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.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
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.
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.
Friday, August 03, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
"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).
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).
Sunday, July 22, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, July 16, 2007
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.
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.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
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...
Thursday, July 05, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
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...)
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...)
Sunday, July 01, 2007
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?).
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?).
Sunday, June 24, 2007
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,
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
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.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
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).
Saturday, May 26, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
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!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
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.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
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.
* 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.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
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!
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!
Saturday, April 07, 2007
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.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
'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.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
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.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
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.
Monday, March 12, 2007
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?
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?
Friday, March 09, 2007
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.
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.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
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?
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?
Sunday, February 25, 2007
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
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.
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.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
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.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
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...
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...
Saturday, January 06, 2007
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.
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.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Only in Phoenix: Hatred of downtown and the urban life
What is wrong with some people in Phoenix? Why do they despise downtown (and probably, city life in general)?
Having a moribund downtown Phoenix doesn't help our region. Lots of talented people who would help us build a better city choose to live elsewhere because of our lack of urban life. I know this for a fact because a lot of those people are my friends-- many of them Phoenix natives.
What confounds me about the attitude of the letter writer above, and many others, is that this isn't an either/or situation. Dozens of American cities have strong downtowns and strong suburbs. The Phoenix area has the suburban part down pretty well, and now it would benefit by giving the large number of people who would like an urban experience a CHOICE.
Having a moribund downtown Phoenix doesn't help our region. Lots of talented people who would help us build a better city choose to live elsewhere because of our lack of urban life. I know this for a fact because a lot of those people are my friends-- many of them Phoenix natives.
What confounds me about the attitude of the letter writer above, and many others, is that this isn't an either/or situation. Dozens of American cities have strong downtowns and strong suburbs. The Phoenix area has the suburban part down pretty well, and now it would benefit by giving the large number of people who would like an urban experience a CHOICE.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Desert Viking update
A few more details are beginning to emerge about Desert Viking's condo development at 3rd Avenue and Portland Place. According to a notice for a November 16 hearing before the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Officer, the condo will have 27 units in four stories, with parking on the first level. The project is unnamed as of yet, and Desert Viking was looking for suggestions for the building's name.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Roosevelt continues to surge forward
The area centered around 3rd Avenue and Portland Streets continues to emerge as a true, pedestrian-oriented urban environment. Pictured here is the Sun Dee Building, located at the southeast corner of 3rd Avenue and Portland. The building is being renovated by Desert Viking Co. (whose credits include the nearby Gold Spot Market and Lamar Building). The building will be a single family-home supposedly selling for more than $1,000,000. Meanwhile, Desert Viking is moving ahead with plans for a condominium on the northeast corner of the same intersection. The property was fenced off this week and a hearing on a city variance is upcoming.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Central Phoenix still has a football power
While some other central Phoenix high schools have seen their sports programs decline during the past 20-30 years, Brophy still remains a powerhouse. Brophy won its first state football title last season. Congratulations to the Broncos for their big win over archrival St. Mary's last week.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Downtown tidbits
A few musings on downtown Phoenix happenings:
* Portland Place has sold 46 of its 54 condos as of yesterday. Another condo may open up, but this is still encouraging news for the downtown condo market, particularly after the investors jumped ship. The picture here is the rooftop at Portland Place. In the foreground is what will become the pool deck, looking south toward the downtown core.
* Weitz may yet be the builder for Portland Place's second phase.
* I brought up a comment that appeared on the forums at skyscraperpage.com, courtesy of the poster Soleri, that construction at Artisan Haus may be delayed or the project may be cancelled altogether, and a Weitz official told me he had "heard the same thing." While I was not a huge fan of the Artisan Haus design, particularly the way the building turned a mostly-blank wall toward Central Avenue, the thought of having another vacant lot in central Phoenix is much less appealing. I hope this project still works out.
* Speaking of vacant parcels on Central, there was some promising news today about the sale of the land at Central and McDowell. Hopefully the entity that purchased the land is serious about developing this parcel across from the Phoenix Art Museum, and isn't simply a speculator. AmLand Development, one of the partners in this resume, has a couple of impressive-looking projects in Philly and in Las Vegas, according to the company's web site. Construction is underway on the Vegas project. How great would it be to have a similar four or five-tower complex built at Central and McDowell?
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Yes, we have great winter weather. Is that all there is to life in a city?
The Arizona Republic ran its annual piece, coinciding with the first major snowfall back east, in which it basically points out to the locals that 'it's warm here in the winter, and cold in other places!' The added bonus this year was that Buffalo, N.Y. was the metro area that was blasted by snow, so the Republic got to gloat about that area's shrinking population versus the Phoenix area's population explosion.
I lived in Buffalo for two years. Admittedly, it has a lot of problems. But it has a host of assets that Phoenix could only dream of: several major public and private universities, world-class architecture, true urban life in its core (some downtown, most along Elmwood Avenue-- think Central Avenue but with cool shops, restaurants, and people), real neighborhoods, a theatre district, distinct foods and a shared culture. I went to a wedding in Buffalo a couple years back, and at one point several of the guests started chanting "Let's go, Buffalo!" as the DJ played Lloyd Williams' "Shout" (it's played after touchdowns at Buffalo Bills games and featured in the movie Animal House). Try to imagine Phoenicians ever having enough pride in our city to do something like that.
So, while I'm glad that my city is warm in the winter and isn't dwindling away like a few places back east, there's a lot more to life than nice weather. Ignore what the civic cheerleaders at the Arizona Republic would have you think; Phoenix can learn something even from much-maligned (and cold) places like Buffalo.
I lived in Buffalo for two years. Admittedly, it has a lot of problems. But it has a host of assets that Phoenix could only dream of: several major public and private universities, world-class architecture, true urban life in its core (some downtown, most along Elmwood Avenue-- think Central Avenue but with cool shops, restaurants, and people), real neighborhoods, a theatre district, distinct foods and a shared culture. I went to a wedding in Buffalo a couple years back, and at one point several of the guests started chanting "Let's go, Buffalo!" as the DJ played Lloyd Williams' "Shout" (it's played after touchdowns at Buffalo Bills games and featured in the movie Animal House). Try to imagine Phoenicians ever having enough pride in our city to do something like that.
So, while I'm glad that my city is warm in the winter and isn't dwindling away like a few places back east, there's a lot more to life than nice weather. Ignore what the civic cheerleaders at the Arizona Republic would have you think; Phoenix can learn something even from much-maligned (and cold) places like Buffalo.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Ghetto?
A recent post on a message board discussing Phoenix referred to downtown Phoenix and environs as "ghetto." I've had a couple visitors to my place insinuate the same thing. Yeah, well, browse this list of recent downtown home sales and try to make that argument. Keep in mind that the median resale price of a home in the Phoenix area is $257,000.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Gentrification: really an issue?
The latest protest against the "gentrification" of downtown Phoenix is profiled in this week's Phoenix New Times. Basically, some of the artists who helped colonize this area fear a wave of yuppie lofts and chain stores overrunning the neighborhood. I think these fears are a little ridiculous. It's one thing when gentrification of a neighborhood drives lower-income residents out of their homes. But while that happens a lot in other cities, there's not much evidence of that happening in Phoenix.
Here, most of the new condos and lofts are being built on what were previously dirt lots or underutilized properties (as in the case of 44 Monroe, Artisan Village, and Portland Place). No residents are being forced to leave because of the construction, and it doesn't appear as though rising property values have changed the composure of nearby neighborhoods like Garfield. And thus far, the retail that has come with the new developments has been organic, non-chain type fare such as Cheuvront and Tammie Coe/MJ Bread. True, if the new developments bring more standbys like the generic P.F. Changs (as promised by the CityScape development) that would be a bad thing. But there's no worries of downtown Phoenix becoming another chain-infested Mill Avenue yet.
What downtown needs is more residents. Yuppies, artists, families...there's room for everybody. And what is the alternative to the development...downtown Phoenix remains filled with vacant dirt lots?
Here, most of the new condos and lofts are being built on what were previously dirt lots or underutilized properties (as in the case of 44 Monroe, Artisan Village, and Portland Place). No residents are being forced to leave because of the construction, and it doesn't appear as though rising property values have changed the composure of nearby neighborhoods like Garfield. And thus far, the retail that has come with the new developments has been organic, non-chain type fare such as Cheuvront and Tammie Coe/MJ Bread. True, if the new developments bring more standbys like the generic P.F. Changs (as promised by the CityScape development) that would be a bad thing. But there's no worries of downtown Phoenix becoming another chain-infested Mill Avenue yet.
What downtown needs is more residents. Yuppies, artists, families...there's room for everybody. And what is the alternative to the development...downtown Phoenix remains filled with vacant dirt lots?
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Pluses, Minuses
While much of the attention downtown focuses on the "big" issues like ASU Downtown, just as important is what's going on at the "micro" level on the street. There are pluses and minuses here. A minus: Retail Laboratory, a fun (although expensive!) gift boutique on Roosevelt Street, has closed its doors after just a few months to concentrate on its sister store at the Biltmore Fashion Park.
A plus: permit application signs at Canvas (criticized by me just a few weeks ago in this blog) on Third Street and Roosevelt indicate that a restaurant known as the "Gallery Bar and Grill" is in the works, featuring outdoor seating. Looking forward to that.
A plus: permit application signs at Canvas (criticized by me just a few weeks ago in this blog) on Third Street and Roosevelt indicate that a restaurant known as the "Gallery Bar and Grill" is in the works, featuring outdoor seating. Looking forward to that.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Misplaced Priorities
I hate to pick on anyone from downtown Phoenix's artist community. Without local artists serving as downtown pioneers, there would be no First Fridays and the rejuvenated areas along Roosevelt and Grand Avenue would still be as dead as a doornail.
But that doesn't mean they do everything right. Case in point is Canvas, a gallery on Third Street and Roosevelt that comes to life once a month on First Fridays. The owners of this gallery, for some unknown reason, chose to build a parking lot (as if Phoenix needs any more of those) on Roosevelt at about Fourth Street. This forecloses development on a great location on what is probably downtown's most promising street. But it also makes no sense when you look at the Canvas building itself, which is still covered in particle board that has been tagged. From my vantage point, Canvas would have been better served finishing the exterior of the building as opposed to building another unnecessary parking lot.
But that doesn't mean they do everything right. Case in point is Canvas, a gallery on Third Street and Roosevelt that comes to life once a month on First Fridays. The owners of this gallery, for some unknown reason, chose to build a parking lot (as if Phoenix needs any more of those) on Roosevelt at about Fourth Street. This forecloses development on a great location on what is probably downtown's most promising street. But it also makes no sense when you look at the Canvas building itself, which is still covered in particle board that has been tagged. From my vantage point, Canvas would have been better served finishing the exterior of the building as opposed to building another unnecessary parking lot.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Fillmore 555: Another Roosevelt Development
Here's a rendition of the Fillmore 555 project at 5th Ave. and Fillmore. According to the Roosevelt Action Association, the Phoenix City Council will consider its approval in August or September. The first floor of this project is slated to house retail development, and the city may allow on-street parking (which I sincerely hope it does).
This information was taken from a City of Phoenix powerpoint presentation focusing on adding retail to downtown Phoenix.
This information was taken from a City of Phoenix powerpoint presentation focusing on adding retail to downtown Phoenix.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Urban living alive and well
With the real estate downturn, it's hard to say what will become of the fledgling condo/loft market in downtown Phoenix and other urban areas of town, especially in a market that historically is totally single-family housing driven. But last night's open house at Portland Place seems to show that there's still a lot of interest in urban living. The sales center was jammed with buyers from Phase 1 of the project, prospective buyers, and real estate professionals. They even had to valet cars on a nearby dirt lot. And, judging from the upscale food and beverages provided, the builder, Crescent Communities, appears to have some deep pockets to continue to back this project.
Other tidbits: According to Portland Place sales reps, the first phase is not totally sold out (despite what some realtors have believed). In fact, while the permitting process for the 10-story second phase is ongoing, groundbreaking can't occur until the requisite number of sales take place in Phase 1. The sales reps seemed to indicate that they are still short of that figure.
Other tidbits: According to Portland Place sales reps, the first phase is not totally sold out (despite what some realtors have believed). In fact, while the permitting process for the 10-story second phase is ongoing, groundbreaking can't occur until the requisite number of sales take place in Phase 1. The sales reps seemed to indicate that they are still short of that figure.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Life on the Highway: 7th Street
I had a chance to cruise by the interesting collection of businesses on 7th Street yesterday: Trente Cinq, Drip Coffee and Lisa G Wine Bar. Down the street is mainstay Coronado Cafe. There are quite a few urban destinations along that road, just as there are on 7th Avenue. And a lot of these places are fairly new. But while these are all promising signs of rebirth in Central Phoenix, they can only go so far in creating real city life because for all intents and purposes, they sit on highways. 7th Street and 7th Avenue each are six or seven-lane highways that serve as virtual walls cutting off one side of the street from the other. Pedestrians trying to cross these highways are taking their lives in their own hands.
While Phoenix is putting some money into narrowing 24th Street between McDowell and Washington as part of the recent bond package, it appears nothing will be done to narrow these streets in the immediate future. If Phoenix is really serious about bringing pedestrians to central and downtown Phoenix, a big start (bigger than adding shade, in my opinion) would be to narrow streets like 7th Street and 7th Avenue (and Third Street, and Third Avenue, and so on...) by expanding the sidewalk and even allowing vehicles to park on the street. I know this will never happen, but one can always dream.
While Phoenix is putting some money into narrowing 24th Street between McDowell and Washington as part of the recent bond package, it appears nothing will be done to narrow these streets in the immediate future. If Phoenix is really serious about bringing pedestrians to central and downtown Phoenix, a big start (bigger than adding shade, in my opinion) would be to narrow streets like 7th Street and 7th Avenue (and Third Street, and Third Avenue, and so on...) by expanding the sidewalk and even allowing vehicles to park on the street. I know this will never happen, but one can always dream.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Phoenix and Scottsdale- culture wars
"Sorry, Scottsdale.
-Phoenix."
This statement, captured on a t-shirt selling at the Red Dog Gallery on 3rd Street during July First Fridays, summed up the current state of affairs in the metro area. Phoenix seems to have aimed for a more serious approach to culture, while Scottsdale is currently epitomized by the Tuesday Night Book Club, plastic surgery, and prominent civic leader Jenna Jameson. And no, Scottsdale, hosting the second location of the Pink Taco Restaurant is not a symbol of sophistication. You wouldn't see something like that in a classy city like Boston or New York...
Hopefully Phoenix never steers toward this path.
-Phoenix."
This statement, captured on a t-shirt selling at the Red Dog Gallery on 3rd Street during July First Fridays, summed up the current state of affairs in the metro area. Phoenix seems to have aimed for a more serious approach to culture, while Scottsdale is currently epitomized by the Tuesday Night Book Club, plastic surgery, and prominent civic leader Jenna Jameson. And no, Scottsdale, hosting the second location of the Pink Taco Restaurant is not a symbol of sophistication. You wouldn't see something like that in a classy city like Boston or New York...
Hopefully Phoenix never steers toward this path.
Shade, shade, shade
The current buzz in downtown Phoenix is about making the area an "oasis of shade." The Downtown Phoenix Urban Form project has made shade a major priority. And the Downtown Voices Coalition has talked about using shade to make downtown more walkable for years.
But I wonder if this concept, while important, isn't being oversold. Yes, downtown Phoenix has a lot of barren, shadeless areas. And certainly, much more should be done to add trees to the sidewalk, for instance, and use building codes to encourage shade from buildings as the Urban Form project plans to do.
But the lack of shade-- and the summer heat-- are not the reasons why people don't mingle in downtown Phoenix or walk much in the area. If they were, Phoenix would come alive with pedestrians in the cooler winter months. It doesn't. People still stay in their cars. So while adding some relief from the summer sun would be a welcome change for downtown Phoenix, that alone won't bring life to downtown. I wonder if it will change things much at all.
But I wonder if this concept, while important, isn't being oversold. Yes, downtown Phoenix has a lot of barren, shadeless areas. And certainly, much more should be done to add trees to the sidewalk, for instance, and use building codes to encourage shade from buildings as the Urban Form project plans to do.
But the lack of shade-- and the summer heat-- are not the reasons why people don't mingle in downtown Phoenix or walk much in the area. If they were, Phoenix would come alive with pedestrians in the cooler winter months. It doesn't. People still stay in their cars. So while adding some relief from the summer sun would be a welcome change for downtown Phoenix, that alone won't bring life to downtown. I wonder if it will change things much at all.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
A Downtown Phoenix Partnership idea that actually makes sense for downtown?
The Downtown Phoenix Partnership recently hired a consultant that recommended raising parking rates in downtown and suggested there will be a need for 27,000 additional parking spaces downtown in the next decade. And while complete details have yet to emerge, it seems possible that DPP might actually 'get it' this time.
At first, the idea that downtown could actually need any more parking seems ludicruous when the Garage Mahal is losing $3M annually and it's been reported that downtown already has as many as 50,000 parking spaces. The fact that parking in downtown Philadelphia, for instance, is eight times as expensive as here also suggests that the supply of parking is dramatically overbuilt.
Still, my overriding objection to the glut of parking downtown is the manner in which garages here have been built. Generally parking structures in Phoenix are stand-alone, space-killing buildings that in some cases occupy entire city blocks. Most have no street retail and deaden the surrounding areas. Not to mention they're just butt-ugly.
But the DPP plan actually seems to understand all this, and, perhaps with the urging of Phoenix officials, claims to make "a priority to build mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly streetscapes and buildings. " This includes underground parking.
So, while I continue to question the need for all the additional parking given what exists now and the fact that light rail is on the way, at least it may be that we've seen the last of the construction of the Soviet-style parking garages that currently dominate downtown.
At first, the idea that downtown could actually need any more parking seems ludicruous when the Garage Mahal is losing $3M annually and it's been reported that downtown already has as many as 50,000 parking spaces. The fact that parking in downtown Philadelphia, for instance, is eight times as expensive as here also suggests that the supply of parking is dramatically overbuilt.
Still, my overriding objection to the glut of parking downtown is the manner in which garages here have been built. Generally parking structures in Phoenix are stand-alone, space-killing buildings that in some cases occupy entire city blocks. Most have no street retail and deaden the surrounding areas. Not to mention they're just butt-ugly.
But the DPP plan actually seems to understand all this, and, perhaps with the urging of Phoenix officials, claims to make "a priority to build mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly streetscapes and buildings. " This includes underground parking.
So, while I continue to question the need for all the additional parking given what exists now and the fact that light rail is on the way, at least it may be that we've seen the last of the construction of the Soviet-style parking garages that currently dominate downtown.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
The Five Best Things To Happen Downtown in the Last Decade
I can sense progress downtown in that I had an easier time putting together the list of the five best things to happen here since 1996 than I did compiling the list of the five worst. Of course, a couple of the "best" things are actually things that didn't happen, so maybe my initial reaction was a little deceptive. Anyway, without any further ado, here are the five best things to happen to downtown Phoenix since 1996:
#5: Cardinals Stadium goes to Glendale: I'm a big sports fan, and I think that downtown arenas and stadiums, when done right, can be tremendous catalysts for redevelopment. But putting the Cardinals Stadium in downtown Phoenix would have been a disaster.
First, while the Diamondbacks play 61 home games per year and the Suns have 45 (or so) home dates annually, the Cardinals would have played only 10 games in the stadium per season. That's only 10 extra days on which people will come downtown, for a far more minimal overall impact than the Suns or D-Backs have.
Second, downtown Phoenix has hit the saturation point as far as sports-oriented events go. Another arena would have been overkill for a downtown that would have had little else besides sports.
Third, relatedly, and perhaps most importantly, the suggested location was right in the middle of the Roosevelt Arts District. Had the stadium been built, the burgeoning scene on Roosevelt (where real urban life now exists in the form of places such as Modified, Fate, Artisan Village and Made) would not exist. For that reason alone, it was a major victory when downtown backed out of the stadium race. (I still think the stadium should have been in Tempe, but that's another story altogether...)
#4: Arizona State University launches its downtown campus: ASU Downtown gets the number 4 slot on my list because of its potential. The addition of as many as 15,000 students in the heart of downtown has the potential to generate a lot of life in downtown Phoenix. More high-rise developments and accompanying retail, like a bookstore and grocery store, hopefully will follow. But there is still reason for caution here. ASU hasn't been as open about its plans as it should be with current residents and has pulled some behind-the-scenes strings in order to tear down part of the historic A.E. England Building on Central in order to build a park. Nearby historic districts could be overrun with student rental housing-- and I can tell you as someone who grew up in Tempe that students are not the best neighbors. In addition, if the campus walls itself off from the rest of downtown, it won't have much of an impact at all and Phoenix's $200M investment will be wasted. So, while there's a lot of potential here, the jury's still out.
#3: Urban residential developments appear: While the new housing built in and around downtown Phoenix is just a drop in the bucket compared to the growth the Valley of the Sun has seen in the past decade, there is genuine cause for optimism as downtown Phoenix finally has sprouted true urban residential development. Led by Roosevelt Square in 2000 and Artisan Parkview in 2003, and followed rapidly by Artisan Lofts on Central, Stadium Lofts, Artisan Village, Orpheum Lofts, and, soon, Portland Place, 44 Monroe, PRD 845 and the Summit, downtown Phoenix has gotten its first taste of high-quality "city" housing in which residents can walk to restaurants and entertainment in a real urban environment. The key will be adding more affordable housing units to this stock and making sure that future construction integrates retail (Artisan Village is a great example of doing this right).
#2: Light Rail: Yes, all it's done so far is rip up Central Avenue (so much for that expensive European brick the city added to the street 20 years ago) and downtown, but the Metro system will knit together downtown Phoenix, uptown Phoenix, and downtown Tempe and for the first time allow Phoenix residents to leave their cars at home. The presence of light rail has already driven millions of dollars of private residential development along the planned line. Commercial real estate brokers are reporting that businesses want to cluster themselves along the line. So, despite the ignorant comments of suburban naysayers, light rail will be used by more than just homeless people. And it already-- even two and a half years before completion-- has helped spur downtown growth.
#1: First Fridays: The urban street scene that is First Fridays gets the top spot in this poll for one simple reason-- upon seeing it for the first time, I have yet to hear anyone say anything other than, "I can't believe I'm in Phoenix." First Fridays has managed to do what the sports stadiums, theatres, convention centers and other public investment couldn't do, filling restaurants and retail stores and getting tons of people to walk the streets of downtown. While the art is hit-or-miss, the popularity of this event has given hope to downtown advocates that the city can, one day, have a thriving downtown scene every night of the week. And while it's just once a month right now (although "Third" Fridays seem to be getting more and more popular) it's a great start.
Honorable Mention: the appearance of great independent restaurants around downtown (Matt's Big Breakfast, Cibo, Carly's, Fate, Cheuvront and Pizzeria Bianco); Phoenix Futures-Jerde Projects (another "best thing that didn't happen" downtown).
#5: Cardinals Stadium goes to Glendale: I'm a big sports fan, and I think that downtown arenas and stadiums, when done right, can be tremendous catalysts for redevelopment. But putting the Cardinals Stadium in downtown Phoenix would have been a disaster.
First, while the Diamondbacks play 61 home games per year and the Suns have 45 (or so) home dates annually, the Cardinals would have played only 10 games in the stadium per season. That's only 10 extra days on which people will come downtown, for a far more minimal overall impact than the Suns or D-Backs have.
Second, downtown Phoenix has hit the saturation point as far as sports-oriented events go. Another arena would have been overkill for a downtown that would have had little else besides sports.
Third, relatedly, and perhaps most importantly, the suggested location was right in the middle of the Roosevelt Arts District. Had the stadium been built, the burgeoning scene on Roosevelt (where real urban life now exists in the form of places such as Modified, Fate, Artisan Village and Made) would not exist. For that reason alone, it was a major victory when downtown backed out of the stadium race. (I still think the stadium should have been in Tempe, but that's another story altogether...)
#4: Arizona State University launches its downtown campus: ASU Downtown gets the number 4 slot on my list because of its potential. The addition of as many as 15,000 students in the heart of downtown has the potential to generate a lot of life in downtown Phoenix. More high-rise developments and accompanying retail, like a bookstore and grocery store, hopefully will follow. But there is still reason for caution here. ASU hasn't been as open about its plans as it should be with current residents and has pulled some behind-the-scenes strings in order to tear down part of the historic A.E. England Building on Central in order to build a park. Nearby historic districts could be overrun with student rental housing-- and I can tell you as someone who grew up in Tempe that students are not the best neighbors. In addition, if the campus walls itself off from the rest of downtown, it won't have much of an impact at all and Phoenix's $200M investment will be wasted. So, while there's a lot of potential here, the jury's still out.
#3: Urban residential developments appear: While the new housing built in and around downtown Phoenix is just a drop in the bucket compared to the growth the Valley of the Sun has seen in the past decade, there is genuine cause for optimism as downtown Phoenix finally has sprouted true urban residential development. Led by Roosevelt Square in 2000 and Artisan Parkview in 2003, and followed rapidly by Artisan Lofts on Central, Stadium Lofts, Artisan Village, Orpheum Lofts, and, soon, Portland Place, 44 Monroe, PRD 845 and the Summit, downtown Phoenix has gotten its first taste of high-quality "city" housing in which residents can walk to restaurants and entertainment in a real urban environment. The key will be adding more affordable housing units to this stock and making sure that future construction integrates retail (Artisan Village is a great example of doing this right).
#2: Light Rail: Yes, all it's done so far is rip up Central Avenue (so much for that expensive European brick the city added to the street 20 years ago) and downtown, but the Metro system will knit together downtown Phoenix, uptown Phoenix, and downtown Tempe and for the first time allow Phoenix residents to leave their cars at home. The presence of light rail has already driven millions of dollars of private residential development along the planned line. Commercial real estate brokers are reporting that businesses want to cluster themselves along the line. So, despite the ignorant comments of suburban naysayers, light rail will be used by more than just homeless people. And it already-- even two and a half years before completion-- has helped spur downtown growth.
#1: First Fridays: The urban street scene that is First Fridays gets the top spot in this poll for one simple reason-- upon seeing it for the first time, I have yet to hear anyone say anything other than, "I can't believe I'm in Phoenix." First Fridays has managed to do what the sports stadiums, theatres, convention centers and other public investment couldn't do, filling restaurants and retail stores and getting tons of people to walk the streets of downtown. While the art is hit-or-miss, the popularity of this event has given hope to downtown advocates that the city can, one day, have a thriving downtown scene every night of the week. And while it's just once a month right now (although "Third" Fridays seem to be getting more and more popular) it's a great start.
Honorable Mention: the appearance of great independent restaurants around downtown (Matt's Big Breakfast, Cibo, Carly's, Fate, Cheuvront and Pizzeria Bianco); Phoenix Futures-Jerde Projects (another "best thing that didn't happen" downtown).
Thursday, June 15, 2006
The Five Worst Things to Happen Downtown in the Last Decade
Downtown's come a long way in the past 10 years. But there certainly have been some missteps along the way. Here's a review of the five worst things to happen in downtown Phoenix since 1996:
5. The Civic Plaza Garage, a.k.a. "Garage Mahal": The last thing downtown Phoenix needs (ever) is another ugly, space-killing parking garage. Especially with Bank One Ballpark/Chase Field right next door, the block at 7th Street and Jefferson was a prime redevelopment spot that could have been filled with retail or residential. Instead, we get a massive garage that looks ugly, destroys the streetscape, sits lifeless when there isn't a game going on next door, and best of all, cost $91 million dollars of public money to build.
4. Bank One Ballpark/Chase Field: This is really more of a missed opportunity. Bob/Chase wasn't built to blend into the downtown streetscape like Coors Field in Denver or the MCI Center in D.C., but is instead another downtown fortress that, like the Garage Mahal, is pretty much lifeless on non-game days. This would be higher on the list but for the fact the Diamondbacks play inside, and 2001 was obviously unforgettable.
3. Sheraton at Phoenix Convention Center: Sensing a theme here? Another publicly-financed megaproject that is, at best, sterile and disappointing. I can't describe the hotel any better than the classic comments of letter-writers to the Arizona Republic: "it looks like the underside of my boat," or "that reminds me of Las Vegas buildings of the 1970's that are being demolished." What was especially regrettable is that the Phoenix City Council passed over a daring, cool architectural proposal from a local group in favor of this retread.
2. "Copper Square": There's only one saving grace to this ridiculously stupid attempt to "brand" downtown-- absolutely no one ever-- ever-- calls downtown "Copper Square." (Well, except the people who came up with the name and are paid to repeat it.) The idea that a city's downtown would be known by some other name is just conceptually false. Maybe they could have renamed some portion of downtown as "Copper Square"...but not the whole thing. Hopefully the Downtown Phoenix Partnership cuts its losses and drives a stake through this one.
1. The continued demolition of historic buildings: Since 1996, downtown has lost Madison Square Garden, St. Mary's Elementary School, several warehouse district buildings when the county built its awesome jail/morgue complex, and has set the stage for the total compromise of the integrity of the Sun Mercantile Building and San Carlos Hotel. In the works is the continued tear-down of historic buildings in the Warehouse District thanks to a recent Phoenix Planning Commission decision to make it easy for developers to carve up the overlay in that area.
Downtown Phoenix needs to realize that its competitive edge over the suburbs or even an area like 24th Street and Camelback is its history. Other downtowns across the country have leveraged their history as an economic development tool, but Phoenix for the most part hasn't figured this out. Of course, this problem may "solve" itself, because at the rate things are going pretty soon there won't be much history left to tear down.
Coming next: The Five Best Things to Happen Downtown in the Last Decade...
5. The Civic Plaza Garage, a.k.a. "Garage Mahal": The last thing downtown Phoenix needs (ever) is another ugly, space-killing parking garage. Especially with Bank One Ballpark/Chase Field right next door, the block at 7th Street and Jefferson was a prime redevelopment spot that could have been filled with retail or residential. Instead, we get a massive garage that looks ugly, destroys the streetscape, sits lifeless when there isn't a game going on next door, and best of all, cost $91 million dollars of public money to build.
4. Bank One Ballpark/Chase Field: This is really more of a missed opportunity. Bob/Chase wasn't built to blend into the downtown streetscape like Coors Field in Denver or the MCI Center in D.C., but is instead another downtown fortress that, like the Garage Mahal, is pretty much lifeless on non-game days. This would be higher on the list but for the fact the Diamondbacks play inside, and 2001 was obviously unforgettable.
3. Sheraton at Phoenix Convention Center: Sensing a theme here? Another publicly-financed megaproject that is, at best, sterile and disappointing. I can't describe the hotel any better than the classic comments of letter-writers to the Arizona Republic: "it looks like the underside of my boat," or "that reminds me of Las Vegas buildings of the 1970's that are being demolished." What was especially regrettable is that the Phoenix City Council passed over a daring, cool architectural proposal from a local group in favor of this retread.
2. "Copper Square": There's only one saving grace to this ridiculously stupid attempt to "brand" downtown-- absolutely no one ever-- ever-- calls downtown "Copper Square." (Well, except the people who came up with the name and are paid to repeat it.) The idea that a city's downtown would be known by some other name is just conceptually false. Maybe they could have renamed some portion of downtown as "Copper Square"...but not the whole thing. Hopefully the Downtown Phoenix Partnership cuts its losses and drives a stake through this one.
1. The continued demolition of historic buildings: Since 1996, downtown has lost Madison Square Garden, St. Mary's Elementary School, several warehouse district buildings when the county built its awesome jail/morgue complex, and has set the stage for the total compromise of the integrity of the Sun Mercantile Building and San Carlos Hotel. In the works is the continued tear-down of historic buildings in the Warehouse District thanks to a recent Phoenix Planning Commission decision to make it easy for developers to carve up the overlay in that area.
Downtown Phoenix needs to realize that its competitive edge over the suburbs or even an area like 24th Street and Camelback is its history. Other downtowns across the country have leveraged their history as an economic development tool, but Phoenix for the most part hasn't figured this out. Of course, this problem may "solve" itself, because at the rate things are going pretty soon there won't be much history left to tear down.
Coming next: The Five Best Things to Happen Downtown in the Last Decade...
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Matt's Little Tavern?
Good news- Another restaurant is on the way for downtown Phoenix, as the owners of Matt's Big Breakfast are planning to open a tavern featuring American bar food. The yet-to-be-named tavern will be located at 3rd Street and McKinley, around the corner from Matt's.
Matt's is one of the best things to happen downtown in the last few months, and if this new restaurant is anywhere near the same quality-- which I fully expect it will be-- "northern" downtown will have one more small business building block.
I wanted to start this blog with some positive news...
Matt's is one of the best things to happen downtown in the last few months, and if this new restaurant is anywhere near the same quality-- which I fully expect it will be-- "northern" downtown will have one more small business building block.
I wanted to start this blog with some positive news...
Welcome
This site will be a forum for people to discuss downtown Phoenix and urban Arizona and the issues facing the city and metropolitan region. Finally, it seems that downtown has some real momentum, but as always in Phoenix, there exists the possibility that the opportunity to create a real "city" will be squandered.
Hopefully this site will be a clearinghouse for information and discussion as our city moves forward.
Hopefully this site will be a clearinghouse for information and discussion as our city moves forward.
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