Sounding the alarm (again) on CityScape

This month's issue of Contact Magazine (now, curiously, going by the Germanic-sounding name of "kontakt") is out, and it contains an article about the massive CityScape project being built on three prime blocks in the heart of downtown Phoenix. Among other things, the article contains several renderings of the project.

As I've said before, CityScape continues to look like a slightly-modernized Arizona Center. The renderings betray the suburban developer's inward focus-- every one of the renderings depicts the project's interior or one of the "gateways" into the project (think Arizona Center at Third Street and Van Buren by the row of flags and Hooters).

And where the streetscape is shown, one can see blank walls facing outward, or, in the case of the AJ's, a window facing the street, but of course no doors.

The bottom line is that I'm happy for the tall buildings and hip hotels that CityScape will bring to Phoenix. But the real action in any city is on the street. And, while I'd love to be mistaken, it looks like one more Phoenix development is going to get this wrong.

Sunday Updates

Some random updates on things happening in downtown Phoenix:

* Gateway on Grand. The Grand Avenue neighbors have reached a compromise with the developer/investor who proposed a nine-story building on the parcel where the old Desert Sun Hotel sits. The compromise gives the developer/investor the midrise zoning originally sought, but puts a deed restriction on the parcel that would limit the site to a maximum height of 56 feet (four-five stories). This is a great solution as it allows more height than what was originally on the site and makes it more likely that the property will be developed-- it keeps the land's value from being artificially inflated by midrise zoning and makes realistic the construction of a cheaper, wood-frame building (which can still look pretty nice-- see Artisan Lofts on Central). It's great to see a divisive battle avoided and see everyone get something.

* Lido on Roosevelt. Supposedly the parcel at Fourth Street and Roosevelt, once targeted for a 19-story apartment tower, was flipped again. The sign advertising "Lido" has been removed and the property is fenced off. Unfortunately the fence is probably just a deterrent to overflow parking from Modified Arts and not a sign of any impending development.

* Restaurants. Fate's new tapas bar, Next Door, headlines the recent openings downtown. I haven't had a chance to check out the new place-- and I leave the restaurant reviews to Silverbear on his excellent Railfood blog-- but it was mobbed during the November First Fridays. Other openings include Thai Hut on First Street and McDowell (an upgrade from the truck-stop-esque Marvin's Garden that used to occupy that building), middle eastern restaurant Nile Cafe (at Artisan Village near Seventh Street), and a wine bar called Silver at Second Street and Washington. Silver's appearance is especially promising for downtown Phoenix as the upscale wine bar replaces an adult bookstore.

* Coming Soon. A coffee shop is slated to open in the corner storefront at the recently restored Bragg's Pies factory building at Grand Avenue and approximately Thirteenth Avenue. One of the vendors from the Downtown Phoenix Public Market is going to open a full-time enterprise in the spot, which has very cool floor-to-ceiling windows that face toward the downtown skyline. I hope it has wireless...

Copper Square: Put a fork in it

Downtown Phoenix finally got its name back this week after Phil Gordon announced that the city would eliminate the "Copper Square" brand name.

Hooray!

The ridiculous nickname, foisted upon downtown Phoenix by a marketing team, had no historical basis and was rarely used by anyone who wasn't paid to repeat the term. While I actually think downtown could benefit by naming some of its districts (e.g., Roosevelt Row), it was silly to try to call downtown Phoenix by anything besides its real name.

So how is that for good news? Number two in my "Five Worst Things to Happen Downtown in the Last Decade" has been corrected. And number one (the continued destruction of historic buildings) has been staved off temporarily with the Sun Mercantile decision. Good times, indeed.

Downtown Phoenix Dirt Lot List

The flip side of the flurry of construction downtown is the continuation of one of downtown's decades-old pastimes: land banking. In this unfortunate scenario, investors (who often live out of state) purchase a lot in hopes of reselling it at an unrealistically high price and tear down whatever building sits on the land to avoid paying the accompanying property tax. This is possibly the single biggest problem facing downtown Phoenix today, as the empty lots are not only ugly, but the continued tear-down of old buildings has led to a dearth of older commercial buildings that small businesses can occupy.

Tracing the evolution of the countless empty lots in downtown and uptown Phoenix today would be next to impossible, so I'll limit my list to those empty lots that have appeared since I moved downtown in 2004. Please let me know if you can think of any more.

Downtown (and Uptown) Phoenix Dirt Lot/Parking Lot List
[updated August 6, 2010]

1. Dirt Lot covering entire city block at Portland Street and First Street; created 2009
2. Jewel Box parcel at Central Avenue and Fillmore; created 2008
3. Dirt Lot at Portland Street and Second Street; created 2007 [former home of the 1909 Morin House, threatened when the Orcutt Winslow partnership planned to tear down the building and moved to Fifth Avenue where it filled a former dirt lot]
4. Dirt Lot at McDowell Road and Fifteenth Avenue; created 2007 [controversial teardown of the Palmcroft Apartments in favor of a proposed four-story complex; probably the highest-profile Proposition 207 victim; thanks to Mark for the mention]
5. Dirt Lot at Central Avenue and Willetta Street; created 2006 [small commercial building that housed a graphic design business, razed for the never-built Artisan Haus project]
6. Dirt Lot at Central Avenue south of Central High School; created 2006 [former Holiday Inn razed for the never-built Cresleigh Village project]
7. Phoenix Biomedical Campus; created 2005 [I know the city moved or demolished several homes in the Fifth Street/Sixth Street area north of Fillmore so that land could be quickly "assembled" for expansion of the campus. The land is still vacant.]
8. Sahara Hotel/Ramada Inn; created 2010-? [The city is tearing down this mid-century modern hotel in hopes that the site will someday house ASU's law school. In the meantime...stop me if you've heard this before...the site will be a parking lot.]

Phoenix fans: still a ways to go

After witnessing the Diamondback fanbase outnumber the Cubs faithful last week, and noting that Chase Field was sold out for two home dates against Colorado this week, I was all set to proclaim that our city is coming of age in its support of the local teams. And then I attended last night's game and changed my mind.

The Diamondbacks still have a lot of fans who are just plain 'ol knobs. Putting aside the garbage-throwing incident in Thursday night's D-Backs-Rockies tilt (an overblown incident that does happen all over the place, unfortunately), I saw some things that tell me that our fans have a long way to go to earn credibility:

(1) Leaving early. With the Rockies leading 2-1 in the seventh inning of Game 2 against the Rockies, fans started heading for the aisles in droves. You have to be kidding me! Why leave? This was a Friday night...in a one-run game...in the National League Championship Series. I realize it's a long drive back to Higley and Buckeye, but why shell out the money for a ticket if you don't even care to stick around to see how the game turns out?

(2) The "wave." Baseball purists hate the wave. I think it can be fun when done at the right time. But I saw a couple sections of the stadium trying to get the wave going in the ninth inning of last night's game, and on into the extra innings. Again...ridiculous-- doing the wave means you're not paying attention to the game. And with a tie score in the most meaningful game of the season...how could you not be paying attention? Solution: do the wave in the first inning. Not with the game on the line.

(3) Ticket demand. Yeah, this was a sellout. But demand was not real high-- I got four seats together in the $60 per seat nosebleeds for $14/ticket (the game was in the first inning). The scalpers commented that the only D-Back games they made money on this year was the Red Sox series. Not a sign of good fan support.

I think things will get better as this young team keeps winning and people begin to forget about the Colangelo-era purge that the new ownership commenced this last year. But right now we're still suffering from growing pains.

Slow times in the real estate market

While sales of downtown Phoenix condos have been slow at best, it might be somewhat comforting to know that it's that way everywhere. One (formerly) popular suburban subdivision-- and I'm talking about a quality, non-cookie cutter development-- is currently projecting it will see one closing per month. One.

Time to batten down the hatches and ride out the storm...

Downtown Phoenix's next tower: Central Park East

* I've been out of town and moving the past couple weeks (I'm still a downtown resident, however) and have been unable to post until now. One quick comment after cruising through downtown yesterday: construction at Central Park East is imminent. An Arizona Republic story on Sunday pinned the construction start "within the next few months," but yesterday the site at Van Buren and Central Avenue had a construction trailer and several construction vehicles on location and it looks like things are going to get started a lot sooner. I'm excited for this project-- it adds much-needed office space downtown and the building's renderings are impressive. Bring on the crane!

Driving up Seventh Avenue

Had a few thoughts while driving up Seventh Avenue today:

* While the HOPE VI project that replaced the Matthew Henson housing projects was much-needed and a big upgrade, how come other cities get true, urban HOPE VI projects and Phoenix gets a suburban-style apartment complex? In DC there's a block-long HOPE VI project that mixes low-income housing and market-rate apartments that meshes perfectly with the surrounding historic Capitol Hill brownstones. In fact, developers and preservationists alike have mistakenly taken pictures of the block as an example of the 100+ year old historic neighborhood (even though it was built in the late 1990's). An urban project on Seventh Avenue would certainly have been preferable to the fenced-off building that was built instead.

* Arizona Preservation Foundation is renovating the Montgomery House at Seventh Avenue and Mohave Street, one of the two oldest remaining adobe structures in Phoenix, with plans of turning it into offices. It's a cool building and it will be interesting to track its progress as it's restored.

* While it still completely sucks that Madison Square Garden was torn down in 2005, the building that replaced the Garden could have been worse, I guess. It does attempt to mesh with the street with a large sidewalk, and it's reasonably attractive. Negatives: the aforementioned teardown of MSG, of course, and the lack of ground-floor retail.

Elsewhere in downtown Phoenix, a sign and rendering appeared today at Second Street and Roosevelt advertising the construction of four urban brownstones. The web site listed on the sign links to a realtor with no information regarding the project. I have my doubts, but I'll add this project anyway to the Downtown Phoenix Project List.

Downtown's best choice in District 7: Ruth Ann Marston

My choice in the Phoenix City Council District 7 race, after hearing all four candidates speak individually and in a recent forum, is Ruth Ann Marston, edging out Michael Nowakowski. While as a voter there are many issues I care about, this is a downtown blog and I'll explain why I think she's the best candidate for downtown.

Marston's a political veteran and knows the workings of city hall after years of dealing with Phoenix government, albeit as an outsider. She won't be intimidated by the veterans on the council and consequently won't feel the need to join the council in all the 9-0 votes to which we've become accustomed. Marston's accomplished, serving as the president of the Phoenix Elementary School District governing board and helping to save Kenilworth School from I-10 construction, among other achievements. Finally, she has a favorable view of historic preservation and should be able to lead developers away from wasteful conflicts like the fights over the Sun Mercantile Building and Patriot's Park while still encouraging necessary downtown development and progress. (The Sun Merc and Patriot's Park battles have partly been a failure of the city council and staff, who could have helped avert the fights simply by giving some better advice to the developers early in the process.)

While Marston is the best choice for downtown, Michael Nowakowski wouldn't be a bad alternative. He's willing to listen and also probably won't buckle under to the developers' wishes, if his wife's courageous vote on the CityScape issue while sitting on the Parks Board is any indication.

Laura Pastor has failed to impress me with her grasp of the issues. She seemed to mix up the Sun Mercantile/W Hotel annex issue with the demolition of Madison Square Garden when asked a question at one forum. She all but acknowledged that she'd side with the developers if a battle pitted developers against a public outcry. There's of course the concern that she has her sights set on her dad's job, and while that is not something about which I could speculate I think it's a safe bet that she'll rarely, if ever, break from the status quo at City Hall. And Phoenix needs leadership and courage, not someone who's more concerned with political expediency.

Finally, Art Harding is enthusiastic and fairly well-informed, but the political newcomer didn't seem to give a compelling reason to favor him over an experienced veteran like Marston.

One last note-- in the recent debate at the Irish Cultural Center, the candidates showed they all could use a broader perspective. Moderator Richard de Uriarte asked all of them during the "lightning round" which city is Phoenix's biggest rival. Harding said Scottsdale, Nowakowski said Tempe, Marston answered Glendale, and Pastor said it was Goodyear. (Goodyear?) In any event, District 7 is home to more than 250,000 residents and is as big as if not bigger-- by itself-- than every one of those suburban cities. A mammoth city like Phoenix needs to view its rivals as places like San Diego, Denver, and even LA. The candidates should all be thinking a little bigger, and hopefully the eventual winner will do that while on the council.

Downtown's hurdles

One of the toughest hurdles that has faced downtown Phoenix for decades is the fact that the city and county governments have consistently used it as the storage center for the metro area's downtrodden. Jails, homeless shelters, and mental health facilities are all clustered downtown. Yes, they've got to be somewhere, but downtown bears a vastly disproportionate burden in housing these uses.

One telling statistic along these lines is that downtown's main zip code is home to the largest number of registered Level 2 and 3 sex offenders in Maricopa County. The 85003 zip code is home to 40 such sex offenders, all of whom live right downtown at Fifth Avenue and Adams next to a police station, but mere blocks from the Orpheum Lofts and 44 Monroe. Compare this to zip codes 85017 (west Phoenix/40 sex offenders), 85040 (south Phoenix/36 sex offenders), 85014 (east Phoenix/15 sex offenders), or of course 85281 (downtown Tempe/14 sex offenders), 85251 (Old Town Scottsdale/6 sex offenders). These are all in raw numbers-- if there were some way to measure these in per-capita terms I'd bet the proportion of sex offenders to total residents in downtown Phoenix would be staggering.

Downtown Phoenix should be a place where all types of people can freely mix. But it can't be overwhelmed by any one type of person-- so if Phoenix is serious about turning its downtown into a world-class (or even "national-class") destination, it needs to stop viewing downtown as the dumping ground for society's troubled.

A decent sports bar for college football, that's all I ask

You’d think that with two stadiums and five professional sports teams downtown that you’d be able to find one good sports bar. But until downtown has a full-time residential population it appears even that’s too much to ask at this point. I can see people poised over their keyboards ready to talk about Majerle’s and Cooper’sTown and the like. But let me explain what I mean.

Girlfriend_of_Downtown_Resident and I organize football-watching events for the college we attended. We get a decent group of up to 35 people for the bigger games, and of course being a downtown booster I wanted to host the events somewhere in downtown Phoenix (and take the gamble that we could convince people to visit). Our school plays many of its games at noon in the eastern time zone, so we needed a place that opened early to accommodate us, and preferably one that served breakfast (who wants to eat burgers at 9 a.m.?). That shouldn’t have been a big deal, as dozens of sports bars across town open at that time to accommodate football fans. But none of them are downtown.

Obviously places like Seamus McCaffrey’s and Portland’s were out because there aren’t enough TVs or seats to handle a group of our size. That left Jackson’s on Third, Cooper’sTown, Coach & Willie’s, Majerle’s, or even Networks in the Hyatt. However, none of them open early or serve breakfast; in fact, Jackson’s doesn’t even open at all unless there’s a game going on at Chase Field or US Airways Center that day. They were even a little rude at Coach & Willie’s when I asked about hosting our group— a lot of thanks for trying to drive some business their way.

So, after a broader search, I had to settle on something in north-central Phoenix. At least it’s still centrally located, although it’s not the same as bringing people downtown.

One of the most fun things about living back east were Saturdays in the fall, when people would be walking all over the city to head to gatherings to cheer on their alma maters in football. That happens here, too, although it’s spread out all over the city and people drive to get to their destinations. Hopefully, when we’ve got enough people living downtown to warrant opening up some of these places early, we can have a little bit of that magic in Phoenix as well.

"A crime-ridden mess"

Out of nowhere this week from the well-respected international newsmagazine The Economist came a brutal depiction of the Phoenix metro area*: the city's high crime rate, low-rated public education system and awful pollution were cited as evidence that Phoenix is in decline; the magazine went so far as to call the city "a crime-ridden mess."

In an unusually ponderous article, The Economist pointed to several factors as reasons for our problems: meth smuggled from Mexico, lack of opportunity for minorities (evidenced by the proliferation of chain restaurants), and even light rail. But the article seems to settle on one factor as being the cause of our woes-- growth. The article makes the case that Phoenix's rapid urban growth has both overwhelmed our civic infrastructure such as prisons and courts, and that the lack of any sort of shared history among all the newcomers makes for a city of transients who not only fail to care about their adopted home but also are easy pickings for criminals.

Interesting comments, for sure. And incredibly timely (not to mention painful) in the wake of Friday's tragic one-two punch in which two news copters crashed into each other chasing a carjacker and, later on, a young policeman was murdered following up a report of a forged check.

But is growth the main culprit for these problems? Or something else? I have long believed that the rapid growth and turnover in this city make for a very disconnected place in which cultural institutions struggle for donations and our sports teams play in front of stadiums filled by fans of the visiting team. But is the transient nature of Phoenix even more malignant than that, as The Economist seems to think? Phoenix's leaders need to steer the city through its collective mourning and then start asking the big questions as to how to fix the "mess."


* = I refer to the entire metropolitan area as the "city" and "Phoenix," as does The Economist in the article. Jon Talton used to decry the use of "Valley" to describe the metro area, and I agree-- no one outside Phoenix has ever heard of the "Valley" (except to refer to Silicon Valley, perhaps).

Sun Mercantile thoughts

This week's Arizona Republic story about moving historic buildings, such as the Morin House on Second Street, had me wondering if the Sun Mercantile building could be transported to another site, settling the W Hotel/Sun Merc controversy once and for all. Unfortunately, there's no such compromise available. In this case, the site of the building is at least as important as the building itself (as the last building standing in Phoenix's second Chinatown), and regardless, the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation office doesn't believe the building would even survive a move.

So we'll continue to wait and see what happens with the ongoing litigation. If I had to bet on the outcome of the lawsuit, I'd guess the city and Suns are going to win. The legal case boils down to whether the city council exhibited an improper bias when it had ex parte contacts with constituents via e-mail, and whether that bias materially affected the outcome of the "case." That's going to be really tough for the Sun Merc plaintiffs to prove, even though their lawyers have done a great job thus far. (The case itself is approaching month number 18, although the city has another motion for summary judgment well in progress).

But looking even further beyond that, is the W Hotel another phantom project? The developer has clearly been content to ride out the litigation and the soft real estate market-- and has not been too interested in a settlement-- not the behavior of a guy who wants to get his project going. At the very least, I wouldn't be too surprised to see the Suns and the city win the lawsuit and the project continue to sit idle.

The Brain Drain: it's real

Anecdotally, it's always seemed as though Phoenix is one of those cities that exports its talent. The vast majority of my friends-- who grew up in Phoenix-- went on to opportunities in places like Washington, D.C., Portland, New York and San Francisco. Conversely, at my out-of-state graduate school, the Phoenix-based companies that recruited on campus sometimes had to cancel their interview appointments due to lack of interest. Of course, that's all just anecdotal evidence.

But here's a study that demonstrates that relative to other cities, Phoenix does a poor job of attracting (and keeping) graduates of elite colleges. Forbes.com examined the migration patterns of Class of 1997 alumni from Harvard, Princeton, Duke, Northwestern, Rice and Stanford (individuals who could probably choose to live anywhere) and determined that Phoenix was 39th out of the 40 biggest American metro areas as a destination for those individuals. That poor showing led the web site to rank Phoenix as the 27th best city overall for young professionals, behind places like Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, and well behind western competitors Denver (#10), Austin (#11), and San Diego (#19).

I would argue that one significant factor creating Phoenix's inability to attract talent is our lack of city life. While not all young professionals want true urban life, many do-- and they gravitate toward places that offer them that opportunity. By concentrating solely (until maybe the last 5-10 years) on the suburban form, Phoenix has never offered a variety of living options. Hopefully that has finally changed. This ranking is further confirmation that it should change.

Chez Nous lands on Grand

I'm hearing that Chez Nous, the cocktail lounge that was located at Seventh Avenue and Indian School, is moving downtown into the Grand Avenue site currently housing Fat Cats at 915 N.W. Grand Avenue. That is cool news. I've never been to Fat Cats, but I've gone to Chez Nous several times. I can't think of any other place in Phoenix where people of all races, economic backgrounds and ages would feel comfortable. I'm glad to see it's going to keep on going and add to the downtown mix. That will be some kind of place on First Fridays...

Downtown Phoenix Project List

[list updated December 20, 2014]

Below is an attempt to list the current, future, and already completed projects. The list is not static as I'm sure I've missed some projects (especially in the "rumored" category). I also tried to draw a line and only included projects finished after 2000 in and around downtown (south of I-10, between about Tenth Street and Tenth Avenue, and north of Lincoln), and I excluded single-family home renovations-- there are just too many to list. Your input is always welcome...

Under Construction (as of December 20, 2014)

Residential
1. Townhomes on 3rd (10 townhomes), Third Avenue south of Roosevelt Street

Office
[none as of this time]

Hotel
1. Foundry Hotel, total rooms unknown, Central Avenue and Portland Street
2. Mariott Hotel, 320 rooms, Central Avenue and Jefferson Street

Academic
1. ASU School of Law, Second Street and Taylor Street

Retail
1. Hanny's renovation, restaurant in rehabbed department store, First Street and Adams Street
2. Security Building, first floor renovation


Yet to break ground/rumored (as of April 29, 2008)

Residential
1. Portland on the Park, 170 condos/four buildings up to 14 stories, roughly Second Avenue and Portland Street
2. Phoenix Transit Center apartments, 476 apartments/34 floors, Central Avenue and Van Buren Street
3. Roosevelt Street apartment project, Third Street and Roosevelt (south side)
4. Roosevelt Street apartment project, Third Street and Roosevelt (north side)

Office
[none]

Hotel
1. Hilton Garden Inn, Central Avenue and Monroe Street


Completed [this section under development]

Residential1. 215 McKinley (2007), 12 condos, Second Street and McKinley Street
2. Stadium Lofts (2005), approx. 30 condos, Second Street and Buchanon Street
3. Artisan Village (2005), 105 condos, square bounded by Seventh Street and Fifth Street and Roosevelt Street and Portland Street
4. Orpheum Lofts (2005), 88 condos, First Avenue and Adams Street
5. Fontenelle Lofts (2005), 7 condos, Third Avenue and Roosevelt
6. Roosevelt Commons (2004), 48 apartments, Fifth and Sixth Streets at Roosevelt Street
7. Lofts at Fillmore (2000), 18 condos, Second Avenue and Fillmore
8. Roosevelt Square (2000), 414 apartments and 10-15 condos, square bounded by Central Avenue and Third Avenue, Roosevelt Street and Portland Street
9. Portland Place Phase I (2007), 54 condos/6 stories, Third Avenue and Portland Street.
10. PRD 845 (2007), 12 condos/4 stories, Seventh Avenue and Roosevelt Street
11. Summit (2008), 165 condos, Third Street and Jackson Street.
12. CityScape apartments (2014), Central Avenue and Jefferson Street

Office
1. Phelps Dodge Tower (2001), Central Avenue and Washington Street
2. Collier Center (2000), Third Street and Washington Street

* = development offends historic preservation standards or other sound urban planning principles

Brophy Towers update

The parcel of land across Central Avenue from Brophy Prep (uptown at Highland Avenue) contains a sign advertising the "Brophy Towers" condo tower-- and during the past couple years the promises advertised on the sign have bordered on the ridiculous with their constant modifications. At various times the sign has declared the development will be 32 stories, then 50, and now 36. The date of delivery of the condos has been all over the place, too. Even the name changed at one point. I figured for fun I'd track the sign and update it on this page as (inevitably) the vital stats change.

Project Name: Brophy Towers (formerly Metro Lofts)
Current Height: 36 stories
Current Delivery Date: Mid 2009

(By the way, this project looks cool in the rendering aside from the circa-1980 attached parking garage. I'd love to see it happen, but I'm more than a little skeptical...)

True lofts on Sixteenth Street, another Roosevelt Row newcomer

What downtown Phoenix doesn't have a lot of, unfortunately, are old buildings that can be rehabbed into something new and cool. So anyone looking to save some money by purchasing a remake of an old spot will have to start looking a little way outside the downtown core. Here are some awesome-looking spots over at Sixteenth Street and McDowell priced under $300K, courtesy of Desert Living Magazine:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWdiaQKzTRg


Meanwhile, another option for drinks has joined the mix around Roosevelt Row. The Lost Leaf bar at 914 N. Fifth Street opened up a few weeks ago and serves about 40 bottled beers and a couple wine options until 2 a.m. every night. Girlfriend_of_Downtown_Resident and I stopped by last night; we both liked the scene and I enjoyed the beer options (which are almost all nicely priced at $3 each). The menu promises draft beer and food options in the future, and I heard that they'll even offer discounts to anyone who walks or rides a bike to the location (the Artisan Village discount?).

Downtown in Pictures: June 2007

Downtown Phoenix is in the midst of an unprecedented construction boom. Here are a few pictures of the goings-on, with commentary:

Rebirth
Some of my favorite downtown projects are the restorations of the old, forgotten buildings in and around downtown. Those projects are every bit as much of a sign of the downtown comeback as the big deals. Here are a couple of those:

The bar next door to Fate (924 N. Fourth Street, just south of Roosevelt) looks just about done. The patio out front and the tree-like structure in the middle should be a fun place to hang out.


Since Matt's Big Breakfast opened in late 2004, two of the neighboring single-story buildings have been rehabbed-- one holds an architecture firm and another is the sales office for KML, the company developing Mosaic in Tempe and the "Gateway" project at Roosevelt and Third Street. This building, a little closer to the downtown core at 705 N. First Street,

is poised to join its neighbors as a restored, useful structure.

This little house on north Second Avenue is one I've spotlighted for a while. Its exterior is just about done, although the tagged-up door is kind of a cool vestige of the building's former dilapidated self.

The New, but Smaller, Stuff

Light rail will be up and running (supposedly) in just under 18 months. Here you can see the "sails" that will provide shade to the Metro stations have been installed at the station at Central and Van Buren.

Odyssey Homes is building three small communities north of Roosevelt Street. This one is at the northeast corner of Second Street and Portland Street; I think the project looks nice and urban the way it faces the street. A twin development is being built at the southwest corner of the same intersection. The new residents here ought to supply nearby Carly's Bistro with a few more customers within walking distance, although judging from the looks of things Carly's is doing pretty well all by itself right now.

The Portland 38 project is moving forward in the Garfield neighborhood east of Seventh Street. I love the view of the cranes in the background of this picture. I don't love the site plan for Portland 38, in which it appears the buildings don't face the street. That causes the development to act a little more like a suburban apartment complex, which is too bad.

ALTA Phoenix construction is rolling along. This project is supposed to feature retail and supposedly will have some gallery space for First Fridays. It's a cool development that will link together Roosevelt Row with the downtown core (Arizona Center is just across the street).

The BioScience high school is finishing up over at Fifth Street. While the building is a little fortress-like, especially from the back (not pictured here) I love the colors they used.

The twelve condos at 215 McKinley are just about finished. I like this development, although I think it was built one story too tall. This project will also have street-level retail and is within a five-minute walk of The Roosevelt, Matt's Big Breakfast and the shops at Artisan Village.

Finally, Roosevelt 11 is also under construction in the Garfield Neighborhood at Roosevelt and Ninth Street. Just five years ago it would have been unthinkable to see upscale condos being built in the once-crime-ridden Garfield district, so this building is a great sign.

The Big Guys.

Everybody knows about these high-profile projects-- you can see them driving by on the freeway, for one thing. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking here:


Portland Place, the best of all the new downtown projects (in my unbiased opinion)...

Summit, using some very daring color schemes. I kind of like it, but I hope their HOA doesn't hesitate to remake the colors in a few years if the colors start to look outdated. Note the weird contrast of styles with Chase Field in the background and a cool old warehouse in the foreground.

44 Monroe, which is just about topped off. I think it looks awesome the way it helps to fill out the downtown skyline.

Whither the Phoenix Urban Form project?

The Phoenix Urban Form project may be a victim of timing-- it got under way just after the last election cycle in which its doom was set up. The project, which promised to revamp downtown zoning laws to provide for a better city environment (including better pedestrian "connectivity" and shade), may not see the light of day if Phoenix's legal counsel has its way. The City Attorney's office has told the council behind the scenes that enacting the Urban Form recommendations will put the city at risk of a Proposition 207 lawsuit, and, consequently, the attorneys have advised the council not to go ahead with Urban Form. It will be interesting to see whether the council has a stomach for risk. If not, this worthwhile project will become a (silent) victim of the Prop 207 land use law passed by voters last year.

Fenway West

Wanna-be New Englanders celebrate at Chase Field after Red Sox player Julio Lugo's first inning home run. By the way, my guess is 1/3 of the people cheering on the Sox in Phoenix yesterday are bandwagoners that have never set foot in Massachusetts.

Photo Credit: David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic.

Sports teams are sources of civic pride and help foster a sense of community. People's love for their cities is often reflected in their love of the local sports team-- look at Chicago with the Cubs or D.C. with the Redskins, for instance.

That's why it bugs me to attend sporting events in Phoenix. Fans of the home team in every sport are sometimes outnumbered and frequently outshouted by fans of the opposing teams. And, for the most part, the people cheering for the visiting teams are residents of the Phoenix area.

The scene was no different yesterday at Chase Field, where in my estimation at least half of the 40,000 fans on hand were there to cheer on the Boston Red Sox against the Diamondbacks. To me, this just shows that many of the people who move here never really see Phoenix as "home," and that their loyalties continue to lie elsewhere even when they moved here to escape some frigid place back east.

Having half the (local) fans cheering against the home team would be unthinkable in places like Chicago, D.C., New York, and of course Boston. Maybe someday I'll get to see the same thing happen here. In the meantime, go Diamondbacks (and Sun Devils, Suns, Coyotes, Sting, and yeah I guess even the Cardinals).

Downtown's one thing, how about redevelopment off the beaten path?

If you really want to get discouraged about the Phoenix area, take a drive along Grand Avenue (northwest of McDowell) or go to any one of the neighborhoods to downtown's immediate south, east and west. At least downtown is the focus of redevelopment efforts, but you have to wonder whether some of those areas will ever turn around.

That's why it was really great to see this week's announcement in the Arizona Republic about Yourtown, a $12M redevelopment of an old Smitty's restaurant at 16th Street and Buckeye in one of those no man's lands. Sloane McFarland, the guy who helped get Lux Coffeebar and Welcome Diner going and sparked redevelopment in the areas around those spots, will bring both of those concepts plus an urban farm, a building supply store and art and music venues to this blighted corner. (McFarland's also a Brophy grad. Go Broncos.)

When this gets going, it'll be a great place to take people for coffee or breakfast after picking them up at Sky Harbor. And it brings some life to one of those places that seem like they'll never be found by redevelopment.

Downtown Phoenix loses an advocate and other comments

• Jon Talton is reportedly moving to Seattle. Not sure whether he will continue to work in journalism up there or pursue some new adventure, but I already miss his work in the Arizona Republic. I disagreed with Talton's national political views, but I loved his Phoenix-oriented columns. No one else at the Republic kept downtown at the front and center of discussions the way in which Talton dared. While his negativity regarding Phoenix bothered some people, I believe he wrote from the viewpoint of someone who loved this city with his whole heart and had subsequently had his heart broken many times as Phoenix made mistake after mistake in destroying its downtown.
  

• On a happier note, yesterday Girlfriend_of_Downtown_Resident and I stopped into the Mosaic sales office and learned that KML, builders of the Mosaic project in Tempe, have plans for the block bordered by Roosevelt Street, Third Street and Fourth Street. Their project, tentatively called the "Gateway" development, is to feature a condo tower, apartments and a grocery store. While this location is a crucial piece of the redevelopment of downtown Phoenix, as it would(hopefully) bind together the Roosevelt Arts District and the emerging urban life around the parcel, it's a long way off. We were told the sales team would start moving on selling that project in late 2008. But, as this parcel is probably the most embarassing one of all the vacant parcels in downtown Phoenix, this could be a great project.

• Three words: Let's go Suns!

Adios

These little bungalows on Taylor Street near Second Street aren't long for this world. Soon, an ASU-powered wrecking ball will deal these 90-year old buildings their fate. While preservationists are aware of this, there won't be any Sun Merc-style lawsuits or A.E. England-type behind-the-scenes politicking to save these low-profile buildings. So I figured I'd put a picture of them in this space before they make way for two ASU dorms.

For those keeping score, ASU has now taken out at least six single-story downtown Phoenix buildings while the downtown Phoenix campus is constructed. It's too bad a few of these couldn't be integrated into the campus as a reminder of the city's history. They're functional and could be used to house small businesses or ASU offices. But that's not ASU's model.

More updates and links

* According to the Roosvelt neighborhood newsletter, opening on the second floor of the building at 701 W. McDowell (the former Emerald Lounge site that will soon house Pei Wei and Starbucks) will be a wine bar and lounge tentatively called the "Second Floor Lounge." The lounge is to open in the fall.

* Here's a thoughtful, though depressing, link arguing that Phoenix will never have a real downtown. I'm not sure when the article was written, but I believe many of its contentions-- that Phoenix is too "car-addicted," afflicted by zoning, or just too hot-- are undermined by the rise of successful downtowns in places like San Diego and Denver. San Diego is car-afflicted and a product of a zoning regime, and Denver has those problems plus frigid weather, and both have built quality downtowns. If it can happen there it can happen in Phoenix as well. And can we stop using weather as an excuse for Phoenix's downtown? Has anyone ever spent time in Boston or New York in the winter, or in DC at any time of year? The weather sucks, and yet those downtowns are thriving. So weather by itself isn't a factor.

* Citing the proximity to the arts district, light rail, and the burgeoning condo market, upscale Layers Furniture has opened its showroom at 824 North Central Avenue in the spot formerly occupied by Greta's Pet Boutique.

* Downtown restaurants get a thumbs up on a web review site, but meanwhile on another site downtown Phoenix in general gets a thumbs down.

Where was my byline?

Maybe I'm seeing something that wasn't there, but the opening paragraphs of the Arizona Republic's cover story on downtown sounded a lot like something I wrote about six weeks ago. Here's what I mean:

On February 25, in my post 'The Old Guard Reacts in the Wake of CityScape,' I wrote, '...Every few years some developer comes along with a project that is going to "save" downtown but fails in that colossal task. In the seventies, it was the civic plaza convention center. In the late 1980's, after the Boston Globe called downtown Phoenix a "surreal nightmare," we tried to save it with the Mercado and Arizona Center. In the nineties, it was US Airways Arena and Chase Field...CityScape is just the latest variation in a series of megaprojects billed as the downtown savior.'

On April 8, the Republic ran a story called 'Multiple projects key to downtown's revival.' It opens like this: 'First it was the Phoenix Civic Plaza. Then it was the Arizona Center. Later it was the sporting venues - America West Arena and Bank One Ballpark - that were to provide the spark. More recently, it was a new Arizona State University campus that was ballyhooed. It seems every few years - for the past three or four decades - city boosters anointed one venture or another as the savior of downtown Phoenix. But each time, the project's actual impact has fallen far short of the lofty projections.'

Maybe I'm mistaken-- but it seems like there are a lot of similarities here-- the use of a list that names the civic plaza, the Arizona Center, the arena and ballpark; the use of the same word, "savior," to describe the projects; and of course the overall thesis are pretty much the same.

Anyway, I'm not mad. The notion that downtown Phoenix tries to reinvent itself every so often through some "silver bullet" megaproject was hardly novel when I wrote it. And I also know that someone can read something, forget it, and then weeks or months later, the subject of the reading comes back into one's mind and the person innocently uses it as their own thoughts. My only beef is, hey, if you liked the concept, give me a byline, or quote me!

Bar Smith: worth a visit

I stopped by the brand-new Bar Smith last night with my girlfriend. It's a quality spot, but it's got some challenges ahead. The restaurant is wedged between Burn and the Sky Lounge on Washington Street-- you know, the spot where Oregano's failed. (When a place such as Oregano's, where 60-minute wait times are the standard at its other locations, can't make it, that says something about downtown.) The place was pretty much empty on a Friday night. Still, it's got some good things going for it-- the ahi tuna sliders were really good, the scene inside could be hip and it's a got a very cool rooftop patio. It could be a fun place to hang out when the downtown core comes to life during the upcoming Suns playoff run.

'Broken window' theory at work downtown

You could see another sign of the rebirth of downtown Phoenix this week after some guy who calls himself 'Detox1' tagged a bunch of buildings in the Roosevelt neighborhood, including the historic Gold Spot Market. Ten years ago, my guess is that the graffiti would have stayed there for months. (In fact, the Gold Spot was a vacant building just 5 years ago.) But the handiwork of Detox1 (which sounds like an Instant Messenger screen name to me) was gone by mid-week at the latest, and in at least one instance had been painted over in a few hours.

Coming soon...

Downtown Phoenix continues to add the fine-grained development that will give birth to a real city:

* GS3 Condos at Third Avenue and Portland Street continue to move through the city's permitting process, seeking several variances in April.

* The "Gallery" Bar and Grill at Third Street and Roosevelt (at Canvas) received variances to allow outdoor dining and live music.

* Sister's Express Cafe apparently will open at Artisan Village in the live/work space along Roosevelt and nearest Seventh Street.

* Portland Place is moving forward on its second phase. It's hiking the prices in the few remaining condos in the first phase to match the second phase's prices.

Leadership needed

Omega Condominiums: At first blush anyway, this proposed 32-story condo looks great. It has ground-floor retail, the parking is part of the building and not a stand-alone garage, and it respects its downtown Phoenix environment (i.e., it doesn't require the destruction of any historic buildings or parks).

Unfortunately, a potential roadblock has emerged in that it will sit atop the parking lot currently in use by the residents of nextdoor Orpheum Lofts. The Orpheum residents claim they were promised parking when they purchased their condos, but once the Omega tower is built their only option will be to purchase parking at $30,000 per stall in Omega.

This problem seems solveable. If there's one thing downtown Phoenix has an abundance of, it's (not people or entertainment options) parking. There are numerous surface and garage parking lots near the Orpheum Lofts that are unused at night. And here's where we need leadership-- if Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon is really serious about downtown housing, his office should step in and broker a solution with the Orpheum HOA to find an answer to the parking problem. Hey, I hear the city wants to add a couple more floors to its already-monstrous garage on 3rd avenue (Heaven help us), so maybe there could be some spaces available there?

Orpheum Lofts and new residences. As a side note, it's interesting how the Orpheum Lofts homeowners begged the Parks Board to approve CityScape because they were so desperate for new residents and options downtown (a few so-called "urbanites" even said they were frightened by their downtown environment), but now that a proposed project threatens their own self-interest they're opposed to new development. This is bad news and there's got to be a compromise if downtown Phoenix is to succeed.

Updates and links

Odds and ends:

New Residents. Central Phoenix's population will swell a little bit more as closings just occurred in the second building in Tapestry on Central (the portion of the complex facing Central). Meanwhile, closing is supposed to take place in mid-July in the first phase of Portland Place.

Sun Mercantile/W Hotel suit. The lawsuit filed by various groups in an effort to save the Sun Mercantile building is now rolling into its fourteenth month of existence, and still going strong. The case is now in the discovery phase. I'll say it again: developers, do quality urban projects and respect the buildings and parks that are already in place, or you will face some powerful resistance. (See 44 Monroe as an example of doing it right.)

Light rail as economic development tool. Even light rail advocates like myself will admit the project is partly about economic development. Read a libertarian response (starting on page 4).

Fellow bloggers. After perusing the sites of various downtown Phoenix-related bloggers, I have to wonder: am I the only one who's not a real estate agent?

More ideas on improving Seventh Street and Seventh Avenue

Last July, LIDP reader Steve posted a lengthy comment on one of my posts regarding the "highways" of Seventh Street and Seventh Avenue. It contains some great thoughts and it's worth the read.

I'll let you check out Steve's comment for its numerous useful points, but one take Steve had should be highlighted: he noted that the three-quarters of a mile distance between lights on Seventh Street and Seventh Avenue was too long. It's so true-- the short distance between lights in real city environments really slowed down cars and made life more pleasant for pedestrians. In Phoenix, drivers can reach top speeds even on its most urban streets. At least light rail has led to the addition of many more street lights on Central. Love to see that on Seventh Street and Seventh Avenue.

Another parking garage?

New 26-story downtown tower at Central Park East. Check.
Ground-floor retail. Check (although this should now be a given).
Parking for 600 vehicles. Ugh.

While it’s always great for downtown to get a new tower, we don’t need another parking garage in a downtown where garages and buildings seem to exist on a 1:1 ratio. Hopefully the garage can be built with retail or housing masking the garage as in Roosevelt Square, the proposal for the new Solomon Tower or Tempe’s Centerpoint Condos and Grigio Apartments. However, this is downtown Phoenix—not Tempe or even the Roosevelt neighborhood—so I won’t hold my breath.

And isn’t there a light rail stop within a block?

The old guard reacts in the wake of CityScape

The CityScape proposal is nothing new for this city. Every few years some developer comes along with a project that is going to "save" downtown but fails in that colossal task. In the seventies, it was the civic plaza convention center. In the late 1980's, after the Boston Globe called downtown Phoenix a "surreal nightmare," we tried to save it with the Mercado and Arizona Center. In the nineties, it was US Airways Arena and Chase Field. This decade, the powers that be shoved Dodge Theatre down our throats and really wanted to jam the Cardinals Stadium downtown too. CityScape is just the latest variation in a series of megaprojects billed as the downtown savior.

Howeve, this time around, there was a difference. There was a mobilized opposition that had a major effect on the process. And it's been noticed: there's been chatter about it on the message boards and today the Republic's Doug MacEachern spends 25 column inches complaining about the public daring to insert itself in a process that he apparently believes should be left to the developers.

You can read MacEachern's column for yourself, but frankly I think he disqualifies himself from discussing the issue with any authority when he makes this comment: "on various Internet blogs...the opponents [of CityScape] argued that CityScape's design is just too suburban for them. I'm not entirely sure what this means..."

(MacEachern is the Republic editorial board's designated expert on downtown. I guess we really should expect nothing less from a newspaper that doesn't even employ an architecture critic.)

Anyway, MacEachern is essentially complaining about a breakdown of the old paradigm in Phoenix development, that LIDP reader Walt accurately describes as "accepting the developer's vision without complaint or suggestion." MacEachern argues that the message is being sent to developers that downtown is too difficult a place in which to do projects. (He ignores the fact that big-ticket projects such as Orpheum Lofts, 44 Monroe and Portland Place cruised through the city approval process with no opposition, because they were quality urban developments.) I agree with MacEachern that a message has been sent, although I'd phrase it differently: developers need to realize that they need to do true urban projects and be willing to listen to the residents, or they will face a firestorm of difficulty and criticism.

CityScape aftermath

The Parks Board voted 5-2 to adopt the conceptual master plan for CityScape. My initial reaction and observation following last night's meeting:


A lightweight board. "New York might have Central Park, but New York also has a lot of other things that I wouldn't want," said Parks Board member Laura Bell in casting her vote to turn over the park to RED. Huh?! Even CityScape supporters would have to admit the board's comments in electing to abdicate their roles as stewards of a park to the private sector were pretty much insipid. Jim Holway was the lone bright spot among that dismal crew.

Class warfare. The young professionals in the room, many of them residents of the Orpheum Lofts, generally supported CityScape (while in general the opposition was older and less well-to-do). I don't get it- haven't any of these young professionals lived in other cities? Don't they realize that trading away the public park for a PF Changs doesn't make our city better, it just makes it generic?

Nobody buys RED's "park." In its presentation on CityScape, RED Development tried to make the claim that the little grassy spot in the middle of the AJ's/B. Dalton's/PF Chang's complex was Patriot's Park. They even tried to say that 20,000 people could attend an event there (even though their diagrams showed half those people would be unable to see the "stage" because their view would be blocked by PF Chang's). But nobody who spoke on behalf of the project tried to defend RED's ploy. Aside from the developers, even the supporters of CityScape seem to concede that Patriot's Square is gone.


Streetside Retail? It's hard to say whether there will be streetside retail. Yes, one of the development team pledged in the meeting that all parts of the project will have street-fronting retail. But earlier in the presentation one of the RED guys mentioned only "retail along Washington and Jefferson." Holway brought up the fact that RED hadn't received any commitment from the proposed tenants to have street-facing retail. And RED's own plan points out "street side retail" only on the new east-west street, and nowhere else in the project (see below). Hopefully-- at least-- there will be street-fronting stores.

Summary. In all, this was no surprise. It's Phoenix! The developers generally rule the day. But they did have to make some concessions. And maybe the people in attendance-- who seemed so desperate for new development-- will get over their civic inferiority complex and not be so desperate the next time a developer proposes some crappy deal to the city.

It's the little things

Amid the battle over CityScape and the eye-catching construction taking place at 44 Monroe and Summit, it's easy to lose sight of what really makes a city: the small stuff. In spite of the city bureaucracy, which hinders small business expansion, downtown Phoenix is doing pretty well on that front (part of the reason why I believe we don't need CityScape).

Here are a few more pictures of what's going on downtown on the human scale:

The owners of Fate, the pan-Asian restaurant on Fourth Street, are expanding their ventures. Pictured here is Fate (on the left), and its neighboring structure to the right at 901 N. Fourth Street, which is being gutted for remodeling as we speak. My understanding is that this building will house a bar and tavern. I'm also happy that Fate has gotten rid of the crappy asphalt parking lot that used to sit in front of the restaurant-- it looks like patio seating will replace the parking. (That's fine, in cities you parallel park on the street).


To the east of the 901 N. Fourth Street structure is this cool, two-story building that also is being renovated by the Fate owners. This is the back of both buildings, with 901 N. Fourth Street on the right.

Here is a two-story building at 1017 N. Central, just north of Roosevelt. It was a gallery a few months back, but has since been converted to a very modern-looking office building.

Just up the street from Matt's Big Breakfast is this formerly vacant building at 818 N. 1st Street, which is now the sales office for the KML Mosaic project in Tempe. (Interesting that the sales office for a Tempe condo is here...)

And finally, for good measure, is the historic home at 830 N. Second Avenue that I pictured just a couple weeks back. Check out the progress...

Cityscape: No thanks

I've held off on addressing the CityScape proposal for a while. But the final proposal has come forward, and it's time to comment. Here are my pluses and minuses about this proposal, and my conclusion.

Pluses:

No more parking lots. If built out, the CityScape development would replace parking lots with residential, office, and hotel towers. Obviously, eliminating surface parking lots at the heart of the city would be a good thing.

Grocery Store. CityScape has signed a letter-of-intent with AJ's to build a grocery store downtown. Such a store is of vital importance if downtown is to support residents, and AJ's is a quality place.

Residential/Office. CityScape could bring as many as 1,000 residential units downtown, if built out. That is a lot of people, although residential development better be affordable in light of the slow condo market. The office space is really needed as downtown has the lowest vacancy rate of any metro Phoenix office submarket.

Minuses.

Patriot's Square Park. The current plans for CityScape would see a two-story PF Changs and a six-story building housing Borders and AJ's replace downtown's public square. This is an absolute travesty. Simply put, the citizens of Phoenix should not have to give up a public park-- particularly the only one in the middle of downtown-- in order to get generic retail and services that can be found in numerous locations in this city and in others. On top of that, RED Development is seeking a city subsidy!

(And don't believe for one second that the little grassy area between Borders and PF Changs makes up for the loss of Patriot's Square. It's a tiny, token gesture on the part of RED.)

(More!) Blank walls in downtown. While CityScape representatives have stated that their development will have street-facing retail along Washington and Jefferson Street, there appear to be blank walls facing the street along First Street, Second Street, and Central Avenue. How do I put this? No, no, no. We simply cannot repeat the mistakes of the Arizona Center and Collier Center.

Questionable Obligation. In exchange for a city subsidy and the city's relinquishment of Patriot's Square Park, RED only must build one office building and develop the retail on Patriot's Square. So, one building and some uninspiring accompanying retail...I have a name for that: Collier Center. We don't need another Collier Center, particularly one we have to pay for.

Submerged Streets. The CityScape plan plunges Central Avenue and First Street underneath pedestrian overpasses. I'm not a fan of this. Real urban development interacts with existing city streets and doesn't try to separate pedestrians and cars. This is one step above a superblock!

Chain Stores. Borders is everywhere. PF Changs is everywhere...and it sucks! Of course national chains will want to be a part of the revived downtown Phoenix, but do we have to pay for them too?

Summary: I'm really disappointed by all of this. The public process related to Patriot's Square Park was a farce, as RED and the city came back with essentially the same design as the original proposal. More importantly, this looks like a huge missed opportunity to develop prime city blocks the right way. I'm all for more towers and new residential and office-- but not at the expense of our public park, and particularly not for what is effectively another suburban development plopped in downtown.

Let's not act out of desperation. Downtown Phoenix looks like it was built out of desperation-- with project after project that hoped to "save" downtown and flopped. That's not the case anymore. Downtown has a lot of positive momentum: the office market is booming; the Jackson Street Entertainment District has a lot of promise; First Fridays are spurring new restaurants and housing. Basically, we don't need to be desperate anymore. Let's encourage the City of Phoenix to vote down the city incentive for CityScape and the plan to give away Patriot's Square so we can wait for another, better urban development that is fitting of the city's heart.

Monroe Street -- Downtown's best street?

Sadly, while downtown Phoenix has a lot to do, its entertainment options are spread out. Other cities do a far better job of concentrating bars, restaurants, stores, and other urban amenities-- downtown Phoenix has unfortunately been carved up by too many superblocks and parking garages.

So, downtown's best street is undoubtedly Monroe Street (solely because of the little stretch between Central and 1st Avenue). It's got the cool historic hotel, the San Carlos, plus Seamus McCaffrey's. Across the street is more nightlife with Monroe's (the only basement bar I'm aware of in downtown). This street should get even better when 44 Monroe finishes up and the Professional Building is renovated. There are plans for ground-floor retail in both buildings and 44 Monroe will bring 200-300 more residents downtown. Glad to see it continue to rise.

Downtown Phoenix: ideally located for the metro area's future growth

The explosive growth of the West Valley is, in one way, good for downtown Phoenix. (And I'm not referring to the fact that the West Valley did downtown a favor by taking the Cardinals off our hands.)

The fact that the west side has grown so much means that at least geographically, downtown is now back as the center of the metro Phoenix area. Companies now have more of an incentive to locate in central and downtown Phoenix as their workforces now commute from both the east and west sides of town. And people living in downtown Phoenix can get to either side in a flash. I just got back from Tempe (Apache and McClintock) in 16 minutes. Believe it or not, it's 30-35 minutes to faraway Surprise from downtown.

Just one more reason why it's great to be downtown.

Downtown Phoenix updates

* New life is being breathed into vacant buildings at 841 N. Second Avenue (below), across the street at approximately 830 N. Second Avenue (below), and at the Professional Building at Central and Monroe (above) as downtown continues its comeback.

* "Matt's Little Tavern," a.k.a. The Roosevelt, is up and running to rave reviews. I've been there twice, and it's cool. It's housed in the 1909 Farish house, which gives the bar the feel of a house party. For better or worse, the place is packed-- with all types of people ranging from Brophy teachers to beatniks (I never knew Phoenix had so many). The beers are awesome and the food is creative, although it's strictly snack food and won't make it as a dinner. Feel free to show it off to your friends from the suburbs and other cities-- it doesn't disappoint.

* The Royal Coffee Bar has opened at Second Avenue and Jackson Street in the warehouse district. I'm not a coffee fan but the interior is distinctly urban. Next door is the Sweet Pea Bakery. Looking down Jackson Street are pluses and minuses as the Summit condo at 5th Street is nearly topped off, towering over the neighborhood, but The Old Brickhouse at Central Avenue has shut its doors.

Now if only University of Phoenix Stadium could get this right...

I'm not crazy about the Diamondbacks new ownership and the pettiness that they displayed in getting rid of all remnants of the Colangelo regime (they even changed the team's colors). But these new guys could start to grow on me if they make sensible decisions like keeping the roof open during the nice weather.

I swore off going to D-Backs day games during nice weather two seasons ago when I wasted three hours on a gorgeous April afternoon sitting inside BOB with the roof shut. They even had the nerve to display the outside temperature-- 73 degrees!-- while we sat inside the sterile environment.

All this apparently because a few whiners couldn't stand the sun in their eyes. (Note to wimps: invest in sunglasses.)

I'm looking forward to baseball season already...

ASU students need to make their own opportunities in downtown Phoenix

I was a bit disappointed to hear the students at ASU Downtown Phoenix criticizing the school for the lack of social options downtown. Let me first say that I’ve lived in other downtowns in bigger cities that had a lot more going for them, so I am not unaware of the fact that, relative to other cities, downtown Phoenix is pretty limited in terms of what’s available socially. Still, the students quoted in this article came off as whiny and kind of spoiled.

First, there are cool things to do downtown at night. Beyond the art and sports offerings, there are a lot of fun, fairly inexpensive places that stay open late that are within walking distance of the ASU dorm: Fate (open until midnight during the week and 3 a.m. on weekends); Seamus McCaffrey’s (open until 2 a.m. every night, I believe); Carly’s (open until midnight); Cibo (open until 10 p.m.); Portland’s (open until 10 p.m.); Majerle’s (open until 2 a.m.); and now The Roosevelt (open until 2 a.m.). A majority of the places on that list are restaurants that are open to those under 21.

Second, and more importantly, I had hoped that ASU downtown would attract a different type of student resident—leaders who realized that they were urban pioneers who would help create a social life where one didn’t already exist. There’s an old, run-down dive called the Newsroom right near the ASU dorm. Aren’t there five or ten ASU students who could turn that place into “the” dive bar for students on Thursday nights, for instance? Instead of acting like leaders and making their own opportunities, however, the students quoted are followers who seem to believe ASU is supposed to provide those kinds of opportunities for them. Too bad.