Light Rail Will Have Synchronized Light System

Yesterday I went on a tour of the light rail system. The project manager of Archer Western was very informative showing us details of the construction process. One interesting thing he said is that the cars will go at the posted speed limit. However, as they approach lights at an intersection, a trigger in the track will change the light to green.

Next time the Downtown Phoenix Partnership has another bus tour like this, try to make it.

It's Too Hot...

It's too hot for a serious Downtown Phoenix discussion. Thus, here's a review of a "Cool" Central Phoenix ice cream shop, Mary Coyle's Ol' Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor.

http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dining/chowtell/0607icecreamwk2.html

Infill Condominium Projects Fill in the Gaps

There is an interesting article in the Phoenix Business Journal (7/14/06) about infill projects. These are small condominium projects built on small parcels of land. Infill projects currently under construction in Downtown Phoenix include PRD845 and 215 E. McKinley. Apparently the City of Phoenix is trying to help the developers move these along by making the permitting, etc. easier. I understand it is still quite a challenge. Perhaps the new consultant who was hired to simplify the planning process can help this along.

Homes Prices Keep Rising

Median Homes Prices in Maricopa County
1st quarter 2006: $260,115
1st quarter 2005: $203,115
1st quarter 2004: $159,705

Source: Arizona Real Estate Center

What Do You Think about the Future of Downtown Phoenix?

I recently attended a talk/discussion regarding the future of Downtown Phoenix. Jon Talton and Grady Gammage were the guest speakers. It is interesting to hear the differing opinions of people regarding this subject. I appear to be at the far end of the spectrum, totally optimistic about Downtown. But there are plenty of people at the other end of the spectrum. For instance, a gentleman at the meeting was quite angry about the tax dollars going into it and questioned why we needed a downtown in the first place. What do you think?

Light Rail Cars - Made in Japan

First Cars for Valley are Right on Track
Japanese Maker to Start Tests Soon

Sean Holstege, The Arizona Republic, July 10, 2006

The first of the Valley's light-rail cars have rolled off an assembly line in Osaka, Japan, and soon will undergo a battery of tests before heading for Arizona.

Valley Metro officials said manufacturer Kinkisharyo International will open a facility in Arizona. Final components on the cars, such as wiring, will be installed at the new facility. The plant's location is being negotiated.

Next month, one of the two finished cars, Vehicle 102, will be exposed to Arizona-like conditions in a climate chamber as 17 other cabs are being built. It will be blasted with 127-degree heat and 95 percent humidity as it is tested to see if massive, state-of-the-art air-conditioners can maintain a constant 74 to 78 degrees inside the cars. The other car will go to New Jersey, where engineers will comb through the car to test every inch, from the seats to the public address system.

Metro plans to spend $118 million for 50 rail cars from Kinkisharyo. Work remains on schedule and on budget, according to a Valley Metro report. The train cars will begin arriving in December at a rate of two or three a month. The public will see empty vehicles on a Washington Street test track in March. The train cars are expected to be shipped across the Pacific Ocean and unloaded at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Each car is 92 feet long and seats 66 people, plus it has enough standing room for a total of 173 people. They will feature four doors, interior hanging bicycle racks, low floors and closed-circuit security cameras. The trains are capable of traveling 55 mph and are powered by a 750-volt overhead line. They have shock-absorbing bumpers to limit damage to cars in case of a crash.

There are no U.S. manufacturers of light-rail cars. Federal "buy American" laws require that 62 percent of the work be done in the United States, which is why the final assembly plant will be in Arizona. Metro's steel rails were manufactured in Austria, and fare machines are being built by a Germany-based company.

Reach the reporter at sean.holstege@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8334.

Medical School Update

The second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 a.m. at Tom's Tavern (NE corner of 1st Ave and Washington), there is a breakfast discussion on various topics. Today it was about the U of A Medical School. I learned a few tidbits.

1) Arizona has a shortage of doctors. We are 45th in the nation with 207 doctors/capita versus the national average of 283 doctors/capita.

2) There has only been one other medical school built in the US in the last 30 years.

3) The three new buildings will only hold 24 students. They will build additional buildings at the 15 acre biomed complex so that they can eventually have 150 students.

4) The Arizona Biomedical Collaboration building (ABC1) building is currently under construction. It will be an ASU/UA research facility.

5) This biomed complex will eventually bring an enormous amount of money to Phoenix.

Downtown Biomed Update

My son begins 7th grade in the fall. Although he seems totally entranced by on-line gaming right now, he might decide he wants to be a doctor someday and he can attend the new Bioscience High School that just broke ground a couple of weeks ago. Located at Pierce and 5th Street, smack dab in the middle of the thriving biomed complex, the $10-million will have more than 50,000 square feet of classrooms, laboratories, and student workspace. The school won't open until Spring of 2007, but the first 9th grade class begins August 7th at the temporary site of Phoenix Prep Academy.

Speaking of on-line gaming, I saw on Channel 11 that the Downtown U of A Medical School is cutting edge high tech, using joysticks for scalpels, etc. Those historic buildings apparently are the envy of the medical school world.

Create a dynamic core for downtown Phoenix

Jul. 5, 2006 12:00 AM
Arizona Republic

It's the next big step to a livable downtown, to a better Phoenix.

The new Downtown Phoenix Urban Form Project will lay out the practical strategies to create a dynamic core for the nation's fifth-largest city. And it will simplify the massive, often overlapping zoning rules that can tie up progress in red tape.

The project may sound wonkish. But this is an exciting enterprise that will affect the economic vitality of the entire region.

Just ask the hundreds of people who came to the Orpheum Theatre last Thursday to hear Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon kick off the project. They know this is the crucial bridge to get a bustling downtown Phoenix from vision to reality.

Some 18 months ago, the city of Phoenix released its "Strategic Vision and Blueprint for the Future." It was an uplifting vision, outlining a 24/7 downtown that would be lively, vibrant, neighborly and inviting, both an economic engine and an entertainment mecca. A place where you could live comfortably and take your relatives when they visit or bring the kids on a Saturday afternoon.

For all its recent improvements, for all the construction activity (including a new convention center, work on a light-rail system and a convention hotel on the way), even Gordon concedes: "Downtown's a place where 30,000 people work five days a week, but no more than 500 are on the street at any one time."

There's too much vacant land. Too much steel and concrete and too little shade. It's a hot place for pedestrians and a cold one for urban dwellers. There are too few parks, public spaces, small shops, grocery stores and dry cleaners to create real neighborhoods.

We need to do better.

"We want people to want to be downtown, not just because they have to be here," Gordon said in unveiling the urban form project.

What's more, given the current hodgepodge of building codes, zoning regulations, design standards and special-district overlays, Phoenix needs to be an easier place to do business.

It needs a way to get where it wants to go.

"Your zoning code isn't written to get you what you want," observed Leslie Gould, a planner from the San Francisco consulting firm of Dyett & Bhatia.

The next step?

The Downtown Phoenix Urban Form Project.

A first-rate team, led by the city's Planning Department and Dyett & Bhatia, will use public meetings, wide-ranging local interviews and detailed analysis to translate the overarching vision of downtown into the nuts and bolts of building setbacks and park locations. They'll also work on a matching zoning code.

The project, which is expected to take 18 months and cost $800,000, got a crucial initial push from Phoenix Planning Director Debra Stark. A longtime champion of shade and urban livability, city planner Dean Brennan, is overseeing the effort.

Local partners include architect Dan Hoffman's Studio Ma, landscape designer Angela Dye, traffic engineers from Kimley-Horn, the Goodman-Schwartz public affairs firm and development attorney Grady Gammage.

But experts aren't enough. Continued community involvement will be critical.

Once completed, the plan and new zoning rules will only be as strong as the commitment from the City Council, planning staff and residents to implement them. Fortunately, the city is already making an effort to promote shade, walkability and the other goals that will be included in the ultimate urban form document.

"Phoenix has the opportunity to be one of the great downtowns, comparable to Seattle or Portland," Gould told the audience at the Orpheum Theatre.

In five to 10 years, that means we can enjoy cafes, one-of-a-kind shops and busy, well-shaded sidewalks. And even more choices for all kinds of entertainment.

We'll have thousands of people living downtown, including ASU students, high-tech workers and artists.

We're not there yet, but we've taken one big step toward that vision.

CityScape Developers are Negotiating with the City of Phoenix

Developer seeks help from city
Downtown project proposed

Ginger D. Richardson The Arizona Republic Jul. 4, 2006 12:00 AM

Phoenix has agreed to negotiate with a group of developers that wants to build a massive $900 million mixed-use project across three square blocks on the southern end of downtown. The proposed high-rise development, which would include Patriots Square Park, contains four towers, about 1,200 condominium units and up to 100,000 square feet for a public plaza. It would also include a 150-room boutique hotel and retail and office space. I f it's successful, the ambitious proposal would be the largest infusion of private dollars in burgeoning downtown Phoenix.

The problem is, the developers don't think they can make it work without Phoenix's help. Neither city economic development officials nor the project's backers would be specific about what Phoenix might have to do, or give, to make the deal happen. But talks could focus on everything from city-supported parking to tax subsidies. Deputy City Manager David Krietor said negotiations would probably take place for at least the next couple of months. "We'll have to see what would make good business sense for them, and for the city of Phoenix," Krietor said.

The project, known as CityScape, is the brainchild of Scottsdale-based RED Development, which has completed retail developments in the Midwest and Southwest; Donald Cardon, a developer and former Phoenix deputy housing director; and Barron Collier Cos., a Naples, Fla.-based developer that owns the Collier Center in downtown Phoenix.

CityScape, at full-build out, has the potential to change the face of downtown Phoenix's southern section.The land on which it would sit is largely vacant or underutilized. The project would be bordered by Washington Street on the north, Jefferson Street on the south, Second Street on the east and First Avenue on the west.

Officials are confident that despite its ambitious scope it will be successful. They acknowledge that they are banking that an influx of new energy, residents and students from other major downtown projects, such as the new Arizona State University campus, will help support it. But they say that the early response has been positive."What we hear is, 'It's about time, we are glad it's happening,' " said John Bacon, a RED spokesman. "That's from people in the community."

Portions of the project could open as early as 2008, developers say. The timing is key, because that's when the first phase of light-rail comes online, the city's $600 million plus expansion of the Phoenix Convention Center will be complete, and when the second, and much larger, phase of the ASU campus opens.

A key barometer of the project's success is likely to be the retail component.Downtown Phoenix has been a challenging market for such development. The Arizona Center, for example, has struggled since opening in 1990, and traditional mall developers have avoided downtown. But Bacon said CityScape hopes to have the one thing that has eluded downtown Phoenix: a true grocery store. "Everyone has said that there needs to be a grocery store downtown," Bacon said. "And we agree with that. It's going to be the key." Other options include restaurant space and traditional shopping venues, he said.The project's plans are still very conceptual, city officials said. But it's likely that much of the public open space would be on Patriots Square Park.

The CityScape development has the backing of Mayor Phil Gordon, and most of the City Council, although some members were quick to say that they would not be in favor of giving too much assistance to the deal without having some concrete indication of how it would benefit the city. The developer has told the city that the project would create 2,900 jobs and generate about $215 million in tax revenues during the project's construction and first 20 years of operation, Krietor said.

The Jackson's Home at Orpheum Lofts

A Jackson high-five for loft lifestyle
No regrets for suburbanites who relocated downtown
Susan Felt, The Arizona Republic Jul. 1, 2006 12:00 AM
Tour this home

There's something about walking into the lobby of the downtown Phoenix Orpheum Lofts. The black-and-white tiled floor. The Art Deco details. Polished black-marble walls. The valet parking. The doorman who dials the homeowner to announce a guest's arrival. The elevator ride. It's the chance to invest in the city's fledgling urban culture and help build it that attracted Verdeen and Bill Jackson. Besides, her grandchildren love to push the elevator buttons.

The Jacksons bought two units in the historic 1931 brick building remodeled in 2005 into loft condos. The 2,300-square-foot unit includes an open dining, kitchen, living-room area and a guest room, master bedroom, two baths and an office for Verdeen, who works for Arizona Wholesale Supply Co. selling high-end kitchen appliances.

The Jacksons wanted a hip, modern feel that leans more toward Pottery Barn warmth and sophistication than cold contemporary. Verdeen chose chocolate leather for a seating of four comfortable armchairs and wide-planked, hand-scraped hickory for the floors. Exposed brick walls, a bank of high double-sash windows and exposed vents and pipes overhead create an authentic loft look.

The Jacksons chose concrete for the kitchen countertops and a large angled island that separates the kitchen from the dining and living- room areas. Verdeen chose putty for the interior walls and raisin, apple-green and rich-red accent colors, along with polished stainless steel.

Galvanized, louvered doors artistically hide storage closets and a pantry off the hallway that leads from the front door into the living area. Verdeen uses frosted glass in sections of this hallway to capture light and add a serene Asian sense to the loft's feel.

The move from suburban to urban meant buying all new furniture, Verdeen says." Size really matters," she says, noting that the choice of four armchairs in the living room, rather than a sectional, not only adds to the sense of spaciousness, but also creates flexibility." We could have 20 people over watching a game," she says. Additional seating comes from the leather dining-room chairs and ottomans that are easily moved into additional seating groups.

This loft works for the urban couple, their children and grandchildren and any number of neighbors who want to drop by for an impromptu dinner of ziti and wine.

Downtown Phoenix Population

Downtown residents as of last Census, 2000

Phoenix - 5,925
San Diego - 17,894
Denver - 4,230
Portland - 12,902

We are counting on D&B to do for Downtown Phoenix what they did for San Diego!

Did you go hear the Mayor?

Thursday night I went to the Mayor's meeting at Orpheum Theater. The purpose was to announce the next steps in the plan to revitalize Phoenix.

The first thing he emphasized was the need for shade. We live in a hot desert and we won't walk around downtown if the sun is beating down on us. He said that people have not wanted to spend the money on trees but this is what is needed so we are going to do it. Yes. Good for him.

Next he introduced the new urban planning consulting firm, Dyett & Bhatia (D&B), who will do the following under the name Downtown Phoenix Project Urban Form

• Review of the city's current land use regulatory structure.
• Develop updated regulatory mechanisms based upon that review.
• Develop master plans for public spaces, public art, character districts, and multi-modal transportation.
• Develop implementation plan to guide the transition from what is to what will be in downtown Phoenix.

Simply put, they will simplify all the existing, non-workable codes so that it is easier to develop and they will pull together everything we have done so far into a cohesive, livable downtown.

I am thrilled!

Downtown Growth Leads to Parking Issues

Downtown Phoenix parking fees likely to rise
Phoenix growth to limit spaces

Ginger D. Richardson The Arizona Republic Jun. 29, 2006 12:00 AM

Enjoy the cheap parking while it lasts because downtown boosters and city officials are toying with a proposal that could make it more expensive to leave the family sedan in downtown Phoenix.

Parking rates at Copper Square's street-side meters and publicly owned parking garages are among the lowest in the country. But now, a consultant has recommended boosting those fees, in part because a study has shown there will be a shortage of nearly 27,000 parking spaces within the next decade.

Although the hikes could be substantial, they probably won't happen for at least another couple of years. "This is not something that we are suggesting that we do tomorrow," said Brian Kearney, president and chief executive officer of the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, which commissioned the parking study. "But it is something we are going to have to look at."

Because the idea is still in its infancy, exactly how much the rates would go up has not yet been discussed. But it is likely that increases would be phased in over time, perhaps beginning in 2008, when more people are expected in the city's core. "We don't want to raise the rates now and do anything that would adversely impact the current development of downtown Phoenix," Mayor Phil Gordon said Wednesday.

Ironically, it's that rampant growth that will eventually fuel the need for the increases, officials say. Historically, the downtown area has only bustled on game nights, when either the Arizona Diamondbacks or the Phoenix Suns were playing. But in the next 24 months, officials are bracing for as many as 7,500 new students as part of Arizona State University's downtown Phoenix campus. They also are looking at scores of new residents and visitors as condominium and tourism-related projects are completed. Those projects are expected to create even more spin-off development in the form of new retail and entertainment venues, and all that could lead to a widespread parking crunch if more spaces aren't built, downtown leaders say.

The parking recommendations were presented to the City Council's Downtown, Economy, Sports and International Subcommittee on Wednesday morning. Although some members said they agreed that parking in the downtown area is too inexpensive, they refrained from taking immediate action. Instead, they asked Kearney to present the same information to other council members as soon as possible. Kearney said that the partnership expects that much of the needed parking in the downtown area will eventually be built by the private sector, not the city. But he and other Phoenix officials say it still makes sense to look at raising fees at the existing public lots and garages because they are far below current market conditions. In fact, repeated studies have found that the city's rates are paltry compared with those in other downtown areas. Meter parking is just 60 cents an hour while most major cities charge a $1 or more, said Mike Frisbie, a traffic engineer and supervisor in Phoenix's Street Transportation Department. A 2005 analysis of North American parking rates by the real estate consulting firm Colliers International found that Phoenix was one of the five least-expensive places to park when it came to median unreserved parking rates in the downtown area. It costs just $43 a month here, compared with $150 in San Diego, $147.50 in Houston, and the $317.50 in Philadelphia.

Raising the parking rate would not only increase revenue, it would encourage people to look at alternative forms of transportation, such as the Valley's $1.5 billion light-rail system, which opens in 2008, officials say.

The goal is to give more people the opportunity to come downtown, eat and shop, all of which furthers Phoenix's downtown revitalization efforts. The challenge is not to set the rates too high. "We're the last people who would want to inhibit folks from coming downtown because the rates are too high," Kearney said. "But if you look at the really successful downtowns, none of them have cheap parking.

"That logic holds true for 32-year-old David Becerra, who will be getting his doctorate in social work at the new ASU downtown Phoenix campus. "One of the things that keeps me from coming downtown is the lack of things to do," said Becerra, of Phoenix. "I am from San Diego. And, yes, parking is expensive there, but there's a lot of activities, so (you pay it). "Phoenix will also need to look at how to better control the kind of parking that is built downtown in the coming years.

Officials know they don't want any more stand-alone garages or surface lots. Land prices are at a premium, and the city has made it a priority to build mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly streetscapes and buildings. So it's likely that they will create a set of minimum parking requirements or standards to which developers will have to adhere. That could mean requiring that new projects contain underground parking or that the parking is integrated into the design of a new building in an attractive and pleasing way. In the coming months, Phoenix officials, in conjunction with the partnership, plan to form a task force to study the issue. But it will probably be the end of the year before specific recommendations are released, officials say.