Phoenix Development News (3)

[HX_Guy]

Burger Joint Chicago coming to downtown Phoenix

Burger Joint Chicago is setting up shop in a long-vacant restaurant space on the ground floor of the U.S. Bank building. The restaurant is on the northeast corner of First Avenue and Adams Street.

Earlier this week, workers put up signs with the Burger Joint’s logo and the promise that the restaurant is “coming soon.” The signs also note that Burger Joint was named “Restaurant of the Year” by Chicago-area radio station WGN 720.

Courtney Auther, a broker with Cushman & Wakefield, who handles leasing for the space, declined to share more specifics because final financial details of the deal still are being worked out.

I also sent an email via Burger Joint’s website seeking additional details on its expansion to Phoenix, but haven’t heard back.

According to the restaurant’s website, it operates one location on Franklin Street in Chicago. Its menu boasts hamburgers, gyros and a number of specialty French fry options such as spicy feta fries and blue cheese fries.

At the restaurant’s Chicago location it offers delivery through third-party services GrubHub and Eat24. It is unclear whether delivery will be available at the downtown Phoenix location.

Burger Joint garners an average review of four stars on Google but averages three stars on Yelp.

When Burger Joint opens it will enter a highly competitive lunch scene in downtown Phoenix. In the immediate vicinity of the U.S. Bank building are lunch options such as Spoonz Cafe, Coney Island Grill and Downtown Deli.

And just down the block is the massive CityScape development, which is home to national chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Five Guys Burgers & Fries, all of which draw heavy lunch crowds from workers in downtown Phoenix.

Burger Joint also is the latest Chicagoland company to make a leap to Phoenix. The Valley has long been a hotbed for Chicago transplants and visits, with both the Cubs and White Sox spring training here every March serving as draws.

Earlier this year, iconic Chicago-based hotdog purveyor Portillo’s opened its first Arizona restaurants. Both openings in Scottsdale and Tempe drew large crowds.

[rocksteady]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Burger Joint Chicago coming to downtown Phoenix

Burger Joint Chicago is setting up shop in a long-vacant restaurant space on the ground floor of the U.S. Bank building. The restaurant is on the northeast corner of First Avenue and Adams Street.

Earlier this week, workers put up signs with the Burger Joint’s logo and the promise that the restaurant is “coming soon.” The signs also note that Burger Joint was named “Restaurant of the Year” by Chicago-area radio station WGN 720.

Courtney Auther, a broker with Cushman & Wakefield, who handles leasing for the space, declined to share more specifics because final financial details of the deal still are being worked out.

I also sent an email via Burger Joint’s website seeking additional details on its expansion to Phoenix, but haven’t heard back.

According to the restaurant’s website, it operates one location on Franklin Street in Chicago. Its menu boasts hamburgers, gyros and a number of specialty French fry options such as spicy feta fries and blue cheese fries.

At the restaurant’s Chicago location it offers delivery through third-party services GrubHub and Eat24. It is unclear whether delivery will be available at the downtown Phoenix location.

Burger Joint garners an average review of four stars on Google but averages three stars on Yelp.

When Burger Joint opens it will enter a highly competitive lunch scene in downtown Phoenix. In the immediate vicinity of the U.S. Bank building are lunch options such as Spoonz Cafe, Coney Island Grill and Downtown Deli.

And just down the block is the massive CityScape development, which is home to national chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Five Guys Burgers & Fries, all of which draw heavy lunch crowds from workers in downtown Phoenix.

Burger Joint also is the latest Chicagoland company to make a leap to Phoenix. The Valley has long been a hotbed for Chicago transplants and visits, with both the Cubs and White Sox spring training here every March serving as draws.

Earlier this year, iconic Chicago-based hotdog purveyor Portillo’s opened its first Arizona restaurants. Both openings in Scottsdale and Tempe drew large crowds.

This is a great addition to downtown Phoenix. We can always use more bars and restaurants down there. Any idea if this place will serve liquor?

While I love all the local restaurants popping up, I also like to see foods from other parts of the country/world taking root too. Makes tourists and locals feel like Phoenix is a bit more "worldly".

[Jjs5056]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

I think you mean further north, then. I suspect those buildings will go whenever the Biomedical Campus is completed. I think the museum does have occasional craft activities and parties in its "front yard." I hope the more attractive fence encourages them to do more there.



At yesterday's hearing, many speakers, including me, urged something along the lines of the proposal made by the eight Downtown organizations. The hearing officer concluded the long meeting by saying she'd take the matter under advisement. That means a decision may take several weeks.



Maybe if we're lucky that land could be converted to a patio or an extension of the building later. A lot probably depends on the type of tenants the renovated building can attract.

Yes, further north, sorry. And, I assumed they would be demolished which really sucks. The BioMedical Campus, as important as it is to downtown as a major employer of high-tech jobs, etc. is really a soul-sucking, sprawled out, anti-urban dead zone. It has resulted in the demolition of human-scale structures that could have been readapted, the soon-to-be creation of a massive parking garage in the middle of one of the few thriving downtown neighborhoods we have, and extremely long-term land banking by the city for lots that should be prime private real estate given the proximity to ASU and Roosevelt.

Thank you for showing up to the Circle K meeting and helping to come up with a solution rather than just complain about the situation. Wish we could get a mixed use building for the storefront, but hey...

And, that would he great if the tenant(s) are able to convert the De Soto parking lot into a patio or something else.

In other news, the parcel on Highland and Central, formerly slated for Brophy Towers and more recently the Elevation apartments, has been sold. Would've loved to have seen some residential infill there.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by Jjs5056

Yes, further north, sorry. And, I assumed they would be demolished which really sucks. The BioMedical Campus, as important as it is to downtown as a major employer of high-tech jobs, etc. is really a soul-sucking, sprawled out, anti-urban dead zone. It has resulted in the demolition of human-scale structures that could have been readapted, the soon-to-be creation of a massive parking garage in the middle of one of the few thriving downtown neighborhoods we have, and extremely long-term land banking by the city for lots that should be prime private real estate given the proximity to ASU and Roosevelt.

I think I was wrong in speculating that buildings along 7th St might be demolished for the campus. If you look at this map of the project's boundaries, it shows they do not include the blocks with the small buildings:

http://phoenix.gov/webcms/groups/int...t/d_038190.pdf

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

I think I was wrong in speculating that buildings along 7th St might be demolished for the campus. If you look at this map of the project's boundaries, it shows they do not include the blocks with the small buildings:

http://phoenix.gov/webcms/groups/int...t/d_038190.pdf

So those four blocks NW of Alta are set for Bio-med? Those are perfect for more mid density apartments/condos I hope the zoning regulations allow for residential.

[Jjs5056]

Yes, essentially all the land left to the south of what has become one of the best pockets of downtown is land banked by the city for BioMed campus and will likely be left empty for the foreseeable future given the rate of development of that campus. We'll soon have a massive 6-story garage on Filmore and 5th to serve the campus, so we'll soon get our first taste of the cold, closed-after-5 atmosphere the city will be creating.

[N830MH]

There is proposed for International concourse redevelopment. They will have to change the international concourse at terminal 4 and expanded more new baggage claim and also, there is proposal for new S1 concourse as well. I think they will have 9 new gates.

Here is the video:

http://phoenix.gov/citygovernment/ph...bco-dar-s1.mp4

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by N830MH

There is proposed for International concourse redevelopment. They will have to change the international concourse at terminal 4 and expanded more new baggage claim and also, there is proposal for new S1 concourse as well. I think they will have 9 new gates.

Here is the video:

http://phoenix.gov/citygovernment/ph...bco-dar-s1.mp4

Very unimpressed. The modification for the existing international concourse are minor, and they don't get into the gate realignment at all, other than saying they can only fit one wide body right now and plan to change that.

The S1 Concourse looks awful. It looked like there where four gates. So they are going to split the international arrivals into 2 concourses?

This truly lacks vision. Look at what Las Vegas, San Jose, Atlanta, Denver and others have been doing lately.

The long-term vision should be an international terminal where T2 now stands, connected via the SkyTrain to the rest of the terminals.

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

The S1 Concourse looks awful. It looked like there where four gates. So they are going to split the international arrivals into 2 concourses?

Yeah, I think they will have 9 new gates at S1 concourse instead of 4 gates, but it is not enough. I think the S1 concourses will have CBP facility. I think other international airlines or Southwest Airlines will operated at S1 concourse.

[Prestige Worldwide]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

Very unimpressed. The modification for the existing international concourse are minor, and they don't get into the gate realignment at all, other than saying they can only fit one wide body right now and plan to change that.

The S1 Concourse looks awful. It looked like there where four gates. So they are going to split the international arrivals into 2 concourses?

This truly lacks vision. Look at what Las Vegas, San Jose, Atlanta, Denver and others have been doing lately.

The long-term vision should be an international terminal where T2 now stands, connected via the SkyTrain to the rest of the terminals.

The long-range plan from Sky Harbor is to put the Customs facilities where the parking garage sits between the N1 and S1 concourses. Gates at N1, S1 and S2, would be equipped with a "switch door" of sorts that would direct deplaning passengers to a walkway that would lead to the new Customs facilities. A corridor then would connect the Customs facility to the west end of T4 Level 3. Once the facilities are completed, the N4 gates would no longer be international gates.

S1 would have 4 gates for international carriers, while gates at S2 (SWA), and N1 (AA/US) could be utilized as a domestic or international gate by those airlines as needed. There will be more than enough capacity when this is built.

[PHXFlyer11]

Originally Posted by Prestige Worldwide

The long-range plan from Sky Harbor is to put the Customs facilities where the parking garage sits between the N1 and S1 concourses. Gates at N1, S1 and S2, would be equipped with a "switch door" of sorts that would direct deplaning passengers to a walkway that would lead to the new Customs facilities. A corridor then would connect the Customs facility to the west end of T4 Level 3. Once the facilities are completed, the N4 gates would no longer be international gates.

S1 would have 4 gates for international carriers, while gates at S2 (SWA), and N1 (AA/US) could be utilized as a domestic or international gate by those airlines as needed. There will be more than enough capacity when this is built.

I think that's silly. A four gate concourse? Why on earth is it horizontal (east/west) oriented instead of vertical (north/south) like the others? That's gonna look horrible.

Good point on the Southwest international flights. They will definitely launch if US pulls down their international service post-merger. Air Canada, West Jet, Aeromexico and Volaris would also increase flights if US drops them.

[phxSUNSfan]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer11

I think that's silly. A four gate concourse? Why on earth is it horizontal (east/west) oriented instead of vertical (north/south) like the others? That's gonna look horrible.

Aren't all the terminals oriented east/west? Either way, the modernization and expansion of T3 will expand the terminal in every direction and it will look quite nice. I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion that it will look horrible. Here is a YouTube video of the project:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWPbrm93i84#t=26

Plans include the removal of many blank concrete walls and replacing them with glass façades.

[floc34]

They're finally breaking ground on the 2nd phase of Portland Place today.... I'll post pics later

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by floc34

They're finally breaking ground on the 2nd phase of Portland Place today.... I'll post pics later

Are they using a different project number and name for their permits? I've been watching 04-2178 on Phoenix's DSD page and nothing has shown up. Please post pics. Does anyone have renderings?

[RichTempe]

Originally Posted by floc34

They're finally breaking ground on the 2nd phase of Portland Place today.... I'll post pics later

I live at Roosevelt Square and the only thing going on there today is the Certified Local Fall Festival: http://www.localfirstaz.com/fall-festival/

They're using the dirt lot for parking as far as I can tell.

Not the greatest pic:

[nickw252]

That makes sense. There was a "Public Assembly/Outdoor Event" permit pulled (project number 13-2406) for the festival but unfortunately no news on Portland Place Phase II yet.

[nickw252]

There is a meeting for the proposed apartment building at 1st Ave and McDowell. It looks like the building will be two floors above one level of parking. It'll be great to get more residential in the area, even though it's a small development and won't take up the entire lot. It's crazy that the whole McDowell and Central has been a dirt lot for so long.

[RichTempe]

It looks like it will be directly to the west of/behind the Arizona Opera Building if I'm reading it correctly.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by RichTempe

It looks like it will be directly to the west of/behind the Arizona Opera Building if I'm reading it correctly.

Yes, at least there were previous articles discussing an apartment complex going in there. I am guessing that the increase in traffic on 1st Ave. may necessitate a traffic signal. There is frequently a line of cars backed up there waiting to turn left/east.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by RichTempe

It looks like it will be directly to the west of/behind the Arizona Opera Building if I'm reading it correctly.

That's my understanding also. I'm happy about the location. It's kind of a hidden; multi-family residential is perfect for the area. Plus it leaves the entire McDowell and Central corner available for development.