ASU/UofA Downtown Phoenix construction thread

[Jjs5056]

Sorry, this is crap.

We all talk about how disastrous a mega-block like Chase was for downtown, yet here we are, accepting a mega-block 300' shorter and solely devoted to serving one sect of the downtown population.

Sure, there's no moat, but it isn't as if the public will have any reason to approach the building anyway. They might as well fence it off and require a SunCard to enter.

No retail, no office space, nothing to integrate the downtown community. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, they sprawled the thing across the entire block, so we can't even hope that they'll at least add something worthy of a downtown presence in the future: a taller residential component, an office tower with ground level retail, a hotel.. hell, I would take a restaurant at one corner over what looks to be 3 nearly blank walls of a structure lifted right off the Tempe Campus. Look at 1st- one entrance and nothing else!

The open hall is a great design feature... With a Z Tejas to the left, Cafe to the right, law firm offices 6 stories above the 6 story school, and public library around the corner.

[Prestige Worldwide]

So long parking lot! Can't wait for this to get built. The law students populating the surrounding areas will be a boon for Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. This will drive up demand for residential units in the area, and will boost surrounding businesses.

[Jjs5056]

A parking lot that was created by ASU in the first place.

A renovated Ramada with permanent residents with the Law School built on another empty lot downtown would've brought even more foot traffic to the downtown businesses.

Given the continued discussion that downtown housing demand exceeds current supply and that even student housing is nearing capacity, some longterm planning would've been nice by incorporating a housing component for 2016 instead of gulping up an entire city block for a stumpy, 6-story building that will serve one demographic - a demographic filled with a majority of students who likely don't even live in the neighborhood.

In reality, these law students will probably rent houses in the burbs since there are about 3 visible, decent and affordable apartments appropriate for that age group in downtown, and will drive in and out of that parking garage every day before and after class and a study session and lunch here and there. Nothing about this building does anything to provide a 24/7 urban lifestyle or give community residents any kind of amenity or use. Just another mega-block to blow past on the long walk to CityScape or Roosevelt Row.

Yes, I'm a Debbie Downer. But, I'm not asking for much. I'm asking that buildings in our downtown serve more than 1 purpose and incorporate at least some use that serves the greater community so it doesn't create a dead zone after 6. I'm asking that buildings in such a key location be taller than 6 stories and don't turn their back to the majority of 3/4 major streets. I'm asking that projects meet market needs, especially when planned years in advance, and incorporate something like housing when the market says supply is full, so that the students they fill these 6 stories with don't speed on home to Mesa.

[HX_Guy]

Some additional information on the building and as guessed earlier, they did leave space on the SE corner for future development.

"The six-story building will be 260,000 square feet and will occupy most of the block between Taylor, Polk, First and Second streets.

The university is leaving room on the southeastern side of the building for a future development, possibly private residences, officials said.

New York City-based Ennead Architects and Phoenix-based Jones Studio are collaborating on the project.

The structure will include two levels of underground parking.

Lead architect Tomas Rossant described the project as an “open, permeable and public civic building.”

However, some downtown Phoenix residents said the limited entrances and few retail options leave more to be desired.

Rossant agreed the area needs more retail, but he pointed out they plan to add a bookstore and cafe.

ASU President Michael Crow said the building is intentionally designed to draw people in for lectures, gatherings and other public events."

http://www.azcentral.com/community/p...rm-nation.html

[rocksteady]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

A parking lot that was created by ASU in the first place.

A renovated Ramada with permanent residents with the Law School built on another empty lot downtown would've brought even more foot traffic to the downtown businesses.

Given the continued discussion that downtown housing demand exceeds current supply and that even student housing is nearing capacity, some longterm planning would've been nice by incorporating a housing component for 2016 instead of gulping up an entire city block for a stumpy, 6-story building that will serve one demographic - a demographic filled with a majority of students who likely don't even live in the neighborhood.

In reality, these law students will probably rent houses in the burbs since there are about 3 visible, decent and affordable apartments appropriate for that age group in downtown, and will drive in and out of that parking garage every day before and after class and a study session and lunch here and there. Nothing about this building does anything to provide a 24/7 urban lifestyle or give community residents any kind of amenity or use. Just another mega-block to blow past on the long walk to CityScape or Roosevelt Row.

Yes, I'm a Debbie Downer. But, I'm not asking for much. I'm asking that buildings in our downtown serve more than 1 purpose and incorporate at least some use that serves the greater community so it doesn't create a dead zone after 6. I'm asking that buildings in such a key location be taller than 6 stories and don't turn their back to the majority of 3/4 major streets. I'm asking that projects meet market needs, especially when planned years in advance, and incorporate something like housing when the market says supply is full, so that the students they fill these 6 stories with don't speed on home to Mesa.

Agreed, based on the AZ Central article I wonder if there is still some time for wiggle room and adjustment. It wouldn't hurt to voice your concerns with the powers that be. Even if it falls on dead ears for this project maybe they will think for future ones.

I was relieved to see the SE corner was reserved for potential future residences....but why not start building them now while it's still affordable. Let's hope it's not another 6 story apartment but something with actual height.

[Leo the Dog]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

Sorry, this is crap.

We all talk about how disastrous a mega-block like Chase was for downtown, yet here we are, accepting a mega-block 300' shorter and solely devoted to serving one sect of the downtown population.

Sure, there's no moat, but it isn't as if the public will have any reason to approach the building anyway. They might as well fence it off and require a SunCard to enter.

No retail, no office space, nothing to integrate the downtown community. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, they sprawled the thing across the entire block, so we can't even hope that they'll at least add something worthy of a downtown presence in the future: a taller residential component, an office tower with ground level retail, a hotel.. hell, I would take a restaurant at one corner over what looks to be 3 nearly blank walls of a structure lifted right off the Tempe Campus. Look at 1st- one entrance and nothing else!

The open hall is a great design feature... With a Z Tejas to the left, Cafe to the right, law firm offices 6 stories above the 6 story school, and public library around the corner.

Before I moved to San Diego, I lived in DT Phoenix. I like the new renditions ASU law school in DT Phx. The Ramada was shit. It's shittier now that it's a parking lot. So anything is better, but it should be so much more.

I do agree that this is yet another dead block though after hours. After the law students go home to suburbia (often to a wife and kids), this will be a ghost town. My brother just got his MBA from ASU in May and nobody in his class lived anywhere near ASU main.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by Leo the Dog

I do agree that this is yet another dead block though after hours. After the law students go home to suburbia (often to a wife and kids), this will be a ghost town. My brother just got his MBA from ASU in May and nobody in his class lived anywhere near ASU main.

I completely disagree. I'm a somewhat recent law graduate (2009) and the type of law students that go to schools like ASU are not married with children in the 'burbs. The law school classes will be dominated by 22-25 year old recent college grads. They will want to live close by, and they will frequent bars and restaurants in the area. This will add hundreds of full time residents and daytime/evening employees with disposible income to the neigborhood. The school also will not button up at 5pm. There will be night classes and students studying in the library late at night.

Expecting ASU to build a true mixed-use building is unrealistic. ASU is not in the business of leasing commercial real estate. They don't want to become landlords to tenants in offices or apartments above or below the law school.

Also, the Ramada was not an historically significant or pedestrian friendly building. It is not a significant loss. It was a motor-inn type hotel designed for cars. There are numerous similar dilapidated motor-inn hotels that can be preserved in areas much more approproate than downtown (Ex: Oasis on Grand). The new law school building is a vast improvement in almost every way possible.

[phoenixwillrise]

Originally Posted by nickw252

I completely disagree. I'm a somewhat recent law graduate (2009) and the type of law students that go to schools like ASU are not married with children in the 'burbs. The law school classes will be dominated by 22-25 year old recent college grads. They will want to live close by, and they will frequent bars and restaurants in the area. This will add hundreds of full time residents and daytime/evening employees with disposible income to the neigborhood. The school also will not button up at 5pm. There will be night classes and students studying in the library late at night.

Expecting ASU to build a true mixed-use building is unrealistic. ASU is not in the business of leasing commercial real estate. They don't want to become landlords to tenants in offices or apartments above or below the law school.

Also, the Ramada was not an historically significant or pedestrian friendly building. It is not a significant loss. It was a motor-inn type hotel designed for cars. There are numerous similar dilapidated motor-inn hotels that can be preserved in areas much more approproate than downtown (Ex: Oasis on Grand). The new law school building is a vast improvement in almost every way possible.

I agree the Ramada was a run of the mill dump, not necessary to save it. As far as every building downtown having some direct connect to downtown I really don't think that is necessary. The Law School will be just fine, as Crow envisions it, students living downtown, with graduates doing pro bono work out of there ,as was mentioned in the AZ BUS JOURNAL, and just the fact that there will be so much interaction between students and graduates and the fact that all the courts are downtown. It is amazing how quickly Crow and the City of Phoenix is putting all of this together. So now a major Hospital, a few major corporate headquarters, a lot more residents in apts. and condos, some unique museums and some more hotels and higher end eclectic restaurants for the convention center and downtown will be rocking. Would love to see a monster shaded water element (where just standing by it the temperature would be 20% cooler on a hot summer day) put in another new downtown mini park about the size of the Civic Space by D.T. ASU.

[nickw252]

The Cancer Center is up to two floors:

[Jjs5056]

My point was not that the Ramada was historically significant or worth saving. My point is that in spite of the dozens of dirt and parking lots in downtown Phoenix that desperately need to be filled in, many owned by ASU, this entity - which had promised to integrate itself into downtown Phoenix and be a true city university - demolished what was a usable, if unremarkable building and created one more concrete dead zone for what will be a total of 10 years. Whatever is gained by this stumpy new building is misleading, as a more accurate number would subtract the impact that permanent residents of a renovated Ramada would've had on downtown during those 10 years. When the market called for a newer, denser, mixed use residential project, tear away... but, if there was a study saying downtown's affordable housing was over saturated and under parked, I must've missed it.

I don't buy the excuses for the lack of density and other uses. Its newer buildings in Tempe have been mixed use and/or higher. All, or many, of its original plans for downtown incuded tall, dense mixed use projects that touted the integration of the campus into the city. What it has done to downtown is created a massive dead zone between the only two parts of the city that are continuing to grow in a smart way: the CityScape area and Roosevelt, where something like the Circles building renovation has done more to give downtown Phoenix an identity than these lifeless ASU jails that expand the downtown Phoenix that has limited hours of operation, is lifeless on the weekend and is a ghost town in the summer.

I can only hope that those who are okay with this building are just simply desperate to see another lot filled, blinded by what isn't a horrible design under different circumstances, or overtly optimistic in thinking that somehow 22-25 law students will find housing in the area that they can afford (because I doubt they're going to spend the $ necessary to get into Summit, 44 Monroe, CityScape, Portland Place, or the historic distric homes) or tolerate (because I don't know many in my age group willing to spend the money to live in neighborhoods like Garfield or most parts of Roosevelt, etc.) since ASU has invested in no housing they'd even qualify for since both Taylor and RPointe are for undergrads.

I know you are all smart enough to know that for downtown from Roosevelt to the warehouse district to have worked, we needed density, we needed housing, we needed ground level uses that would make the artists on Roosevelt travel south, and the lawyers on Washington travel north...we needed buildings that let these law students find a home in, the artists find a job in, and the lawyer find a place in he can come back to on Saturday with his family to enjoy. We don't need a 6-story building with 3 blank walls that will *almost* turn its lights off at 6 and *almost* go dormant in the summer and have its own garage so that it's users can get in and out as quickly as possible.

I won't say another word on it. I'm glad for those who are excited for this to come to fruition.

[phxSUNSfan]

My point was not that the Ramada was historically significant or worth saving. My point is that in spite of the dozens of dirt and parking lots in downtown Phoenix that desperately need to be filled in, many owned by ASU, this entity - which had promised to integrate itself into downtown Phoenix and be a true city university - demolished what was a usable, if unremarkable building and created one more concrete dead zone for what will be a total of 10 years. Whatever is gained by this stumpy new building is misleading, as a more accurate number would subtract the impact that permanent residents of a renovated Ramada would've had on downtown during those 10 years. When the market called for a newer, denser, mixed use residential project, tear away... but, if there was a study saying downtown's affordable housing was over saturated and under parked, I must've missed it.

The Ramada was rat infested, that is why ASU stopped housing students in it. At first ASU used them as dorms but students had issues with rodents. When they tore down the building the population of rats nesting in it caused huge problems for the surrounding area and the sewer system. It was a blessing that the thing was torn down and that a nesting ground for pestilence was destroyed and cleaned up. Now a real development will go in it's place. BTW, the Ramada had less than 120 one-bed rooms and a couple of retail spaces. What it had in abundance was plenty of surface parking.

I don't buy the excuses for the lack of density and other uses. Its newer buildings in Tempe have been mixed use and/or higher. All, or many, of its original plans for downtown included tall, dense mixed use projects that touted the integration of the campus into the city. What it has done to downtown is created a massive dead zone between the only two parts of the city that are continuing to grow in a smart way: the CityScape area and Roosevelt, where something like the Circles building renovation has done more to give downtown Phoenix an identity than these lifeless ASU jails that expand the downtown Phoenix that has limited hours of operation, is lifeless on the weekend and is a ghost town in the summer.

Most of the ASU buildings in Tempe are around 6 floors (McCord, Block 12, etc) and are still dense. McCord and other Tempe buildings are full of students well into the night studying and using the facilities for meetings and sessions. This is now happening in downtown as well. Downtown areas are designed to serve this kind of office, educational, civic need. There is plenty of room in downtown for more highrise construction and one building won't take away from that. The downtown campus was specifically designed for pedestrians with malls and large sidewalks. The buildings don't resemble jails in the least and are designed to function well in the heat and deal with intense sunshine.

I can only hope that those who are okay with this building are just simply desperate to see another lot filled, blinded by what isn't a horrible design under different circumstances, or overtly optimistic in thinking that somehow 22-25 law students will find housing in the area that they can afford (because I doubt they're going to spend the $ necessary to get into Summit, 44 Monroe, CityScape, Portland Place, or the historic distric homes) or tolerate (because I don't know many in my age group willing to spend the money to live in neighborhoods like Garfield or most parts of Roosevelt, etc.) since ASU has invested in no housing they'd even qualify for since both Taylor and RPointe are for undergrads.

22-25 law students? The entire Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law will be moved downtown along with various institutes and offices serving the public and community. This is an appropriate function for downtown especially since it is the financial and legal center of the state and Southwest. As someone who attained their MBA, I can assure you that many students will opt to live near downtown, especially since Roosevelt Pointe is not only for undergrads. They've rented to young professionals and graduate students alike. Many of us who have gone to graduate school rent with roommates to split cost.

I know you are all smart enough to know that for downtown from Roosevelt to the warehouse district to have worked, we needed density, we needed housing, we needed ground level uses that would make the artists on Roosevelt travel south, and the lawyers on Washington travel north...we needed buildings that let these law students find a home in, the artists find a job in, and the lawyer find a place in he can come back to on Saturday with his family to enjoy. We don't need a 6-story building with 3 blank walls that will *almost* turn its lights off at 6 and *almost* go dormant in the summer and have its own garage so that it's users can get in and out as quickly as possible.

We do need density in our downtown neighborhoods and that is happening in the right spots. We need Union at Roosevelt and more sustainable housing projects like it to come to fruition in Garfield, Roosevelt and Evans Churchill. Luckily, we have plenty of room for this type of development and more highrise condos in the downtown core.

[Jjs5056]

Okay, I'm clearly not even close to articulating my point about the Ramada, so I'm going to stop mentioning it. You don't need to convince me that it was terrible- I haven't said otherwise. Everything else aside, I just think it's ridiculous to congratulate an institute for replacing a parking lot that they created themselves.

The density seen on the Tempe campus is a result of the proximity of all those midrise educational buildings to each other within a defined campus, the sheer volume of students who attend that campus, the residential/dorms interwoven throughout, and an economically thriving city that is attracting dense, transit oriented development on all four sides.

The Tempe campus isn't decimated by parking/dirt lots; the majority of its new buildings are replacing older structures or being built on landscaped areas/replacing outdoor open spaces. I can't even estimate how many mire residential units there are in that ares compared to downtown. So, of course it is going to be a dense environment. That doesn't mean that the same course of planning should be applied to Phoenix or that it would work.

Sit outside one of the buildings on the east or west part of campus at 9:00pm, or at any time during the day in the summer and it's still fairly dead. And, that's with a campus where McCord was a 3rd building in a series of 3 that occupied a space not that bigger than a downtown super block.

Sit outside 6th/Mill at either of those times, and you'll see the type of environment that we should be cultivating in downtown Phoenix. The educational buildings should be integrated just as well as places like the Brickyard are. Even College is being developed with more of an urban integration mindset than the downtown campus. Thought has been given to the different uses needed to keep the streets of Tempe active and create a 24/7 living environment. That isn't happening downtown.

ASU was supposed to be one component of downtown Phoenix development, not THE development of downtown Phoenix. That's great that they are being designed with desert principles in mind... But, they are still jails in my mind by completely isolating this inside and doing everything they can to keep anyone else out.

Oh well, carry on and I will keep quiet. I don't know how anyone thinks single-use, 6-story, inward-facing megablocks with blank walls on 3/4 sides and its own parking garage is a huge success for the center of the 6th largest city in the country. I'm not sure where this "plenty of land" is for future density... Since most of the land in the area is ASU or Bio Campus owned with long, long, long term plans for continued midrise development.

Small projects like Roosevelt and 1st ave are nice and will help give us small streets and pockets of activity, but they just aren't enough to make an impact on downtown, 7-7, Roosevelt-the tracks.

[nickw252]

[Jjs5056]

Thanks...how many more higher educational buildings and small businesses need to open before a residential project catered toward that demographic is considered? I wish it penciled out for a skyscraper - but those will just always go condo or luxury in this market. Maybe one door ASU will build a 14-story building for upperclassmen, but in the meantime, upper class students, grad students, and young professionals are caught between living in a sketchy area with moderate pricing, or living in the city core - whether in an urban hi rise or historic home - on the much higher end. The first loses the urban appeal quickly when you realize you don't feel see enough to cross the street, and the city continues blocking you further from the density with Circle K megastores at community intersections. The second, for most, means less money to spend exploring the community.

Forced with the hassle of searching the Internet for a well priced condo, many move to the burbs where it's just so much easier to trasnition into that "next" phase by purchasing a home, etc.

That lifeless Bio Campus should stop where it is and begin leasing large amounts of space in larger office developments nearby, so that the lots between Roosevelt and Van Buren can fill in with workforce housing. Filling in just one would do wonders for connectivity; 8-10 stories with touches of retail for local delis, ice cream parlors, dry cleaning, and maybe a small cafe and neighborhood bar that serves the neighborhood, keep some street level activity through short trips, but doesn't compete or conflict with the nightlife south of Roosevelt between 6th and 4th St.

Finally, hopefully at some market conditions slow something like The Jet to be completed next to affordable housing along 2nd ave and I think we can finally have the supply downtown to meet the needs of all incomes and classes, assuming The Row on 2nd St actually happens.

[HX_Guy]

ASU sends part of its art school to downtown Phoenix

By Eugene Scott
The Republic | azcentral.com
Wed Jan 8, 2014 6:33 PM
Part of the Arizona State University School of Art is moving to downtown Phoenix to better connect with the area’s art scene.

Officials say moving an art gallery, five graduate programs and its critique space from Tempe to downtown Phoenix will help better position the school, part of ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, as a national arts leader.

“With downtown, there is kind of an industry feel,” said Adriene Jenik, director of the School of Art. “There’s scrapyards and even things like street art and other things they’ll have access to in a way that they don’t have have access to in Tempe.”

Studios for the school’s painting, drawing, sculpture, intermedia and fiber arts programs will occupy more than 26,000 square feet at Levine Machine, 605 E. Grant St. Jenik said the building’s industrial towers and cranes will allow students to optimize creativity.

More than 30 students working together by the end of the school year in one well-equipped space will create synergy among art students seen nowhere else in Arizona, Jenik said.

“Contemporary art crosses over. People are less confined in specific media than they used to be in the past,” Jenik said.

The move began in December, and they will complete it by the end of the school year. The school will host a public grand-opening event on Friday, Jan. 17 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Prior to the move, art students were spread out across Tempe, making collaborating on projects difficult, Jenik said.

“This marks a new era for the ASU School of Art,” Jenik said. “Having a range of student graduate programs in a space that is designed to support their needs and that is worthy of their talents is a dream of mine.”

Award-winning artist Michael Levine, who owns the space, had been trying to get some of the art school downtown for several years, he said.

“They are historic spaces, so they are inspiring to the artists who populate the building. It was great that it was the right fit,” Levine said.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton praised the move as another step in ASU’s role in helping rebuild downtown.

“ASU's School of Art is a perfect fit for downtown Phoenix and the ASU Downtown Campus that has brought so much life to Phoenix's urban center,” he said.

Levine and school officials said they hope this move continues the revitalization of Phoenix’s warehouse district. There are more than 40 warehouses in the area and some risk being torn down if there’s no adaptive reuse space.

“The warehouse district has needed an infusion of talented people who understand the entire creative process,” Levine said. “I hope this shows the viability of the buildings and really shines a light on the opportunities that they have in the warehouse district.”

[poconoboy61]

According to the ASU President's Office (@asupresoffice) construction on the downtown law school will begin in June. Between construction here, renovation of the Hotel Monroe, and demolition/construction on the Luhrs site, it seems like it will be a fairly active summer relating to construction downtown.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by poconoboy61

According to the ASU President's Office (@asupresoffice) construction on the downtown law school will begin in June. Between construction here, renovation of the Hotel Monroe, and demolition/construction on the Luhrs site, it seems like it will be a fairly active summer relating to construction downtown.

And Portland Place Phase II (if that ever gets off the ground).

[MegaBass]

Inside ASU's New Step Gallery and Grant St. Studios in Phoenix's Warehouse District

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by nickw252

And Portland Place Phase II (if that ever gets off the ground).

As usual, all of the residential projects seem to have stalled; nothing on Portland Place, The Union (Roosevelt and 1st), or Cooper, right?

I think ASU's use of Levine's warehouse is the most exciting thing to happen downtown in a while. How can anyone look at those photos and not see the incredible potential these structures have? It's a shame that within 12 months, we've essentially destroyed the chance to have a cohesive warehouse district with the Suns' demolitions and now the Ballpark Apartments megablock.

[Jjs5056]

The horrific 8-story soul-sucking Biomedical parking structure is finally here. Construction is set to begin Q2. This is a monster of a garage: 8 stories and taking up the entire block bounded by 5th, 6th, Fillmore and Taylor.

I've asked Boyer for a rendering or plan to no avail; I sent another followup pleading that they wrap this thing in retail since we are way past moving it to 7th.

As of now, it will be built "so Future retail development is possible," which is not good enough for me, nor should it be for the city. Both the biomedical and ASU campuses need to step it up.

http://azbex.com/phoenix-biomedical-...arking-garage/