* 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.
3 comments:
7th Avenue continues to be a place of interest all the way up through Midtown and even into North Central Phoenix. The cluster of independent businesses in the "Melrose on 7th" District between Indian School and Camelback is promising. The biggest issue up there is whether or not to eliminate the reversible "suicide" lane. To me, anything that makes the 7's (both 7th St. and 7th Ave.) more pedestrian-friendly is welcome.
I like 7th Avenue. I’ll often trade a shorter commute on I-17 (time-wise) to experience the 7th Avenue drive between Dunlap and the Roosevelt District. The older homes and mature trees make for a pleasant ride. However, those good views come to an abrupt end south of Interstate 10.
There have been some positive developments on 7th Avenue: 1) The Hope IV housing project (yes, it’s suburban style, but I don’t know what else could have blended better with the neighborhood it’s in). 2) The office park between Adams and Van Buren (don’t forget they renovated Grace Court School which I’d argue is architecturally more significant than MSG). 3) The Forensic Crime Lab between Jefferson & Washington (Well...it’s something).
I have an extensive list of negatives but I’ll limit my complaints to two: 1) The area to the East of 7th Avenue Bridge (where it crosses the tracks) resembles a junk yard. 2) The intersection at Grand Avenue & Van Buren is less than grand. A Weiss Guys carwash and a Church’s Chicken at the entrance to Grand don’t do this one-of-a-kind intersection justice.
I attended an Urban Form Workshop for the Roosevelt Neighborhood in late May. During that meeting, the consultants discussed plans for 7th Avenue north of Van Buren. They proposed rezoning the area to allow for mixed use development (commercial & residential) and to allow for increased height. They reasoned that the changes would encourage land owners to make more productive use of their property. That would be a good first step. Still, I think we’re years away from noticeable changes.
Silverbear and Mark, thanks for your comments. Many good points but I'll focus on two: First, the "suicide" lanes have got to go. One of the few things I remember clearly from my driver's ed class was the instructor telling us to never drive on the Seventh Street and Seventh Avenue suicide lanes. Removing them probably would help the emerging businesses on both streets and should be done right away. Second, the Urban Form proposal for the Grand/Van Buren/Seventh Avenue intersection sounds like one of the few Urban Form concepts that will fly. By adding uses and height, it's probably insulated from a legal challenge under Proposition 207 and the city attorney's office can breathe easy.
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