Tempe Development Thread

[Don B.]

^ I assume you are referring to the Tempe Center for the Arts?



--don

[Upward]

That looks horrible! That picture makes it look like it's out in the middle of nowhere.

[oliveurban]

That pictures is also older. Much more has been completed since. Looks a bit better.

[loftlovr]

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/ind...dest=STY-67453

Tempe nears deal on historic mill
By Garin Groff, Tribune
June 10, 2006

Tempe is on the brink of settling a lawsuit with a developer over the Hayden Flour Mill’s development — paving the way for progress after years of delays and fighting over the historic site.


The proposed settlement would end a $42 million suit that MCW Holdings filed against Tempe claiming lost profits. The Tempe-based developer sued in 2004, a year after Tempe bought the property from MCW because it failed to meet a city deadline to begin work.

The deal would essentially bring Tempe and MCW to where they were in 2003, but it offers a new deadline to start work.

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman acknowledged the deal — which the City Council will consider Thursday — doesn’t guarantee progress. But he said the draft settlement offers the best shot since the city launched mill redevelopment efforts in the 1990s.

“We’re as close to actually getting a project built as we’ve ever been,” Hallman said.

MCW will have four months to submit plans, and a year after that to get construction permits. If the developer doesn’t meet the deadline, the city will keep the property.

The settlement also would resolve a dispute the city has with another MCW development, the Orchidhouse at the Brickyard on Mill Avenue.

Key points of the deal include:

• Tempe will sell the site to MCW for $7.4 million but credit the developer $7.1 million for public amenities like parking, a trailhead for Hayden Butte and exhibits of Hohokam artifacts on the site. The city will cap its payment at $7.1 million regardless of cost overruns, which is significant given that costs have risen substantially in recent years.

• Tempe will pay $6 million over 15 years to offset preservation costs for the mill and silos.

• MCW is limited to 469,160 square feet of buildings.

• The project will include housing, offices, retail space and the potential for a hotel.

• MCW will drop its suit against the city, which will drop counterclaims against the developer.

• MCW will pay about $662,000 plus interest for city office improvements at the Orchidhouse.

The mill redevelopment would turn a barren part of downtown into a useful area and link the historic downtown to Town Lake.

Business owners, history buffs and downtown visitors also are eager to see the deteriorating mill restored. The mill was the first business in what became Tempe and was once one of the most significant enterprises in the area. An adobe mill was built in 1874 and later destroyed in a fire. The current mill dates to 1918, while the taller silos are 50 years old.

An MCW official did not return a call for comment Friday.


_________________________________________________________________
And a little article on most of your guys' favorite city Mesa!!

http://www.azcentral.com/community/m...ng0610Z11.html

[oliveurban]

McDuffy's may close if sale to condo developer completed
Katie Nelson
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 13, 2006

McDuffy's Sports Bar and Restaurant may soon disappear, and if it goes, it would take with it one of Tempe's claims to fame: The bar was named as one of the top five sports bars in the country by Sports Illustrated in 2005.

Owner Roger Egan confirmed Monday that he is in talks with Avenue Communities to sell the downtown Tempe property.

For locals, it would mean no more being surrounded by dozens of TVs tuned to different sports events.

And transplants would lose a favorite watering hole for watching their favorite Midwest or East Coast professional and collegiate teams.

Avenue Communities is the developer responsible for Centerpoint Condominiums, a four-tower, 30-story complex being built across the street.

Both the developer and Egan declined to comment about the potential deal until it is complete, but Egan said it could be finalized by July.

[oliveurban]

Tempe condo projects soaring
Katie Nelson and Jahna Berry
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 14, 2006

The 43 building projects under way in Tempe outnumber the city's 40 square miles.

It's a building boom coming primarily in the shape of condominiums, but places to employ, entertain and feed all the expected new residents are coming, too.

"There are a huge, huge number out there of people who want to live downtown Tempe, who don't have any really nice options," said Tom Tokoph, a broker who operates out of arguably Tempe's first upscale loft, Orchidhouse. "There's so few units, combined with the fact that people aren't willing to leave because, where are they going to that's as cool as this? There's no doubt this area is hot."

The Valley's overall condo market, however, is cooling.

Valley-wide, developers may be overly optimistic about how many people want to live in new high-rise and loft condos. More than 8,000 condo units are planned or under construction. Market watchers say less than a quarter of all the planned projects will actually go up and sell out anytime soon.

Like home prices, prices for new condos are starting to flatten or even dip in some areas of the Valley. Yet Tempe's condo market seems to be trying to buck the trend. The area expected to fare slightly better than other areas, including midtown Phoenix, because it has the student population and other amenities like retail and entertainment to draw buyers.

"It's our lack of supply that creates the demand that other areas don't have," Tokoph said. "You can argue five years from now, when all these buildings are in, there will be a glut."

Reaching for sky

Developers filed paperwork last week with the city for yet another high-rise condo complex for downtown Tempe. It marks the fourth project intended to reach higher than 18 stories.

The series of high-rises sprouting within Tempe's core, plus the dozens of other towers being built around Tempe Town Lake and the downtown, point to a concentrated condo craze.

Constellation Property Group is an Australian-based company that submitted building proposals for 322 E. Sixth St. Right now, the lot contains only a single-story tan warehouse-style building known as the Armory.

Plans show Constellation intends to build 17- and 20-story condo towers at College Avenue and Veterans Way. The 364-unit complex would be at the foot of Tempe Butte and be nearly as high as nearby Sun Devil Stadium.

The project likely would include commercial and retail space, plus four floors of underground parking with room for 750 vehicles, according to the proposals. Each building would get its own amenities such as swimming pools, saunas and cabanas.

"We see there are design-led people who appreciate good architecture there," said Lana Wood, a spokeswoman for Constellation. "What we're bringing will be unlike anything else in the area."

While the project may be unlike anything now in the city, there are no fewer than eight large-scale condo complexes in the works in Tempe's core. And there are dozens of others, one as large as 742 units, popping up around the outskirts of downtown and on the shores of Tempe Town Lake.

Urban experience

Many of the planned complexes in Tempe are going after the same crowd: those seeking urban surroundings. And most all the sites are within walking distance from light-rail stations, Mill Avenue and Tempe Town Lake.

Some question whether the market can really sustain all this new growth. Those doubts have growing validity as new condo complexes such as the Vale on University Drive have units still empty.

At the same time, building heights concern many others.

"On the one hand, I have always felt that for our downtown businesses to be successful as they need to be, . . . residential is a key component," Councilwoman Pam Goronkin said.

"On the other hand, height is a concern. It has been for a long time for a number of reasons, not the least of which are sightlines to the amenities which we have like 'A' Mountain (Tempe Butte), in addition to the fact we have to balance our height so it is not all focused in one place."

The Constellation group, though, said its project will stand out.

"We want something lush and green," Wood said. "That acts as a juxtaposition with the nearby rock formation."

The project's backers include veterans in urban development. The College Avenue Advisors business partnership originally purchased the site. That group includes lawyer Grady Gammage Jr.

College Avenue Advisors in turn paired with Constellation, which is affiliated with Australian architect Eugene Marchese. Both Constellation and Marchese are behind dozens of condensed living projects in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, and in Las Vegas, San Diego and Austin, Texas.

Marchese and Constellation also have expressed interest in redeveloping Tempe's historical Hayden Flour Mill.

Stores to follow crowd

Support services for all the planned residents are being built, too. Construction on the Tempe Marketplace shopping center at the intersection of Loops 202 and 101 is under way, and retailers are coming to south Tempe, spurred by the popularity of Ikea.

Even hotels are coming at a rapid rate: several existing businesses, such as Tempe Mission Palms and the Fiesta Inn Resort, have plans to expand, and two hotels are proposed for Tempe Town Lake's shores.

Suncor Development Co. plans to add a 14-story hotel-condo project with 183 guest rooms, 40 condos and a restaurant to the cluster of blue buildings the developer is already erecting next to the lake.

While the developer has worked hard to keep the details under wraps, a few tidbits about Suncor's hotel project emerged when the Redevelopment Review Commission held a brief public hearing on the proposed project last week.

The hotel would sit just south of Suncor's recently completed Edgewater condo tower, according to the plan. And it is expected to be 167 feet tall, with basement parking, ground-floor lobby and restaurant and hotel guest rooms on eight floors and condominiums on five floors.

Suncor has been reluctant to say much about the project because many would-be developers make announcements that never come to fruition, said Randy Levin, vice president of design and urban infill development at Suncor.

If the hotel project takes off, it would become part of a flurry of construction at the 17-acre Hayden Ferry Lakeside complex near Mill Avenue and Rio Salado Parkway. Construction crews are building a 12-story office tower, a parking garage for 2,460 cars and a 12-story condo tower called Bridgeview.

[Azndragon837]

^This article hits dead-on about the many proposals for condominiums, townhomes, apartments and mid-to-highrise buildings going up in Tempe.

Every week, I see proposal after proposal of residential and commercial projects...mostly new. It makes me happy that the place I work at is the epicenter of the condominium and high-rise building boom. Some projects are small, some medium sized, and a few are massive, such as the Armory, the Hayden Ferry Lakeside Hotel, and the University Square Project.

-Andrew

[Azndragon837]

Beginning this month, all project submittals going to the City of Tempe will be forwarded to a brand new board, called the Development Review Commission (DRC). This commission combines the Design Review Board, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Redevelopment Review Commission into one lovely commission.

Yes, some meetings will be longer since a higher number of items and cases will be heard, but this gives the Planning Department a more streamlined process to go through all the cases. The DRC Meetings will be held twice a month at 7pm in the City Council Chambers in Tempe. Any vote on a case by the DRC will be forwarded to the City Council for final approval.

From the Tempe Website:

http://www.tempe.gov/tdsi/DRC/default.htm

Effective June 14, 2006, the Development Review Commission is a consolidated Commission which unifies the authorities of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Design Review Board, and the Redevelopment Review Commission. This Commission will review development requests for the City of Tempe and provide recommendations to City Council. The new Commission is intended to create a clear and concise path for the development review process. Customers and residents will be able to clearly determine the direction for development or redevelopment requests in Tempe.

-Andrew

[PHX31]

From the State Press online

Hotel, condo could appear on University
Mixed-use complex awaits Tempe approval
by Tara Brite
published on Monday, June 26, 2006
The view of downtown Tempe from ASU and its surrounding areas could soon make a drastic change.

Tempe's Redevelopment Review Commission approved two permits for construction on University Square - a 1.5 million square-foot mixed-use complex - at a meeting Tuesday, June 20.

"[University Square] is sophisticated, urban, vital and contemporary," said Tony Wall, president of 3W Companies, one of three companies involved in the project. "It's important, and it's a real place."

If constructed, University Square would be located on University Drive between Myrtle and Forest avenues.

The complex would feature a 12-story office tower, a 30-story hotel, 23 stories of residential condominiums and retail space on the ground level.

"It's true mixed used," Wall said.

The Tempe City Council must approve the permits before construction could begin on the $500 million complex.

Though development officials said University Square would bring money to Tempe's economy by attracting more people, some community members are upset about the construction and hassles it could create in the community.

Debra Ryan, a resident of Tempe's Orchid House condominiums located on Sixth Street - approximately one block from the proposed construction site - said University Square would cause many problems, including parking and traffic.

"I'm concerned about the number of cars that are going to clog our streets," she said. "I can't imagine the parking garage exit at 5 p.m."

Ryan said she would also be losing most of her view of Tempe and the University.

Businesses around the complex would also be affected by its construction, she said.

"I'm concerned about the small businesses in Tempe," she added.


I still can't believe that lady that lives in the Orchid House is complaining so much. Like her farts don't stink.

[loftlovr]

CENTERPOINT CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS TAKEN SUNDAY NIGHT

[PHX31]

cool. Still well below ground level though, huh?

[Carter]

I walked by McDuffy's the other day and there was a big "Closed" sign on it. I guess maybe that the sale to Avenue Communities went through.

[wushu18t]

edited for not thinking.

[Carter]

Park accross the street in that dirt lot in front of Architekton. That's where I park.

[Azndragon837]

Double check that parking lot east of McDuffy's. That lot is not owned by McDuffy's, but by another company. It's still free to park there (I am referring to the lot between Hayden Square Condos and McDuffy's).

-Andrew

WHO HOO! My 900th post!

[Azndragon837]

Also...Hogi Yogi/Teriyaki Stixs has been demolished. The whole property is now surrounded by a green fence. It looks like demolition is starting on the University Square Development, bounded by Myrtle, Forest, 7th Street and University Drive.

-Andrew

[Carter]

RIP McDuffy's

The Arizona Republic
Jun. 30, 2006 08:31 PM


What was a local landmark for sports fans of all kinds is now just to a makeshift sign with "closed" in duct tape letters and a small Styrofoam gravestone attached to the gate.

Rest in peace, McDuffy's Sports Bar and Restaurant.

The Tempe sports hangout created a name for itself with days of fans surrounded by 17 different sports on TVs while sipping on 50-cent Coronas.

Owner Roger Egan told the Republic recently that he was in talks with Scottsdale developer Avenue Communities to sell the property at 230 W. Fifth St. McDuffy's staffers have been sorting through the bar, setting aside what to sell and what to keep. The good memorabilia, assistant manager Ben Sanders said, will likely stick around.

Too bad they can't can the building's trademark funky smell. Now that would be some keepsake.

- Katie Nelson

[loftlovr]

http://www.lagunapacific.com/html/project.html

I was watching the news this morning and apparently this project was approved? Yee-hawwww!

[oliveurban]

^ Interesting. And, 3 million sq feet? Would love to see more real/ better renderings, and more specific timetable information. Great news, if so.

Slowly but surely, Tempe's investment is finally paying off in a big way.

[shrek05]

Sounds promising....Kinda wanna see what their plans are for the area...guess we just gotta wait for more info