PHOENIX | Project Rundown

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by CHAPINM1

For a city that is now almost neck and neck in population to Philadelphia and with the new light rail, I'm sure Phoenix's core is bound to become more dense.

Phoenix passed Philadelphia 2-3 years ago.

[Don B.]

^ We probably gave it back in the last two years. I would argue that right now, it's a toss-up as to which city has more population - Phoenix or Philly.

--don

[neworleans]

Just my opinion, but i think the metro should be used as measuring the size of a city, because technically it's all merged into one big city. In that case Phoenix has quite a ways to go to catch up to Philly

[neworleans]

Taken on Jan 24
photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/todkat/4308087314/"]todkat03[/URL]

[CHAPINM1]

Bump, any new developments on the light rail? What lines are under construction and are there any good photo links?

[neworleans]

flickr photo by stan taylor

[SunDevil]

Originally Posted by CHAPINM1

Bump, any new developments on the light rail? What lines are under construction and are there any good photo links?

For now, all expansion of light rail is on hold. I'm just shocked we got the first 20 miles given that the libertarian think-tank the Goldwater Institute's favorite thing to do in the whole world is to fight public spending. Oh, GWI holds a lot of sway in this state btw.

As for development, what has been built already isn't even full, so don't look for too much in the next 5-8 years.

[Don B.]

The $187 million Goldwater Sciences (about 7 stories tall) will be breaking ground soon:


The 16-story downtown Phoenix courthouse is framing up nicely and should be topped out within a month or two:


There's some smaller stuff here and there, but highrise construction is largely at a standstill now.

--don

[TonyAnderson]

Is the first project pictured on campus?

[Don B.]

^ in Downtown Phoenix, yes.

--don

[BrandonJXN]

Off topic a bit but here are pictures of Wrestlemania 26 from UofP Stadium.


jerachow15


smkimmel19


smkimmel19

And the Cardinals need pyro like this.

• Video Link

[Evil Empire]

Originally Posted by Don B.

The $187 million Goldwater Sciences (about 7 stories tall) will be breaking ground soon:

Where exactly is that going to be?

[Don B.]

^ Right in downtown Phoenix, just northeast of the main core. 7th Street and Van Buren are the nearest major cross streets.

--don

[BrandonJXN]

Anything new going on?

[davidmperre@gmail.co]

WOW THIS REALLLY SUCKS! LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE AWESOME HIGHRISE BUILDINGS THAT TOOK PROB. TONS OF PLANNING AND MONTH OF DESIGNING AND THEY JUST GET CANCELED!?!?!? ugghh this is really a sad thing too see

[Don B.]

I will try to find some time to update this list. There are some things happening in the Phoenix metro area, but much of the high rise development has shifted to Tempe. Phoenix has mostly low to mid rise stuff happening.

[plutonicpanda]

Anything new happening in Phoenix? This thread hasn't been updated in awhile.

[IMBY]

I flew down to Phoenix, couple weeks ago, day trip, just to go to the Phoenix Art Museum and the Heard Museum on Central. I moved out of there in 1996.

Big changes, cranes in the air, lots of new housing, 2 mid rises at McDowell/Central across from the Phoenix Art Museum, one still under construction.

Yes, fly into Sky Harbor Airport, catch the Sky Train to the 44th Street light rail stop, and decide: east to Tempe and Mesa, or west to DT Phoenix and north. $4 all day pass!

I hadn't been in Tempe in 2 decades, and I was surprised to see all the new mid to high rise buildings, some office, some hotel, some housing.

Some new towers downtown as well. Some housing developments at the new light rail stops already!

I don't even own a Smartphone, didn't take my camera along, so no photo's to upload, but I'm sure someone will come along and update this thread.

[muertecaza]

Most of the Phoenix discussion goes on in the Regional Section, but since it's been literally years since a substantial update here, I thought I'd try to give a bit of an omnibus update here.

Generally, Phoenix is doing OK. A lot of the development currently in the core is indistinguishable 4-5 story apartment boxes, similar to those that seem to be going up around the country. There are a couple of smaller high rises recently completed or under construction. And there are several more in the pipeline. Part of the struggle in Phoenix is that they've created a precedent of giving highrise developments in the core property tax breaks (structured as GPLETs--government property lease excise tax, where basically the City owns the property and "leases" the property back to the developer at a rate that would be less than the property taxes). Nearly every project now seeks a tax break, and it slows down projects, creates tension with other property owners that end up footing the property tax bill, and even now has resulted in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality (under the Arizona constitution) of GPLETs generally.

With that said, here are the notable projects. Grabbing some of the pictures from other threads, not all are the best.

Recently Completed:

Portland on the Park. 15-floor condo project.



Luhrs City Center Marriott. 19-story hotel.





University of Arizona Biosciences Building.



Under Construction:

Banner Hospital Tower:





Central Park East Fairfield Inn. 11 stories.





Block 123 office/residential



Notable Proposals

The Stewart



Derby Roosevelt Row



3rd & Pierce



Barrister Place



I'll try to update with the lowrises.

[WestCoastSupertall]

Great update!