Flagstaff Development News

[kaneui]

Highway cost kills Villaggio

By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
December 07, 2007

Plans for the massive Villaggio Montana master-planned community that would have provided affordable, workforce housing for Flagstaff have been scrapped. In its place is a much smaller, large-lot residential subdivision.

One of the principal land owners, Ross Wilson of the Phoenix-based First United Realty, has confirmed that the controversial project is dead. Originally, it called for 3,591 homes on 1,020 acres. He said the decision was primarily due to the high cost of two highway interchanges for which Villaggio would have been partially responsible. One estimate put that figure at $170 million to build the two interchanges. "It really prevented us from what we needed to do," said Wilson. "In the end, it was unworkable."

The developers have instead submitted a conceptual plan for 206 homes to be built on 330 acres that were once part of the Villaggio Montana plan. The new project, named Tuthill North, would be built west of the Mountain Dell neighborhood. Wilson said he would have preferred to go ahead with Villaggio, despite the estimated 30,000 daily vehicle trips it would have generated. "We thought it was a better plan. We did match the comprehensive (regional) plan for the area that was approved by voters," he said. "But once it got administered, there were too many problems." Wilson called the costs of the new interchanges and other infrastructure sought by the city of Flagstaff "excessive."

ONE UNIT PER ACRE

The Flagstaff Area Regional Land Use and Transportation Plan identifies the area to be developed as a Planning Reserve Area. PRAs are mostly undeveloped tracts on the edges of the city and were designated for dense populations, with an average of five homes per acre. Villaggio came in with a plan that averaged seven units an acre after land for stores, offices and open space was subtracted. But Tuthill North will use the underlying zoning for the property, which is roughly one unit per acre.

A portion of the Villaggio Montana development was sold to a third party in 2006 for undisclosed reasons. That developer, Mike Malais, has plans to develop 59 acres into a 150-unit, low-density subdivision called Camryn Pines. Malais said he has no connection to Villaggio.

Neil Gullickson, a city development case manager familiar with the project, said he would need to see a traffic impact analysis for the 206 units before he could comment on what type of infrastructure the developer would be responsible for. He said the new project represents a substantial reduction in the population for the area.

Councilwoman Karen Cooper said it was unfortunate that developers had given up on the pursuing the Villaggio development, saying that the residents of Flagstaff are in dire need of workforce housing.

At one point, the Villaggio developers agreed to give 4.5 acres in the first phase of development to the city to build deed-restricted affordable housing. Cooper said she doubts affordable housing will built under the new plans. Wilson said he hopes to begin developing the parcel within a year and expects to complete the development in three to five years.


BY THE NUMBERS

Past Proposal (2005)

Villaggio
1,020 acres to be developed
3,591 residential units


Current Proposal

Camryn Pines
59 acres to be developed
150 residential units

Tuthill North
330 acres to be developed
206 residential units

[kaneui]

Flagstaff pledges $1M toward new airline

By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
December 14, 2007

The city has taken another big step toward increasing commercial air service at Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, telling a city consultant that it has $1 million in incentives to offer a new tenant. The offer comes on the heels of the addition of 1,800 feet to the airport runway to accommodate regional jets.

A consultant working for the city has sent letters to Delta, United, Frontier and Horizon Airlines to gauge interest in providing direct air service to and from Flagstaff. Currently, Pulliam is served by America West Express, which offers service only to and from Phoenix. City staffers told the council Monday a majority of the funding stems from $850,000 the city has set aside for economic incentives to businesses.

Pam Keidel-Adams, a consultant with Wilbur Smith Associates, ratcheted down earlier predictions that most airlines were looking to expand into new markets. "Up until a week ago, I would have said that they were in expansion mode because they had gotten to a point where their flights are so full that if they don't expand, they would stay very stable," said Keidel-Adams. "Airlines want to grow, they do not want to stagnate." She said higher fuel prices will dictate whether airlines will move into new markets, adding that current market conditions are better than they were three years ago. "Three years ago many airlines were downsizing," she said.

Mike Boggs, of the consulting firm Mead and Hunt, told the council that bringing air service to Flagstaff represents a considerable investment for each airline. He estimated a Flagstaff-to-Salt Lake City route would cost Delta roughly $4.8 million annually to operate two round-trip flights a day. Boggs estimated that each one-way trip, using a 50-seat regional jet, would cost $3,263 to operate. He said the city will likely be asked to provide some form of incentives for one or two years.

Possible incentives include airport fee waivers, marketing support and possibly establishing a "travel bank." A travel bank would be a pledge by the city and its business partners to pre-purchase travel on the airline in a given year.

One regional airport that used the travel bank approach was the Yakima Air Terminal in south central Washington. Bill Wheeler, the chairman of the Yakima Air Terminal Board of Directors, said the city and its business partners pledged $750,000 to bring Delta to the small regional airport. "Those funds demonstrated to Delta that we as a community were ready to step up," Wheeler said. He said the $500,000 specifically for the travel bank was raised in three weeks by working with the business community. "It worked quite well," he said, noting the daily flights are 80 percent full on average.

John Lauher, the Flagstaff Pulliam Airport manager, said the city would expect to partner with local businesses, the county and NAU if such a fund were to be established. He said some airlines may look at the city's data, which shows 85 percent of local airline travelers do not use Flagstaff's airport, and decide such a travel bank or other incentives are unnecessary. "We hope not to pay them a thing," said Lauher.

But as the city sends letters to new airlines, Lauher said he also hopes to sit down with the current airline at the airport, US Airways, as well. "We not looking to replace them, we are looking to augment or add service here in Flagstaff," said Lauher. Before the extension, the airport's 7,000-foot runway was too short to handle some regional jets. The 37-seat turboprops used by America West Express have only enough range to go to Phoenix.

Lauher said he hopes to sit down with interested airlines in about two months to begin negotiations. In a best-case scenario, Lauher hopes to see a second airline operating out of the airport by next fall.

[kaneui]

2008 promises the opening of an auto mall near the expanded Flagstaff Mall, the completion of the High Country Conference Center and hotel at NAU, and the opening of the retail component of the mixed-use Aspen Place at the Sawmill development:


Retailers flocking to Flag
By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
December 30, 2007

Flagstaff saw nearly a dozen new national retailers enter the local market in 2007 with the opening of the Flagstaff Mall expansion. Meanwhile, 2008 is shaping up to see even more commercial expansion as projects like Aspen Place at the Sawmill and the new auto mall got under way this past year.

MALL EXPANDS ITS APPEAL

The opening of the first phase of the 248,000-square-foot mall extension called The Marketplace at Flagstaff Mall took place late this year, bringing Old Navy, Best Buy and Shoe Pavilion to town. Other retailers in the mall extension include Linens-N-Things, Marshalls, Petco and Home Depot. An eighth business, Cost Plus World Market, is scheduled to open early next year.

The mall's parent company, Westcor, reportedly poured in excess of $40 million into the mall expansion along with the revamping of the food court and one of the mall's entrances. The mall itself also saw an infusion of new retailers, including the announcement that Hollister Co., a clothing store owned by Abercrombie & Fitch, targeting "Dudes" and "Bettys" between the ages of 14 and 18, would open next spring.

DEALERS COMMIT TO AUTO MALL

Across the street from the mall extension the first signs of the auto mall have begun to emerge. Currently, eight of 11 lots at the mall have either been purchased or are in the midst of serious negotiations. Confirmed for the mall are Bob Sellers Toyota, Flagstaff Honda and Planet Nissan, as well as out-of-town Mazda and Saturn dealers.

Local real estate broker Hilton Harris, who is selling the lots at the auto mall, is negotiating to move Kia, Subaru and Jeep dealerships to the mall. Still unsigned is a Volkswagen franchise. Several dealers hope to open for business at the auto mall by mid-2008.

SAWMILL BEGINS TRANSFORMATION

Set on the site of the old Stone Forest lumber mill off Butler Avenue, the urban mixed-use project will be home to 321 residential units and 155,000 square feet of retail space, which is about a third of the size of the original Flagstaff Mall.

New Frontiers Natural Foods, which has a store on South Milton Road, will build its 23,000-square-foot flagship store in the midtown project. The retail component of Aspen Place is set for completion by late 2008, followed by construction of the residential units starting in 2009.

CONFERENCE CENTER NEARS COMPLETION

After plans for a downtown conference center fell through, NAU has spent $22.5 million to build a conference center on the northern tip of its campus. The city of Flagstaff contributed $2 million. The High Country Conference Center will have a grand ballroom, with a seating capacity of 1,000 theater-style, or 800 banquet-style, which can be reconfigured into five smaller spaces. Three conference rooms for smaller breakout sessions and board room that can each accommodate 100.

The adjacent, 150-room Drury Hotel will have five additional meeting rooms with a capacity of 50 to 75 persons each. The first conference is slated for April 2008.

SUPER WAL-MART GOES GREEN

Wal-Mart's planned supercenter for Flagstaff keeps getting greener, but after 18 months, it still lacks a building permit. The nation's largest retailer has pledged to use high-efficiency heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, rainwater harvesting and a specialized lighting to appease local dark sky advocates.

The sticking point for the 175,000-square-foot, two-story supercenter is its traffic impact on nearby streets. The combination supermarket/discount retail store is planned for a 15.6-acre parcel on Huntington Drive next to the Outback Steakhouse. The city and the nation's largest retailer are debating what to do about the impact of 13,000 trips per day on smaller intersections. By comparison, city officials said traffic along the two-lane Highway 89 near the Flagstaff Mall, prior to the expansion, averaged 20,000 trips per day. As the Supercenter does not require discretionary review by the city council, the site plan also represents the last step before grading and building permits are issued.

[kaneui]

A task force has recommended over $162 million in improvements and additions to athletic facilities at NAU, including major renovations to Walkup Skydome and construction of a 6,500-seat community arena, providing Flagstaff with a first-class facility for basketball, concerts and other community events (probably similar to arenas recently built in Prescott and Yuma):


Report recommends overhaul of athletics facilities
Inside NAU
January 16, 2008

Northern Arizona University is embarking on an impressive plan to make over its athletics facilities while transforming the student experience and sports culture on campus. A task force including students, faculty, staff and community members has recommended a multiyear plan that calls for a major renovation of the Walkup Skydome and construction of a multiuse arena for basketball, concerts and other community activities. It also recommends new facilities for women's soccer, women's golf, volleyball and men's and women's tennis as well as beefed-up facilities for swimming and track and field. "If we want to remain competitive—or even remain in intercollegiate athletics—we have to make improvements to our facilities," said NAU President John Haeger.

The new facilities would comprise Lumberjack Village and Skydome Village, two planned areas that would create distinct athletics areas, enhance student life and make additional donor opportunities available. "Athletics have long been an important part of university life and a window to the community, but they also provide an important economic engine for universities and their communities," said Mason Gerety, dean of The W.A. Franke College of Business and chair of the task force. Haeger and Gerety have said that in order for the university remain in compliance with federal Title IX requirements that mandate equal facilities and scholarships for women's athletics, immediate upgrades are necessary.

The project, with an estimated cost of about $162 million, is planned for four phases spread over at least seven years. The initial phase, which could begin as early as this spring, will address critical fire and life safety issues in the Skydome, new turf for the dome, a new floor for Rolle Activity Center, new locker rooms for Rolle and Wall Aquatic Center, locker rooms for soccer, tennis and track and field, and a new throwing area for track and field.

Phase II, envisioned for 2009 and 2010, includes the 6,500-seat community arena, an overhaul of Lumberjack Stadium, and further renovations to the aquatic center. "The arena may be the most important part of all the projects," Gerety said. "Not only would it provide a first-class place to play basketball, it would also offer an area for big-name concerts and other events, which would really bring in the community."

An important aspect of Phase II depends on the Big Sky Conference's expected decision to include women's softball as a championship sport. If that happens, NAU plans to construct a softball facility, though the location is undetermined.

The dome renovation would continue in Phase III as about 5,000 seats would be removed to upgrade concessions stands and add club seating. Athletics offices and the Hall of Fame would move to a new addition on the south side of the dome. Phase III is planned to begin in 2011. Phase IV would overlap with Phase III in 2012 and complete Skydome and aquatic center renovations and add amenities to Lumberjack Stadium.

"This is a blueprint for what we would love to do, but many important issues arose as we looked at NAU's athletics facilities, including safety issues in the Skydome and Title IX considerations," Gerety said. "This plan will address those issues while enhancing the overall university and community amenities."

The task force also considered funding for all the projects, suggesting a mix of state and university funding, taxing authority and donor opportunities, including naming rights. Haeger formed the task force in August and plans to submit the plans to the Arizona Board of Regents and members of the Arizona Legislature. "We cannot stop planning during difficult budget times," Haeger said. "This is a master plan that addresses immediate needs of our women athletes. It also calls for state-of-the-art facilities that will be a boon for students, student-athletes and members of our community."

The overall athletics plan is enhanced by the recently approved student health and wellness fee that will begin in the fall and will add recreational fields and opportunities to the general student population. Adding student recreational space allows athletics teams to have more access to current and proposed facilities for practice and other activities. "This is a plan to construct athletics facilities that will serve the campus and community for the next 40 years," Gerety said. "We don't have to do everything on our list, but we have to do some things."

[kaneui]

NAU is now home to three LEED-certified buildings--one Platinum and two Golds:



ARD Building (photo: Jerry Foreman)


Green NAU goes 'Platinum' with Applied Research and Development building
Inside NAU
January 24, 2008

Northern Arizona University is home to the greenest building in Arizona and one of the three greenest in the world after receiving a "Platinum" rating for its Applied Research and Development building. The ARD building earned 60 points out of a possible 69 from the Leadership Energy and Environment Design building rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council. Only two other buildings in the world have earned at least 60 points.

The designation comes shortly after the university earned "Gold" ratings for buildings that house Engineering and The W.A. Franke College of Business. The ARD building, which officially opened in September, also is the greenest building at such a high altitude. Flagstaff's 7,000-foot elevation poses engineering challenges not found at lower elevations. Specifically, NAU's ratings require construction supplies that can accommodate northern Arizona's "freeze and thaw" temperature variations and the intense ultraviolet light that can quickly damage materials.

NAU President John Haeger has said that future buildings on the NAU campus will be built to "green" standards. "Stewardship of place is not a new concept for Northern Arizona University," Haeger said. "Our Applied Research and Development building showcases our climate mitigation commitment and innovations in high-performance construction technology."

Energy sources for the 59,821-square-foot ARD building on the university's central campus include a photovoltaic solar power system donated by Arizona Public Service that provides at least 20 percent of its electricity. Automatic shade controls, venting windows and a "enthalpy wheel" regulate the building's temperature. The design and automated systems result in an overall reduction of energy consumed by 60 percent compared to traditional buildings.

"The ARD building uses the natural environment to operate rather than carbon-producing energy sources like natural gas or coal-fire plants," said Rich Bowen, NAU associate vice president for Economic Development. "Building green is good public policy, and high-performance environmentally responsible buildings have a greater return on investment than traditional buildings."

Bowen said 90 percent of waste materials generated from the building's construction made its way to recycling rather than landfills. About 30 percent of the building's supplies are from recycled materials, including thousands of pairs of denim jeans used for insulation. And 57 percent of the materials are from local producers or manufacturers. Wood used in the building was certified to be harvested from a renewable forest-management system, located in Arizona's White Mountains.

The building's design includes no volatile organic compounds in its paint or carpet. To help insulate the buildings temperatures, a "green roof" on the building's conference unit will serve as a place to grow and maintain an indigenous vegetation cover requiring minimal irrigation. Plus, the ARD parking lot is the first installation in the state to use pervious concrete, allowing water to be captured in natural aquifers to be used for irrigation purposes.

Reclaimed water replaces potable water for landscaping use and flushing toilets, and water-efficient features such as low-pressure faucets and toilets reduce total water needs by 60 percent. Natural light abounds through the open design and provides 75 percent of the lighting that includes an atrium area supporting collaboration among its occupants, including environmentally based organizations such as the U.S. Forest Service and NAU's Center for Sustainable Environments.

The top floor of the three-story building will be home to NAU's Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, a research facility focused on understanding the evolution, ecology and epidemiology of a number of disease-causing bacteria. Designed by Burns, Wald-Hopkins Architects and built by Kitchell Construction, the ARD building cost $26 million to construct, however, "The price tag is only about 10 percent higher than non-environmentally friendly buildings; however the design principles developed and knowledge gained during the design and construction of ARD will allow NAU and others in the state to build high-performance buildings for much less in the future, and the energy-saving features will make up the cost difference in the long run," Bowen said. The building was awarded the 2007 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award from the Structural Engineers Association of Arizona.



NAU's business building earned a "Gold" rating from the Leadership Energy
and Environment Design building rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council.

On NAU's south campus, the "Gold" business building incorporates "adaptive comfort" technology that relies heavily on natural ventilation for cooling. The actual floor is raised 18-inches above a concrete slab and at night, cold air is drawn into the building and circulated over the slabs. During the day, as air moves through the building, these slabs cool the air around them. The building also uses natural lighting as much as possible to reduce energy costs. And water use in the building takes advantage of a reclaimed water system available through the city.



The engineering building also received a "Gold" LEED rating,
which was better than the targeted "Silver" rating. (Photo by Jason Bullard)


The nearby Engineering building was virtually rebuilt, with the intended target of achieving a LEED "Silver" rating. However, the use of reclaimed water for all facility landscaping reduced potable water consumption by more than 50 percent, and use of reclaimed water in waste conveyance decreased overall potable water consumption by more than 90 percent.

In addition, high-energy lighting and the increase in the number of exterior windows significantly lowered electrical use. Those factors, among several others, earned a higher "Gold" rating for Engineering. NAU worked with the architectural firm Carter & Burgess and contractor Ryan Construction on the business building. The architect for the engineering building was Smithgroup and the contractor was Holder Construction Co. Both buildings officially opened in spring 2006.

Mark Wilhelm, founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council's Arizona Chapter and green building expert, said NAU is a good example of a university "going green." "What sets NAU apart is that it is not just committed to building green, climate mitigation efforts and research are an important part of its curriculum, too," Wilhelm said. "NAU is walking the walk in terms of being environmentally focused."

LEED recognizes structures for meeting strict requirements for energy efficiency, material usage, renewable energy and locally developed materials. Only 19 percent of all certified LEED projects are designated "Gold," Wilhelm said.

[taiwanesedrummer36]

Does anyone have any pictures of the Flagstaff Mall expansion? I was in Flagstaff a couple of years ago, and that mall was very unappealing. I'm kind of interested about what that mall looks like now.

Oh, and wow, Flagstaff seems to have a lot of new GREEN buildings...

[kaneui]

^Westcor (the developer) used to have a few photos and renderings on the mall website, but they've recently been removed. They have done some interior and exterior remodeling over the past few years, so it has improved since your last visit.

2008 will see the start of the second phase of the mall outdoor "marketplace", including a new theatre multiplex and stores around a center courtyard, scheduled to open in 2009.

http://www.flagstaffmall.com/

[kaneui]

It's a quiet cycle for development news, so we'll take whatever tidbits we can get:

The Museum of Northern Arizona, one of Flagstaff's main cultural institutions, is building a $4.5M Collections Center as a storage facility for their art (yet another LEED-certified building for Flagstaff).


(renderings: courtesy of MNA)


MNA storage facility breaks ground
By BETSEY BRUNER
Arizona Daily Sun
February 03, 2008

A Sedona couple has been identified as the principal donors to a new $4.5 million storage facility at the Museum of Northern Arizona. Betsy and Harry Easton, who also maintain a house in Flagstaff, have donated a total of $3.5 million to the project. They were honored at a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday, when the building was named the Easton Collection Center.

The building is designed to hold a significant portion of MNA's collections, which are divided into five main categories: Archives, Anthropology, Geology/Paleontology, Biology and Fine Art. Robert Breunig, MNA director, said the Eastons have remained in the background until now because they wanted the focus to remain on planning for the building. "They gave their initial pledge in 2004," Breunig said. "This was at a time when a lot of people had walked away from the museum because of our problems. The Eastons really had faith."

MODERN AND BEAUTIFUL

The construction area is in heart of the historic Harold S. Colton Research Center, across the highway from the museum and is set for completion in one year. "We wanted the Collection Center there because we wanted to physically symbolize how important collections are to the research function of the museum," said MNA Director Robert Breunig. "I have to say, this is one of the most exciting times in my professional life, to see this coming to fruition."

Finding a proper home for the collections was high on Breunig's must-do list when he assumed the director position four years ago. "It was clear to me our incredible collections were sitting in aging facilities that were really not up to standards," he said. "We've had a number of experts who said, 'Don't try to fix what you have; build something new."

Breunig said the older facilities have had a number of problems, including no humidity control, problems with insects, no way to control temperatures in the summer months and no fire suppression. "We really set out to build a facility that would address all those issues and be beautiful as well," he said. Breunig said a high priority in the building was keeping a steady temperature range between 60 and 70 degrees. "Over the long term, it is the swing in temperature that damages the collection," he said.

A NATIVE TOUCH

The building was designed by a team led by James Roberts, senior principal architect at Roberts Jones Associates, Inc. of Phoenix, an award-winning firm that specializes in sustainable design and sensitive integration of buildings with their natural and man-made environments. Because many items in the collections are of Native American origin, an American Indian Advisory Committee, consisting of Navajo, Hopi, Zuni and Apache members, consulted with MNA and the architects throughout the design process.

The committee made key recommendations concerning the design, including the orientation of the building to the east, the circular east-facing facade, connections to the natural world through appropriate use of day-lighting and views to the San Francisco Peaks. "A lot of care was taken to build in symbolic elements that would make the Native communities feel comfortable coming into the building," Breunig said.

The new building will be "green," embodying the best principles of environmentally-sustainable design. It has been designed to maximize energy efficiency, minimizing the use of fossil fuels. The high thermal mass of the building will help provide stable environmental conditions for collections.

FACT SHEET FOR NEW COLLECTIONS HOME

Building Size: 17,283 square feet

Collections storage area: 13,746 square feet

Office and support area: 3,357 square feet

Building Cost: Approximately $4,500,000

Project Architect:

James A. Roberts, AIA, Principal Architect

Roberts Jones Associates, Phoenix Arizona

Project contractor: KCS Construction, Tim Kinney, owner

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification:

U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Certification Program

Projected LEED points: 50 (GOLD Standard)

Interior Environment:

Collections area, temperature range 60-70 degrees F;

maximum change in temperature in any 24-hour period

will not be more than +/- 3 degrees

Humidity: 35 percent RH, maximum +/- 6 percent change

in any 24-hour period

Walls: Concrete-filled masonry

Exterior wall surfaces: Hydraulic lime plaster;

Malpais native stone veneer (front surface)

Floors: Polished, integrally-colored concrete


For more information: http://www.musnaz.org/

[kaneui]

The housing and economic downturn has hit most parts of the country, and Flagstaff is no exception, as noted in the following articles:


Where's Empire?
By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
February 17, 2008


Unfinished homes sit at the end of a street in the Pinnacle in the Pines neighborhood.
(photo: Jake Bacon)



Homeowners, contractors and Flagstaff city officials all have questions about Empire Communities, the largest homebuilder in northern Arizona. They wonder why, over the course of the last few weeks, Empire's local offices have been vacated, their phone numbers have either been turned off or go unanswered and why one major subcontractor was told his company was not going to be paid immediately.

Empire, it seems, is all but gone from Flagstaff, leaving townhouses unfinished and a lone salesperson in one project referring calls to the Prescott office. Why the developer left is not clear, and Empire isn't talking. Multiple phone calls by the Daily Sun to Empire's offices in Prescott and their corporate headquarters in California have gone unreturned. The townhomes built by Empire in the Pinnacle Pines development in Flagstaff, once touted as "fairy-tale cottages," are proving to be a harsh reality to many.

The apparent exit of the developer is another blow to the local construction community, which has seen a lull in new residential construction. One contractor said he had more than two dozen workers at one Empire development. It is not known how many local workers were affected by the developer's lack of timely payments to its subcontractors.

PINNACLE PINES HARDEST HIT

The 102-unit Pinnacle Pines development is also where Empire's impact is being felt the hardest. Currently, the project has been only partially built, with residents scattered between empty and unfinished townhomes. A salesperson is showing homes by phone appointment only. About 40 have been built on the 22-acre parcel. A second phase of the development would have built 104 more homes on an adjacent 18-acre parcel, city records show. Currently, the townhomes are priced between $299,900 and $440,900 on Empire's Web site.

Scott Daniels of the Phoenix-based Fortress Framing Inc. said Empire stopped answering his phone calls about a month ago. As the carpeting contractor for Empire, Daniels said he had up to two dozen employees working on between two to six homes at a time in the Pinnacle Pines development. But the hammers and saws stopped after Empire contacted Fortress with an important message: They were not going to be able to pay their contractors. "They are not paying their (subcontractors) right now," he said. Daniels said he isn't sure what Empire's next move is. "They kind of quit answering the phones," he said. He estimates Empire owes his company more than $100,000 and said he will likely file a lien against his former client to recover the amount.

HOME REPAIRS GOING UNADDRESSED

John Wesnitzer bought his townhome in Pinnacle Pines last December. He found little things that needed to be fixed after he moved in, and at the time, Empire seemed very willing to address the issues. They even provided him with a list of contractors. But that attitude changed when Empire left town. Today, Wesnitzer said he is still waiting for Empire to approve the work.

Another homeowner in the Empire-built The Retreat at Ponderosa Trails said she has been waiting for the developer to address construction issues since November 2006. The homeowner, who asked not to be identified, said the home is under the warranty provided by Empire when she purchased it. "Now that we have no contact person, we are faced with repairing these issues ourselves," the homeowner said. "The repairs have been estimated to be close to $20,000. This creates a substantial financial issue for our family, but it needs to be done."

Stacey Champion, the owner of Champion Indoor Environmental Services, said she has inspected several Empire-built homes in both Flagstaff and the Verde Valley. She said she has seen minor mistakes made by subcontractors, including some that allowed dangerous mold to grow in the newly built homes.

LAND TRUST AFFECTED, TOO

Empire's apparent departure may also affect the city's land trust program, as the developer had signed an agreement to turn over between 10 to 15 townhomes in Pinnacle Pines to the city's land trust program. At one point, the townhomes were expected to be among the first units offered by the program to the public. Sarah Darr, the city's Community Housing Manager, said the city will pursue measures to enforce the developer's agreement between the city and Empire. She did not elaborate.

Additionally, it is unclear whether Empire will play a role in future planned developments in Flagstaff. A representative for Presidio in the Pines confirmed Empire had a contract to build homes for one of the partners in the west Flagstaff development, TGC Homes.



West Flagstaff parcels for sale for $36.2 million
By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
February 17, 2008

One of the principal owners of the Presidio in the Pines mixed-use development, Shawn Campbell, has put 243 acres of adjacent land up for sale. Campbell listed the 10 parcels, known as West Presidio, last week on the Northern Arizona Multiple Listing Service, a private database service used by real estate brokers. The parcels are north of Interstate 40, south of old Route 66 and west of Woody Mountain Road.

Campbell set the value of the land at between $130,000 and $150,000 an acre. Combined, the total asking price for the 10 parcels is approximately $36.2 million. Clem Stubstad, a spokesman for Presidio in the Pines, said the parcels had been previously marketed privately to large developers in one large piece, but failed to find buyers. "You can't get the money for a large tract of land anymore," he said.

He said by breaking up the parcels into smaller pieces, developing the property will be affordable for local developers. Stubstad said the current owners had outlined with the city possible intended uses for property, setting aside roughly 39 acres for commercial uses and nearly 200 acres for residential. He said Campbell is close to reaching an agreement to sell a portion of the property designed to be used for commercial purposes for an undisclosed sum.

Presidio in the Pines ran into cash flow problems last month when it was hit by a $1.8 million lawsuit from a former contractor. A. Miner Contracting has brought a $1.8 million lawsuit against the primary developers of the project, Premiere Acquisitions LLC and Luxury Lofts LLC, saying it has not been paid in full. Stubstad said the developers are working on securing funding to settle the claim.

[kaneui]

With a newly expanded runway, Flagstaff has now contracted with Horizon Air to provide twice-daily flights to LAX starting in June:


Council OKs air service to LAX

By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
March 19, 2008

The Flagstaff City Council approved a contract with Seattle-based Horizon Air Tuesday night, establishing twice-daily air service to Los Angeles starting this summer. The vote was unanimous.

The eighth-largest regional airline in the country will start providing two round-trip flights between Flagstaff and Los Angeles on June 23. Instead of regional jets, the airline will use a Bombardier Q400, a late-model, more fuel-efficient turboprop.

Flagstaff Pulliam Airport Manager John Lauher told the council that the turboprops used by Horizon are larger,quieter and siginificantly newer than the turboprops used by US Airways Express for air service between Flagstaff and Phoenix. Lauher said one of the planes used by US Airways Express is more than 20 years old. He said the Q400s are no more than 3 years old.

The city recently finished an 1,800-foot extension of the city's runway that allows for regional jets to land in Flagstaff year-round. The $19 million project was paid for largely with federal and state grants.

Lauher said the Q400s used by Horizon could have used the older runway length but would have been able to offer limited service during some portions of the year due to weather. He said the difference between regional jets and the Q400s in terms of time is negligible -- maybe an additional five minutes during the 319-mile flight. Lauher says he prefers traveling in short trips with the turboprops, saying the planes offer more room and additional comfort.

To bring Horizon Air to Flagstaff, the council approved a slew of subsidies, including a revenue guarantee that could cost the city as much as $600,000. A portion of that amount -- up to $141,000 -- could be absorbed by the city of Prescott if that city becomes a layover stop for Horizon Air. A layover in Prescott could be established by September, but requires infrastructure improvement at the Prescott Airport.

While only offering round-trip air service between L.A. and Flagstaff twice a day, Horizon's new route could double the number of passengers the airport sees annually, Lauher said. Last year, US Airways Express had 45,743 passengers for its five daily scheduled flights between Phoenix and Flagstaff.

One-way tickets between L.A. and Flagstaff are expected to cost between $89 to $161, said Lauher. Lauher said the timing of the contract is noteworthy, as other airlines have recently canceled air service along rural routes, most notably Delta. Recently, Delta announced it will end air service to Islip, N.Y.; Bellingham, Wash.; and Fargo, N.D.

[kaneui]

Other than outdoor landscaping and a few remaining details, NAU's new High Country Conference Center and adjoining Drury Hotel & Suites are nearly good to go:




The San Francisco Peaks are framed in the glass front of the High Country Conference Center.
(photo: Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun)



the nearly-finished Drury Inn & Suites (photos: Drury Hotels)



Ready to launch

By BETSEY BRUNER
Arizona Daily Sun
March 26, 2008

In the full-production kitchen on the ground floor of NAU's new High Country Conference Center at Flagstaff, Sous Chef Hector Pinedo spent four hours Monday carefully carving out 1,400 red potatoes in the shape of mushrooms. Pinedo is one of dozens of workers who scurried around the center Monday afternoon preparing for the first social event of the facility's debut season -- a formal dinner dance tonight, to benefit the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. "This is one of the biggest fundraisers in Flagstaff in recent memory," said Tonya Watson, FSO executive director. "We've sold 408 tickets, and that's capacity for our set-up, with orchestra and a very large dance floor."

BRINGING IT TOGETHER

Early in the week, systems at the center were given a run-through. The gas flames in the firebox roared with efficiency in the 22-foot fireplace of native stone. The B-model grand piano in the Peaks Ballroom was hand-selected by music faculty and given a test run by NAU music students.

Jane Kuhn, an NAU employee and director of operations for the conference center for a year, stood in the main ballroom watching technicians on a tall ladder screw in energy-saving bulbs in ceiling fixtures. Kuhn has been involved in every aspect of bringing the mammoth project together. "The ballroom breaks into five smaller meeting spaces, named after San Francisco Peaks, " said Kuhn, as she surveyed the massive space.

As a Flagstaff native, Kuhn is well-qualified to tend to the future of the university and Flagstaff. She earned both her undergraduate and master's degrees at NAU and has worked at the university for 15 years. "I think it's going to be fun," Kuhn said. "I think it's going to have a great impact on the community's economy and will bring greater visibility to Flagstaff and the university. It's exciting."

INNOVATIVE TOUCHES

The conference center and the Drury Hotel are linked by a glass bridge. In tandem, they present a lovely face to visiting guests. The center was designed by the architectural firm of Ayers Saint Gross, with offices in Phoenix, Chicago and Baltimore, with consulting assistance from Johnson Walzer & Associates of Flagstaff.

The center dazzles with innovative touches: Sage-green curved metal roofing, massive UV-rated glass walls facing the San Francisco Peaks, a 50-person board room and three break-out session rooms upstairs, all featuring flat-screen TVs, black-out curtains and internal temperature control.

Attention has also been paid to aesthetic details, such as maple walls, gray with gold-flecked fabric acoustic panels, "stargazer granite" counter tops, ergonomic furniture, dimmer switches on lights and a paint scheme in tones of burgundy. "We really wanted to make sure we picked up the natural environment of Flagstaff," said Kuhn.

PROFITABLE VENTURE

Estimates call for 80 percent of the conferences to be booked from the outside, with the remainder generated through campus use, Kuhn said. Although the grand opening of the center isn't until June 19, many reservations have been booked through 2010. The first conference, the 35th annual meeting of the Western Regional Honors Council, is booked for April 10 to 12. "We're not booked solid," said Kuhn, who also works in financial operations at NAU. "We have a number of weddings on the books, and renewal of vows and 50th-wedding anniversaries."

Adding in revenue from Drury and High Country, organizers hope the projects will pay for themselves quickly. "The rate we've been booking, I would say we'll make that in three to five years," Kuhn said.

PACKAGE DEALS

The Drury Hotel will open soon. "They haven't given us a firm date when they will open, but I know they will be open in May, for sure," Kuhn said. Drury has a ground lease and is handling its own construction and operation.

"Meeting planners want to know exactly how much it's going to cost," Kuhn said. "They're looking for an all-inclusive package. We're selling the conference center with a daily meeting package for groups coming in -- $84 a day per person." The package includes the general-session meeting space, parking, continental breakfast, lunch and continuous AM/PM breaks with beverages, sweet and salty snacks. The complete meeting package adds dinner and hotel, but pricing depends on which hotels are chosen, she said.

Although dates are not yet fixed, there will also be a series of open houses at the center in June for the community of Flagstaff and beyond.

Betsey Bruner can be reached at 556-2255 or bbruner@azdailysun.com.


NAU, city of Flagstaff join forces

Ground was broken August 2006 for the The High Country Conference Center at Flagstaff and the Drury Hotel, both located on north campus along Butler Avenue. The conference center came about through a partnership between Northern Arizona University and the city of Flagstaff. Also brought into the mix were Drury Hotels, with more than 100 hotels in 17 states, and Sodexho Conferencing, with a long history in food service at NAU.

Conferences and training sessions will come from many sectors, including government, education and corporate.

The academic functions at NAU will also benefit from the projects. For example, students will be able to work on site to meet their 48 hours of required lab time in the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management program. Faculty and students in the College of Arts and Letters will have places to show their artwork and to perform. Collaborations with the NAU Art Museum are also in the works.


By the numbers

$20M - Cost to build the conference center

$2M - Amount contributed by the city to center project

300-400 - Construction workers needed to build center

55,000 - Projected number of guests per year to facilities

42,000 - Area, in square feet, of center

11,200 - Area, in square feet,of main Peaks Ballroom

1,000 - Ballroom capacity with theater-style seating

800 - Ballroom capacity with banquet seating

50 - Average number of daily employees at conference center

40 - Average number of daily employees at Drury Hotel

158 - Number of regular rooms and suites at Drury

$119 - $149 - Range of rates for rooms at Drury

344 - Number of spaces in center's parking garage

200 - pounds Amount of chicken breast prepared for FSO dinner

[kaneui]

Big news for Tuba City (north of Flagstaff) as the Hopi tribe announces plans for a $100M mixed-use conference center complex (sans casino):


Hopi plan $100 million development
Village set to build motel, conference center to boost tourism, bring jobs to reservation

by Craig Harris
The Arizona Republic
April 23, 2008

A small Hopi village plans to build a 100-room motel and conference center near Tuba City as part of a massive $100 million economic-development project. The "Gateway to Hopi Land" will break ground in July on 72 acres at the intersection of Arizona 264 and U.S. 160. It's slated to include an office complex with a bank, a business center and possibly apartments. All of the buildings will have a Pueblo motif, according to Dan Honahni, who is overseeing the project as chief executive of Moenkopi Developers Corp. Inc.

The project, however, will not include a casino, as the Hopi tribe twice rejected referendums since the early 1990s that would have allowed gaming on tribal land, Honahni said. "Our mission is to create jobs and opportunities for the Hopi people to become entrepreneurs and bring revenue to the village government so they can use it for health, education and welfare of the residents," said Honahni, who is working for the Upper Village of Moenkopi. The village has about 1,100 residents.

Honahni hopes the project will attract tourists visiting northern Arizona and the Grand Canyon. The project follows the construction of a nearby $6.3 million Tuuvi Travel Center that includes 16 gas pumps, a carwash, convenience store, smoke shop and two fast-food restaurants. The travel center's grand opening is May 2. The center gets its moniker from the original name of the area before it was called Tuba City.

"Momentum creates momentum," said Levi Esquerra, program director for the Center for American Indian Economic Development at Northern Arizona University. "When you have a project going, another one develops. It's a lot easier to get support when one vision becomes a reality." Esquerra said the village's economic-development plans are succeeding because it previously installed a water-and-sewer system that would accommodate growth. "It's a great development not only for the tribe, but it's a great model for other tribes in establishing an economic-development corporation to go out and make a project happen," Esquerra said.

Honahni doesn't have a target date for completion of the gateway project. But he hopes to have the motel and conference center done by June 2009. In time, he hopes the project will bring Hopis back to the reservation. Costs could hit $110 million, and he may seek investors, Honahni said. So far, Honahni said he has raised $2.2 million through a federal grant, and the project has borrowed several million from Wachovia Bank.

[kaneui]

A long, narrow 33-acre strip of city land along East Route 66 near Fourth Street is being sold for $9M to a Boise, ID developer for a mixed-use project to include a hotel, commercial office and retail:



The City of Flagstaff has sold the vacant lot of land created by the
construction of the Fourth Street overpass to Hawkins Development.
(photo: Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun)



No housing for overpass land project
By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
April 29, 2008

A barren 33-acre tract along East Route 66 astride Fourth Street may soon show signs of life. The Flagstaff City Council has give the nod to sell three parcels of land it acquired during the construction of the Fourth Street Overpass for slightly more than $9 million to Hawkins Companies of Boise, Idaho. The amount exceeded the city's minimum asking price by roughly $3 million. Preliminary plans for the site include a hotel, offices, a drug store and more than a dozen retail outlets. With a retail portfolio of over 8.5 million square feet in 22 states, Hawkins Companies is among the top 100 retail property holders in the country.

But what the proposal doesn't include has irked some councilmembers: affordable housing. Councilmember Al White conceded the location was less than ideal for building large tracts of housing. But he hoped to see a plan that included apartments or condos above some of the retail outlets as a way to defray the lease costs for some of the small ground-floor businesses. "I just wanted to maximize the use of the space," said White.

Developers, for the most part, disagreed with the idea of putting housing between the busy state highway and the train tracks, which carry more than 100 trains through Flagstaff every day. The owner and CEO of Hawkins Companies, Gary Hawkins, told White and the rest of the council that the high volume of vehicle and train traffic on both sides of the project would make housing a difficult sell. But Hawkins, who flew into Flagstaff on a private jet at the last minute to address the council before the decision, pledged to study whether housing would be feasible on the site. "We just won't know if it is possible until we look at the studies," he said.

While Hawkins Companies has no experience in building homes, a sister company called Hawkins Homes does, he said. Hawkins told the council that his company already spent several thousand dollars surveying the site in preparation of development. At least one of the commercial components will likely be a Sportsman's Warehouse, a national retailer catering to hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, he said. A second retailer could be a Walgreens, which his company has built at several locations --the plan identifies a drug store at the corner of East Route 66 and Fourth Street. Hawkins told the city it had hoped to start development of the project early next year.

OTHERS SKEPTICAL OF HOUSING

But Hawkins was not the only developer skeptical of putting homes on the site. During the first request for proposals 18 months ago, the city had required developers to provide housing as a part of the overall development. The city received no bids during the first call for proposals. City staff received comments after the first bid period from the local building association and the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, which said there were too many restrictions for developers to respond.

During the second round of proposals, the city added a third parcel adjacent to the Aquaplex on the south side of the tracks and removed the requirement that housing be part of the project. The second round of bids brought in a total of six responses, although one was disqualified because it was deemed late. Only one developer suggested building residential units, AZNorth of Flagstaff. In its bid, AZNorth suggested a mixed-use development, with residential, retail and office units.

But when it came time to rate the bids, the local contractor scored the lowest of the proposals, getting low marks for offering price, relevant experience and ability to close. The president of AZNorth, Tom Brewster, said the Hawkins proposal was a good project for the site. He said adding residential units to his proposal made his offering complex and conceded it created problems with accessibility and managing parking. "Definitely you add a ripple effect when you add residential into commercial," he said.


for more info.: http://news.azdailysun.com/pdfs/RT66&FourthStreet.pdf

[Rockmont]

Originally Posted by AZPhoenix

Flagstaff is a beautiful city in the north of Arizona. Flagstaff is not big as Phoenix though. I rather be in a big city like Phoenix. Plus Flagstaff get really cold in the winter. I perfer to live in Phoenix or Prescott Arizona (Prescott was the first capital city of Arizona.)

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

Actually, this bottom shot is NOT Flagstaff. It's Boulder Colorado.

[kaneui]

^ If you keep reading past the initial post, the error was noted and corrected in posts 113 and 114 (although the original author only identified the photo as in Colorado, but not specifically Boulder).

[kaneui]

A few construction photo updates of Aspen Place at the Sawmill, a 38-acre mixed-use development near downtown Flagstaff:




Looking north, the New Frontiers Market is at the upper right hand corner of the project.




Looking south over the construction site, the NAU Walkup Skydome is visible at the upper RH corner.




Entrance of the 20,000 s.f. New Frontiers Natural Foods Market, scheduled to open the week of May 19.
(photos: Aspen Place at the Sawmill)

[kaneui]

Since opening in March, the new High Country Conference Center at NAU has apparently founds its niche, with better than expected bookings for its first year:



The conference center's second floor has the bonus feature of a breathtaking view of the San Francisco Peaks.



Tour groups stand beneath the towering glass ceiling during a public open house on June 21.
(photos by Jerry Foreman)


A gala opening for the conference center
Inside NAU
June 25, 2008

Northern Arizona University officially opened the High Country Conference Center with a gala celebration June 19 and a public open house on June 21. The conference center and adjoining Drury Hotel are expected to attract midsize conferences as well as private functions. It is anticipated to generate nearly $7 million annually to the northern Arizona economy. Internships, lab requirements and educational opportunities that are part of NAU's Hotel and Restaurant Management Program will by offered by Drury, Sodexo Conferencing and Sodexo USA.

[kaneui]

How's this proposal for a piece of art in a public park?




Artist and Astronomer team, S.D. Nelson, left, and Christian Luginbuhl, right, respectively, designed the Starhenge monument, measuing 72 feet across, a massive interactive stone public artwork and observatory. The duo propose the installation of their creation in Buffalo Park, where celestial events can be observed without obstruction.
(photo: Arizona Daily Sun)


'Starhenge' proposed for Flagstaff
By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
Friday, June 27, 2008

England has its Stonehenge. But Flagstaff might get a Starhenge. The brainchild of an artist and an astronomer, Starhenge would feature massive blocks of chiseled granite up to 21 feet tall arranged as both a primitive observatory and a work of art. That's assuming the project's backers get city permission to build it in Buffalo Park, then raise $1 million independently.

The proposal already has the endorsement of the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition. "Starhenge will provide all Flagstaff residents and visitors opportunities for direct interaction with the beautiful starry skies present in the middle of our city at this exceptional location," wrote FDSC President John Grahame. "The stones of the monument will offer an intimate connection to celestial events and will promote direct and visceral connections to the sun, moon and stars."

Steve Nelson, a retired art teacher and illustrator, and Chris Luginbuhl, an astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory, chose the far eastern end of Buffalo Park for the football-field-sized monument. The location has no nearby structures, low amounts of ambient light and relatively unobstructed views of the horizon. "We could see that it was an open, exposed place where the sun, the moon and stars were highly visible," Nelson said. "Things just seemed to click."

Although Starhenge does resemble the famous megalithic monument in England, Nelson says he isn't trying to build a Stonehenge knock-off in one of Flagstaff's most popular parks. "Unlike the British Stonehenge, this will be interactive every day," Nelson said. Luginbuhl said Buffalo Park offers a clear view of 75 percent of the sky, with only the nearby Mount Elden blocking a portion of the northeastern horizon.

MARKING THE SEASONS

The centerpiece of Starhenge is the Portal Stone, something that Nelson has been incorporating into his drawing for a number of years. The 21-foot-high granite block features a hole in the center that would allow light from the sun and the moon to pass though, marking the changing of the seasons.

Nelson estimated the cost of the project, which would include the hauling in of large granite slabs from another state, would likely cost more than a $1 million. Local quarries cannot produce large pieces of the kind of rock suitable for the monument, and many lack the stone masons who could carve out pieces to Nelson's specifications.

Luginbuhl has mapped where to place the large stones so that they would track movements of the sun and moon, display annual solstice and equinox events, and align with the North Star each night. Nelson said once the pair agreed on the placing of the stones in the shape of a circle, Luginbuhl pushed for the inclusion of a sun dagger -- a celestial calendar used by ancient Pueblo Indians.

Holding three blocks of wood in front of his home, Nelson positioned the model of the solar dagger to show how the light shinning through gaps in the stones would form a dagger to mark the two solstices and two equinoxes. The dagger draws heavily from a solar dagger in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon dating back to at least the 12th century.

TERRACED EARTHWORKS

Starhenge would be surrounded by terraced earthworks to form a double-spiral geoglyph. The pair has pledged to revegetate the site after construction is complete. To date, the pair has presented Starhenge to several city boards and commissions with the hope of getting city funding for a feasibility study, estimated to cost between $2,000 and $10,000.

The Flagstaff City Council will eventually have to approve the project, but the pair said they are still in the planning stages of the project seeking input from the community. They said several design ideas have come from the boards and commissions. The pair said they have plans to display a model of the project at public events and at City Hall and possibly the New Frontiers grocery store. They are also expected to go before the city's Tourism Commission at a future meeting for the commission's approval.

But Nelson is quick to say he does not want to pay for the project out of a new tax or fee, saying they will seek grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, the National Science Foundation and from various nonprofits.

For more information on the Starhenge project, readers are encouraged to e-mail Nelson directly at sdnelson4444@hotmail.com

[goranpejic]

Originally Posted by AZPhoenix

Here are some amazing photos from Flagstaff.

Oh man, I remember driving up to Flag MANY times and those are exactly the views that would greet me when arriving. I see that NAU is going through a small building boom of some sorts. I've been in the new business building, but those others seem like they were built afterwards, or maybe I just never knew about them. A question though; Has the recent housing crisis affected Flag as badly as it has Phx?

[kaneui]

^The housing crisis in Flag is a bit different than in Phoenix or Tucson. Although housing prices statewide were inflated by a deluge of out-of-state investors and flippers, the desert cities experienced a huge amount of overbuilding due to that artificial demand and will see prices continue to fall until their excess inventory is worked off.

Flagstaff, on the other hand, has never been an easy place to get larger developments approved and has been suffering from a shortage of affordable housing for many years. A major factor in the escalation of local prices is the influx of second-home buyers from Phoenix and California, which has resulted in effectively pricing out many potential first-home buyers.

Of course, one of the main reasons Arizona cannot support high home prices--other than for wealthy second-home buyers and retirees at the extreme high end--is that it does not have much of a high-wage economy. Combine that with the recent tightening of lending practices, and we will see prices continue to slide until they match what buyers can truly afford.