Camelback and 44th redevelopment issues remain on burner

The redevelopment of Camelback and 44th St. for mixed-use including residential homes remains a hot topic but still hanging in limbo after last night’s meeting on the various proposals. Phoenix, the developers, and local residents have their say: Camelback Road projects on hold

Two projects along Camelback Road remain on hold as the Phoenix Planning Commission studies three redevelopment proposals at the road’s intersection with 44th Street.

The two proposals discussed Thursday evening were Opus West’s proposal for the southeast corner, where the well-known “mushroom” bank is located, and M3 Cos. plan for the northwest corner, where the Camel Square development currently sits.

Opus West sought a delay to work out new plans with neighborhood residents, who opposed the initial plans. Attorney Stephen Earl said the company would build in reduced heights and densities from the initial project, although neighborhood activist Paul Barnes said the company remains “a long way from anything the neighborhood would deem acceptable.”

The Camel Square proposal was delayed after close to three hours of discussion, pro and con, before a room crowded with residents of the area. Attorneys for the developer described the proposed project and argued it fits with the city’s desire to grow smarter, but opponents made the point that the plan violated several existing city plans calling for compatible development and maintenance of views of Camelback Mountain nearby.

The proposal includes three 100-foot tall buildings and will be largely residential, with condominiums, town homes and nine single-family lots. The developer said the parcel, at 17.4 acres, is the largest between the Biltmore area at 24th Street and the Phoenician Resort.

Planning Commission chairman Don Keuth said he expected a third redevelopment proposal, for the site of the London Center on the corner’s southwest quadrant, to be filed on Friday.

He proposed that the commission be proactive and look at all three quadrants together. He said the committee should “develop a reasonable solution.” Commissioner Wes Gullett will lead the effort.

Keuth emphasized the importance of the decision, saying the city expects many more similar proposals down the road. Attorney Grady Gammage, representing the developer, said the development “is a precursor to the future of Phoenix.”

26forty & 52thirty LEED lofts announced for Arcadia South area

As reported in the Phoenix Business Journal, Jerrott Willard, a former NFL player, and Moran Architects, are joining forces to develop two LEED-certified projects in the Arcadia South area. Former NFL player partners with architects for “green” lofts:

Two more urban “green” residential developments were announced Wednesday and one of the partners is Jerrott Willard, a former University of California Berkeley football player who spent one season in the NFL.

Willard is teaming with Scottsdale-based Moran Architects to build 26forty and 52thirty, two urban-style loft projects that will meet the criteria for LEED, the certification system devised by the U.S. Green Building Council to rate the energy efficiency and sustainability of buildings. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Both projects are scheduled to break ground by the end of the year.

The 26forty project is located at 2640 N. 52nd St. The 16 lofts will range in size from 1,300 square feet to 1,700 square feet, and each will have private terrace views of Camelback Mountain.

The 52thirty project is located at 5230 E. Oak St. The 15 condos also will have views of Camelback Mountain and South Mountain. They will range in size from 1,500 square feet to 1,900 square feet and feature two master bedroom floorplans.

Solar panels will be available as an option. Reservations for the homes will be taken in November. Prices have yet to be announced.

Jerrott Willard/50 greatest Golden Bears NFL stats

Luhr’s block slated for redevelopment? CityScape generates heat in the area

Luhr's Tower Phoenix The Luhr’s block, on the south edge of the proposed CityScape development is under negotiation for purchase by Hansji Hotels Inc. of Irvine, CA. The site has preliminary plans for redevelopment into hotel and offices and is currently scheduled for closing September 14. Here are some pictures I took this summer while scouting out the light rail update. Hotel project to “revitalize” Luhrs block”:Luhr's Tower Phoenix“Phoenix’s first two skyscrapers and other buildings covering a block of downtown are being sought by a California company proposing to build a full-service hotel there.

Hansji Hotels Inc. of Irvine, Calif., is negotiating to buy all of the buildings on the city block bounded by Jefferson and Madison streets and Central and First avenues.

Luhr's Building Phoenix The block is dominated by the 10-story Luhrs Building, 11 W. Jefferson St.; the 15-story Luhrs Tower, 45 W. Jefferson St.; the two-story Luhrs Central Building, 132 S. Central Ave.; and the five-story Luhrs parking garage, First Avenue and Madison Street.

The prospective buyer is a hotel company with holdings in Arizona and Southern California. The current owner is Winston Management & Investment, Inc. of San Mateo, Calif.” more

Cleaner vertical living without breaking your back

Roomba When the Roomba first came out I scoffed at the silly little “sort of” robot. How could this little disk navigate obstacles, climb rugs, and deal with the flotsam and jetsam of my everyday life. And the big question: who would survive in a fight to the death with my two black labs. Would I find them cowering wide-eyed in the closet with bruises covering their legs? Or would I come home to a new abstract sculpture quivering in its final electrical rigor; my labs planted close by with wires hanging from their mouth? Surprisingly the little programmed vacuum introduced in 2002 has now sold over 2 million units and is going strong. While I still remain resistant to its allure (add cooking, making the bed, and doing laundry to its program and count me in big time!) the Roomba has upgraded almost every year now and 2007 is no exception.

Should height and density limits be increased within the Central City Village?

Express your option when the Core and Heights Subcommittee of the Central City Village Planning Committee meets in just over a week. It’s a changing world out there and perhaps we need to understand that many positive market forces should start us looking up rather than out. Besides, what’s going to supply the shade when all the pedestrians start showing up? Its time for Phoenix to start stickin’ some meat on those infrastructure bones they’ve been assembling. I’ve had my say; now its time for you to have yours.

where:  Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave., 4th Floor Lecture Room  map  when: Monday, September 17  time: 6:30-8:30pm  cost: free

As originally posted in Phoenix City Living 

Profile: Century Plaza

Century Plaza PhoenixOriginally a 15-story Phoenix office building in midtown Phoenix just south of Osborn on Central Avenue, Century Plaza will soon be home to 145 condominiums ranging from 734-1974 square feet (1, 2, & 3 bedroom units). With 85% sold, there are remaining units on almost every floor ranging in size from 734-1283 square feet.

Rather than read…just look at the photos I snapped Tuesday morning from the top floor units of Century Plaza. The fact that only a few cable wires stood between me and a very long drop to the street below, it was worth taking in the views that future residents will soon have.

Century Plaza Phoenix north view
View looking North

Century Plaza Phoenix south view
View looking South (please excuse the dirty windows)

project: Century Place
type: High-rise condominium (conversion)
location: 3225 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ | map
price: Remaining units from the $400s to high $600s
unit size: 734-1283 sf
community size: 145 units
year built: Under construction | Completion scheduled February-May 2008
developer: Equus Development Corporation
details & features: Windows, windows, windows! | Parking garage (1-2 assigned spots depending on unit size) | Secured building access | Concierge service | Workout facility and club room | Three high-speed elevators | Pool/spa | Custom cabinetry in kitchen and baths | Granite countertops | Recessed balconies | Large walk-in closets
neighborhood: Located in Midtown Phoenix right on Central Avenue | Just a hop, skip, and a jump from the future Osborn light-rail station | Ground floor of building will be home to retail and restaurants (tenants have not yet been announced) | Walk to neighborhood dining and shopping

Profile: Evergreen 9

Designed by award-winning architect, Michal Underhill, Evergreen 9 offers a small enclave of modern living in downtown Phoenix. The high-level of standard finishes and quality construction at Evergreen 9 are rarely found in projects at this price-range. JAG Development set out to provide well-designed, cost efficient housing in the heart of downtown Phoenix…and they’ve accomplished it with Evergreen 9.

Evergreen 9 - Willetta 9 garage - Phoenix

Unit 1 (2bd/2ba) - $349,000
Unit 2 (2bd/2ba) - $349,000
Unit 3 (2bd/2ba) - $349,000
Unit 4 (2bd/2ba) - $339,000
Unit 5 (1bd/1ba) - $299,000
Unit 6 - Sold
Unit 7 - Sold
Unit 8 - Sold
Unit 9 - Sold
See Floorplans

project: Evergreen 9
type: Townhome-style condos
location: 525 E. Willetta Street, Phoenix, AZ | map
price: From the high $200s
unit size: 1200-1400 sf
community size: 9 units
year built: Under construction | Completion scheduled Spring 2008
developer: JAG Development
architect: Michael Underhill
details & features: All units are 3-story | Attached 1.5 car garage | Private yards | Polished concrete floors on 1st and 2nd level | Miele range/oven & dishwasher and LG stainless steel refrigerator | Caesarstone countertops | Stainless steel backsplash in kitchen | Mosaic tiles in bathrooms
neighborhood: Located in the Evergreen Historic District | Walk to Safeway, Starbucks, and other retail at McDowell Road & 7th Street.

How the restraints of the future should influence urban planning today.

Phoenix trafficTomorrow is holding up quite a large sack of uncertainty. What will the price of gas be? How congested will our roads, or our air, become? Will any number of factors make long-distance commuting unthinkable? Will the planet’s ecosystem, under duress from unchecked sprawled growth, lead to a greater sensibility in design, density, and living styles?

How much better for our long-term survival as a species would urban-centric, high-technology, mass-transit population centers be? Look at the math: take an average high-rise condo building on one singular footprint vs. tearing down acres and acres of virgin desert. Put up a sprawling mass of 70-100 stucco tinkertoys to match the housing units of just one high-density building and the realization hits you like a mallet. Simply finding the cheapest buildable land anywhere near a highway was the mantra of the past. Or forget the highway: we’ll build today and hopefully a highway will come (look at what and where Johnson Ranch was when commenced or the west end of today’s Ahwatukee). But the roads aren’t getting bigger, the subdivisions continue their growth, yet city and state revenues are getting smaller. Where is the financing of new roads to be generated (does everyone remember the ghost bridges of the 101 dotting the landscape of the SRPM Indian Community after the construction demise of the 80’s)?. Or who is going to build that once-planned commercial center or take a chance on a retail strip mall when half the homes in these outlying areas of Phoenix could sit empty? Too many factors that supported urban sprawl are changing rapidly for the worse. Our air is turning brown, today’s long commutes were simply unimaginable just a few years ago, the price of gas continues its climb with no ceiling in view, and massive stucco mini-mansions dot the landscape sucking the life out of the desert and consuming electricity and water with an ever-increasing ferocity. Urban living in higher density buildings allows massive savings on energy consumption, mechanical systems, infrastructure costs, commuting times, accidents and bodily injury, and maintains our green environment. Market demands, and the more “individualized” nature of urban development, allow developers to explore new green and high-efficiency technologies, space-saving floorplans and storage designs, and aesthetically-forward buildings. Thoughtful, affordable, and sustainable urban building designs and planning must morph into a dominate influence on tomorrow’s living: or our planet will have much more to say on our myopia.

Profile: Lofts at Fillmore

Lofts at Fillmore PhoenixWalking through the hallways of the Lofts at Fillmore you get the instant feeling that the residents here are friends. With its large front porch and the photos and messages that cover many of the units’ metal doors. The Lofts at Fillmore is a unique property in Phoenix. It is one of the few projects that converted a historic property into updated residential condos (unfortunately because most of these types of buildings have been demolished in Phoenix). Originally built as the Moeller Building, a hotel/apartment, in 1929, this building was converted to 18 condo units in 2000. Units on the 1st floor have stairs that lead into their basement bedrooms that provide a cool place to sleep (both temperature and aesthetically). Lofts at Fillmore exposed brick PhoenixThe architect and developer of the Lofts at Fillmore didn’t try to hide the age and imperfections of this building. Instead, they made it a part of the building’s character and design element. Original exposed brick walls, exposed piping & ductwork, and more mix with its modern finishes.

project: Lofts at Fillmore
type: Condos
location: 387 N. 2nd Ave., Phoenix, AZ | SE corner of 2nd Ave. & Fillmore | map
price: High $200s +
unit size: 900-1600 sf
community size: 18 units
year built: Originally built in 1929 | Converted to condos in 2000
developer: Bill Mahoney
architect: Carl Bruckman
details & features: Each unit is unique | Gated | Detached single-car garage + car port | All units are 2-story | Some units have yards and balconies
neighborhood: In the heart of Downtown Phoenix | Next door to the Lincoln Family Downtown Phoenix YMCA | Walk to the Downtown Phoenix Public Market at Central and McKinley | Walk to Valley Metro Central Station | Walk to future light-rail stations | Walk to restaurants, galleries, entertainment, and more.

McKinley Row: will dirt turn in September?

McKinley Row PhoenixMcKinley Row, the brownstone style condominiums slated for the historic Roosevelt neighborhood look likely to break ground this September. Now taking reservations, the project is comprised of 4 separate four-story buildings facing 4th Avenue just south of Roosevelt Ave. Floorplans range from 700-1540 square feet and feature large windows accenting the high 10 or 12 ft. ceilings. Prices range from the mid $200’s for the one-bedroom units ranging up to the high $400’s for the larger floorplans. Within walking distance of the light rail, McKinley Row looks to be an affordable and welcome addition to the Roosevelt district.

If you’re interested in McKinley Row or the other new project Metro4Twelve soon to break ground in the same historic area please give us a call. Roosevelt has seen a dramatic upturn in the past 5 years, with many of the single-family homes and, in fact, entire streets renovated. With few lots available for high-density development the time may be right to make your move to this charming residential neighborhood.

← Previous Page — Next Page →