Freeport-McMoRan Center (One Central Park East) - Phoenix, AZ

[vwwolfe]

Central Park East site. Absolutely nothing going on.

[HX_Guy]

Not much going on, but it looks like they have removed all the asphalt that used to be on the whole block which served as a parking lot.

[HX_Guy]

Permit# CGD-T457589 Issue Date 9/25/07 Expires 9/24/09
Permit Description GRADING PERMIT FOR CENTRAL PARK EAST
Project 06-1166 CENTRAL PARK EAST

Description/Scope of Work: GRADING & DRAINAGE

CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY (CofO) AND/OR FINAL ELECTRICAL CLEARANCE FOR ANY BUILDING IS DENIED UNTIL ALL GRADING AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS ARE COMPLETED.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK: Grading & Drainage Improvements per Approved Plan.

GRADING PERMIT FOR CENTRAL PARK EAST

[andrewkfromaz]

Did someone say ground-breaking?
If they have dust permits, they should be moving dirt right about.... now.

[HX_Guy]

No, no ground breaking yet.

I think we're still a few weeks out before any major work starts. I looked back at some pictures from when the Cronkite School and the ASU dorms started, and it was about a month after grading was approved that digging and such actually started. Plus, there hasn't been a permit issued for the foundation yet and I assume that is a must before they can move to that part of the project.

[andrewkfromaz]

As long as they have a dust permit from our very own Maricopa County, they can start digging whatever they want, whenever they want. Ground-breaking may be restricted by equipment limitations, or they may just want to wait until they get more permits (foundation, etc.) so they don't have to disturb any more than they already did for dust control purposes until they can really start building things.

[plinko]

Originally Posted by andrewkfromaz

As long as they have a dust permit from our very own Maricopa County, they can start digging whatever they want, whenever they want. Ground-breaking may be restricted by equipment limitations, or they may just want to wait until they get more permits (foundation, etc.) so they don't have to disturb any more than they already did for dust control purposes until they can really start building things.

Nope. Can't start digging the hole till they have the G&D permit, which apparently was issued today (thanks HXGuy).

[combusean]

So if it looks like all the parking is above ground, how big of a hole do they need to dig?

[Cranetastic]

I don't believe the hole needs to be too big, like 44 Monroes, just enough to put in the proper footings and foundation to handle the mass and height of the building. It also depends on how their lobby is designed and mechanical equipment locations. The Chse tower has a pretty sunken lobby area and an underground parking garage tunnel. It's pretty cool.

[HX_Guy]

44 Monroe has one underground garage floor and 7 above ground, so they had to dig quite a bit deeper then a normal tower I think.

[HX_Guy]

I was under the impression (although I don't know why) that Central Park East was not getting any tax incentives or really anything from the City...I guess I was wrong...

TEM 71.1


1_2


DISTRICT 8


ORDINANCE S-34405 -

AMENDMENT OF CONTRACT 117186 WITH CENTRAL PARK EAST ASSOCIATES, LLC



Request to authorize the City Manager to amend City Contract 117186, the Amended and Restated Development Agreement with Central Park East Associates, LLC (CPEA). The purpose of the amendment is to authorize the development of a portion of the site, accept conveyance of the property, enter into a lease agreement with CPEA for a 26-story office tower, and to authorize the project to be eligible for the Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET).



CPEA (the Developer) owns the block at the northwest corner of Van Buren and 1st Streets and will develop a 26-story high rise office tower with approximately 485,700 rentable square feet of Class A office space, 8,500 square feet of ground level retail space, and 591 structured parking spaces.



The amended contract will contain the following business terms: the Developer will convey the property to the City and the City will immediately lease the property, including improvements, to the Developer for a term of twenty-five years. Upon completion of the office tower and pursuant to state law, the property will be subject to GPLET and eligible for abatement for the first eight years of operation following completion. The Developer shall pay annual ground lease payments to the City according to the pre-determined lease schedule once a Certificate of Occupancy is issued, and have the ability to acquire the City's interest in the existing land and improvements beginning in the first year of the lease term and each lease year thereafter according to the pre-determined repurchase schedule. In addition, the Developer shall commence construction within 12 months following execution of the agreement. The Developer's failure to meet the commencement of construction requirement will result in the automatic reversion of the property to the Developer. If the Developer sells the leasehold interest in the project to a party other than members of CPEA, or their affiliates, the Developer shall pay to the City $1,000,000.

All proceeds from the lease, repurchase, or sale of the leasehold shall be deposited in the Downtown Community Reinvestment Fund.

[plinko]

Originally Posted by combusean

So if it looks like all the parking is above ground, how big of a hole do they need to dig?

Totally depends on the foundation system. Likely about 5-6' though for caisson drilling, elevator pits and grade beams if there's no basement floors. Might be less if its a raft slab, but that depends on soils conditions (and the elevators will all have to go down at least 4-5').

[HX_Guy]

Permit# DEM-T457894 Issue Date Expires 11/26/07
Project 06-1166 CENTRAL PARK EAST
Address 301 N CENTRAL AVE PHOENIX AZ 85004

Description/Scope of Work: DEMO PERMIT ONLY

BUSINESS NAME:...PKG GARAGE

DESCRIPTION OF WORK:
TOTAL DEMOLITION OF EXISITING UNDERGROUND PARKING STUCTURE


Uh, is anyone aware of any sort of parking garage under the current lot of Central Park East? Or maybe they are referring to that small white structure on the site?

Pretty weird.

[HX_Guy]

Ok, so there's a second permit for the "Teller building above parking garage". I guess there really is a parking garage under the lot...strange, I don't think any of us knew. What was on that site before? I figured it was smaller older buildings, warehouses, things like that.

Permit# DEM-T457897 Issue Date Expires 11/26/07
Permit Description COMPLETE DEMOLITION OF TELLER BLDG
Project 06-1166 CENTRAL PARK EAST
Address 301 N CENTRAL AVE PHOENIX AZ 85004 Zoning

Description/Scope of Work: DEMO PERMIT ONLY

BUSINESS NAME:...TELLER BLDG

DESCRIPTION OF WORK:
TOTAL DEMOLITION OF TELLER BLDG ABOVE PARKING GARAGE

[PHX_PD]

^ Is this the parking garage that permit is referring to? It looks like an entrance to an underground parking garage, but I've never been in it before and I didn't know it existed either.

[HX_Guy]

I've never noticed that entrance before. That must be it.

[phxtempe]

uh oh.... Call the Phoenix Historic Preservationists!!!

before the concrete gets placed.!!!

[PHX_PD]

Here is an old photo from 1949 that Hx_Guy posted in the “Downtown Phoenix: 1949 to 2006” thread. It looks like there use to be 2 warehouses on that block, one of them partially on the footprint of where the tower will be.



More detailed photo from 1959:

[HX_Guy]

Yea but there must have been something more recent then that. Maybe a tower that they started building and never happened? They built the parking garage and then dumped the project? It's happened before.

[HooverDam]

I still don't totally understand how we went from the above picture to what we have today. In the 50s, 60s and 70s were tons of projects proposed that didn't go through? They just ended up knocking over the homes and not being able to make the projects work so they left a dirt lot? The amount of dirt lots downtown is borderline unbelievable.