff piece to me. Hilarious that they are saying construction is underway. It's been "underway" for over 2 years. And now it sounds like they're saying at least two more years to finish. Unbelievable. Not sure how they can survive at that pace. Have to be hemorrhaging money.

The electrical supply company is "responding to some quotes." LOL Makes it seem even more pathetic!

And the part about the other commercial tower is exciting, but highly unlikely in this environment. I would love to be proven wrong though.

[xymox]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

Sounds like a total fluff piece to me. Hilarious that they are saying construction is underway. It's been "underway" for over 2 years. And now it sounds like they're saying at least two more years to finish. Unbelievable. Not sure how they can survive at that pace. Have to be hemorrhaging money.

The electrical supply company is "responding to some quotes." LOL Makes it seem even more pathetic!

And the part about the other commercial tower is exciting, but highly unlikely in this environment. I would love to be proven wrong though.

I think we’ll be pleasantly surprised - a lot of organizations in Tempe are needing MORE space due to COVID. Office space taken up by one such org that is spread out amongst 5 different buildings in Tempe/Scottsdale, no longer has enough given the new spacing requirements. 3ft wide desks need to be 6ft or larger - nearly doubling the necessary space. Open floorspace layouts are being heavily reconsidered. (Welcome back cubes) If anything I would think this pushes demand up as organizations will eventually call everyone ‘home’ once its safe to do so. There are too many in upper mgmt that still believe that office workers (IT included...) are only effective when they are all working in the same physical space.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by xymox

I think we’ll be pleasantly surprised - a lot of organizations in Tempe are needing MORE space due to COVID. Office space taken up by one such org that is spread out amongst 5 different buildings in Tempe/Scottsdale, no longer has enough given the new spacing requirements. 3ft wide desks need to be 6ft or larger - nearly doubling the necessary space. Open floorspace layouts are being heavily reconsidered. (Welcome back cubes) If anything I would think this pushes demand up as organizations will eventually call everyone ‘home’ once its safe to do so. There are too many in upper mgmt that still believe that office workers (IT included...) are only effective when they are all working in the same physical space.

The “space requirements” is going to be short lived. Even if we “social distance” for two years that’s a flash in the pan and I doubt it will last much beyond the fall.

The larger trend will be work from home which will reduce office needs by 1/3 overall and for some industries by a massive amount.

Long term I think you’ll see less office space needed for companies as they allow
More remote work. This is something that I think would have happened anyway over the next couple decades but Covid expedited the process

[Spitfiredude]

^ Agreed. The demand for office space will diminish. It's going to effect a lot of downtowns & urban centers in the long term. Employers now realize why pay for rent, electricity, etc, when the workers can just do their work from home.

[combusean]

The only thing it proves is that we can work from home but that doesn’t necessarily mean we will. I do hope the open office trend is finally killed off however. So tired of sick buildings.

[Phxguy]

I wonder if more mixed-used towers will become the norm in the future if office space is anticipated to downsize. Maybe a few floors can be converted to residential units and towers can operate with separate elevators/lobbies for offices/residents.

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by Spitfiredude

^ Agreed. The demand for office space will diminish. It's going to effect a lot of downtowns & urban centers in the long term. Employers now realize why pay for rent, electricity, etc, when the workers can just do their work from home.

^^^This.

I can already confirm that many (and I do mean MANY) DES positions have already been converted to permanent teleworker status since the state has finally realized they can save money by not leasing space (why have office workers when they just sit in front of a computer all day answering phones)?

Expect many DES office locations to close and consolidate. I expect many private businesses to do the same. I myself have been telecommuting every 3rd week on a rotating schedule. This is a permanent change for us.

[combusean]

Originally Posted by CrestedSaguaro

^^^This.

I can already confirm that many (and I do mean MANY) DES positions have already been converted to permanent teleworker status since the state has finally realized they can save money by not leasing space (why have office workers when they just sit in front of a computer all day answering phones)?

Expect many DES office locations to close and consolidate. I expect many private businesses to do the same. I myself have been telecommuting every 3rd week on a rotating schedule. This is a permanent change for us.

I would expect low-end call center workers to convert to teleworking--that was the trend before. Creative and professional types are still going to have to come back in.

Now that you mention this, the low-end class B office space and backoffice crap that Phoenix is traditionally famous for is going to take a big hit.

[xymox]

Originally Posted by CrestedSaguaro

^^^This.

I can already confirm that many (and I do mean MANY) DES positions have already been converted to permanent teleworker status since the state has finally realized they can save money by not leasing space (why have office workers when they just sit in front of a computer all day answering phones)?

Expect many DES office locations to close and consolidate. I expect many private businesses to do the same. I myself have been telecommuting every 3rd week on a rotating schedule. This is a permanent change for us.

And this will all change back to being in office 100% once the vaccine is out (if ever) and people start making claims for injuries due to not having adequate office equipment (chairs/desks, etc) at home. People can only cram up on their couch or kitchen table so long before the lack of ergonomics of the situation starts impacting their health. Not many people invest in the proper home office equipment to work at home and be healthy. It’s expensive ($800 or more for a decent chair). Plus IT now has to worry about your home network being a vector for malware/viruses, etc.

They say ‘permanent’ now because they don’t know how long it will be temporary and don’t want to have to re-message every 2 weeks that its been extended another two weeks. Trust me - a LOT of people will be coming back ‘home’ to the office when its ‘safe’.

[combusean]

Originally Posted by xymox

And this will all change back to being in office 100% once the vaccine is out (if ever) and people start making claims for injuries due to not having adequate office equipment (chairs/desks, etc) at home. People can only cram up on their couch or kitchen table so long before the lack of ergonomics of the situation starts impacting their health. Not many people invest in the proper home office equipment to work at home and be healthy. It’s expensive ($800 or more for a decent chair). Plus IT now has to worry about your home network being a vector for malware/viruses, etc.

They say ‘permanent’ now because they don’t know how long it will be temporary and don’t want to have to re-message every 2 weeks that its been extended another two weeks. Trust me - a LOT of people will be coming back ‘home’ to the office when its ‘safe’.

My "seat" includes the kit and caboodle of two monitors, a keyboard, laptop, docking station all in one, some of which they shipped to my house and I'll be responsible for bringing it all back in. I sold my desk when I moved and I don't have a big enough one and don't intend on buying one. So the monitors are in boxes and I'm trapped on a tiny ass screen.

And literally nobody is 100% productive with all the distractions like pets, kids, coworkers being non-responsive on IM, that sort of thing.

[ASU Diablo]

My two cents on this as I have been working from home for over 3 years now. I love it and can't see myself coming into the office on a permanent basis. For deep-dive and working sessions, yes in-person meetings work best and love the flexibility of just having to come into those face-to-face meetings on an ad-hoc basis. Perhaps the telecommute model is something new that's trickling down to industries that are not Technology/FI (my expertise), but this has been going on for years at companies like AMEX, Wells Fargo, PayPal, Schwab, and USAA. And no these are not your "back office jobs". These are professional roles in Technology, Audit, Risk and Compliance, Cyber and DevOps/Engineering where more and more jobs are becoming virtual. One thing I have noticed (anecdotal observation of course) is that it's usually the older crowd that dislikes working from home. As the technical and engineering workforce gets younger and younger and in order to attract this top talent, our company has had to offer telecommuting jobs (even if they were local). Sorry old-timers, this is not a blip and more companies will move to telecommuting

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by combusean

And literally nobody is 100% productive with all the distractions like pets, kids, coworkers being non-responsive on IM, that sort of thing.

Nobody is 100% productive in an office either.

[xymox]

Originally Posted by ASU Diablo

My two cents on this as I have been working from home for over 3 years now. I love it and can't see myself coming into the office on a permanent basis. For deep-dive and working sessions, yes in-person meetings work best and love the flexibility of just having to come into those face-to-face meetings on an ad-hoc basis. Perhaps the telecommute model is something new that's trickling down to industries that are not Technology/FI (my expertise), but this has been going on for years at companies like AMEX, Wells Fargo, PayPal, Schwab, and USAA. And no these are not your "back office jobs". These are professional roles in Technology, Audit, Risk and Compliance, Cyber and DevOps/Engineering where more and more jobs are becoming virtual. One thing I have noticed (anecdotal observation of course) is that it's usually the older crowd that dislikes working from home. As the technical and engineering workforce gets younger and younger and in order to attract this top talent, our company has had to offer telecommuting jobs (even if they were local). Sorry old-timers, this is not a blip and more companies will move to telecommuting

I’ve been a remote worker for 7 years now - even though I work for a company based in Tempe. I’ve lead remote Tech teams - people scattered across all time zones in the US and across the globe. It takes a while to adjust - and its an investment in the right gear to get everything right. You need to learn new skills such as how to properly get other people’s attention when you can’t otherwise go hover in their cube/desk. I personally have no issue with it - and certainly a lot of people are skilled enough to do this. However my experience with it and managing remotes teams like this is that the YOUNGER kids coming in fresh from school need an office on site experience to bootstrap them. Otherwise, they just stop working when they get stuck and don’t know how to advocate for themselves or how to reach out to a leader to help them get unstuck. And distractions are a strong force here too - if you can’t learn to shut them out, then you’re coasting along until someone realizes nothing is happening. I’ve watched a LOT of people all ages take advantage of this.

Working remote is NOT for everyone. Age has little to do with it. It’s about personal work ethic mostly - which is sorely lacking in a lot of spots. And quite frankly - the people who are wanting most to get back to the office are my younger co-workers in Berkeley. Some people just enjoy the socialization aspect (or want out of their tiny apartment in Oakland).

[combusean]

This is me in San Jose. I hate my apartment and am usually in the lounge if I'm WFH where I used to have a routine like going downstairs to get coffee, getting dressed, getting stuff done in the lounge, getting lunch, getting outside, etc. The pandemic has shut most of this down and sometimes I'm waking up at one of the early calls that I have to sit in on for some reason because my sleep has turned to shit. I am wanting to get back to the office even though I saving massive amounts of money otherwise.

[fawd]

Originally Posted by combusean

Creative and professional types are still going to have to come back in.

You sure about that?



I own a creative agency that specializes in REALLY, REALLY high-end production - we exclusively employ the 'creative and professional' types you're referring to.

Our agency went 100% remote years ago. And once we really figured out the back-end workflow and file management processes (which was complicated at first, project files are often multiple terebytes) - it was the best decision we have ever made. Our team is pushing out the best content we've ever created, and we're no longer limited to hiring 'locally'. We're able to employ the best talent anywhere in the country.


Believe it or not, the WFH arrangement was actually one of our unique selling points when attracting talent. But probably isn't anymore