Phoenix Development News (3)

[locolife]

Snagged a few recent shots of downtown, not the greatest quality on the cell phone but figured I'd share.

[Obadno]

Nice! You are really starting to see the density gains from the many new 5-20 story apartments that have gone up.

I know they aren't the most exciting buildings but they are filling in the downtown making it look much meatier than it did a decade ago:

[locolife]

[QUOTE=Obadno;9739866]Nice! You are really starting to see the density gains from the many new 5-20 story apartments that have gone up.

I know they aren't the most exciting buildings but they are filling in the downtown making it look much meatier than it did a decade ago:

Wow, the difference is huge, when was that second photo taken? Any idea on the year?

[jvbahn]

The Freeport McMoran building is under construction in the photo, so probably 2008.

[combusean]

You can go on Google Streetview on one of the I-10/202 flyovers and see that the downtown skyline has doubled in bulk since 2008ish. The difference is pretty striking.

[CrestedSaguaro]

12 News series titled Boomtown regarding Phoenix and surrounding Metro growth over the next 20 years. This is supposedly a series that should be airing daily all week. Hoping we will get some updates on upcoming developments in Downtown and around other areas.

https://www.12news.com/article/money...9-061ec7f58261

[MiEncanto]

I'm curious to see what planned projects continue to move forward. Any project that doesn't have their debt secured already has a huge problem: construction costs are still very high but their interest rates just skyrocketed so their debt cost is now an issue. On top of that, the lenders are going to be more cautious given the recessionary headwinds we're facing. Also, pension funds have been a huge consumer of new or sorta new towers, competing in the REIT space in order to diversify their portfolios. Most pension funds did terrible last year and are looking to have another bad year, so investors and developers won't be able to plan on having that market to sell to. I hope I'm wrong.

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by Obadno

I know I have asked before but can somebody explain why the hell the entire southeast corner of the inner loop of downtown is owned by Sky Harbor for land banking?

Why?

https://goo.gl/maps/YpXfpt2MDFeQm8aB8

All those pink lots are owned by the city (sky harbor)

Ask and 'ye shall receive...

Efforts underway to identify strategy to revitalize area. PDF link below has all the City documents plus some renderings as well.

https://www.abc15.com/news/hispanic-...hoenix-airport

PDF Link: https://www.skyharbor.com/docs/defau...t_feb-2020.pdf

[PHX31]

Does anyone have an azcentral subscription and can post what is said in the new article about the Duke's building on the SWC of 7th Ave & Thomas?

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by PHX31

Does anyone have an azcentral subscription and can post what is said in the new article about the Duke's building on the SWC of 7th Ave & Thomas?

They scrapped the Raising Cane's and it will be be saved and become a mixed-use marketplace

This is what's next for the beloved Duke Photography building. Hint: not Raising Cane's

Sofia Krusmark
Arizona Republic

The beloved Duke Photography building in Phoenix will no longer become a Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers restaurant.

The Duke family sold the building, which dates to 1947 and is near the southwest corner of Seventh Avenue and Thomas Road, for $2 million to local investor and developer Aaron Klusman, it was reported in January 2021.

Klusman's original plan was to replace the Duke's building with Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, a fast-food restaurant.

Those plans have changed.

The building will not be torn down. Instead, it's slated to be transformed into a neighborhood market and gathering spot, said Troy Vincent, the lead architect of the project and a partner at 180 Degrees Design + Build in Phoenix.

Here's the latest on the future of the Duke Photography building.

The original Raising Cane's plan
The original plan was to replace The Duke Photography building with a Raising Cane's restaurant, which would have been a tenant of Klusman's.

Raising Cane's is based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has locations nationwide including more than a dozen in metro Phoenix.

According to the restaurant's original permit request, the plan was to demolish the building before selling the land to Raising Cane's. The company chose the Duke Photography property for its proximity to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center and Phoenix College.


Why Raising Cane's won't replace Duke Photography
News of the plan circulated, triggering concerns in the community. The Encanto-Palmcroft, F.Q. Story and Willo historic neighborhood associations opposed the restaurant due to traffic concerns.

Vincent told The Republic that Klusman's primary reason for the change in plans was the neighbors' opposition.

“He did the right thing. He stopped and he listened,” Vincent said. “He said, ‘Let’s look at what we can do with the Duke.’"

The Republic has reached out to Klusman for comment.

Here's what will happen to the Duke Photography building and sign
The Dukes established their photography business in 1950, taking family portraits, senior photos and recording other milestones. The business moved to 5210 N. Central Ave. in 2021.

Now, the iconic Duke Photography sign will remain and plans call for the building to be adapted into a mixed-use space called The Duke Its marketplace and grocery store will blend with the neighborhood and allow easy pedestrian access.


“We know the iconic nature of what the building is," Vincent said. "The architecture, quite honestly, is nothing to tout. It’s not the building itself, it’s the place. What we started to look at is, 'how we can capture the place?'"

"We began to see through the needs of the neighborhood, the needs of retail and the history. We really focused on preserving that. We want to create a place that is accessible by the community. A lot of it by foot, a lot of it by a relaxed, connected feel,” Vincent said.

Plans for The Duke call for a lounge area, cafe and market selling deli sandwiches and pizza.

Other proposed changes include bike racks shaped like the Duke logo, that logo painted on the building and three large canopies extending from the building to create a market feel.

Completion is forecast for the third or fourth quarter of 2023.

The vision behind The Duke
The architecture firm in charge of the project, 180 Degrees Design + Build, has done several projects in Phoenix, including the Provision Coffee and The Original ChopShop complex at 32nd Street and Campbell Avenue and the Hazel Hare Center for Plant Science at the Desert Botanical Garden.

One of the architects who will work on The Duke talked about the vision for the project.

“It will be focused on the livelihood of the neighborhood,” said Guillaume Evain, a 180 Degrees architect and lead designer of the project.

“From the 1950s when this building was built, it was designed to be a food market with neighborhood retails, a drugstore and a shoe store. We want to bring back its original intent. It was built for a community.”

“If this can be an example for other developers to create spaces that are more approachable and have better outdoor use," Evain said. "that would be a huge, huge win for us too.”


Source: azcentral.com https://www.azcentral.com/story/ente...x/10442445002/
Reach the reporter at sofia.krusmark@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram @sofia.krusmark.

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by CrestedSaguaro

They scrapped the Raising Cane's and it will be be saved and become a mixed-use marketplace

Thanks for posting.

That's better than a Raising Cane's. We'll see if it can be successful.

More images: https://www.180degreesinc.com/duke

[combusean]

Not crazy about the Duke building or preserving any old thing, but this looks like it's going to be an asset for the neighborhood instead of a detriment which is always nice.

[locolife]

Downtown this weekend; the Roosevelt area is jam packed now with a lot more residents coming in soon.

[exit2lef]

^Was that photo taken from the rooftop bar at the Cambria?

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

^Was that photo taken from the rooftop bar at the Cambria?

Yes its a great view, wish they would do more with the bar and service up there but its fine for a drink or two to watch the sunse.t

[MiEncanto]

Originally Posted by combusean

Not crazy about the Duke building or preserving any old thing, but this looks like it's going to be an asset for the neighborhood instead of a detriment which is always nice.

I concur that Cane's would have caused some unpleasant traffic. But I can't help but feel like the historic neighborhoods flexed and won. "serve east of 7th ave... not west of 7th ave." Not that there are zero cheaper food options in the area- there's a KFC right across the street! and plenty of other fast food options. I guess we'll see but I roll my eyes every time a new place opens in central phx that sells expensive hipster food. Sort of a 'let them eat cake' feel.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Obadno

Yes its a great view, wish they would do more with the bar and service up there but its fine for a drink or two to watch the sunse.t

Yeah, they had a live DJ on Saturday night and the bar was packed; the view is great but the drinks are eh, there is stiff competition for quality bars/drinks in downtown and this spot doesn't really hold a candle to places like Rough Rider, Melinda's Alley, Jackalope, Lacuna, Little Rituals, Sazerac.... I went to Farish house recently and they have pretty amazing drinks as well. The downtown restaurant/bar scene is pretty stacked now.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by MiEncanto

I concur that Cane's would have caused some unpleasant traffic. But I can't help but feel like the historic neighborhoods flexed and won. "serve east of 7th ave... not west of 7th ave." Not that there are zero cheaper food options in the area- there's a KFC right across the street! and plenty of other fast food options. I guess we'll see but I roll my eyes every time a new place opens in central phx that sells expensive hipster food. Sort of a 'let them eat cake' feel.

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying that Cane's would have faced less opposition if it had been planned for the east side of the street? Why would that make a difference? I'd expect opposition to intensify closer to Central.

Originally Posted by locolife

Yeah, they had a live DJ on Saturday night and the bar was packed; the view is great but the drinks are eh, there is stiff competition for quality bars/drinks in downtown and this spot doesn't really hold a candle to places like Rough Rider, Melinda's Alley, Jackalope, Lacuna, Little Rituals, Sazerac.... I went to Farish house recently and they have pretty amazing drinks as well. The downtown restaurant/bar scene is pretty stacked now.

My hope is that with Breakfast Bitch moving out, the Cambria can get a better restaurant and serve a susbset of its menu at the rooftop bar. I agree about all the other places being better in terms of food and beverage.

[combusean]

I think they mean closer to 7th St, where neighborhoods aren't as organized against this sort of thing. It's always been a hallmark of NIMBYism to force some other less well-off neighborhood to deal with the perceived downsides of a development as some sort of "compromise," even though this one instance they happen to be right. (tho I think Central Phoenix has had enough suburban gentrification everywhere, not just by Willo/Encanto-Palmcroft.)

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by combusean

I think they mean closer to 7th St, where neighborhoods aren't as organized against this sort of thing. It's always been a hallmark of NIMBYism to force some other less well-off neighborhood to deal with the perceived downsides of a development as some sort of "compromise," even though this one instance they happen to be right. (tho I think Central Phoenix has had enough suburban gentrification everywhere, not just by Willo/Encanto-Palmcroft.)

I think Coronado is getting much more organized and NIMBY. Although I'm disconnected from most of the more recent activities and neighborhood sentiments, I do know some sort of drive-thru coffee joint was being planned on the NWC of 7th St & Palm Lane a couple years ago and a portion of the neighborhood (or maybe it was just the idealistic activists) was in an uproar. Nothing ever was built.