Quote:
Originally Posted by Leo the Dog
Agreed. This is exactly what I was saying a couple weeks ago. We're wasting our "good" years hoping that Phx will somehow magically transform into one of those other cities that we envy on SSP. Perhaps one day, Phx will be world class, but we'll all be old-timers by the time that happens.
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Having been interested in Phoenix Development for over 50 years all I can say is hang in there. I have seen the good and the bad and the ever so slow.
The things that I see as having had a severe deterimental affect on Phoenix develpoment during those years are as follows:
1. The city allowing high rises to be built down midtown Central Ave. In particular the Del Webb Complex that sits between Osborn and Indian School,
on the west side of Central. Worthy of note the picture, Vice Lord, shows of the building that from the backside looks like an old IBM COMPUTER CARD,
was originally suppose to be a three building complex with a much higher high rise in the middle of two building the size of that existing building.
2. The voters rejection in the 70'sof a "Bart" Type Transit System that could have been built to bring people downtown rapidly from all points of the metro area.
3. The stall and delaying of freeway construction which would have, yes, maybe increased sprawl, but at the same time made it easier to get to the heart of the city. Most people back then, including writers for the AZRepublic
saw freeways as all having to be like the original ugly Black Canyon Freeway,
with ugly cement walls and no landscaping, vs a beuutiful landscaped freeway
like most of the ones we have now. They feared Phoenix becoming an L.A.
yet had no alternative solutions for sprawl and traffic, their myopic solution, was don't build freeways. Tucson is repeating that same mistake.
4.Lack of City incentives for hospitals, businesses, and shopping to be built in the cities core.
5. In most recent time, not having the Cardinals and Coyotes build their facilities in downtown Phoenix, which with the Light Rail and Convention Center would have give the city some incredible momemtum to accelerate the buildiing of a city with a much larger core.
6. The city of Phoenix needs a more proactive mayor, (yes he has done some good things), to convice people who are building projects to build them downtown, examples of this are the Apollo Groups Headquarters of the I-17 in South Phoenix. Why not get them to bring those buildings downtown?
Another example is the new Instrument Museum out on Tatum and 101. Why not pitch the guy who built that to create some synergy, by building downtown, or at least near the Phoenix Art Museum and Heard Museum.
My frustration on these types of things eventually played a factor in my moving to San Diego, but I have always come back to Phoenix often as I have family here plus I was in the electrical sign business and did signs in the Phoenix area, mostly in malls but also some high rises. I have sold my half of my business and spend more time now in Phoenix as I bought a condo near the Light Rail. I have always been a big ASU and Suns fan which is another reason I live with in walking of LRT.
In closing it's my opinion that as we come out of this recession Phoenix needs
to attract business etc, downtown and also find ways to get infill projects built, mix use, townhomes, and condos, some of those very high end,near it's core to really become a vibrant city over time.
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