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.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
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...)
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...
Sunday, February 11, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
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.
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