HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > United States > Southwest


Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #81  
Old Posted Dec 18, 2013, 9:01 PM
Obadno Obadno is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 6,584
[QUOTE=KevininPhx;6378526]Why cheesey? QUOTE]

I dunno ask alexico lol
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #82  
Old Posted Dec 20, 2013, 12:40 AM
alexico alexico is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 126
I think of "Mart" of things like k-mart and wal-mart. seems real low brow to me

the block of action in chicago is old school and has been around before "mart" has been brought down a few notches

latin mercatus "trade" aka marke....in the old world but in the present....nothing is exciting or sexy with "mart" in the name.





Reply With Quote
     
     
  #83  
Old Posted Jan 16, 2014, 4:42 AM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
So, not a lot of news on this project since the groundbreaking in November, but this week a couple of developments.

First an RFP for a Construction Manager at Risk to handle all the pre-construction infrastructure (water, sewer, roadway network etc..) has been issued:

http://www.casagrandeaz.gov/files/20...nixMartCMR.pdf

I don't fully understand the inside baseball relationship of the City/Phoenixmart yet as this RFP seems to be issued by Phoenixmart and they have all the legal decision making rights etc., but the CITY is also going to be reviewing the RFPs and may pay for part of these infrastructure costs out of some nearby Community Facilities District (CFD) funds. I assume that this portion of the project is a partnership due to the fact that it makes sense to install some of this infrastructure BEYOND what is required for the Phoenixmart project alone at this time to save on future costs/inconvenience.

In any event the RFP is being posted by the City etc...rather than Phoenixmart....

They SAY they want to have the RFPs for this 17mil dollar portion returned, evaluated, and negotiated by March....we ll see about that...

Anyway, I also just by chance happened to contact my inside the city contact about the lack of information and he said Phoenixmart hopes to start moving dirt and developing the entryway for the project by the end of January, with vertical building starting in March...this source has always been reliable with information in the past so I trust it to be his best knowledge - and his words were "I see no reason why this project wont begin sooner rather than later".
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #84  
Old Posted Jan 21, 2014, 4:19 PM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
Here is a link from todays local paper with the latest on Phoenixmart and the "Station II" project (the area surrounding and including the old Casa Grande Outlet Mall - AZ SOURCING owns both parcels).

http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa...9bb2963f4.html

Pretty much what I posted last week - but with slight schedule differences.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #85  
Old Posted Feb 26, 2014, 4:20 PM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
Another sign that this project is actually chugging along - although seems like a snail's pace....hopefully we ll just start to see a bunch of stuff happening at once soon after all these pre-construction bid awards are issued.

This RFP was posted on the City website looking for a fire consultant for the project:

http://www.casagrandeaz.gov/files/20...ultant-SOQ.pdf

At present there is no fire station within 5 miles of the project, and it is unlikely there will be one built for the initial phase of this project - Phoenixmart itself - but there will be one at future phases and other development on that side of I 10. So the city wants someone to provide help with how to minimize fire danger/medical response issues. Interesting.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #86  
Old Posted Mar 7, 2014, 7:12 AM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
Well - at least they are going to get signs put up!!! LOL

http://www.casagrandeaz.gov/files/20..._meeting_1.pdf

My understanding from sources is these will be temporary signs, but still pretty good size!

10 feet high x 60 feet wide with 5 foot high lettering....

On another note the mayor discussed the project at his state of the city address today - not a lot new, but said they are moving along and that he expects the entire project to be COMPLETED by 4Q 2015 and that would include an adjoining hotel - if I recall this is not the resort hotel, but rather a mid rise business class hotel.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #87  
Old Posted Mar 13, 2014, 4:47 PM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
Signs approved - officially on a temporary "at risk" basis - but the plan is for them to be the permanent entryway signs. At 60 ft by 10 ft each with landscaping and lighting etc I would hope so.

They also plan to start on some other "at risk" (meaning prior to official city approval and subject to removal or modification at a later date if the City deems necessary) portions of the project within a couple weeks such as road grading etc. with the official building permit for full scale project construction being submitted to the city in May. It will take at least a few weeks for the city approval process as even if just for political purposes the planning commissioners, and City Council WILL make changes.....

But it does seem like this thing is actually going to happen....didn't seem sure at times, but even these signs are a hefty expense if it wasn't going to happen.

Here is a link to our local govt reporter website with more details about the signs and comments from the developer on timelines etc:

http://cgnews-info.webs.com/news

Here is link to city staff report with sign renderings:

http://cgnews-info.webs.com/PM%20staff%20report2.pdf
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #88  
Old Posted Mar 25, 2014, 2:46 AM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
Since the topic of Phoenixmart leasing came up in a tangent of another thread I thought I d post the latest media released from Phoenixmart.

This 10 min video gives a pretty good explanation of the project, its history, plans, and costs to manufacturers who choose to participate.

They say they expect 10K visitors per month and that each booth would AVERAGE (some days would be higher or lower depending on the particular emphasis of the adjoining tradeshows etc..) about 50 visitors per day. That may actually be a bit high since not every visitor will visit every booth in a given "area" (hotel, auto, etc...)

But its an interesting video....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRnUn6_LRLk
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #89  
Old Posted Apr 3, 2014, 7:39 PM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
Here is a link to the construction update from Phoenixmart itself - not a lot new here that I haven't already posted - but they are finally updating their website on a more frequent basis with blog entries - they have just donated 10K to a local middle school and their partners have ponied up another 25K for that donation.

They have also been getting more involved in city functions and the like - sponsoring a farmers market thing last weekend and another two this spring.

They have also announced a "Welcome Center" will be the first noticeable upgrade to the old outlet mall along I 10 that they also own. That will be completed in May their website says.

SO....things do still seem to be moving along.....

http://phoenixmart.com/phoenixmart-construction-update/
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #90  
Old Posted Apr 22, 2014, 2:52 AM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
So, went to a City Council "study session" tonight regarding an update on the Phoenixmart. Phoenixmart representatives (including the president who I spoke at length with) provided an update on the project status.

The bottom line - there is A LOT going on - but it will still be several months before anything tangible to the public will be seen. Its frustrating, to them as well, but since this land parcel is basically completely without ANY infrastructure right now, working out development agreements with all the parties involved is a big pain, and one affects all the others!

Just the sewer portion alone is 4.6 million bucks just for the project itself, and the city is going to upgrade that project to allow for future development east of I 10. Currently there is no sewer beyond the mall and developments just east of I 10 - this project is almost two miles beyond that. They anticipate this portion of the project to take 12 months in itself with a total cost of 10 million. Good news is they are just about to send the agreement to council at their early May meeting. This work of course will run concurrent with other infrastructure work so its not like this gets done, then the rest can start.

BUT, they are still in the midst of dealing with the electricity provider, Southwest Gas, and of course telecom providers. Oh, almost forgot ADOT with roadway improvement requirements.

The significance of these negotiations is that they cant really start grading for roads etc. until these agreements AND designs are completed as any one of them could adversely impact already completed work. They also have to take into account they are planning infrastructure NOW for the entire 585 acre site, not just the 1.8 sf building. And as I said, the City and the other providers are taking advantage of this opportunity to build as needed for the entire east of I 10 area which complicates things even more.

Then there is the building itself - it is much bigger than anything current safety codes in Casa Grande cover, so the city has hired a Fire Safety consultant to make sure that all is done correctly.

Finally, there is the EB-5 aspect of all this - once they start actual construction, the two year requirement for the jobs needed to be created clock starts so they really need to have as much as possible done before they start grading.

SO, there are a lot of moving parts - but I do get the impression from the City Staff presentation as well as the project people themselves that things ARE going on - and they are still hoping for a mid-late 2015 opening...but there is no question that any one thing can cause delays in all the others.

The good news is Phoenixmart insists they have fully committed funding above the $150 mil mark. They also are about to submit the plans for the multi-family housing and hotel projects they hope to complete at or near the same time as the main facility itself and showed a couple of renderings as to what these should look like.

Its complicated though - my gut feeling is there has been too much invested at this point for it all to fall apart - and the city is about to layout 5 million of THEIR money on this sewer portion based on the fact this is going to happen so I like to THINK they are confident in the eventual completion of the project........but....
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #91  
Old Posted May 6, 2014, 4:46 AM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
Quick update - City Council approved the 1st reading of the sewer upgrade agreement for the project - slight fireworks (at least for a Casa Grande City Council meeting) at the end when there was a last minute change to the funding "securitization" mechanics that Phoenixmart will have to provide to ensure the city gets the 4.8 million for the project portion of the cost for this sewer line, even if for some reason Phoenixmart doesn't meet milestones where these payments are to be made. The City Attorney feels pretty comfortable it will all be worked out before the 2nd and final reading of the agreement at the next council meeting in a couple of weeks.

I know this is "in the weeds" stuff - but this is all the garbage that has to be completed times 5 (sewer. water, power, gas, telecom), plus ADOT roadway improvement agreements before any real work can begin on the site. Hence the reasons it takes so long!

But, Phoenixmart did give the city almost 200K to pay for the fire safety consultants that were also approved by council tonight, so things are moving.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #92  
Old Posted May 13, 2014, 5:26 PM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
Grading equipment on site this morning moving dirt.

Probably just for that entrance monument sign and VERY preliminary roadwork - but its something!

My view is everything they DO means more of a chance that the entire thing will eventually get DONE.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #93  
Old Posted May 13, 2014, 6:12 PM
KevininPhx KevininPhx is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 149
Quote:
Originally Posted by sh9730 View Post
Grading equipment on site this morning moving dirt.

Probably just for that entrance monument sign and VERY preliminary roadwork - but its something!

My view is everything they DO means more of a chance that the entire thing will eventually get DONE.
Are there recent renderings of what this will look like?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #94  
Old Posted May 13, 2014, 7:13 PM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
Kevin - yes - Phoenixmart.com has some pretty recent ones as well as their "leasing presentation" on youtube at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRnUn6_LRLk

When/if watching the video - phase one is all the light brown in the site plan at about 5:00 into the video. That includes the Phoenixmart building itself as well as some apartments and a resort hotel. The principals showed some of the first renderings of the apartments/hotel at a recent City Council meeting but those are not online anywhere yet.

Like I say - I think this grading they're doing now is just for the monument entry and some light roadwork since this is all "at risk" and doesn't have final city approval yet - though they are pretty confident this work will be approved when the final site plan comes before council later and they wont have to "re-do" this work.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #95  
Old Posted May 20, 2014, 4:44 AM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
Final approval of the sewer agreement with the City at the City Council meeting tonight. Phoenixmart caved and agreed to a cash backed surety for their 4.8 million portion of the project.

Nothing else really new except I spoke again with the Phoenixmart president and he is confident they will begin grading and horizontal work (beyond the entryway work already going on) within 90 days. Vertical work will have to wait until the recently hired fire safety consultants issue their report as the city will not issue a building permit until they have fire safety issues worked out.

This fire safety stuff is fairly new "performance based" recommendations since this building will have exit lengths well beyond the 250' in the current city fire codes - and most city codes for that matter.

On another note looks like Tractor Supply Company will be building a 640K distribution center in town - Council approved a Foreign Trade Zone designation for the proposed site tonight - 300 jobs. Not sure if that is something that this forum would want in another thread or not (Im pretty new here) - so just tacked it on here for now.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #96  
Old Posted Jun 11, 2014, 10:33 PM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
Here is a link to a video of a speech the CG Mayor was giving to the Chamber of Commerce a couple weeks ago. As you would expect, significant time was spent on the status of Phoenixmart and what it will mean to the city.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK7h9e3bhOs

Most of the Phoenixmart discussion is in the 1st 10 mins but there are other mentions of it throughout the rest of the 45 min video.

Not too much different than I ve posted here already - but there are some images of sample booths etc. that I hadn't seen before.

Bottom line is everything seems to indicate this is still a GO project - just taking longer than everyone would hope but the city expects actual building plans to be submitted any time now (early June is what the Mayor says here).
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #97  
Old Posted Jun 21, 2014, 1:01 AM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
OK - not sure who is still reading this thread - but I have a question for those more "expert" than I on the processes of a project like this one...

Phoenixmart has a couple of items coming up before various city boards/commissions in the next couple of weeks.

The first is pretty straightforward - they are looking for a temporary use permit to install their "logo" sculpture at the entryway they are working on now - this just goes along with the earlier temporary "at risk" work permit that was approved earlier for the entire entryway monument work. This logo is 14' in diameter!!

Then the other item is they are going before the Planning & Zoning commission for approval of their "Preliminary Plat" - breaking up the phase one of the project into 3 lots...unfortunately the city staff reports are not online yet so I cannot read the details of this presentation to the commission yet.....

SO, my question to you all is - exactly what presenting the preliminary plat mean? I know what it IS, and in this case my guess is since Phase I of the project is the building itself, the hotel associated, and the condo/apartment projects as the final piece of the initial phase, that the three lots represent each of these buildings. Again, this is just a guess on my part....

What I'm wondering is how close does this mean they are to actually getting going either horizontally or vertically? Is this still a very early piece of the puzzle and it will be months and months before an actual final construction document will be presented, or is this typically a final piece and we can hope actual permits will be issued soon?

I understand that either way things can obviously happen to stall things out....but IN GENERAL is this a good sign that things are moving along at a decent pace?

Thanks...
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #98  
Old Posted Jun 21, 2014, 1:30 AM
combusean's Avatar
combusean combusean is offline
Skyriser
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Newark, California
Posts: 7,158
The plat maps are what gets submitted to the county assessor's office to record the exact details of land.

In Phoenix, approval of the Final Plat by City Council is typically the last step a developer needs before they get to seeking actual construction permits.

Casa Grande may be different, however.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #99  
Old Posted Jun 21, 2014, 1:42 AM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
combusean,

Thanks - is there usually a long delay between preliminary and final plat submissions?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #100  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2014, 4:29 AM
sh9730 sh9730 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 129
Couple of pics of construction work on the entryway posted on the Phoenixmart Facebook page. Just the ditches and rebar in place for the signs so far.....but you do get an idea of how big even just the entryway will be since the ditch in the picture is just for ONE of the two signs on each side of the entryway....
Reply With Quote
     
     
This discussion thread continues

Use the page links to the lower-right to go to the next page for additional posts
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > United States > Southwest
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 7:43 AM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.