Scottsdale & Paradise Valley Development News [Archive]

shrek05

Jul 11, 2006, 5:13 PM

PayPal ready to hire for new Scottsdale facility
The Business Journal of Phoenix - 10:07 AM MST Tuesday
by Adam Kress

PayPal, the popular online payment services company owned by eBay, is expanding in Scottsdale and plans to hire hundreds of new employees.

It will open a new technology development center in Scottsdale and is now accepting résumés from experienced applicants, who can apply for positions at www.paypal.com/jobs. The PayPal technology center has openings for technical professionals with expertise in product development, operations and infrastructure design, engineering and support.

"Scottsdale and the surrounding area is home to a large and skilled work force, many of whom can find great opportunities at PayPal's new technology center," said PayPal vice president of site operations and infrastructure Jim McGuire in a company statement. "We look forward to working with this large base of talented professionals, and supporting the growth of the local community."

PayPal, founded in 1998, enables any individual or business with an e-mail address to send and receive online payments securely and easily using a bank account, credit card or stored balance. The company has more than 105 million accounts and is available to users in 55 markets around the world.

"EBay and PayPal are innovative, global technology companies that will increase the region's visibility as a destination for next-generation companies," said Barry Broome, president and chief executive of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. "Kudos to Mayor Manross and the Scottsdale City Council for creating an environment that attracts companies of this caliber."

Based in San Jose, Calif., the company has offices in Dublin, Ireland and near Omaha, Neb. Parent company eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) is also based in San Jose.

For more: www.paypal.com.

shrek05

Jul 11, 2006, 5:16 PM

On another note, I really like the Optima Camelview Village design...I drive by it everyday and its looking good. When everything at the Scottsdale/Camelback is completed, its gonna look goood

And something we should all go to once in awhile...a Saturday at the spa....

Scottsdale is tops in country for spas
By Shanna Hogan, Tribune
July 11, 2006
The smell of lavenderscented aromatherapy oil fills the lobby of the Spa at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale as soothing melodic music plays from speakers overhead.

Inside, men and women lie in individual rooms wrapped in mud or with hot black stones lining their backbones.

It’s a familiar scene in Scottsdale.

While the city has long been known for its luxury resorts and high-end golf courses, an abundance of resort spas has given Scottsdale the new title of spa capital.

Scottsdale has the highest concentration of resort spas in the U.S., according to Luxury Spa Finder magazine, a 20-year-old publication that maintains a database of spas across the country.

Spas provide luxury beauty and health treatments like manicures, pedicures, massages, body wraps, hydrotherapy and facials.

A look at the Yellow Pages shows there are at least 77 spas in Scottsdale, both in and separate from resorts. The magazine lists at least 20 Scottsdale resort spas.

Consumers hungry for pampering have created a demand for more spa facilities throughout the country. The trend has been embraced feverishly in Scottsdale, with more resorts adding on lavish spas to attract a wider customer base.

“You can’t really have a resort in Scottsdale without having a spa nowadays,” said Kristin Roberts of Scottsdale’s Hotel Valley Ho resort. “Scottsdale is now a spa destination.”

The Valley Ho reopened in December, with a new look and the new VH Spa. Adding the spa was an important component of the renovation process to keep up with the competition, she said.

But resort spas aren’t just appealing to tourists. Complementary use of the pool, sauna and fitness center after a spa treatment has also attracted local residents.

“If I am just getting a regular facial I just go to the salon,” said Scottsdale resident Liz Wilson. ”If I am getting some sort of special treatment I go to the resort spas. It’s more of an all-day experience as opposed to just one hour.”

Wilson gets a regular monthly facial and massage. As a special treat she’ll splurge on a deluxe pedicure about three times a year.

“It’s a way to reward myself,” she said. “It’s much healthier than going out drinking or eating a huge meal.”

Today’s fast-paced lifestyle is driving more people like Wilson to look for ways to unwind, said Susie Ellis, the magazine’s president.

“The increase in stress is causing people to look for places where they can get destressed,” she said. “Spas are the best antidote for stress because that’s what they’re all about — reducing stress.”

The trend in Scottsdale was most likely fueled by the area’s plethora of golf courses, because resorts wanted to give golfers’ wives something to do while their husbands were on the green, experts said.

But the spas have now become the driving force for many out-of-state tourists.

“It’s an extremely popular aspect of the resort in and of itself,” said Trish Nugent of the Sanctuary Spa on Camelback Mountain.

Valerie Poulos of The Phoenician resort said increased competition has led to more luxury facilities and unique treatments. The Centre for Well-Being at The Phoenician offers a variety of services, including tarot card readings and 80-minute caviar facials.

Scottsdale day spas, which are not attached to resorts, are also creating new services for their clients.

“Eleven years ago we were the only real day spa in this whole city,” said Irene Kelly, owner of Spa du Soleil in Scottsdale. “All the hotels used to send us their guests when we first opened because they didn’t have spas. Over the years that has changed.”

Among Spa du Soleil’s treatments is a microcurrent sculpting facial, which uses electrically charged metal wands to firm skin and reduce wrinkles.

Scottsdale’s resort spa trend is also spreading across the state.

The Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park opened its Red Door Spa in May. It was the first in the West Valley.

“We noticed as the resorts were popping up in Scottsdale and they were offering these great spas, that that’s what people were really starting to travel for,” said Lance Burton of the Wigwam. “It was just time for us to be able to have one as well.”

Burton predicted the trend will continue as more people discover the pleasures of spas.

“All over Arizona they’re popping up,” he said. “But Scottsdale’s always going to be at the top, and that’s where people are going to look.”

The spa industry

• Scottsdale has the highest concentration of resort spas in the United States.

• Spas are a $40 billion global industry.

• The spa industry is the fourth-largest leisure industry in the United States, generating more revenue than ski resorts, amusement/theme parks or box office receipts.

• Between 1994 and 2004, the number of U.S. spas has quadrupled, and 136 million visits to spas are now made each year. The number of spa locations is growing at an average annual rate of 20 percent over the last 8 years.

• The number of hotel/resort spas has more than tripled in five years, rising 290 percent and representing the industry’s fastest-growing segment.

• Over 30 percent of spa visitors are men — up from 24 percent in 2002. Men represent the fastest growing demographic in the spa industry.

Source: Luxury Spa Finder magazine

oliveurban

Jul 12, 2006, 7:35 AM

Ground broken for second phase of Kierland Commons Plaza Lofts
The Business Journal of Phoenix
Tuesday, July 11th 2006

Woodbine Southwest Corp., developer of the Kierland Commons retail/residential development along the Phoenix/Scottsdale border, Tuesday broke ground on the Phase II tower of the Plaza Lofts at Kierland Commons.

The Phase II tower, slated for completion in the fall of 2007, will comprise six residential levels above a three-story parking garage. The building will be on the north side of Kierland Commons.

For Tuesday's ceremonies, officials ditched the usual photo-op shovels in favor of a "lifestyle presentation" with human and canine actors role-playing activities such as valet parking a sports car, attending a cocktail party and taking a leisurely afternoon stroll.

The first phase of the Plaza Lofts had 30 lofts, and in the second phase that number grows to 54, ranging in size from 1,100 to 2,800 square feet. Five penthouse suites on the ninth floor will range from 3,200 to 3,900 square feet and will feature custom buildouts.

According to Woodbine Southwest officials, sales began in March and the project is already more than 50 percent sold.

Nelsen Architects is the architect on the project, and Sundt Construction Inc. is the general contractor. Signature Properties is handling the role of residential broker.

For more: www.plazaloftskierland.com.

shrek05

Jul 12, 2006, 4:02 PM

ah, thats exciting. i really enjoy the kierland area. very nice place to walk around and stroll in late afternoon and early evening.

oliveurban

Jul 15, 2006, 9:22 AM

Dial to stay in Scottsdale but move to near Loop 101
Peter Corbett
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 15, 2006

SCOTTSDALE - Scottsdale-based Dial Corp. announced Friday that it intends to keep its headquarters in Scottsdale in a new, multistory facility northeast of Scottsdale Road and Loop 101.

Dial plans to locate its corporate offices and research center in the One Scottsdale development, planned by DMB, developer of DC Ranch.

The move is expected in 2008.

Phoenix and Scottsdale had been competing for months to snag Dial's new Valley headquarters and its 650 employees.

Scottsdale won out in the competition for the consumer products company.

Phoenix had identified a site a few miles west of Scottsdale Road at Tatum and Mayo boulevards for Dial.

Dial moved its headquarters from Phoenix to the Scottsdale Airpark, near Greenway and Scottsdale roads, in 1997. Dial's research facility has been in the Airpark since 1976.

Dial's products include its signature soap and a wide range of products: Purex laundry detergent, Right Guard antiperspirant and Combat, a roach insecticide.

Scottsdale civic leaders welcomed the long-awaited announcement, while Phoenix leaders expressed disappointment.

Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross said Dial's decision is a vote of confidence in Scottsdale.

"It speaks to the strength of our economy, the excellence of our workforce and the great quality of life we offer in Scottsdale and the region," the mayor said.

combusean

Aug 2, 2006, 6:19 PM

Group to fight height wish
N. Scottsdale proposal may go to 10 stories

Peter Corbett
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 2, 2006 12:00 AM

SCOTTSDALE - DMB Associates is preparing to ask the Scottsdale City Council to allow some of the city's tallest structures in north Scottsdale at its One Scottsdale project.

But a citizens group vows to fight the proposal, contending that it would double the height to 120 feet, or about 10 stories.

Bob Vairo, Coalition of Pinnacle Peak president, said taller buildings northeast of Scottsdale Road and Loop 101 would harm the area's skyline and further snarl traffic.

"If we value the views and the mountains and what makes Scottsdale so special, then do we let it morph into something else, a highly urbanized area?" Vairo said.

Scottsdale-based DMB plans to build 1.8 million square feet of offices, retail and residential units at One Scottsdale, starting next year.

Height limits are 60 feet on the southern end of the project and 45 feet on the northern end.

DMB attorney Karrin Taylor said the company plans to ask the Scottsdale City Council to increase the project's height limit, but she would not say how tall it might go. The overall size or square footage of the project would not change.

DMB's architectural design team wants to vary the building height to make it more visually appealing, she said.

"We've taken a step back and asked ourselves, 'How can we create a better place aesthetically and bring greater value to the area?' " Taylor said. "It can be done and executed in a more artful way."

But the Coalition of Pinnacle Peak wants the city to draw a line and limit building heights in north Scottsdale.

Scottsdale's tallest buildings are 143 feet high, but all are downtown.

Mayor Mary Manross said she would withhold judgment until DMB submits its request for an amended plan.

Nearby, Phoenix is expected to allow buildings up to 190 feet, or 17 stories, for Palisene, Westcor's competing mixed-use development northwest of Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road

combusean

Aug 2, 2006, 6:27 PM

Not sure if this is the Stetson Plaza development or a new project.

Council calls meeting on condo plan

Steve Yozwiak
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 1, 2006 12:00 AM

SCOTTSDALE - Whatever you do, don't mess with Old Town Scottsdale.

That's the message Councilwoman Betty Drake is sending after a recent review of a redesigned three-story building at 4020 N. Scottsdale Road.

The Red Mountain Retail Group wants to turn it into a combination of condos and a retail furniture gallery.

It is a powerful enough message that Mayor Mary Manross is cutting the City Council's planned seven-week summer hiatus short by nearly three weeks. The council last met July 11 and was not previously scheduled to meet again until Aug. 28.

The council now will meet next Tuesday to reconsider what is known as the 4020 Building, northwest of First Avenue and Scottsdale Road.

"It's a nice design, but is it appropriate in the middle of Old Town?" Manross said Monday.

The mayor said she called the special meeting at Drake's request.

She said the meeting couldn't wait because the council only has 20 days to review any decision of the Development Review Board.

The council will consider whether to initiate a review of the July 20 decision by the board, which approved the project 6-1.

At that board meeting, public discussion favoring the project spoke about the desire of having a mix of residential and retail in downtown Scottsdale.

Those opposed generally criticized the architectural style and building materials as being too modern and out of touch with the more rustic, Western and Santa Fe adobe architecture of Old Town Scottsdale.

combusean

Aug 2, 2006, 6:36 PM

Scottsdale condos opening as fever dips
Scottsdale wave starts strong, may ebb later

Peter Corbett
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 2, 2006 12:00 AM

Scottsdale's condominium market is showing signs of slowing just as some of downtown's projects are close to moving in their first residents.

The Hotel Valley Ho is to complete its first condos early this month, and the residential tower should be completed by November, said Alyssa Wick Thomas, a sales agent for Russ Lyon Realty.

With the market cooling, Thomas said it is fortunate the Valley Ho is on the leading edge of downtown's condo development wave.

"It's certainly not as strong as it was two years ago when people were signing up without even looking at anything," she said. "Now they're analyzing everything and crunching the numbers."

About half of the Valley Ho's 37 condos have been sold. Among the remaining condos are 1,800-square-foot penthouses, priced at $1.5 million.

Some other projects in the first wave of what is expected to be 2,000 new downtown condos will welcome their first tenants during the next few months.

Optima Camelview's first residents will move in by September. Spokeswoman Jennifer Ziegler said about 535 of 700 condos have been sold. Steel framing was to start last month on the second phase.

The first occupants of the 13-story Scottsdale Waterfront Residences will move in by January. Meanwhile, the steel framing of the second residential tower on this project is nearly complete, with move-ins scheduled for the second quarter of 2007.

Developer Alan Farris said Main Street Plaza will turn on the lights and air-conditioning for its first residents in August. Construction of a second phase will start later this year, he said.

Soft buyers flee

Scottsdale's market started picking up steam when the condo cranes went up, and it appeared buyers were feverish about the new urban lifestyle that builders were touting downtown.

It's clear now that some of those folks were testing the waters. Once developers had their real estate reports in hand and wanted signed contracts, some of the so-called buyers took their refundable deposits and pulled out.

"We had buyers who went to all of the different developments and put their money down," said Thomas, the Russ Lyon Realty agent.

Now, as the doors open on a new style of luxury living in Scottsdale, it will be interesting to see how many condo deals close and whether prices slip or developers offer incentives to fill up their lofty and costly perches.

Resale market cools

While builders add finishing touches to new condos, Scottsdale's resale condo market has seen sales dip 18 percent from May to June. The median sales price last month was $264,750, up 1.2 percent from May but down 7 percent from February, according to the Arizona Real Estate Center at Arizona State University.

Valley-wide sales of existing condos were off 30 percent from May to June, and the price dipped 0.2 percent.

Local buyers, squeezed out of the single-family home market, had shifted to condos and condo conversions. But many of those doors closed to them when prices shot past $200,000 for dolled-up apartments, some of them older than the 20-something buyers.

loftlovr

Aug 4, 2006, 8:05 AM

Ouch......
(I bought in Camelview)

http://housingpanic.blogspot.com/2006_04_30_housingpanic_archive.html
Check out this blog- an angry fellow... There are a few articles on Phx if you look through...

I sure hope they're wrong!!
I'd love for the Feds to lower interest rates next year to bring the market back a little... but that's another discussion!

HX_Guy

Aug 4, 2006, 8:56 AM

Man this article is the worst...

Here come the mid-construction halted condo projects...

When we first heard there was going to be a 15 story condo project in Chandler, yes, Chandler Arizona, many of us laughed and laughed.

No matter how purty the stock-art photos of young couples doing wine and cheese, it's tough to sell a $1,000,000 2-bedroom condo in such a lame area. Well, we're now finding out, it's not just tough, it's impossible.

Wonder how they'll tear these condo building frames down, in Arizona, in Miami, in San Diego, in Denver, in ...?

Work has virtually stopped at the 10-story luxury hotel under construction south of Chandler Fashion Center, and the city has warned the project architect that some permits issued in January have yet to be paid for.

When asked Friday whether there were problems with the project, Oaks, the architect, said he could not comment. Builders have finished eight floors, but the ninth and 10th floors for condominiums are considered a different phase of the project.

Plans call for 243 rooms, including 10 executive suites. The top two floors will house 27 condominiums that range in price from $500,000 to $2 million. The hotel has a projected opening date of November 2007. The 10-acre site will include a 15-story condominium tower southwest of the hotel and a four-story parking garage with more than 600 spaces. Construction on that tower is expected to begin in late summer.

I hope projects currently under construction in Phoenix and Tempe don't end up the same...mainly Monroe 44, Summit, Sheraton, and W hotel...if that even ever takes off.

kevininlb

Aug 4, 2006, 3:54 PM

Man this article is the worst...

[
I hope projects currently under construction in Phoenix and Tempe don't end up the same...mainly Monroe 44, Summit, Sheraton, and W hotel...if that even ever takes off.

With the new convention center and light rail coming, I doubt it. But, what do I know? Just hopeful...

loftlovr

Aug 22, 2006, 8:38 PM

Reflections on the Canal:
http://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/cases/casesheet.aspx?caseid=29484

http://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/planning/projectsummary/applicant_submittals/ProjInfo_47_DR_2005.pdf
*** a rather dull and uninspiring townhome complex..... taking place of Waterfront Ivy...

Orange Row Condos:
http://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/cases/casesheet.aspx?caseid=30254

http://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/planning/projectsummary/applicant_submittals/ProjInfo_83_DR_2005.pdf

http://www.robpaulus.com/projects/res_multiple/oran.html
**** same architect as Ice House Lofts in Tucson- very cool looking project

4020 Building:
http://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/cases/casesheet.aspx?caseid=30701&buttons=no

http://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/planning/projectsummary/applicant_submittals/ProjInfo_110_DR_2005.pdf
I really like the looks of this one too.

*On a side note- I better start seeing some serious canal improvements soon! These projects keep marketing the canal as a positive thing... Waterfront huh.... yucky for now.

HX_Guy

Aug 22, 2006, 9:28 PM

I agree on the canal thing. To me, that's no "Waterfront"...waterfront would be something like the Tempe Town Lake...not some 15ft wide canal.

shrek05

Aug 24, 2006, 3:05 PM

PGA Tour event set at Grayhawk
Fry's Electronics Open to limit ticket sales
Peter Corbett
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 24, 2006 12:00 AM
SCOTTSDALE - A PGA Tour golf tournament scheduled at Scottsdale's Grayhawk Golf Club in October 2007 will limit attendance to a fraction of the FBR Open's crowds.

The Fry's Electronics Open on Grayhawk's Raptor Course will likely cap ticket sales at about 10,000 to 15,000 per day, said Del Cochran, Grayhawk Golf Club captain. The FBR averaged 111,315 fans each tournament day.

But he and the host Thunderbirds civic group say they are excited about staging a second PGA event next year.

"I'm overjoyed," Cochran said. "We love the October timeline that sets up the market for the season, and the weather is perfect."

The PGA Tour and the Thunderbirds announced Wednesday that the Fry's Electronics Open is one of seven tournaments in a new fall series.

The tournament, with a $5 million purse and full field of 132 players, will be Oct. 15-21 at Grayhawk, northeast of Hayden Road and Thompson Peak Parkway.

It is not expected to attract golf's top tour players because it falls a month after the Tour Championship, when many players take time off.

But Greg Hoyt, tournament chairman, said he called some of the local players to invite them to compete.

"With such a large contingent of tour professionals already living here in the Valley, we should have a strong field vying for the championship," said Hoyt, who was the 2004 FBR Open chairman.

The FBR Open, which will be played at the TPC Scottsdale Jan. 29-Feb. 4, attracted 536,777 for this year's event.

kevininlb

Aug 24, 2006, 4:08 PM

:cheers:

Hey, I'm still relatively new to the Phx area so I won't be embarrassed by asking this. Okay, so I have never -- ever -- been to DT Scottsdale (really, I'm serious). That's a happening place, yes? If so, what street/area should I go to this weekend? I have a friend visiting and I'd like to take him somewhere with clubs, etc. (As an aside, I'm quite familiar with Mill in Tempe; it's my default place for nightlife because I'm not sure where else to go [and, I like it]).

Thanks for any suggestions.

HX_Guy

Aug 24, 2006, 6:43 PM

Here you go...

http://www.nitnelav.com/ScottsdaleNight.JPG

That is where (red square, not green arrow) the big night club spot is in DT Scottsdale...there's a probably 6+ clubs all in that area.

kevininlb

Aug 24, 2006, 7:17 PM

:previous: Thanks.

PHX31

Aug 24, 2006, 7:27 PM

Actually, here you go:

There are more areas of downtown/oldtown Scottsdale that have bars and clubs than just the red area. I can think of at least a dozen off the top of my head. (edit: extend the blue south of Indian School Rd).

http://members.cox.net/mmblueaz/ScottsdaleNight.jpg

Check this out: http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/projects/downtown/pdf/DowntownMapDirectory.pdf

That will give you a directory you can look over to find something you're into. You can look up a bar/club and all of the addresses are there so you can look them up on google earth/maps.

Here's a list of all of the possible places I can think of (and I know there are tons more). Some are clubs, some are lounges, some are just bars, and others are restaurants with popular bars.

Suede
Six
Drift
RA
Singray Sushi
e4
Pussy Cat Lounge
Next
Axis/Radius
Drinx
Bungalow
Crown Room
Devil's Martini
Mickey's Hangover
Maloney's
Salty Seniorita
Sugar Daddy's
Bar 74
Martini Ranch
Myst
...others too. Let me know what you're looking to go to with your friend, and I'll tell you a place you would like.

kevininlb

Aug 24, 2006, 7:38 PM

:previous:

Wow, this is great. We're not looking to settle into one particular place. We'd rather walk around, step in and out, and get a feel for the place. This info is perfect...appreciate it.

oliveurban

Aug 24, 2006, 8:13 PM

^ And just to get a tad more specific, if you are planning on doing much of your bar hopping on foot, the highest concentrations of bars/ clubs/ lounges in closest proximity to each other are generally located in the areas in red. If walking, I'd try to find a parking spot near one of these areas, and then walk between. Indian Plaza/ Shoeman Ln (Axis/ Radius, Pussy Cat Lounge, Suede, Ballroom, etc.), Stetson Dr (Martini Ranch, Six, Stix, Mickey's Hangover, etc.), and then Craftsman Ct (Next, Dos Gringo's, Acme, etc.) are your best bets to begin with:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/metro_phx/Phoenix/oldtown1.jpg

* Of course, as previously noted by others, there are many other notable places to go to still within walking distance; however, as you do move farther and farther away from these general areas, distances between establishments become larger, as they are less concentrated.

PHX31

Aug 24, 2006, 8:17 PM

/\ Yeah, what he said, that's what I was trying to get at. :)

kevininlb

Aug 25, 2006, 1:19 PM

:previous:

Wow, this will be fun. Now if the dang workday would just end. Thanks all.

ArtDecoFan

Aug 31, 2006, 6:11 AM

For those interested...

Scottsdale Town Hall to address downtown future

The Business Journal of Phoenix - 12:40 PM MST Wednesday

The Scottsdale City Council is hoping to generate community discussion about the future of the city's downtown through a $30,000 contract with Arizona Town Hall.

The organization will assist in gathering input from city stakeholders including Scottsdale residents, investors and business owners, the council announced Wednesday.

Key to that effort will be a Scottsdale Town Hall Nov. 15, 16 and 20. About 100 participants will be selected to take part in the half-day discussions. A report from the event is due out by the end of November. Additional opportunities for community input will take place later in the process, including a city council work/study session in December or January.

Scottsdale has experienced unprecedented growth and investment in the past three years, which has sparked a significant change in the downtown culture, the council said, noting that efforts are under way to ensure the area's future is guided by community input and a partnership between the public and private sectors.

Those interested in participating in the Scottsdale Town Hall may fill out an application, which is available at www.scottsdaleaz.gov/Projects/downtown/townhall.asp .

Arizona Town Hall is an independent nonprofit membership organization created to address critical issues facing the state.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2006/08/28/daily36.html?surround=lfn

Don B.

Sep 1, 2006, 4:40 AM

^ I signed up for that gig.

In other news, a new $41 million development is nearing completion in downtown Scottsdale:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0831biz-canal31-ON.html

Scottsdale renaissance in full swing with SouthBridge project

Peter Corbett
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 31, 2006 05:05 PM

A linchpin redevelopment project that aims to attract strolling tourists and locals to downtown Scottsdale's canal banks is taking shape in the shadow of the city's tallest buildings. SouthBridge, a $41 million restaurant and retail complex along the Arizona Canal, is poised to make its own dramatic statement when its four buildings open early next year.

Developer Fred Unger of Scottsdale-based Spring Creek Development said that the four-story SouthBridge project will be a transition from the 13-story Scottsdale Waterfront, with its condos, stores and restaurants, to the lower profile shops and nationally recognized art galleries along Fifth Avenue and Marshall Way. A new canal bridge and a plaza with a cascading water feature will link the project that flank the Arizona Canal, southwest of Camelback and Scottsdale roads.

"We want it to be the heart and soul of downtown Scottsdale," said Unger, adding that he is hoping SouthBridge will be recognized as one of the nation's best public places.

SouthBridge, the Scottsdale Waterfront and the Arizona Canal are at the center of Scottsdale's redevelopment binge that has seen $2 billion in private investment downtown over the past three years, according to city officials. Scottsdale's early builders turned their backs on the irrigation canal, a barrier that cuts diagonally across the city. They treated the waterway like an alley. Civic leaders for decades hoped to turn the canal into an asset with landscaped pathways, water features and bridges. Unger and others failed in the 1990s to revive the canal and downtown, but the area renaissance is now in full swing.

Scottsdale Waterfront's retail and office component is nearly complete. Plus, thousands of condominium owners will soon begin moving into the Waterfront towers and a half dozen other high-end downtown condo projects. Spring Creek Development also plans to build 66 residential units at SouthBridge over the next two years, depending on market conditions, Unger said. Completion of the 3-acre SouthBridge development next spring and the influx of residents will bring a noticeable change to downtown, said John Little, Scottsdale's downtown administrator.

"The social dynamics begin to change in a fundamental way," Little said. "That really begins to transform downtown into another neighborhood."

It also will bring deep-pocketed residents to the canal banks and SouthBridge, which intends to give them something unique. Unger, who renovated the nearby Royal Palms Resort and Hermosa Inn, explained that SouthBridge will rely on individually owned restaurants and shops rather than leasing to national chains and retailers.

"I still believe in independence," he said. "I'm not a chain person."

Home-grown qualities

Scottsdale restaurateur Peter Kasperski of Cowboy Ciao will operate four restaurants at SouthBridge, including the Mexican Standoff and an Italian eatery called Digestif. Kapsperski's partner Nobu Fukuda will move his See Saw restaurant into SouthBridge and will unveil another one called Shell Shock, with seafood and Japanese finger food. A European-style café, the fine-dining Estate House and a chic restaurant lounge called Canal also are in the mix.

SouthBridge's 30,000 square feet of retail will include home furnishings and fashion. It will be anchored by Jennifer Croll, a Scottsdale-based fashion retailer that will share space with other boutique retailers.

Chains in nearby mall

Shoppers looking for chain retailers can take the bridge over to Scottsdale Waterfront or continue north to Scottsdale Fashion Square. The home-grown aspect of SouthBridge adds to the project's risk - banks were wary, Unger said - but could pay dividends for the 400,000-square-foot project.

"I think it's extremely far-sighted," said Little, the city administrator. "Downtown is trying to create a sense of place, something unique and original and special. I think the exclusion of chain stores south of the canal helps reinforce that in a strong way. "It really is a departure from Anywhere, USA," Little added.

SouthBridge also includes two office condos and two levels of free public parking. Scottsdale contributed $5 million for the underground parking garage and $11 million for the bridge and canal-bank improvements, Little said.

--don

xymox

Sep 7, 2006, 3:19 AM

Anyone notice the tower crane that went up near the airpark? I didn't drive to find it, but I spied it from the 101 at Desert Ridge last weekend. I'm assuming this is for the 9 story loft project at Kierland - any ideas?

Also, anyone notice they are adding floors to the Mayo Hospital @ Desert Ridge? At least two or three more it seems...was surprised to see them building on top of the existing tower!

Don B.

Sep 7, 2006, 5:27 AM

Yep and yep. If you look in my recent Tempe/Scottsdale photo thread ("I got a new lens..."), you'll see the tower crane for Plaza Lofts at Kierland. We can't afford it, though. Prices start in the 700s for one bedroom, 1,000 square feet.

Mayo's pretty cool as well. Drove by it Tuesday morning on the way back from Prescott.

--don

loftlovr

Sep 9, 2006, 1:23 PM

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=73604&source=rss&dest=STY-73604

Westcor to reshape Fashion Square mall area
By Ed Taylor, Tribune
September 8, 2006
Westcor, the owner of the Scottsdale Fashion Square shopping center, is eyeing the redevelopment of a 13-acre portion of the property at Scottsdale and Camelback roads for mixed uses including hotels, condos and possibly a retail village.

The makeover would include a new retail area to replace the former Robinsons-May department store at the east end of the mall, which was acquired by Westcor after Robinsons-May owner May Department Stores merged with Federated Department Stores, owner of Macy’s. As a result of that merger, Federated decided to keep the existing Macy’s department store in the mall and no longer needed the redundant Robinsons-May store.

As part of the east side makeover, Westcor could tear out an existing parking structure and the Robinsons-May building to create a new main entry way to the shopping center from Scottsdale Road and possibly a shopping village for luxury retailers facing onto the street, said David Scholl, senior vice president of development for Westcor.

The Robinsons-May building could be retained if a new tenant or tenants want to occupy it, he said.

In addition, the north side of the Westcor-owned property — now occupied by a motel, restaurant and gas station — has the potential for more intensive uses after leases on the existing buildings expire in a couple of years, he said.

“Those are 13 of the best acres in the entire Valley to redevelop,” he said. “Opportunities like this come only once or twice in a developer’s career.”

Any residential development on the Westcor-owned property would be in addition to about 2,000 housing units under construction or planned by other developers around the shopping center, he said.

Westcor spokeswoman Anita Walker said the company wants to move quickly on the Robinsons-May portion of the project. “We are meeting with retailers now,” she said. “We’d like to move on that sooner rather than later.”

The north side component will take more time because Westcor will not regain control of the property for two years, but the company is drawing up a site plan for the area, she said. No rezoning would be needed to put in residential units, but Scottsdale’s approval would be required for added height, she said.

The plans for Scottsdale Fashion Square are following a similar pattern used by Westcor in remaking Biltmore Fashion Park at 24th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix. The company, a subsidiary of The Macerich Co. of Santa Monica, Calif., is revamping the retail portion of the center and plans to construct two mid-rise towers on the east side of the property for a hotel and condos.

Scholl said the company hopes to obtain zoning approval for the towers from the Phoenix City Council in November, but actual construction will have to await improvements by Phoenix to the water system in the area. He said the company hopes to have the mid-rise project finished in a few years.

Westcor, a retail specialist, is moving toward mixed uses of its properties because of market demand, Scholl said.

“It’s urban living,” he said. “People want to have their urban condos and a Starbucks and shopping at the bottom of the condo tower.”

He said Westcor probably will invite partners to develop the housing and hotel portions of its properties but will retain a say on the way those projects are developed to make sure they enhance the retail portion.

Westcor also plans to redevelop part of Fiesta Mall in Mesa, where the Macy’s store became vacant as a result of the Federated-May merger. Macy’s decided to occupy the Robinsons-May space, and Westcor bought the Macy’s store.

Westcor probably will tear down the building and turn the space into an outdoor shopping village for new tenants, said Garrett Newland, assistant vice president/ development.

“We’re looking at retail, restaurant and entertainment options,” he said. The timing on the project will depend on when new tenants are willing to commit, Walker said.

________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is Huge! :D

oliveurban

Sep 9, 2006, 8:40 PM

AZchristopher

Sep 10, 2006, 4:02 PM

^ Good news, all around. A new, more prominent entrance facing Scottsdale Rd would be a great thing.

Eventually getting rid of that hodgepodge north of the mall would be great too--the Days Inn, that chain restaurant gone makeshift theater (can't remember the name?), Coco's, Chevron, etc. etc. Something more organized, urban, and fitting for the area.

I've always laughed at having the Coco's there. Places like Claim Jumper bleed money in Scottsdale because they aren't consider fancy enough yet a Coco's survives right next to Fashion Square. Always seemed so completely out of place.

oliveurban

Sep 16, 2006, 10:40 AM

Fashion Square has more 'luxury' space
Angelique Soenarie
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 16, 2006

If you think Scottsdale Fashion Square boasts an abundance of brand-name luxury stores, think bigger.

Talks of what will become of the empty Robinsons-May on the mall's eastern side, facing Scottsdale Road, are in the works.

Federated Department Stores, which owns Robinsons-May, closed the store this year.

"This is a project that a lot of people think is done because it's so successful, and it's an amazing iconic part of Scottsdale," said Anita Walker, a Westcor spokeswoman.

"What they don't know is that it's just the beginning. It's in its infancy. Scottsdale has so much potential to continue to be a premier luxury center in Arizona."

Who will fill the space left by Robinsons-May, one of the mall's five anchor department stores, is unknown. However, an undisclosed retailer has sent a letter of intent, Walker said.

"The space is going to be reconfigured to be able to serve the luxury shopper," she said. "You're going to see some amazing stores come into Scottsdale."

Westcor, one of the Valley's largest managers of malls, is looking to remodel the space, making room for more high-end stores to complement the likes of Gucci, Louis Vuitton or Tiffany & Co. The space could be filled with high-end luxury boutiques, junior department stores and eateries that currently are not in Arizona.

Days Inn, just north of the former Robinsons-May and also facing Scottsdale Road, could turn into a residential area or a hotel.

Managers for Westcor, owner of the 7-acre property, said that the hotel's lease expires in two years. Plans to develop the property include more retail and restaurants.

"That is going to take a whole new look and direction," Walker said. "That will be more of a lifestyle."

Scottsdale Fashion Square, the largest mall in the Valley, houses nearly 225 retailers with the most exclusive high-end stores and four department stores: Dillard's, Macy's, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.

The mall averages $8 million a year in sales tax revenue, said David Roderique, Scottsdale's general manager of economic vitality.

el_avocado

Sep 17, 2006, 4:04 AM

Don B.

Sep 17, 2006, 11:11 AM

^ He's baaack! :)

Using your logic, we should tear down Desert Sky and Metrocenter as well. Thankfully your logic is not controlling.

--don

Azndragon837

Sep 17, 2006, 11:49 PM

Here's my bigger thought: Tear that mall down. Malls are spawns of suburban sprawl!!!!!!!!!

Scottsdale Fashion Square refutes your quote. If you read the article throughly, it seems like that mall is spawning a lot of urban development around the area...Waterfront, condos, and the plan to redevelop the northern end of the mall to add in more retail and living spaces fronting Scottsdale Road, etc. So this mall is spawning URBAN development, not suburban sprawl. Just wanted to point that out. :haha:

-Andrew

oliveurban

Sep 19, 2006, 8:56 AM

Consultants mull light rail for Scottsdale
Casey Newton
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 19, 2006

SCOTTSDALE - Light rail is a strong possibility for at least some part of Scottsdale Road, city consultants said Monday.

HDR Inc., which is putting together a master transportation plan for Scottsdale, identified six alternatives for putting high-capacity transit on the city's main north-south corridor.

All six alternatives would start at the Scottsdale-Tempe border and go north. In order of expense, they are:

• Light rail to Earll Drive, with modern streetcar to Scottsdale Airpark. Cost: $540 million.

• Light rail to Chaparral Road, with bus rapid transit to the airpark. Cost: $515 million.

• Modern streetcar to the airpark. Cost: $450 million.

• Light rail to Earll Drive, with bus rapid transit to the airpark. Cost: $413 million.

• Modern streetcar to downtown, with bus rapid transit to the airpark. Cost: $343 million.

• Bus rapid transit to Shea Boulevard. Cost: $180 million.

The estimated costs are for capital expenses only, not operating costs.

HDR will recommend which technology to use.

The City Council is expected in October to narrow the list to two or three alternatives.

Only two residents attended the first public meeting Monday, the first of 10 meetings the city is holding this week.

Resident Pete Spehar said he was concerned about the large subsidies Scottsdale would have to provide to keep fares low on a light-rail system.

"I don't know why they can't make them pay for themselves."

Don B.

Sep 19, 2006, 11:53 AM

^ Perhaps no one attended because the meetings were not publicized? I read the Arizona Republic daily and didn't see anything about this.

In addition, I never heard back from the Scottsdale Town Hall thing I filled out the app for. I'm not surprised and frankly I don't have time to worry about it. Clearly they aren't really interested in getting feedback from the citizens, though.

--don

JI5

Sep 20, 2006, 2:51 AM

Residents brace for light rail fight

Casey Newton
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 19, 2006 05:05 PM

SCOTTSDALE - If light rail eventually comes to Scottsdale, at least one group of residents appears ready to run city leaders out of town on it.

A group of citizens staunchly opposed to the technology blasted a consultant's proposals on Monday, saying they would do irreparable harm to Scottsdale's quality of life.

"You people have completely lost all common sense," resident Jane White said. "Talk about a waste of money. Ugh!" advertisement

Neighborhood activist Patty Badenoch told consultant Mike James of HDR Inc. that light rail would increase crime and traffic along Scottsdale's main north-south road. She was among many attendees who said they feared the City Council already had made up its mind in favor of rail.

"I feel this is the beginning of a done deal," Badenoch said. "I will do anything I can to derail it."

Teresa Huish, project manager for the transportation master plan, assured residents that Scottsdale was still evaluating rail, streetcar and bus rapid transit technologies and had made no decisions.

"It's not a done deal," said Huish, Scottsdale's principal transportation planner.

Still, residents were unconvinced. When James introduced a slide from his presentation titled "Where do we go from here?" one woman shouted, "Move out of state!"

Some neighborhood activists are gathering signatures for a petition that asks that any light-rail plan be brought to residents in the form of an advisory question placed on a ballot before the city could adopt such a plan.

Other residents said light rail was inevitable, and that Scottsdale should consider paying for it now.

"Is it going to be less expensive 10 or 20 years from now?" resident Charles Poston said. "We're just pushing the cost down the river."

Residents were more enthusiastic about transit options at a Tuesday hearing, but Huish said that nearly all of the comments received in the first few meetings reflected a deep skepticism about light rail technology.

HDR will use public comments in narrowing down their list of six alternatives to two or three. The City Council is expected to vote on which options members want HDR to evaluate more thoroughly at a meeting next month.

Deciding which form of mass transit to put on Scottsdale Road is likely to be the most controversial piece of the $1.1 million comprehensive transportation plan, which has been under development since November. The plan is expected to be finalized and adopted in the spring.

JI5

Sep 20, 2006, 2:52 AM

Still, residents were unconvinced. When James introduced a slide from his presentation titled "Where do we go from here?" one woman shouted, "Move out of state!"

/\ /\ /\ /\
I HOPE SHE MOVES OUT OF STATE!

Don B.

Sep 20, 2006, 3:00 AM

I see the idiots are crawling out of the woodwork in Scottsdale now. Jane White is the same wizened old battleaxe that fights every transportation initiative.

Get a life!

--don

combusean

Sep 20, 2006, 4:26 AM

Alternative 7:

Light rail to the airpark. Why isn't this being discussed?

Why the hell are Scottsdaliens already selling this thing short?

HooverDam

Sep 20, 2006, 4:45 AM

You have to think of it from their perspective...why do rich Scottsdale people who probably have multiple cars need the light rail for? Of course they don't want to pay for something they'll never use. It may be short sighted, but its another good reason that in a perfect world I'd hope transit would be private. When you make it a public project, it becomes a politcal football and people don't want their taxes taken for something theyll never see any benefit from.

JI5

Sep 20, 2006, 4:46 AM

We should all write a letter to Jane White. Better yet, lets all chip in, and buy her a one-way ticket to Tucson.

loftlovr

Sep 20, 2006, 6:26 AM

We should all write a letter to Jane White. Better yet, lets all chip in, and buy her a one-way ticket to Tucson.

:worship:

loftlovr

Sep 20, 2006, 6:35 AM

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=74444&source=rss&dest=STY-74444

Builders seeking approval to raise Scottsdale heights
By Ari Cohn, Tribune
September 19, 2006
The tallest building at the $1.5 billion One Scottsdale complex could top out at 89 feet — or nearly 30 feet taller than an original agreement — if developers convince city officials to grant height exemptions.

The second-tallest building would stand 78 feet high — 18 feet taller than the development agreement allows, a representative of developer DMB Associates said Monday.

Both buildings would be in the southern half of One Scottsdale, a proposed 120-acre commercial, residential and office complex at Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road.

The public will get a chance to view and comment on the plans at a city-hosted open house at 4 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Scottsdale Water Campus, 8787 Hualapai Drive.

One Scottsdale is expected to include 1.8 million square feet of commercial, retail and office space, 400 resort and hotel rooms and 1,100 residential units including penthouses and urban estate homes.

“It’s a key project and we want to make sure people are informed,” said city planning spokeswoman Robin Meinhart.

On Oct. 11, the Planning Commission is expected to hold a public hearing on DMB’s request to amend a 2002 development agreement to allow buildings in the project to be built up to a maximum height of 90 feet.

Karrin Taylor, DMB’s vice president of entitlements, said the firm will not be asking for any amendments to height restrictions in the northern half of the project, north of Center Drive.

In the southern half of the site, the developers have asked for height exemptions to allow the so-called Flatiron Building, planned along Center Drive, to be built up to 78 feet, Taylor said.

Another building, tentatively called Building E, would sit centrally in the southern half of the site and would be the project’s tallest building at 89 feet, she said.

The City Council is scheduled to consider both the height exemption request and a proposal for the city to put $50 million toward infrastructure to serve One Scottsdale on Nov. 14.

The $50 million, to be paid back through sales taxes generated by the project, would be used for nearby public improvements, including road construction and widening, Scottsdale officials have said.

loftlovr

Oct 3, 2006, 9:47 AM

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/Safari10-06.jpg
Safari Drive slowwwwly making progress.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/Waterfront10-06.jpg
Waterfront getting closer! Now how about those canal improvements?
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/W-Scotts10-06.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/W-Scotts10-062.jpg
W Hotel with Safari Crane in background...
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/Camelview10-062.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/Camelview10-06.jpg
And Camelview continues to tear it up!

Daltnpapi4u

Oct 3, 2006, 3:42 PM

Does anyone know when the W Scottsdale is going to open? I know they were originally to open in December 2006. On another note I heard a rumor from a Starwood employee that the W Phoenix might have to move its location. Is their any truth to that?

Also great pics loftlovr!!!

Thanks

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/W-Scotts10-06.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/W-Scotts10-062.jpg
W Hotel with Safari Crane in background...

combusean

Oct 6, 2006, 5:35 PM

How I'd like to give some Scottsdale elitist NIMBY-CAVE's a good thwapping ...

SkySong spurs $100 mil project (http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/1006sr-losarcos1006Z8.html)
Developer touts Los Arcos Crossing makeover

Casey Newton
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 6, 2006 12:00 AM

SCOTTSDALE - A developer is preparing to spend up to $100 million transforming the strip center adjacent to the high-tech SkySong project, bringing the hope of revitalization to the struggling Los Arcos Crossing.

Phoenix-based PDG America, in partnership with Trillium Residential, wants to bring apartments, shops, restaurants and a remodeled Bashas' supermarket to the 23-acre center southeast of McDowell Road and 74th Street.

The strip center is east of Skysong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center under construction at McDowell and Scottsdale roads.

Rick Sodja, chief executive officer of PDG, showed about 70 residents a proposed site plan for the project this week at the Granite Reef Senior Center.

"The promise of SkySong is spreading," Sodja said. "Once our project comes online, you've got a total of almost $300 million invested in this intersection. And it will spread."

While developers have met with city planning officials dozens of times, Sodja said, PDG has yet to file a formal application to rezone the property. The site would need to be rezoned to allow for residential units.

PDG hopes to build 400 to 450 luxury apartments on the site, with an average rent of about $1,200 a month.

Trillium is considering lofts and live/work units as well as studios and more traditional apartments, a representative said. The apartments will have underground parking.

Some residents said they would prefer condominiums on the site, arguing that rental properties would not bring the same feeling of community to the project.

Neighbors' reactions

Cathie Brown worried rentals would bring in "undesirable people," even if the apartments are luxury units.

"You can have crap for tenants that can afford higher-end (apartments)," Brown said. "I don't want to live by Paris Hilton, and she's really high-end."

The property is still in escrow, Sodja said. Once the purchase is complete and PDG files its application, the zoning process will likely take about six months.

Residents were enthusiastic about the prospects for new restaurants on the site. Sodja said his company is in talks with Chili's, among other restaurants.

Would include a park

Plans also call for a 1-acre park.

Residents at Wednesday's meeting were largely enthusiastic about the project, which backers say would remake a struggling shopping center into a glittering urban playground.

"It's better than what's there right now," said Jim Heather, who lives nearby. "I think it's a good project. They've got to do something."

At the encouragement of city planners, PDG has added several pedestrian connections through the site, said Lynne Lagarde, a project attorney.

The existing Bashas' will be razed and replaced with a gleaming 48,000-square-foot facility, Sodja said. He said the apartments would help support the Bashas', which has struggled at its current location.

loftlovr

Oct 11, 2006, 9:24 AM

http://zlofts.net/index.html

Z lofts was the 2nd Ave and Fillmore site Downtown- now called Solomon Tower- Grace sold it to another developer...
Now Z Lofts will happen on the lot next to X 10 Lofts...
(Eventually)

ArtDecoFan

Oct 11, 2006, 7:42 PM

The Builders of The Duke Scottsdale are ceasing Arizona development.

For one day only, Saturday, Oct. 14th, remaining units will be sold at or near builder cost. Homes originally priced at $499,000 will be offered from $358,000! Developer will accept the highest offers at or above listed prices for one day only!

Qualified Buyers must pre-register to attend this invitation only sale.

Event is one day only, Saturday October 14th, 9am to noon! Inspect units on-site Wed 10/11, Thurs 10/12 and Fri 10/13 from 1-6 pm at:

The Duke-Scottsdale - 7047 E. Earll Drive

Here’s your opportunity to buy with complete confidence. These stylish urban-home condos offer two bedrooms + den, private garage, café-style entry patios, and modern, hip design. Ready for immediate occupancy!

To pre-register call: 480-425-9300
www.azarchitecture.com

oliveurban

Oct 12, 2006, 9:41 AM

Scottsdale planners OK center's height bid
Lesley Wright
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 12, 2006

SCOTTSDALE - City planning commissioners voted 6-0 to allow DMB Associates Inc. to break the city's height limit with One Scottsdale, a luxury shopping, work and living center at Scottsdale Road and the Loop 101.

The commissioners granted the developer a request to allow two of the buildings to reach 29 feet above the approved limit of 60 feet.Commissioners said they put their full trust in the reputation of DMB, which designed Scottsdale's upscale DC Ranch community.

"Quite frankly, if this wasn't DMB, this would be a dead fish on arrival for the height request," Commissioner David Barnett said.

The project still needs to be approved by the City Council, which is wary of both the height and the developer's request for a $50 million "investment" in the project's infrastructure.

DMB Associates first made plans for the 120-acre development in 2002. Council members, who were concerned about a regional mall planned for the Phoenix side of Scottsdale Road, agreed at that time that the buildings could range from 36 feet to 60 feet in height.

DMB executives said that competitive pressure from the Valley's booming retail market encouraged them to go very upscale and chic, with shops that might only be found in Milan, Rodeo Drive, and other exclusive spots.

The center will include the headquarters of Dial Corp and other offices, homes, hotels and a vast stretch of exclusive retail.

The developer employed eight architectural firms to ensure design diversity at the $1.5 billion project. Architects now want some of the buildings to rise to 89 feet to accommodate a slope in the ground.

The project has some important support, including neighbors in the adjacent housing development of Grayhawk.

But North Scottsdale's Coalition of Pinnacle Peak - a homeowner's group notorious for monitoring the area's low-height rules - said it does not want DMB to have another inch.

"We feel betrayed," said Bob Vairo, president of the coalition. "I don't understand what this is going to do for the character of Scottsdale."

Other residents, including some from DC Ranch, said that the variance should be allowed.

"I think I know the character of Scottsdale," resident Doug Zimmerman said. "Will this be a showplace? You bet."

Company executives said the city will see a return on its investments, estimating that about $12 million in sales taxes will go into Scottsdale coffers each year.

Commissioner Kevin O'Neill recused himself from the discussion and the vote.

loftlovr

Oct 13, 2006, 11:23 PM

Here are pictures of the Valley Ho condo interiors.
The Sales model was just recently completed.
Catherine Hays is the architect. (Her Office is behind Postino)
They're amazing.... These are some of the first Urban "Condotels" (The Valley Ho will throw it into their own rental pool for a 20% management fee.) The Sanctuary on Camelback has this same program and it works extremely well...

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo33.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo29.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo28.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo27.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo25.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo24.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo23.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo19.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo17.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo15.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo14.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo13.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo12.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo11.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo10.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo9.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo7.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo6.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo5.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo4.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo3.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo2.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics2/ValleyHo1.jpg

oliveurban

Oct 14, 2006, 1:22 AM

^ Great to see more of the interiors. Thanks for the tour.

James Bond Agent 007

Oct 14, 2006, 3:59 AM

^^
The Valley "Ho?" :haha:

loftlovr

Oct 20, 2006, 7:39 AM

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=76900&source=rss&dest=STY-76900

Scottsdale Waterfront to get ecofriendly hotel
By Donna Hogan, Tribune
October 19, 2006
Hotel mogul Barry Sternlicht said Wednesday he has created a brand of ecofriendly, luxury hotels and will build one of the first versions at the Scottsdale Waterfront.

Sternlicht unveiled plans for 1 Hotels and Residences, a hip, five-star, boutique hotel brand that will be built on ecologically focused principles and operated to conform to environmentally sensitive consumption of natural resources.

The first five 1 hotel sites will be in Scottsdale, Paris, Seattle, Mammoth Lakes, Calif., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., he said.

The Scottsdale 1 is slotted for 4 acres at Marshall Way and Via Soleri and should break ground in about six months. It will be welcoming rich, ecoconscious guests in about two years, Sternlicht said.

“Scottsdale is a great city for what we are trying to do,” he said. “And because of the climate, we can do things in Scottsdale we can’t do in other cities.”

He expects the Scottsdale version of the brand to be like “staying in a living garden.”

Sternlicht is chairman and CEO of privately owned Starwood Capital Group, not to be confused with publicly traded Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the company he grew from an advantageous financial structure and a handful of hotels into the largest hotel company in the world.

Sternlicht passed on the day-to-day leadership of Starwood Hotels & Resorts a year ago to concentrate on his own company’s developments. Among them, is the Scottsdale Waterfront, now a bustling, burgeoning, live-work-play complex in downtown Scottsdale and an obvious choice for his new hotel brand.

As chairman of Scottsdale Hotels & Resorts, Sternlicht created the W, the first of the trendy, urban, minimalist brands. Arizona’s first W is under construction less than a mile from the 1 site. Sternlicht, who said he was involved in the site and design of the Scottsdale W, said his new hotel brand will be “a different product, a different experience.”

It will be a luxury level above the four-star W, he said, “and it will be lighter, brighter, more glass.” And, of course, it will be “green,” built to standards of the LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System, and monitored by the NRDC, the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“While some hotel brands pay lip service to the environment by asking guests to reuse towels, and adding plants to a lobby, 1 is not using ecofriendly jargon simply as a marketing tool,” Sternlicht said. “Our intention with 1 is to build hotels and residences that are truly green and minimize their impact on their environment.”

Each property also will donate 1 percent of its revenue to local environmental organizations guided by a steering committee with NRDC representation, he said. The 1 won’t compete directly with the W, he said, since it will be pricier and more luxurious, attracting “independent, sophisticated travelers who care about the environment and will pay a premium for a product that is good ecologically.”

Another W alum, New York restaurateur Stephen Hanson who designed the W’s original eateries and later founded the James Hotel chain in Scottsdale, is on board with 1. Hanson is pegged to design the dining and banquet aspect of the new brand.

Rachel Sacco, president of the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the choice of Scottsdale for one of the brand’s debut sites will enhance the city’s reputation as a key travel destination and one committed to preservation values.

“I think this is a wonderful business decision,” she said. “Scottsdale is a target market for boutique, cutting-edge brands, And with this, we will have just about every one.” Sternlicht said he is committed to proving properties can be luxurious and environmentally sensitive. “You don’t have to sleep in a burlap bag,” he said

oliveurban

Oct 20, 2006, 9:48 AM

^ Good news. This new hotel chain is supposed to be THE next big thing in the hospitality business. The fact that they're choosing downtown Scottsdale as one of their first outposts bodes well for not only downtown Scottsdale, but the entire Phoenix market in general as well.

HooverDam

Oct 20, 2006, 11:27 AM

Cool deal, now if they could get some water in the waterfront, it would be pretty sweet.

oliveurban

Oct 20, 2006, 1:12 PM

C'mon now. With all of the development along this portion of that canal (Waterfront, Safari, Southbank, etc.), it can easily be considered a "waterfront". When all is said and done, I'm sure it'll be something of worth.

Ask Soleri. The architect named Paolo, that is ;).

loftlovr

Oct 20, 2006, 5:53 PM

I talked with the Sales guy for Safari Drive and he said we will be blown away with the canal improvements- both City money and individual developer money going in.
He said from Chapparral to Stetson or so...

-Would be cool to have another "green-belt" feel with pedestrian pathways and greenery...

loftlovr

Oct 28, 2006, 11:01 PM

10-28-06 development update plus pics of canal in it's current state:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics3/Waterfront1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics3/Safari2.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics3/Safari1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics3/Canal2.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics3/Canal1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics3/Camelview4.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics3/Camelview1.jpg

JimInCal

Nov 7, 2006, 5:52 AM

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/1106sr-alleys1103insideZ8.html

Alley renaissance is proposed by downtown Scottsdale clubs

Peter Corbett
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 6, 2006 12:00 AM

SCOTTSDALE

Amid downtown's glitz and emerging luxury condo scene one entrepreneur hopes to rev up his business by going back to the alley.

Randy Smith, owner of the nightclub called 6, is seeking to transform the alley behind his Stetson Drive bar into a patio with decorative lighting along what now is a stark, asphalt drive with skanky trash bins.

City officials are open to the idea but the metal bins are a fly in the ointment.

"I'm into urban chicness but a big, stinky, garbage container - that's a little too chic," Smith said.

Scottsdale is looking at its alleys as spots for hideaway shops and interesting nooks that visitors might discover. It is part of an effort to make the increasingly urban core pedestrian friendly.

Elsewhere, an alley renaissance is emerging in places like Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, British Columbia, and even downtown Flagstaff, where business owners have embraced their backdoor customers.

John Little, Scottsdale's director of downtown, is enthusiastic about Smith's proposal and sees other opportunities for similar alley improvements downtown. But there are hurdles.

The alley overhaul hinges on finding a new way to remove trash rather than letting it rot in metal bins.

New way to handle trash
Scottsdale wants to explore a solution pioneered by a Seattle-based company called CleanScapes, which operates in the Northwest and San Francisco.

CleanScapes picks up trash in leak-proof plastic bags several times a day from its customers, eliminating the need for metal bins.

Scottsdale is considering a pilot program that would use a similar collection method with a golf-cart truck hauling the refuse to a large bin elsewhere for removal to a landfill.

It is a method that could also eliminate noisy trucks from slamming trash bins outside downtown condominiums early in the morning.

Another roadblock is getting adjacent business owners to cooperate with an alley makeover.

Andy Meyer, owner of DJ's of Scottsdale, said he is all for Smith's idea of using the alley behind 6 and the other bars in the 7300 block of Stetson Drive. The alley abuts the Galleria Corporate Center parking garage.

"It would be nothing but a plus for everybody," Meyer said, adding that he would use the space behind his 32-year-old bar as well.

He is skeptical, however, that Scottsdale will go along with Smith's proposal.

"If the city would do that I would be shocked to death," Meyer said.

Will the city buy idea?
Little, the city's downtown administrator, said Smith's alley proposal is "just the kernel of an idea, but it's a dang good kernel."

Scottsdale would have to work out a license agreement and rental rate for using the public alley behind 6.

Smith, who operates another downtown bar, Mickey's Hangover, said 6 would use collapsible barriers to give ambulances access to the alley in an emergency. Most deliveries could continue to use the front doors of the businesses, he added.

6 currently uses its back door as a VIP entrance, but Smith's Bottomline Hospitality Group wants to provide a comfortable patio for the club with a stamped concrete or brick deck.

The front half of the building could then be turned into a 63-seat American bistro. "This would activate an urban space" and create the kind of discoverable place that would be memorable to tourists, Smith said.

Wine bar finds 'truth'
It would be much like the Kazimierz World Wine Bar behind the Cowboy Ciao restaurant at Stetson Drive and Sixth Avenue.

Like a speakeasy, the wine bar, tucked in a courtyard, is only marked by a cryptic sign that reads: "The Truth is Inside."

Smith, who is working on opening two other restaurants, said he is anxious to try a pilot program in the alley behind 6. But the city has not yet fully vetted his idea so he has to be patient.

"It can be a huge positive for the city," Smith said. "It's a whole new way of thinking about these types of spaces."

Daltnpapi4u

Nov 10, 2006, 7:18 AM

This is something DT Phoenix should get into

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/1110biz-alleys1110.html

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/6452/scottdalept0.th.jpg (http://img297.imageshack.us/my.php?image=scottdalept0.jpg)

Peter Corbett
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 10, 2006 12:00 AM

Much of the attention on downtown's $2 billion worth of new development has focused on large-scale projects like the Scottsdale Waterfront, Optima Camelview condos and the W Hotel.

But nightclub entrepreneur Randy Smith has turned his attention to the smaller scale of alleys, the city's forgotten and neglected urban spaces.

Smith has approached Scottsdale officials about allowing him to spruce up the alley behind his Stetson Drive nightclub called 6.
advertisement
AOT 2007

It would provide a comfortable patio for the club and at least two adjacent bars.

Patrons could enjoy the patio's hideaway ambience, decorative lighting and landscaping.

The city's director of downtown, John Little, welcomes the idea as part of Scottsdale's efforts to make downtown more walkable.

But, first, Scottsdale must find a 21st-century solution for hauling trash from the bars. The current method of using metal trash bins creates odors that would hurt Smith's proposal.

Smith wants to add a patio with decorative lighting along what now is a stark, asphalt drive with unsightly trash bins.

City officials are open to the idea.

But the metal bins are a fly in the ointment.

'Little too chic'
"I'm into urban chicness, but a big, stinky garbage container - that's a little too chic," Smith said.

Scottsdale is looking at its alleys as spots for hideaway shops and interesting nooks that visitors can discover.

It is part of an effort to make the increasingly urban core of downtown Scottsdale pedestrian-friendly.

Elsewhere, an alley renaissance is emerging in places like Seattle; San Francisco; Vancouver, British Columbia; and even downtown Flagstaff, where business owners have embraced their backdoor customers.

Little is enthusiastic about Smith's proposal and sees other opportunities for similar alley improvements downtown. But there are hurdles.

The alley overhaul hinges on finding a new way to handle trash rather than letting it rot in metal bins.

Scottsdale wants to explore a solution pioneered by a Seattle-based company called CleanScapes, which operates in the Northwest and San Francisco.

CleanScapes picks up trash in leakproof plastic bags several times a day from its customers, eliminating the need for metal bins.

New collection method
Scottsdale is considering a pilot program that would use a similar collection method with a golf-cart truck hauling the refuse to a large bin elsewhere for removal to a landfill.

It is a method that could also eliminate noisy trucks from slamming trash bins outside downtown condominiums early in the morning.

Another roadblock is getting adjacent business owners to cooperate with an alley makeover.

Andy Meyer, owner of DJ's of Scottsdale, said he is all for Smith's idea of using the alley behind 6 and the other bars in the 7300 block of Stetson Drive.

The alley abuts the Galleria Corporate Center parking garage.

"It would be nothing but a plus for everybody," Meyer said, adding that he would use the space behind his 32-year-old bar, as well.

He is skeptical, however, that Scottsdale will go along with Smith's proposal.

"If the city would do that, I would be shocked to death," Meyer said.

Little said Smith's alley proposal is "just the kernel of an idea, but it's a dang good kernel."

Scottsdale would have to work out a license agreement and rental rate for using the public alley behind 6.

Collapsible barriers
Smith, who operates another downtown bar, Mickey's Hangover, said 6 would use collapsible barriers to give ambulances access to the alley in an emergency.

Most deliveries could continue to use the front doors of the businesses, he added.

The nightclub 6 currently uses its back door as a VIP entrance, but Smith's Bottomline Hospitality Group wants to provide a comfortable patio for the club with a stamped-concrete or brick deck.

The front half of the building could then be turned into a 63-seat American bistro.

"This would activate an urban space" and create the kind of discoverable place that would be memorable to tourists, Smith said.

It would be much like the Kazimierz World Wine Bar behind the Cowboy Ciao restaurant at Stetson Drive and Sixth Avenue.

Like a speakeasy, the wine bar, tucked in a courtyard, is only marked by a cryptic sign that reads: "The truth is inside."

Smith, who is working on opening two other restaurants, said he is eager to try a pilot program in the alley behind 6. But the city has not yet fully vetted his idea so he has to be patient.

"It can be a huge positive for the city," Smith said.

"It's a whole new way of thinking about these types of spaces."

loftlovr

Nov 21, 2006, 12:55 PM

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=79205&source=rss&dest=STY-79205

Scottsdale considers revitalizing plan for south
By Lindsay Butler, Tribune
November 18, 2006
Scottsdale is considering a plan that could both increase the housing stock and revitalize the south part of the city.

But the question is whether a tactic that worked downtown will work in other parts of the city.

The idea is to create a “residential overlay,” or new zoning, that would allow residential development along Scottsdale Road in the southern end roughly between Earll Drive and McKellips Road.

Most of the property along the road is zoned for commercial development. The new designation would allow for mixed-use properties — like those with stores on the ground floor and apartments above them — and possibly some new apartment or condominium complexes, said assistant city manager Ed Gawf.

He discussed the idea during this week’s city Housing Board meeting. Gawf said the city would start to work on the project in the spring, and he estimated it would take six to nine months to get zoning approved.

The plan is similar to one approved by the city in 2003, which allowed for residential units to be built throughout downtown. The city hoped the zoning would promote reinvestment and encourage more housing.

The idea could have the same effect in south Scottsdale, said Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce president Rick Kidder. New zoning probably would spark immediate reinvestment by some property holders and possibly an increase in property value, he said.

But it also might solve another issue — the shortage of rental properties.

“Adding to the housing mix would do a really good thing for the community,” Kidder said.

During the last two years, the number of apartments has decreased by nearly 35 percent, from 20,466 to 13,353 units. That change is mostly due to the number of condo conversions, which took off in 2004 and 2005.

According to city records, two years ago there were 887 apartment units that had converted to condos, or about 4.3 percent of available multifamily housing.

Now, converted units make up 61.4 percent.

“The relative shortage is something that does hurt the business community,” Kidder said.

“Scottsdale imports about half its labor force, and a lot of people might have entered the rental market in Scottsdale only to discover a significant number of condo conversions.”

Kidder also pointed out that the 325 residential units planned for SkySong at Mc-Dowell and Scottsdale roads would eventually build out, and the area would need more housing options.

The only foreseeable challenge might be homeowners who object to multifamily housing in the neighborhood, so the city has to be careful, Kidder said.

“Good neighborhoods offer a mix of housing types and incomes,” Gawf said. “We have to be smart about our new housing stock.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
I'm very excited about this!
Very cool.... I hope to see some interesting projects come out of the woodwork.

loftlovr

Dec 7, 2006, 6:29 PM

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/1206barneys-ON.html

Barneys at Scottsdale Fashion Square?

Erica Sagon
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 6, 2006 06:48 PM

Luxury department store Barneys New York could open at Scottsdale Fashion Square, according to the buzz going around at a giant retail industry convention in New York City this week.

Attendees said representatives from the exclusive department store chain were openly discussing plans to open a flagship store at the mall.

Stephen Bartha, a East Coast-based retail consultant whose clients include Barneys, would not confirm the store's opening.

"We're not prepared to (make) any comments, yet," he said from New York City on Wednesday night.

Yet.

Barneys would reportedly go on the east end of the Scottsdale Fashion Square, where it would partially replace an empty anchor space that was recently vacated by Robinsons-May.

The mall, located at Scottsdale and Camelback roads, is already home to high-end department stores Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom and to many other ritzy retailers including Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

Westcor, the Phoenix-based mall developer that partially owns and leases Scottsdale Fashion Square, did not return calls for comment on Wednesday night.

Several developers of high-end retail projects around the Valley are rumored to be courting Barneys.

In March, Bartha told The Republic that Barneys had been scouting sites in Phoenix and that a store could open as soon as 2008. He said Barneys has spoken with several developers in the Valley, but he declined to name them.

Barneys has eight namesake department stores, 12 CO-OP stores and 12 outlet stores, according to its Web site.

loftlovr

Dec 7, 2006, 6:30 PM

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/1204sr-historic1204insideZ8.html

Historic label might save 5th Ave shops
Carol Sowers
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 4, 2006 12:00 AM

Two years ago, David Kish moved his tea and accessories shop from Albuquerque, N.M., to Scottsdale's Fifth Avenue.

"I didn't think I would be lost here," he said.

He said his shop, Entertaining the Idea of Tea, fits better in the intimate setting of the Fifth Avenue shops.

Kish, like other shop owners, likes the idea of adding Fifth Avenue to the city's historic register, a proposal that could be completed within the year, if the Scottsdale City Council signs on.

The designation could mean signs and pamphlets advertising the area as a historic part of Scottsdale, financial help with fire sprinklers and money for upgrading the facades of the aging shops to preserve their midcentury character, said Debbie Abele, Scottsdale's preservation officer.

But Fifth Avenue's curvy swath of shops are poised just south of the Scottsdale Waterfront, a 1.1-million-square-foot development of stylish condominiums, shops, office space and restaurants along the Arizona Canal at Scottsdale and Camelback Roads.

Developers eager to be linked to the Waterfront are already moving into Fifth Avenue.

Waterfront-style condos with living quarters on top and shops below are planned on the north side of Fifth Avenue, just east of Goldwater Boulevard, and two doors from Kish's shop.

Kish said he and other tenants fear other Fifth Avenue landlords will sell out to take advantage of the neighboring Waterfront.

"If they get a good enough price, someone will come tear these buildings down," he said.

Even if Fifth Avenue is added to the city's historic register, owners could sell their property for development, but the process is more tedious.

Margaret West is a land-use consultant for Fred Unger, who owns about a third of the Fifth Avenue property, and is developing the $41 million Southbridge at the foot of the Arizona Canal southwest of the Waterfront. The project will feature unusual restaurants, fashion retailers and shops.

Still, West says, Unger supports historic designation for Fifth Avenue.

"He believes that this is a part of Scottsdale that needs to be preserved," she said.

Marina Solakian, who owns Marina Jewelers on Fifth Avenue, also wants the street added to the city's historic register.

"I want to keep it the old way," she said.

So does Nanci Atwood, who grew up in Scottsdale. She owns Creative Mind and Body, also on the north side of Fifth Avenue.

"I specifically came here for the energy and the charm of the street," she said.

Atwood said Fifth Avenue symbolizes Scottsdale's disappearing reputation for small-town charm.

If that is lost to huge development on Fifth Avenue, "it would be a disgrace," she said. She believes historic designation may be the only way to save Fifth Avenue, one of Scottsdale's enduring downtown post World War II landmarks.

"If we don't become historic," she said, "we'll be bulldozed."

shrek05

Dec 12, 2006, 3:59 PM

Barneys, Bottega Veneta set for Scottsdale mall

Erica Sagon
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 11, 2006 01:38 PM

Luxury department store Barneys New York and high-end handbag retailer Bottega Veneta will join the lineup of stores at Scottsdale Fashion Square.

The stores will be the first in the state for both retailers.

Barneys plans a two-story, 65,000-square-foot flagship store for the east end of the mall at northwest corner of Scottsdale and Camelback roads, the mall's Phoenix-based manager and co-owner, Westcor, said Monday. The anchor will open in fall 2009 and partially replace the vacant Robinsons-May building that is slated to be torn down.
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Meanwhile, Bottega Veneta will make its entrance in Arizona with a 2,100-square-foot store in the Neiman-Marcus wing at Scottsdale Fashion Square. It will open on the first floor in spring 2008, Westcor said.

Both retailers are big names in fashion and huge coups for the Valley's luxury retail scene, which is growing thanks to affluent residents and tourists.

Westcor, the Valley's largest shopping mall developer, has been aggressively recruiting exclusive retailers to open at the already luxurious Scottsdale Fashion Square and Biltmore Fashion Park.

"Phoenix is one of those markets that has come into its own and for Barneys to have Scottsdale, Arizona, on its expansion list I think says it all," said David Scholl, senior vice president of development for Westcor.

And even more luxury stores are on the way. Barneys has triggered a redevelopment project on the east end of Scottsdale Fashion Square. Developers intend to knock down the empty Robinsons-May building and parking garage and build in its place a two-story extension that could house 25 to 30 additional retailers, some of which could be luxury tenants that are new to Arizona. Barneys will anchor the new wing.

At a retail industry convention in New York City last week, representatives from Barneys had openly discussed plans for a store at Scottsdale Fashion Square, according to those in attendance. Neither Barneys nor Westcor would confirm a deal until a letter of intent was signed, which happened Friday.

"We think there's an opportunity to have customers there," Dawn Brown, a Barneys spokeswoman, said Monday. "We have every intention of opening."

She declined to comment further, saying the deal is too far in the future.

oliveurban

Dec 16, 2006, 8:34 AM

Developer pulls request to allow taller buildings
Lesley Wright
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 16, 2006

SCOTTSDALE - DMB Associates Inc. pulled on Friday its request for a height variance for the luxurious One Scottsdale development.

DMB had wanted to build as high as 89 feet, nearly three stories above the existing 60-foot limit in an area dominated by low-profile homes and businesses.

The move thwarted a referendum threat by opponents and closed weeks of controversy over an issue that has divided the Scottsdale City Council and polarized residents across the city.

Advocates on both sides said they believe the broader issue of height and growth in Scottsdale will not die with DMB's withdrawal.

Drew Brown, DMB's managing director, agreed that the debate became less about planning principles than politics.

"What became clear to me was that the variance had taken on a life of its own," Brown said.

Brown said that that DMB could have won a referendum, but the company did not want to get off-schedule with the project, which is set to open in 2009.

DMB unveiled detailed plans for the $1.5 billion One Scottsdale in May. The mini-city of offices, hotels, restaurant and homes would be set off by an haute couture shopping district that the developer said would rival Rodeo Drive and Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.

Supporters dubbed the 120-acre center at Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road an "economic engine" that would compete with massive planned retail centers in nearby Phoenix.

DMB executives said the extra height would have accommodated a slope in the ground and lent architectural variety to avoid a monolithic look.

Opponents in wealthy north Scottsdale, who zealously guard the area's low-rise profile, said that granting extra height would set a dangerous precedent for future development.

The Coalition of Pinnacle Peak, one of Scottsdale's most influential homeowners groups, quickly organized opposition and threatened a ballot referendum if the additional height was approved by the City Council.

At the same time DMB asked for the height variance, it announced that it would ask Scottsdale to contribute $50 million for infrastructure.

The developer withdrew the financial request during a council meeting in November when a firestorm of protest erupted over the issue of height.

DMB then asked the council to continue the hearing until Jan. 16 but finally gave up on Friday.

Brown, the DMB executive, said it is unclear who will pay for public infrastructure improvements tied to One Scottsdale and development of adjacent land.

Littlefield, one of the most vocal opponents of the variance, said Friday that DMB did the right thing. "People from all over the city said this is a bad idea. It was a grass-roots groundswell of opposition."

JimInCal

Jan 14, 2007, 1:44 AM

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=82268

Urban inn planned for Scottsdale canal banks
By Donna Hogan, Tribune
January 13, 2007
Developers are planning a 200-room, six-story, luxury hotel on 10-plus acres along the Arizona Canal banks in downtown Scottsdale. The five-star urban inn would stretch for a halfmile along the diagonal canal alignment, on the south bank, northeast of the intersection of Scottsdale and Camelback roads, said Scottsdale zoning attorney John Berry.

The hotel doesn’t have a name yet, Berry said, but it will be a posh brand not yet in the Valley.

“A half-dozen five-star flags are actively looking to be in downtown Scottsdale,” he said. “We are in active negotiations and have letters of intent from three of them. We have not yet selected a brand.”

Berry, who represents the Scottsdale Canal Development, said the developers expect to file plans with the city next week.

The plans include requests for Scottsdale to up the building height limit for the site and to help financially in the relocation of a Salt River Project substation that currently occupies a prime chunk of the property, Berry said.

The proposed height of the hotel and 200 luxury residential condos that also are part of the project’s plans are within the allowable limits for neighboring properties, Berry said.

“We’re not asking for any height or density not allowed under the downtown zoning,” he said.

The big bonus is the removal of old and rundown apartments and the relocation of an ugly mishmash of electrical wires and poles that currently dominate the landscape, Berry said.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to relocate the substation and remove an eyesore at the gateway to downtown Scottsdale,” he said.

SRP has already signed on to move the substation if the developers pay the tab, said Dick Hayslip, SRP assistant general manager.

The utility is studying the situation now to determine what would be involved and how much it would cost, he said.

“We understand it is a premier intersection, and the city has asked us to be open about it,” Hayslip said.

“We‘re willing to do it, but we will need to be compensated by the developers. They don’t expect us to get out of their way at the expense of our customers,” Hayslip added.

If the city OKs the project, work on clearing the site could begin as soon as first quarter 2008, and the hotel could be welcoming guests within two to two and a half years from then, Berry said.

It would be built across the street from the under-construction “W” and less than a block from the planned “1,” both Starwood hotel mogul Barry Sternlicht’s pet projects.

The three new hotels would add hundreds of new rooms to the already bustling boutique hotel cluster in downtown Scottsdale.

The Hotel Indigo, Mondrian, Hotel Valley Ho and Caleo all are aimed at attracting the hip, trendy travelers who prefer downtown stays to getaways at north Scottsdale’s sprawling resorts.

But having one more urban hotel isn’t worrying Scottsdale economic vitality general manager David Roderique.

“The downtown Scottsdale market is very strong,” Roderique said. “And typically there is a great synergy with this type of property.”

JimInCal

Jan 14, 2007, 1:45 AM

Now I know what you all are talking about... DOUBLE POST...ARGH!

WonderlandPark

Jan 14, 2007, 5:34 AM

Gawd, a city of around a quarter million people with a 60!? foot height limit?

JimInCal

Jan 14, 2007, 4:15 PM

Gawd, a city of around a quarter million people with a 60!? foot height limit?

Scottsdale is still a suburb of Phoenix and has developed with single-family homes near the downtown area. Because of this there is some NIMBY presence that the city is sensitive to in regard to height restrictions. There are actually two large, 13-story condominium towers topped off across Scottsdale Road, directly west of this project. Downtown Scottsdale is actually becoming quite dense for a suburban city. It is a renown arts and tourist center and has a wide variety of restaurants and night clubs as well as world-class shopping. You should visit. :D

Vicelord John

Jan 14, 2007, 5:26 PM

Scottsdale is still a suburb of Phoenix and has developed with single-family homes near the downtown area. Because of this there is some NIMBY presence that the city is sensitive to in regard to height restrictions. There are actually two large, 13-story condominium towers topped off across Scottsdale Road, directly west of this project. Downtown Scottsdale is actually becoming quite dense for a suburban city. It is a renown arts and tourist center and has a wide variety of restaurants and night clubs as well as world-class shopping. You should visit. :D
it still sucks. You have no idea how tired I am of tourists asking me "whats there to do in scottsdale." I always reply with "well it's a suburb so there is a bit, but not as much as Phoenix." and when I tell them Kierland Commons is in Phoenix, they go from cant wait to be there to not wanting to go in a matter of seconds.

loftlovr

Jan 14, 2007, 5:35 PM

Scottsdale has more nightlife in that little Downtown grid than Downtown Phx will in a long time... I long for the day when Downtown Phx can compete...

WonderlandPark

Jan 14, 2007, 5:48 PM

You should visit. :D

Oh, I have visited many times. I was just suprised at a limit that low. There is a tall but older office tower near the mall that seemed higher than 60ft.

I'm also a big Bruder fan:
Loloma 5
http://www.pixelmap.com/images/Arch/dma_bruder_54.jpg
SMOCA
http://www.pixelmap.com/images/Arch/dma_bruder_68.jpg

shrek05

Jan 14, 2007, 7:08 PM

its a suburb, theres no necessity for heaven-reaching high-rises

it still sucks. You have no idea how tired I am of tourists asking me "whats there to do in scottsdale." I always reply with "well it's a suburb so there is a bit, but not as much as Phoenix." and when I tell them Kierland Commons is in Phoenix, they go from cant wait to be there to not wanting to go in a matter of seconds.
Kierland uses a Scottsdale address.

loftlovr

Jan 16, 2007, 12:17 AM

http://www.citroliving.com/images/main.aspx

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics5/citro3.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics5/citro2.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics5/citro1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics5/citro5.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics5/citro4.jpg

Urban homes (and flats) on 78th st and Camelback... I think they'll be more like townhomes.
I like the park themes.... this one is an overhaul of 6 city blocks.
-I'm gonna drive by tomorrow to see what is there now.

-There's also a smaller future project in the Biltmore area from this developer...

loftlovr

Jan 16, 2007, 1:51 AM

Actually an existing older apartment complex is what is there now-
Bye Bye older apartment complex (so long as the numbers are there I suppose)

Vicelord John

Jan 16, 2007, 3:58 AM

its a suburb, theres no necessity for heaven-reaching high-rises

Kierland uses a Scottsdale address.

the post office is in scottsdale is why. It is within the city of Phoenix' boundaries.

combusean

Jan 16, 2007, 5:00 AM

Actually an existing older apartment complex is what is there now-
Bye Bye older apartment complex (so long as the numbers are there I suppose)

Six city blocks? Older apartment complex? Do you have a more specific location of the site's boundaries?

loftlovr

Jan 16, 2007, 5:57 PM

SW corner of 78th street and Indian School.
-Don't know if it encompasses more than that apartment complex or not...

oliveurban

Jan 17, 2007, 7:47 AM

^ You mean 78th St and Camelback, right?

That is a large complex.

loftlovr

Jan 18, 2007, 7:28 AM

Yeah- sorry!
Camelback...
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vertex

Jan 18, 2007, 8:37 AM

Hotel-condo project planned for downtown Scottsdale
Development along canal would link to prime spots

Peter Corbett
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 17, 2007 12:00 AM

A six-story luxury hotel and more than 200 condos, some of them going for more than $1 million, would be built in downtown Scottsdale, according to plans a development group plans to submit to the city Monday.

The unnamed project would be built on 10.37 acres southeast of the Arizona Canal and northeast of Camelback and Scottsdale roads along a nearly half-mile stretch of aging apartments on 73rd Street.

It would include improvements to the canal bank and two pedestrian bridges, linking the development with the Safari Drive condos under construction northwest of the canal. It also would be linked to Scottsdale Fashion Square to the west, and Scottsdale Waterfront to the southwest.

In addition, 73rd Street would be realigned with Buckboard Trail, allowing a safer crossing at a traffic signal for pedestrians going to and from the W Hotel Scottsdale and nightclubs south of Camelback.

"This ties all the quadrants together," said development attorney John Berry, representing Scottsdale Canal Development LLC.

The two principals, John Wanninger and Mark Madkour, have development experience in the Minneapolis area.

They are seeking a rezoning that would allow a 72-foot-tall hotel and condos of up to 65 feet high. Parking would be underground.

Their plan includes 190 condos plus 16 penthouse units of up to 5,200 square feet. They would feature far more outdoor living space than other luxury condos are offering, Wanninger said.

In addition to 80 guest rooms, the hotel would have 120 condos that the owners could lease back to the hotel for overnight guests.

No hotel brand has been selected, but Madkour said discussions are under way with three luxury brands that are not currently in the Arizona market.

The developers, who assembled nearly 30 parcels of land, intend to add desert landscaping along the canal and a 1-acre park at the northern edge of the property to buffer it from the Villa Monterey neighborhood.

Discussions also are under way with Salt River Project to relocate a 5-acre electrical substation adjacent to the proposed development.

Dick Hayslip, SRP assistant general manager, said the utility is agreeable to moving away from downtown's premier intersection of Camelback and Scottsdale roads.

The developers and an SRP consultant are studying the costs and looking for new downtown sites for the substation.

Scottsdale may be asked to help pay for the relocation, Berry said, adding that it would benefit downtown by removing the unsightly power facilities.

Scottsdale Canal Development hopes to start marketing the condos this fall and break ground in the first quarter of 2008. It would take about 30 months to complete, well into 2010.

The developers said they are confident their condos will sell despite a softer housing market and a surge of new condos opening downtown.

"We're not worried about it" because Scottsdale is such a growing and dynamic market, Wanninger said.

Sounds pretty exciting. That's a prime corner.

PHX31

Jan 25, 2007, 8:26 PM

sundevilgrad

Jan 26, 2007, 3:04 PM

I don't know if this has been posted yet, but Will Bruder is doing the design for the new Dial Headquarters. I was at some meeting at Dial this week and they had a couple of cool renderings, but I couldn't get a picture because photography is not allowed in the facility.

Sekkle

Jan 26, 2007, 3:31 PM

^ What were your impressions of the new HQ? Was it one building or a "corporate campus" type thing? Is it going to be located at the Airpark? If so I'd assume we're talking low-rise building(s), no?

nbrindley

Jan 26, 2007, 10:11 PM

Aren't they relocating to that office park at 101 and Pima?

oliveurban

Jan 27, 2007, 8:44 AM

^ If I'm not mistaken, the new Dial headquarters will be in One Scottsdale, that massive mixed-use development on the NE corner of Scottsdale Rd and the 101--luxury retail, condos, office, hotel, etc.

The new "Dial Building" will only be about 3 or 4 stories.

sundevilgrad

Jan 27, 2007, 4:57 PM

Scottsdale Rd and the 101

Camelback Road is correct. The new Dial headquarters will be at 101 and Scottsdale Road. The rendering I saw and had only a minute or two to look over impressed me. It seemed to be a large, 4-5 story facility with an appealing, modern Bruder design with a lot of glass. I don't think, from what I saw in the picture, that it will be a "campus", it looked like it will be one large facility. There were some nice Bruder elements in the design (i.e. hard geometric shapes and such) and the building appeared to be a steel/gray color. Wish I could've snagged a quick pick with my cell phone. However, it will be interesting to see how much of Bruder's design ends up in the finished project. I imagine that some of his work is more expensive than traditional construction and in the world of corporate America, the old mighty dollar is king.

NorthScottsdale

Jan 29, 2007, 5:54 PM

does anyone have an update on the status of the ASU skysong project? i drove by there the other day and saw that it was all framed up, i think about 5 stories tall maybe? is it just going to be that 1 building? when is it supposed to be completed? its about time they are developing that empty lot. it was supposed to be the coyotes arena when the former los arcos mall was torn down, but it never happened and we were left with an empty lot. i love watching this part of town getting revitalized

combusean

Jan 29, 2007, 7:45 PM

The first phase should be open by Fall of 07 ... my work (CRESMET) was supposed to move there then but it looks like it's going to be another year for the next phase till we start talking about that again.

as i understand it, they're just about covering that lot with project buildings (no surface lots except for on-street parking)

loftlovr

Feb 1, 2007, 7:06 AM

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0129sr-mondrian0129Z8.html

New hotel aims to lure young, hip travelers
Angelique Soenarie
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 29, 2007 12:00 AM

SCOTTSDALE - The city is adding another gem to its collection of upscale resorts and nightclubs aimed at young, hip travelers.

Once the home of the James Hotel, the Mondrian Scottsdale, a sister of the original in Los Angeles, debuts Tuesday.

The resort is one of several modern urban resorts owned by Morgans Hotel Group in New York.

Not far from the nightlife, arts and shopping in downtown Scottsdale, the hotel is at 7353 E. Indian School Road.

The modish boutique hotel boasts plenty of amenities, besides its 194 rooms, 15 suites, two apartments, two pools and cabanas. For food and entertaining, it offers fine dining and two trendy bars. Rooms start at $395.

"This makes Scottsdale one of the hottest destinations in the country," said Lauren Simons, vice president of marketing for the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The Mondrian brings in that cachet and international appeal that Morgans has enjoyed in their hotels around the world."

To help sort through Scottsdale's booming hotel and social scene, the bureau in February will release a 150-page guide about the city's attractions and nightlife.

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________
And....

Hotel Indigo almost completed

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/joelcontreras/Pics6/Indigo1.jpg

http://www.scottsdalehiphotel.com/
www.hotelindigo.com
http://www.hotelinteractive.com/hi_index.asp?page_id=5000&article_id=6817

Hotel Indigo Scottsdale Opens
1/3/2007 10:51:46 AM
Hotel Indigo Scottsdale, a fashion-forward, boutique-style hotel will kick off the new year by opening its doors Jan. 5. The 126-room, retail-inspired hotel, located near Scottsdale and Camelback roads, will represent the seventh location for the industry’s first branded boutique hotel experience from InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

Everest Holdings LLC, a Scottsdale-based real estate company, invested approximately $17 million to bring Hotel Indigo to downtown Scottsdale. The branded boutique hotel is designed to appeal to lifestyle focused guests who desire affordable luxury, genuine quality and an alternative to traditional hotels. Hotel Indigo provides stylish accommodations and a personalized service experience in a unique and intimate atmosphere. It differs from most in its approach to bring nature inside urban spaces, creating a rejuvenating experience for hotel guests. Furnishings, art and a highly developed graphics-based interiors program stylishly produce a calming and inviting environment for guests.

“Every aspect of Hotel Indigo is unlike anything the Valley has ever experienced before.” said Joseph Blackbourn, president and CEO of Everest Holdings. “It fills the void that exists in the market today between high-priced luxury hotels and lower-end affordable hotels.” The soul of Hotel Indigo’s branded boutique concept is “renewal” – thoughtful changes that are made throughout the year to keep the hotel fresh. The renewal concept provides even the most frequent guest a unique experience with every stay. Hotel Indigo Scottsdale features elements such as vivid murals, area rugs and plush duvets. Public spaces will also transform seasonally through changing artwork, music, flora, murals and directional signage.

Each Hotel Indigo will be unique to its location. The Scottsdale hotel is set apart by its commitment to the local arts. Through its Arts and Culture program, Hotel Indigo Scottsdale has created lasting partnerships with Scottsdale Public Arts, local artists and Arizona State University’s Herberger College of the Arts.

Photography of the Arizona landscape, by four Arizona artists, will be featured on the hotel front and inside corridors. Also, Hotel Indigo Scottsdale, through its partnership with ASU’s Herberger College of the Arts and Scottsdale Public Arts, will grant a scholarship to a selected student for the commission of several projects for the hotel. “Scottsdale is an exciting addition to our Hotel Indigo family. I can’t think of a better place than downtown Scottsdale to showcase our newest, world-class, branded boutique concept,” said Jim Anhut, senior vice president, Brand Development, Intercontinental Hotels Group. “This property has undergone a complete transformation and will truly offer a one-of-a-kind experience.”

About Everest
Everest Holdings, founded by Joseph Blackbourn, is a Scottsdale-based investment and advisory services company concentrating on assets and clients in the Southwestern United States. Investors and clients of Everest include some of the nation’s largest and most seasoned participants in diverse markets. The company serves as a catalyst for its investors to capitalize on opportunities and execute strategies as they arise. Everest’s property portfolio includes the Crowne Plaza Phoenix, Hotel Indigo Scottsdale and Lobo Ranch, in New Mexico. For more information on Everest, visit www.everestholdings.com.

About Hotel Indigo

The newest member of the InterContinental Hotels Group family, Hotel Indigo is the industry’s first branded boutique hotel experience. It is uniquely designed to appeal to lifestyle focused guests who desire affordable luxury, genuine service and an alternative to traditional hotels without sacrificing any of the businesses amenities they have come to expect. Renewal is the soul of Hotel Indigo’s retail-inspired design concept – thoughtful changes that are made throughout the year to keep the hotel fresh, similar to the way retailers change their window displays. Guestrooms feature signature murals, area rugs, fluffy duvets and slipcovers that change periodically, while public spaces are transformed seasonally through changing aromas, music, artwork, murals and directional signage. From relaxed café dining to high-style rooms – Hotel Indigo creates an intriguing, warm and inviting environment for guests. For more information on Hotel Indigo, please visit www.hotelindigo.com.

About InterContinental Hotels Group

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms. InterContinental Hotels Group owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 3,650 hotels and 543,775 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites® and Hotel Indigo®, and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards with over 30 million members worldwide.

InterContinental Hotels Group offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ichotelsgroup.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards program at www.priorityclub.com.

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HooverDam

Feb 1, 2007, 7:22 AM

loftlovr

Feb 2, 2007, 7:09 AM

^My friends and I were in Scottsdale last night trying out best to find AZ88 (which was quite the task) and accidentally wondered right into the Mondrian opening. My word, the women were insane looking, my friends and I just couldn't help but laugh at all the 50 year old men and their 25 year old trophy girlfriends, it was an amazing amount of walking stereotypes.
AZ88 is like chasing a rainbow but finding the pot of Gold at the end...
It is behind that Scottsdale Mall area by the Museum and Civic area and all that crap...

What did you think of the Mondrian though?
(Minus all the boob jobs and face lift chicks)

loftlovr

Feb 2, 2007, 7:33 AM

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=83301&source=rss&38;dest=STY-83301

Waterfront, Scottsdale reach deal on art
By Lindsay Butler, Tribune
February 1, 2007
One of Scottsdale’s most valuable and prominent art pieces is a step closer to reality.

Scottsdale leaders approved an agreement Tuesday with developers of the Scottsdale Waterfront that will allow the city’s public art program to maintain a large sculpture planned on a busy corner of the private property.

When it is complete “The Doors” will be a 28-foot sculpture of three wooden doors resting against each other with mirror-polished stainless steel inside, meant to catch sunlight and create a kaleidoscope effect.

The art will stand on the southwest corner of Scottsdale and Camelback roads in front of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro sometime before May.

“We know it will become a destination piece of artwork, and people are going to really love to interact with all the personalities of the piece,” said Margaret Bruning, public art associate director.

The deal marks the first time a developer donated to the city a work of art required by a private development ordinance. Passed in 1988, it requires downtown developers to dedicate 1 percent of a project’s value to an art piece.

The Scottsdale Waterfront development committed $1 million to public art, half of which will go toward the door sculpture, created by nationally renowned sculptor Donald Lipski, according to city reports.

The other half will be used for other artwork in the development.

Thanks to an easement agreement with the city, the public art program will be responsible for maintaining the artwork over the years.

Bruning said the doors will be surfaced in Ipe (ee-pay) wood, which is very dense and should hold up against the climate.

In October, the Scottsdale Public Art Board approved an additional $95,300 to add lighting, landscaping and seating to the project.

“We expect this to be a landmark, with the artwork visible to motorists, but it will mean something for pedestrians, as well,” Bruning said.

The piece is still under construction in Denver as the area’s snowy weather delayed metalwork that had to be done outside, Bruning said. It won’t be installed here until late spring.

loftlovr

Feb 2, 2007, 7:34 AM

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0201sr-skysong0201-ON.html

SkySong beaming with addition of 2 tenants
Jane Larson
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 1, 2007 12:45 PM

The first office building at SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, was topped off with more than its final steel beam Thursday.

Arizona State University officials announced that the high-tech project has signed two more global tenants, and developers said they have enough tenant interest to start the second building.

The newest tenants will be Ubidyne GmbH, a German startup specializing in wireless technology, and Sebit, a Turkish e-learning company. Both are expanding to the United States and will locate their U.S. headquarters at SkySong. Both are opening offices in Tempe until their SkySong space is ready.

Ubidyne will lease 5,000 square feet at SkySong and already is seeking 10 software engineers and chip developers for its Valley office. It expects to have 20 U.S. employees within 18 months and up to 50 as the company grows, chief executive officer Ken Hawk told the Arizona Republic before Thursday's event.

"There is nothing like proximity," he said. "You end up having opportunities to work together on huge problems, and having access to (the researchers) and the labs will save time and money."

Sebit has not determined its space needs yet.

They are the first European and Eurasian tenants signed, joining a Singaporean firm and two Chinese firms that committed last year.

The SkySong project, being built at Scottsdale and McDowell roads, is designed to bring together university researchers, entrepreneurial services and high-tech businesses from around the world.

The foreign firms were attracted by the opportunity to work closely with researchers and to hire skilled graduates, said Julia Rosen, assistant vice president for economic affairs at ASU.

"The main point is really that a global community is being constructed that will benefit Phoenix, Arizona and ASU," she said. "It complements the economic development goals and provides a physical infrastructure for global companies."

The second building is planned as a twin of the four-story, 157,000-square-foot structure topped off Thursday. Both will house offices, research space and retail shops.

The start of the second building also will trigger construction of apartments and a parking garage, filling the southeastern quadrant of the 37-acre site. Plans were approved by the city of Scottsdale last year.

The announcements came at a "topping off" ceremony, a construction milestone that marks the completion of structural framing and the beginning of work on the building's interior and exterior.

Most of the space in the first building has been committed to ASU and corporate operations. It is due to open this summer, in time for ASU's fall semester.

The day's news was a major highlight of SkySong's sometimes rocky history so far.

The project began in 2004 after years of disagreements doomed plans to turn the former Los Arcos Mall site into a hockey arena or big-box stores. The city and ASU worked out a deal to create a high-tech center, with the city committing more than $80 million for land and infrastructure.

Along the way, SkySong has endured criticism of its initial designs, apartment component and global ambitions.

The project would eventually include 1.2 million square feet of office/retail buildings, a hotel, apartments and a parking garage.

The two latest tenants add new sectors of high tech to SkySong.

Ubidyne, a spin-off from the German electronics giant Siemens AG, is developing a compact, efficient digital amplifier to fit in the antennas of wireless networks. It would consume less power and take up less space than current analog technology, CEO Hawk said.

It is working with ASU's Connection One research center, a relationship that helped Ubidyne choose Scottsdale for its U.S. headquarters over Austin, Texas; Silicon Valley and Cambridge, England, Hawk said.

The company was attracted by the ASU research and the pool of semiconductor talent in the area, he said.

"It's a great time to recruit people from the big companies and use their experience to make an impact on an entrepreneurial company," he said. "We see a lot of interest from top engineers because we're on the cutting edge, and the best get excited about that."

Ubidyne contacted Connection One after seeing publications of its research, center director Sayfe Kiaei said. Both are working on using digital technology to transmit and amplify radio signals, he said.

Local companies and cell-phone manufacturers are already showing interest in the work.

"If they grow and we grow, I could see some manufacturing done here or companies that want to be close to us would put people here," Kiaei said.

Sebit, founded in 1988, develops interactive education materials and lists Siemens and Coca-Cola Inc. among its corporate clients. It is working with ASU's Applied Learning Technologies Institute on a project to improve math and science education in the Turkish middle grades, with future use in other cultures.

The two came together when both were looking to expand internationally, said Samuel DiGangi, associate vice president of university technology at ASU. The ASU institute has expertise in math and science education and distance learning, while Sebit has experience in software design and data collection, he said.

"At SkySong, we'll bring them the ability to rapidly assemble groups of researchers and faculty members to apply their skills," DiGangi said. "Sebit brings us direct access to companies and developers, which would be difficult for the individual faculty member to seek out."