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Proposed High Rise Condo and Mixed Use Project Hits Bump

Phoenix based 3W Companies, developers of the Tempe land on which Monti’s La Casa Vieja stands, ran into its first hurdle (of many to come) when the Tempe Historic Preservation Commission told it that it would not allow them to build its One Hundred Mill Avenue project in the air space above the old restaurant. Back to the drawing board.And here is the rest of it.

Light Rail Line is Starting to Appear in Roadways

It has taken a long time and caused a lot of traffic headaches but in some areas of town you can actually see light rail getting closer to being a reality. Parts of downtown Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa have concrete and rail in place, cable poles standing and the stations are growing benches and shades. I was stopped at a light near McClintock and Apache and noticed a huge construction site where the structure for the park and ride was being built. Along Washington St. in Phoenix they even have some landscaping in! We all know the project has a long way to go, but at least you can start seeing what it will really look like. Tempe is working on a Transportation Center near the Lumina luxury condo construction site which will serve as a hub between light rail and the Tempe In Motion and Flash bus lines. Naturally there is space set aside for some proposed retail shops, might as well pick up a cool drink while your waiting for the next train. When I took some clients to the top of 44 Monroe high rise condos you could see the workers putting the finishing touches in. Of course from the 34th floor they kind of looked like ants at the bottom of the anthill.

Understanding that it will be a long time before the light rail is actually moving people around Tempe and downtown Phoenix, it’s still nice to drive by some certain sections and see that the end of construction is in site.
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Touring New Construction (with photos)

If you really want to learn a lot about a new construction project, you have to get out and tour the site. Over the last several weeks I have taken clients on building tours of some of the more notable construction sites in Tempe, Phoenix and Scottsdale. The trip to the top of 44 Monroe provided by far the most spectacular views. These photos from the 34th floor penthouse show a side of Phoenix you normally just don’t see, unless your using some sort of aircraft! This project seemed to take a forever to get started and there was a time when we wondered if it would ever happen at all. Now construction is well along and you can see that this really is going to be a beautiful addition to the downtown skyline.

Moving from downtown Phoenix due east take us into Tempe and the construction site for the Centerpoint towers. Centerpoint is the most ambitious residential project in the state with it’s two high rise towers reaching upward side by side in tandem construction, . They are connected by a seven story platform building housing a first class restaurant, gelato bar, retail shops and boutiques capped off by a 7th floor private amenities level that gives new meaning to the phrase “resort style”. Now that the site is going vertical it’s not hard to imagine hanging out by the negative edge pool (with white sand beach) just above treetop level with the two emerald glass towers looming above.

Finally we take a trip to Old Town Scottsdale to check in on the latest addition to the Waterfront District. Safari Drive has always seemed like a cool concept. Lofts, town homes, flats and live work units all in a classy modern community right on the waterfront. I have been through the sales center several times to check out the scale models, the renderings and look at floor plans. But like most people, I really need something I can put my hands on to see how cool it will be. Well, construction is coming along now and I was able to walk through some of the homes that are nearing completion. They were all modern, upscale and classy. My favorite was a huge (1500+ sq ft) live work loft with 1 bedroom up and 2 full bathrooms. This cavernous loft had everything you would expect. Open bedroom upstairs, wall of windows, modern cool fixtures and LOTS of open space.

The point to all this is: You can look at all the renderings, and scale models, virtual animation videos and floor plans you like. But it’s hard to get excited about a project until you can actually see and touch it. Stand in the doorways, check out the view, and visualize what it will be like to live there. All the salesmanship goes out the window because that’s when homes start selling themselves. .

Tempe Bus Tour Really Opened Some Eyes

Saturday turned out to be a great day for this month’s WeKnowUrban bus tour featuring properties in and around Tempe Town Lake and the Mill Ave district. The sky was clear, temperatures were cool we had a great time showing folks everything Tempe has to offer. I really enjoy taking clients through the existing and developing urban and high rise projects, places like Centerpoint, Brownstones at Tempe, Hayden Ferry and Sotelo. Most people have heard something about some or all of these projects but they are hard to appreciate until you visit them in person. Add to that the diverse infill projects like Tempe Urban Living and 5th St. Lofts and you truly have something for everyone.
Saturday’s group experienced first hand sales presentations from the high rise projects currently under construction and toured the streets of downtown Tempe to see where everything is coming together. Sotelo provided coffee and snacks before we left and lunch after. Centerpoint treated us to a surprise snack prepared by Chef Troy in the display kitchen at their Discovery Center. So the folks on the tour given a ton of statistical information, personal property tours, a driving tour and nobody went away hungry!
This is the type of tour we do with clients on a regular basis in Tempe and other communities across the valley, but really it’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are many other existing, developing and proposed projects all over downtown Tempe. Projects both large and small, all with something different to offer. We also coordinate building tours of the construction sites of some of the most popular developments. We are happy to talk with you about your specific interests, then tailor a personal tour.
All of us at WeKnowUrban would like to thank the folks at Sotelo, Bridgeview, Brownstones at Tempe and Centerpoint for their support of the WeKnowUrban Tempe bus tour.

NEXT TOUR: Camelback Corridor. Click the tour tab on the www.weknowurban.com home page for more info.
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Lumina Update

Tempe’s newest high rise project Lumina recently opened it’s sales office. The show room comes complete with models, mock up’s and plenty of printable information to digest. Like most Tempe high rise condo projects, Lumina is ambitious, it’s tall, it’s upscale and when completed it will contribute towards Tempe’s transformation into an urban center unlike any other in the Phoenix metro area. Lumina will be the second Tempe development planned to combine residential condos and a luxury hotel on the same site. Each will have their own tower, but will share some of the amenities.

The vision calls for 245 residential condos in a 20 story tower offering studio, one, two and three bedroom floor plans with pricing comparable to other Tempe high rise condo projects. The hotel aspect will allow residents at Lumina access to hotel services like, house cleaning, room service, concierge, dry cleaning all at an a la carte basis.

Lumina is in it’s early stages as plans have been finalized, the sales office is open to receive guests and the land is fenced off. I suspect construction will move a slow pace do to the current housing market but if the project builds out it will help reshape the Tempe skyline.

Ten years from now Tempe will be unrecognizable as the small college town it used to be as it transforms into a vibrant urban center, with tall buildings, shops, restaurants, art centers and plenty of play space in Tempe Beach Park, on the Tempe Town Lake and in Papago Park.

For more information on Lumina, Tempe, or other urban developments across the valley contact us directly. We specialize in high rise condo and loft living and would love to help you find that perfect home, investment or retreat.
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The WeKnowUrban High Rise and Loft Tour is Back!

Join the experts of WeKnowUrban.com, Saturday, October 13th for a two hour bus tour of “urban living” in and around Tempe Lake and the Mill Avenue District. We’ll give you insider information of what’s hot and what’s not in Tempe high rises and lofts. Featured properties will include Sotello Condominiums, Hayden Ferry High Rise, Onyx High Rise, Northshore, Lumina High Rise, Brownstones of Tempe, Centerpoint and others. For additional information or to reserve your spot on the tour call (602) 476-1881 or visit www.WeKnowUrban.com and click the “Urban Tour” tab at the top of the page.

Thing Are Moving Up Downtown

I think most people are trying to avoid driving around the downtown Phoenix area lately. The construction for the light rail is really making it difficult to navigate Central Ave and some of the surrounding neighborhoods. I had an appointment last week to show property to some out of state clients who were looking in Tapestry on Central and the Artisan on Central Lofts. Once we were done I bravely ventured down Central Ave to see how things were coming at 44 Monroe and Summit at Copper Square, two of the larger high rise condo projects in Phoenix. I was amazed at the amount of construction going on everywhere, and not just for the light rail line. Buildings and structures are going up everywhere you look. The residential standouts were 44 Monroe and Summit at Copper Square, plus the new Sheraton Hotel. ASU is moving at light speed with new education and housing facilities going up all around their downtown campus. It’s amazing to see how much activity is going on considering the
slow housing market.

I have always believed that downtown Phoenix was not quite the destination that it really wanted to be, either for visitors or for residents. It’s a great place to catch a game or a play, weekdays are active and bustling, but it has always had a tendency to empty out after 5:00 pm. Weekends had that kind of strange, empty, ghost town feel to them. I thought light rail system would help, but it was still lacking the residential population base to make it a hip destination. Now I’m convinced that the ASU presence, along with a functioning light rail system, will turn downtown Phoenix into a place that people want to visit, and want to live in. One thing is for sure, these are not the days of the starving students anymore,…students spend money. Throw a large student population into the Copper Square mix and watch the shops, trendy clubs, boutiques and restaurants come in right behind them.

Last week newly reelected Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon gave his victory speech in the Summit at Copper Square building, the first formal event to be held there. As I stood outside the 22 story tower and looked across to the plaza in front of Chase Field, I realized that downtown Phoenix was finally turning the corner it has been trying to turn since Jerry Colangelo chose to build a new stadium for the Suns off Jackson St.

The future for downtown Phoenix and Copper Square is bright, I can’t wait to watch it unfold.
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Car Condos

Car condos, otherwise knows as “auto-miniums” are coming to Phoenix.In Phoenix, Goodwood Motoring Club is breaking ground next year on a “condo community” of 15 car condos built around a resort-style courtyard. These car condos will be priced at $680,000 to $1.4 million.

Each condo will include brick-plate tile floors, wine refrigerators, and full luxury bathrooms with choice of travertine or granite floors and surrounds. Probably most importantly these car condos will have a security system allowing owners the ability to log onto the web from anywhere in the world and view their car via camera and control the lighting and temperature of the car’s environment remotely.

This should be a great option for folks buying high rise condos and lofts who need more parking. Many buildings like Portland Place and 44 Monroe are a bit chinzy with the available parking. One exception is Hayden Ferry which offers one parking space per bedroom or office. Not bad. Anyway although pricey, the car condos are a possible solution.

Tempe Center For The Arts

The Tempe Center for the Arts opened this weekend in Tempe, Arizona, adding yet another fantastic building to the Tempe skyline along with Hayden Ferry and Centerpoint Condominiums. I don’t know how anyone could not be “wowed” with the architectural diversity, the denser living and sense of community all the high rise condos offer, and the general urban cool that the City of Tempe is cultivating. I can not wait to see what this city will look like in the next couple years let alone a decade from now. My wife and I are sincerely considering moving from the Central Phoenix area to Tempe Mill Avenue. We both think it would be a great place to not only raise kids but a wonderful place to retire. Tempe has it all.