Tempe Development Thread

[asugrad]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

Thanks, Nick. I guess I knew the answer that Federal > State, but given how the overall attitude has seemed to be that the state would not use eminent domain or go near anything that would open them up to a Prop 207 suit, I'm just surprised there isn't even more outrage - including that from property owners themselves.



Yep, the Tempe "mega list" shows this one in planning mode:

THE HAYDEN @ DORSEY STATION
1221 E. Apache Blvd
MIXED-USE / RES / RETAIL
6.7 acres
318,976 sq foot building
398 beds
5 stories
Density: 59.4

Next one to look out for on the Apache Corridor would probably be:
THE TERRACES
1325 S. Terrace Rd
MIXED-USE / RES / RETAIL / PARKING
3.69 acres
324,221 sq foot building
169 beds
110'
Density: 45.8

110 - is that about 7 stories? Will be interesting to see which of these projects ends up being truly mixed use with retail, and which are being listed as such because of a leasing office/gym facing the street. 7 stories sounds good to me for Apache; I think this lot is where a Car Wash currently sits; a triangular-shaped piece of land on the south side of Apache. Hope it does in fact include retail - it's very close to 922 Place, which has its retail filled and The District, which is pretty dense, IIRC, and could conceivably help support business. Either way, the corridor is looking to be in good shape with all these projects between Rural and McClintock! I hope they're mostly market rate, or at least come without the typical student package (furnished, roommate selection, etc.) which may as well be student housing.

The Terraces is actually a project specifically for Sororities at ASU. Although it is not being built by ASU, it is endorsed. The building was supposed to be 16-19 stories featuring one Sorority per floor, but the neighborhood shot the idea down saying it was too tall (same people as the Gracies incident) and it had to be redesigned and presented as two 8 story buildings. I do not know where it stands as of today, but it would have been nice to see more height along Apache and the light rail since that area already has some decent height

[DevilsRider]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Yep, more Tempe construction news, because Tempe is kicking ass.

The address for the Hayden @ Dorsey Station seems to be the Days Inn on the south side of Apache. Rough square footage calculations place the entire Days Inn property and the dirt lot it surrounds at just over 6.7 acres, so maybe they actually do plan to demolish and replace? Definitely no big loss if so, and not surprising that it's only 5 stories, with the single-family housing directly abutting the property.

Unfortunate height directly next to the light rail station, but the 8 stories proposed for the Terraces give hope that future redevelopment of the properties at the northwest corner of the station (opposite side from this one) could be in the 8-10 range. I'm looking at you, giant parking lot behind Pita Jungle!

[dtnphx]

There are renderings with this article, but it's the same style seen in virtually every other development with the exception that their going to be 5 floors instead of the normal 4. Yippy.

LENNAR ASSEMBLING SITE NEAR ASU IN TEMPE TO DEVELOP 395 APARTMENTS

http://www.brewaz.com/content/index_...ssue_date=July

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by asugrad

The Terraces is actually a project specifically for Sororities at ASU. Although it is not being built by ASU, it is endorsed. The building was supposed to be 16-19 stories featuring one Sorority per floor, but the neighborhood shot the idea down saying it was too tall (same people as the Gracies incident) and it had to be redesigned and presented as two 8 story buildings. I do not know where it stands as of today, but it would have been nice to see more height along Apache and the light rail since that area already has some decent height

Ah, thanks. We have heard a lot about the 'sorority tower.' This is bad news overall, but expected given what happened with Gracie's. I don't think 8 stories will even fly with these neighborhoods, and it's crap. This isn't Paradise Valley. Apache was always an urban corridor - now, developers are trying to turn it into a mixed income, diverse one rather than a blighted, poor one, and these 'hoods would rather things stay as is? Because that's what will happen if 3 floors is the max (4 was too tall for Gracie's). This one seems even more ludicrous because it looks as though Spence separates the project from single-story homes. I hope 8 is truly the compromise, and not just the developer's next offer.

Not that I think a 19 story sorority tower is a good idea; I think the area is way too saturated with student-only housing and needs more market rate that caters to students, but still lets new grads, young professionals, etc. move in and make Apache an affordable corridor for all, seeing as nothing but luxury seems to be proposed directly downtown, and Apache will soon have two forms of mass transit.

That said, if it's going to be ASU-backed regardless, fingers crossed that somehow 8 stories passes. This corridor cannot succeed with 3-4 story developments.

The address for the Hayden @ Dorsey Station seems to be the Days Inn on the south side of Apache. Rough square footage calculations place the entire Days Inn property and the dirt lot it surrounds at just over 6.7 acres, so maybe they actually do plan to demolish and replace? Definitely no big loss if so, and not surprising that it's only 5 stories, with the single-family housing directly abutting the property.

Unfortunate height directly next to the light rail station, but the 8 stories proposed for the Terraces give hope that future redevelopment of the properties at the northwest corner of the station (opposite side from this one) could be in the 8-10 range.

DevilsRider - you're right; even if they acquired all the single family homes to the east, they'd run into more across the street and face opposition. This is still early in the process for both project, so don't be surprised to see the 5 and 8 stories both reduced after neighborhood complaints. If this corridor were being developed correctly, 5 stories would rise adjacent to the single-family homes across Cedar (with the ones immediately adjacent being acquired), rising to 8 stories as it grew westward over the Sonoran apartments, meeting with The Terraces. But, then again, Tempe is cutting commercial, setback and density requirements ADJACENT to stations, so I'm not surprised. This is the city that allowed 3rd Street to become 1 giant garage downtown, when it had potential to be one of the busiest LRT stops.

Is Todd&Associates responsible for the majority of the current apartments being developed? I'm sorry, but we need to start importing some out of state firms or get stricter with design standards or SOMETHING. These designs all look absolutely identical. I have seen some great local portfolios, yet we keep ending up with the same earthtone stucco lowrise with the same articulations. Glad to see 4,000+ sq ft of retail confirmed. If The Terraces happens, this will be a very dense area that has already shown strong retail vacancies.

I'm looking at you, giant parking lot behind Pita Jungle!

I'd love to see that complex undergo a Gracie's transformation: L-shape with 2 or 3 stories of apartments above hiding a parking garage. Or, since I'd hate to lose any of the good businesses located there, maybe just redevelop the perimeter with parallel parking and valet, and create a large green space for patios and gathering for all these new units going up in the area. Excess parking could go in the lot you mentioned to the north (development of which could be phased; Phase I could be an underground garage and perhaps the lowest set of apartments at the north end?)

I think I'd rather see the Food City lot dealt with first since it it is literally next to the stop, and is deep enough that hopefully a step-back design would satisfy all involved, but really - unless you live in the neighborhoods nearby - I don't think you can go wrong picking a lot in the area for a project.

[MegaBass]

Going to take some photos of Tempe/ASU area on Monday.

[DevilsRider]

A couple grainy iPhone shots...looks like the two built up so far are about the same height, and the west-most building is now above ground level. Man, those five cranes all together...

[DevilsRider]

So I went by and took a few shots of the Culinary Dropout progress. Based on the site layout, I think that the sidewalk in the front of the rendering (http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bel...ct_to_date.php) is on Farmer, with 1st street behind the building and water tower. That building would have to be new construction (and somewhat small to fit), with the larger existing warehouse being out of frame to the right of the rendering and the "Yard" in the middle of the two.

[Jjs5056]

MegaBass - if these places are in your path, would you mind snapping whatever you can? I won't be back for quite a while, or else I wouldn't be so annoying: SkyWater Lofts (former Argo; which now lists only a gourmet Coffee Bar as an amenity... hoping the food truck area and bike shop are still in the mix!), College Avenue Streetscape, Hub II, Hanover Site. Thanks in advance for whatever you get around to!

Devils -Thank you so much for posting these! How's the Marina Heights Facade looking? It looked a bit shinier (and more like the renderings) in the other photos... getting a CityScape/Palomar vibe from these and hoping it's just a matter of sunlight/reflection.

As for Culinary/Yard:
1) Happy to see a lot of the details left in place in spite of how much demo work was done - the copper-trimmed (or rusted metal; either way, great looking) doors and windows were the best part of the building, so I'm glad they were salvaged, even if reduced.

2) I am still lost in terms of perspective with the rendering vs. real life; that water tower was originally on the south end of the site - is your photo showing that it's been removed and brought to the north end? If so, you have to be correct. But, that means not only will there be a new building surrounding the water tower, but that the copper-like sloped roof constructed over the patio is all new construction, too. I'm all for this being the case... but it would be much less expensive for the view to be from the tracks and the sloped roof being the east side of the middle building (with the vertical windows facing west) - which allows for the northern-most building's windows to also fit with the perspective. Finally, why knock down any of the building if you need to then do so much additional construction?

In a way, it doesn't matter - I'm happy with the state of the warehouse and what remains, which is the most important part. I guess knowing which side parking is on would also be important, as the north side is much preferred, but south side more likely. Again, thanks for the pics; mystery might not be solved, but excited to see it open and hope it spurs some more development along the Farmer Arts District.

[Jackdavis4]

I drove by Hanover the other day and I think were underestimating this one. Brick Facade is great for the Mill area and 6 stories in an urban area is a lot taller than it seems in the renderings! Very excited for this one!

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by Jackdavis4

I drove by Hanover the other day and I think were underestimating this one. Brick Facade is great for the Mill area and 6 stories in an urban area is a lot taller than it seems in the renderings! Very excited for this one!

Can you actually see the brick facade yet? They seem to have templated designs that they choose from, and several that look almost identical to Tempe's ended up looking incredibly cheap - almost painted on as a faux finish. If they used a higher quality material, that's of course good news.

You also hit the nail on the head regarding another big issue: it isn't 6 stories. The garage is actually taller than the apartments will be. Those will be only 5 stories, which has a place downtown, but not next to the tallest building in the city, especially when presenting blank walls to those towers and to 5th street, which will become a major east-west connector street.

Neighborhoods to the west continue to develop - Farmer Lofts II, Encore, Skywater/Argo, Culinary Dropout/The Madison, etc. - and 5th is the obvious choice to go between that area and downtown, as the only other options from Farmer are University, which is heavily congested, and 1st, which doesn't look nearly as safe for any pedestrians/bikers and is out of the way for vehicles. There will also be streetcar on Mill and Ash in the future, and a potential 300' residential tower at Ash/5th.

So, while it's great that 7th and 6th are so active, both are dead-ends, and 5th is the only street that will connect those developments with downtown, and continue east all the way to - and through - ASU. Yet, the most important segment of the road is a pedestrian nightmare. I avoid the north side completely, as it's a giant parking lot between Farmer and Myrtle, at which point it becomes a hobo gathering spot because the anti-urban building there has 0 entrances or windows to give the impression of safety.

In spite of the most evil building in downtown Tempe that lacks a single window or door on its 4-story concrete facade, CenturyLink at Maple/5th, the south side is a little less trecherous, but the street is a disaster and Hanover placing even 1 or 2 retail spaces near Maple would've helped create a safer and nice experience on at least one side of the street.

[DevilsRider]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

Devils -Thank you so much for posting these! How's the Marina Heights Facade looking? It looked a bit shinier (and more like the renderings) in the other photos... getting a CityScape/Palomar vibe from these and hoping it's just a matter of sunlight/reflection.

I took these early yesterday morning, when it was still incredibly dusty and overcast out, so take the reflections/shininess with a grain of salt

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

As for Culinary/Yard:
2) I am still lost in terms of perspective with the rendering vs. real life; that water tower was originally on the south end of the site - is your photo showing that it's been removed and brought to the north end? If so, you have to be correct. But, that means not only will there be a new building surrounding the water tower, but that the copper-like sloped roof constructed over the patio is all new construction, too. I'm all for this being the case... but it would be much less expensive for the view to be from the tracks and the sloped roof being the east side of the middle building (with the vertical windows facing west) - which allows for the northern-most building's windows to also fit with the perspective. Finally, why knock down any of the building if you need to then do so much additional construction?

The water tower was on its side on the south end of the construction zone. It looked like it was just put there to be out of the way. There was significant concrete work on the north end (and I'm no developer or engineer, so I can't tell you with authority what any of it was for), but I would think that the parking area would be asphalt, not concrete, and that the concrete work on the north end was for a building and patio area. I could be completely wrong though, there's still lot of mystery to the site! Also, on the bottom left photo I posted (which is looking NE from the southern end of the site), there's a big wide driveway, which is likely for a parking area. And speaking of parking, they essentially matched the existing on-street parallel parking on the west side with some of their own, which should provide a good buffer for pedestrians from what traffic Farmer does get.

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by asugrad

The Terraces is actually a project specifically for Sororities at ASU. Although it is not being built by ASU, it is endorsed. The building was supposed to be 16-19 stories featuring one Sorority per floor, but the neighborhood shot the idea down saying it was too tall (same people as the Gracies incident) and it had to be redesigned and presented as two 8 story buildings. I do not know where it stands as of today, but it would have been nice to see more height along Apache and the light rail since that area already has some decent height

There was a most outspoken NIMBY that complained about losing his tiny view of A-mountain. Now, the two 8-story buildings have been essentially given the OK by the community , so the next step is going to be going through the City and then council to get their approvals. They are planning retail along Apache. Their plan is for groundbreaking in July of next year.

[Jackdavis4]

The facade has not started to go up but, I know some of Hanovers other properties and I am fairly confident that they will deliver a pretty smoking property. Also I am working across the street from the Alta Tempe apartments and they are up to the third story out of five I believe.

[Jjs5056]

Devils - thanks for the additional info and glad to know I'm just being an idiot and that the site is as crazy as it looks in pics.

Originally Posted by Jackdavis4

The facade has not started to go up but, I know some of Hanovers other properties and I am fairly confident that they will deliver a pretty smoking property. Also I am working across the street from the Alta Tempe apartments and they are up to the third story out of five I believe.

I can't keep up - what are the Alta Tempe apartments?

I know many of Hanover's other properties, as well, and while their highrise and mixed use projects are really great, they've turned to a cost-savings model for their lowrise apartments which results in building identical structures in much different environments, using cheaper-looking finishes, and are dead zones on all sides of the entrance. This image could be a photo of any suburb in the country without the faded W6 and Courtyard. A desert environment needs even more consideration/adaptation when it comes to design; I mean, they aren't going to plant Elms as shown, but you'd think that would be thought of and shown in project renderings? ( http://azbex.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Hanover.jpg )

Speaking of trees, I just noticed on Google Maps how many have have been replaced near the 5th/Mill intersection; Valley Art, the Post Office, etc. are much less shaded now - do these replacement trees really have as fast of a growth rate as the city promised? The only reason for these replacements was to reduce bird droppings, right? Seems like a bad deal, IMO.

[Jjs5056]

Good news and an action I wish was taken more frequently since clearly it's allowed:

Tempe Denies 358 unit SouthBank Development Plan: http://azbex.com/tempe-denies-358-un...elopment-plan/

LOL that the council originally told them to make a brown stucco apartment with faux brick less 'stock' looking, and that gray design is what they came up with. Good for Tempe. I'd rather the lakefront stay vacant than wasted on buildings like this, as availability slowly dwindles.

[DevilsRider]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

Good news and an action I wish was taken more frequently since clearly it's allowed:

Tempe Denies 358 unit SouthBank Development Plan: http://azbex.com/tempe-denies-358-un...elopment-plan/

This is excellent news, and I'm proud of our City Council for taking this (sadly) unusual action.

This generic 4-story design makes a whole lot of sense as "filler" infill, such as, perhaps, in ASU's Stadium District once that gets going, or along University a la the Alta Apartments at Dorsey and University (and seeing something like this midblock somewhere it's being done well, like Denver, would not be out of place). But on a prime lot on the lakefront, with such high potential, visibility, and allowance? No sense at all. Bravo, Council!

[MegaBass]

Tempe Golf Course Soon To Be A Farm And Garden

The city of Tempe has found a new way to become a greener community. It recently signed a 10-year lease agreement to turn one of its golf courses into a farm and garden. It’s a plan for the city to turn a financially draining property into an environmentally rich project.

It’s early in the morning and the sprinklers are already watering the green across this 63-acre land. It’s the Rio Salado Golf course north of the 202. But the sprinklers are not preparing the greenway for golfers. This nine-hole course is getting prepped to be a community farm.

"What I’m gonna do is try to bring this land back to make it healthy. I use no chemicals. I use bio stimulants, compost, microbes,” Ken Singh said. The golf course was turned over to him earlier in July.

He’s no stranger to the Valley. He’s the owner of an organic farm in Scottsdale and has helped several agencies get their gardens up and running. He wants to make this place an oasis for Tempe and Valley residents.

“So that’s what I’m working on," Singh said. "That’s why the city is being very nice to me to give me the time. Because I said 'Folks, you can paint something pretty but if the inside isn’t healthy and well then families and kids aren’t gonna get the benefits of it.'”

As he takes me on a tour of the grounds on a golf cart, Singh said the place needs of a lot of work. The trees and shrubs need trimming. Large parts of the grass and soil are brown and dry. He and his crew have spent the past three weeks digging, excavating and rebuilding. He points to the stakes with blue flags scattered around the property which he says will help guide him.

“So see, I’ve had the flood district stake this out because this is the flood wash, the flood plain and then there’s certain things I can do up here,” Singh said.

This six-foot-tall, white-bearded, long-haired farmer comes from a long line of agriculturists. His father and uncle taught him about farming, making compost and respecting mother nature. He says the plan here is to develop rich soils in designated areas to grow specific fruits, vegetables and plants. He also has plans to create camping spots and picnic and play areas to give residents a place to walk around, eat and relax.

“You go from an apartment to a garage, to a parking lot, to a building, to dinner," Singh said. "Look right now. I don’t know about you but I feel real good looking at that. Means I could run. I could shout. I could do summersaults…listen. Uhhmmm!”

“There are a lot of amenities that a city provides that don’t make money, and golf courses have been one of them," Singh said. "Our golf courses really haven’t made us money. In fact, up until we restructured our other two golf courses it was running a deficit of about $600 thousand a year."

Onnie Shekerjian is Tempe’s vice mayor. She, along with several city council members, spearheaded the idea of doing something different with this place. When the concept of turning this golf course into a farm was put up for a vote, the council approved it unanimously.

“It isn’t just about money making, but even if you were to take a look at just the economic bottom line. Being healthy, there is nothing more economical than making sure that your people are healthy.”

So the plan is to open the first phase of the farm and garden in 2015 and make this 42-square mile land-locked city seem a little larger and more environmentally connected

[DevilsRider]

Originally Posted by MegaBass

Tempe Golf Course Soon To Be A Farm And Garden

Apparently City Council approved this at their May 22 meeting; I'm surprised it's just getting coverage now. It's a very interesting adaptive reuse in the middle of a floodplain. I really like how Scottsdale has turned pretty much all of their floodplain into a linear park, but given the primarily industrial uses lining this section (McKellips to Curry), a linear park might not make much sense at this time, and an urban farm/experience could just work out here! At the very least, it's better than a golf course.

So counting Karsten's (though it still stands today), we're looking at 3 golf courses within 5 miles of each other shutting down and being redeveloped? (The third being where the new Cubs stadium stands in Mesa) I like it.

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

Good news and an action I wish was taken more frequently since clearly it's allowed:

Tempe Denies 358 unit SouthBank Development Plan: http://azbex.com/tempe-denies-358-un...elopment-plan/

LOL that the council originally told them to make a brown stucco apartment with faux brick less 'stock' looking, and that gray design is what they came up with. Good for Tempe. I'd rather the lakefront stay vacant than wasted on buildings like this, as availability slowly dwindles.

"zoning permits heights of 292 feet and 252 feet on the two parcels LPC proposes to develop"

I LOVE this! A 292 foot development on this parcel would rock! I can only hope Tempe pushes for a development of this scale and doesn't give in down the road to something less than stellar.

[ASUSunDevil]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/...town/13395229/