Phoenix Development News

[Krasna Sreča]

Originally Posted by Evil Empire

Yeah, the city had a very vibrant downtown community that focused all events/bars/restaurants on Central Ave until the 1970s when the normal growing-city-downtown thing happened...prostitutes, drug addicts, crime, etc. Instead of trying to do something about it, everyone just moved further out. The fact that the city grew with the car and grew so incredibly fast is what really finished the whole "City Center" experience for Phoenix. People wanted convenience; they wanted bars, restaurants, concert venues, and other things in their own neighborhood without having to drive far to get it. If you go to the Los Angeles area, it's the exact same thing. Along with the people, the shopping centers of downtown and most attractions and venues went outward, too. I've been to several downtown areas of the country and while Phoenix is pretty bad for a city its size, the only TRUE, bustling downtowns I've seen in the US has been NYC, Seattle, Chicago, and San Francisco. It's slowly changing in Phoenix but it's changing...the dorms of the ASU Downtown campus have spawned the opening of 20 bars and restaurants in the last year and as the campus grows, so will that number. I've seen the firsthand effects of it because I work on Jefferson and a bit east of 7th St. so I've seen these places and some definite promise but it's inconsistent as of now. I'm hopeful for the future of the area, though and I think it will thrive one day.

Which area of town do you live in? I definitely understand why your mom did that and why she thinks that of the former country. I did the same thing for the first 7 or 8 years I lived here and even now, I don't associate with too many except for a few good friends and I just usually say what's up when I recognize someone. Too many people give the area a bad name, probably because most of the people that relocated here from there are "seljaci"

I really hope the dorms help downtown, especially due to the fact that I'll be going to ASU as transfer my Junior year, and I will most likely seek dorms in downtown Phoenix due to the nightlife possibility. I shall keep my fingers crossed!

I live in North East Scottsdale, right next to Fountain Hills pretty much.
I agree on the "seljaci" thing, all the normal folks went to Germany, Austria, UK, Australia, etc...America got 90% of the rejects lol. We couldn't get out because my dad was recruited, and then we pretty much got stuck in Sarajevo through the whole siege, finally left in 1997. Damn Aussies wouldn't accept us! If they did I'd have an awesome Aussie accent right now...How disappointing.

[Evil Empire]

Originally Posted by Krasna Sreča

I really hope the dorms help downtown, especially due to the fact that I'll be going to ASU as transfer my Junior year, and I will most likely seek dorms in downtown Phoenix due to the nightlife possibility. I shall keep my fingers crossed!

I live in North East Scottsdale, right next to Fountain Hills pretty much.
I agree on the "seljaci" thing, all the normal folks went to Germany, Austria, UK, Australia, etc...America got 90% of the rejects lol. We couldn't get out because my dad was recruited, and then we pretty much got stuck in Sarajevo through the whole siege, finally left in 1997. Damn Aussies wouldn't accept us! If they did I'd have an awesome Aussie accent right now...How disappointing.

Yeah, sadly with the economic downturn, the growth of bars and restaurants downtown has slowed but there's still one opening every couple of weeks. The Jackson Street entertainment district (http://www.jacksonstreetphx.com/index.html) was supposed to be built as well, a huge chunk of land dedicated to bars, clubs, restaurants, hangouts, etc. but the economy has managed to put a crimp in those plans. I'm not sure if the project is just on hold or cancelled, but it's one of many. The fucking money problems came at an especially horrible time for our city.

To be honest, I'm glad you didn't because I hate the Australian accent but yeah, I left Sarajevo in August of 1995. I'm not really sure if my parents requested a specific area of the US or another country to visit but to be honest, I like it here. There's definitely a lot of things I hate about the city but that's bound to come up anywhere you live. In all the cities I've been to, Phoenix is still one of my favorites all-around.

[Krasna Sreča]

Originally Posted by Evil Empire

Yeah, sadly with the economic downturn, the growth of bars and restaurants downtown has slowed but there's still one opening every couple of weeks. The Jackson Street entertainment district (http://www.jacksonstreetphx.com/index.html) was supposed to be built as well, a huge chunk of land dedicated to bars, clubs, restaurants, hangouts, etc. but the economy has managed to put a crimp in those plans. I'm not sure if the project is just on hold or cancelled, but it's one of many. The fucking money problems came at an especially horrible time for our city.

To be honest, I'm glad you didn't because I hate the Australian accent but yeah, I left Sarajevo in August of 1995. I'm not really sure if my parents requested a specific area of the US or another country to visit but to be honest, I like it here. There's definitely a lot of things I hate about the city but that's bound to come up anywhere you live. In all the cities I've been to, Phoenix is still one of my favorites all-around.

Epic Fail for Phoenix lol. Well, we shall see what will happen in the future. I wish we had more picture updates for Phoenix, I'm too lazy and cheap to drive down there, too much gas wasted lol.

I LOVE the Aussie accent, its amazing. I have no accent of any sort so its sad, I have to fake mine. However, I must admit, my Indian and Russian accents are phenomenal. We didn't get to 'pick' where to be placed, they just placed us where they wanted lol. I don't hate where I live, in fact I love where I live, but that's because I grew up in Phoenix, so its a natural thing to be attached to your hometown.

[Gomoso]

a few pictures

[Gomoso]

[hkskyline]

Phoenix's sizzling heat to test new light rail
2 July 2009

PHOENIX (AP) - While a 6-month-old light-rail line in the nation's fifth largest city has exceeded expectations so far, its operators are now facing their biggest test -- Arizona's sizzling heat.

No other city in the country has to run a commuter rail under Phoenix's unforgiving conditions, with summer temperatures that regularly top 110 and once soared to 122 degrees. Those conditions will test the system's equipment and could dissuade riders from walking to rail stations and waiting for up to 20 minutes for a ride.

Tiffanie Griffin of Phoenix said the heat will stop her from riding the light rail as soon as she saves the $1,500 she needs to get her car a new transmission, hopefully by the end of the month.

"Sitting here in the heat waiting for the light rail is frustrating," said Griffin, who gulped ice water from a giant plastic cup as she waited for a train on a recent 108-degree day. "You're just getting off of work, you had a full day, and it's hot as heck out here."

Phoenix has had a reasonably mild late spring and early summer, only beginning to hit its normal high of around 107 degrees for this time of year at the end of June, said Ken Waters, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Phoenix.

Now that the heat is here, there's no end in sight until September, Waters said.

While METRO light rail CEO Rick Simonetta said he suspects some people will find other ways to get to work when it gets extremely hot, he thinks a recent fare increase will have more of an impact on ridership.

Valley Metro, the region's mass transit agency, raised the price of a one-way ticket by 50 cents to $1.75 on Wednesday. An all-day pass increased by 40 percent from $2.50 to $3.50.

"A 40 percent increase is pretty significant," Simonetta said, adding that consultants estimate the bump will lead to at least 10 percent fewer riders.

An average of about 34,000 people now ride the light rail on any given weekday, about 8,000 more than operators had hoped for. Monthly ridership peaked in April with about 1 million passengers, but decreased to 928,000 riders in May. Preliminary data shows there were 807,000 riders in June.

Light rail officials attribute some of that drop-off to the end of the college year and to snow birds, people who leave the Phoenix area in the summer for more forgiving climates.

Simonetta said he thinks the heat will be more of a test of the light rail's equipment than its riders.

"The first summer is really sort of the test to make sure that everything was (designed) right, it was constructed right and that it's operating correctly," he said. "So far, no major problems that we see, but you know that we just had our first 110-degree day, and we know there's lots more of those."

In Sacramento, Calif., 108-degree weather in late June caused overhead wires to sag and disconnect from light-rail trains in the city's business district, disrupting service for about five hours on two days and leaving passengers stranded in the heat.

Simonetta said Phoenix's trains and stations were designed specifically for extreme heat. The outdoor stations provide shaded areas and cold water fountains, and trains have heavy-duty air conditioning and heavily tinted windows.

People in other hot environments throughout the world ride commuter rails in big numbers despite the heat, and Phoenix likely will be no different, said Rod Diridon, executive director of the San Jose, Calif.,-based Mineta Transportation Institute, a nonpartisan research institute that conducts transportation policy studies.

"I think it's just a matter of getting used to it," he said. "The people of Phoenix have embraced the light-rail system overwhelmingly. Now it's a matter of a population that loves light rail adjusting to the summer."

Michael Roller of Phoenix said he'll only ride the light rail in the summer, because his daughter uses his car to get to her job as a lifeguard when she's not in school at the University of Arizona.

"The heat doesn't affect me," said Roller, who was wearing a long-sleeved cotton button-up while waiting at a light-rail station recently. "I've been in Arizona all my life. I'm used to it."

Phoenix was the last of the country's largest cities with a public rail line before it opened in December, becoming the latest Western city to try to flout urban sprawl and car culture and get people on public transportation.

The 20-mile, $1.4 billion startup line runs from north-central Phoenix through downtown and then east through suburban Tempe and Mesa. More than 30 more miles are planned to open in Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa and Glendale by 2025.

Heat is more than a matter of comfort in the Phoenix area. It kills more people than earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes combined in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Dozens of mostly homeless and elderly people die in the Phoenix area every year, and hundreds more experience heat-related illnesses that can cause a rapid heart beat, throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion and unconsciousness.

[AJohnstone]

Here's a video about the Light Rail in Phoenix

http://www.theworldedition.com/video...light-rail.php

[juancito]

Many new developments, nice for the city.

[lallen39]

Originally Posted by hkskyline

Phoenix's sizzling heat to test new light rail
2 July 2009

PHOENIX (AP) - While a 6-month-old light-rail line in the nation's fifth largest city has exceeded expectations so far, its operators are now facing their biggest test -- Arizona's sizzling heat.

No other city in the country has to run a commuter rail under Phoenix's unforgiving conditions, with summer temperatures that regularly top 110 and once soared to 122 degrees. Those conditions will test the system's equipment and could dissuade riders from walking to rail stations and waiting for up to 20 minutes for a ride.

Tiffanie Griffin of Phoenix said the heat will stop her from riding the light rail as soon as she saves the $1,500 she needs to get her car a new transmission, hopefully by the end of the month.

"Sitting here in the heat waiting for the light rail is frustrating," said Griffin, who gulped ice water from a giant plastic cup as she waited for a train on a recent 108-degree day. "You're just getting off of work, you had a full day, and it's hot as heck out here."

Phoenix has had a reasonably mild late spring and early summer, only beginning to hit its normal high of around 107 degrees for this time of year at the end of June, said Ken Waters, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Phoenix.

Now that the heat is here, there's no end in sight until September, Waters said.

While METRO light rail CEO Rick Simonetta said he suspects some people will find other ways to get to work when it gets extremely hot, he thinks a recent fare increase will have more of an impact on ridership.

Valley Metro, the region's mass transit agency, raised the price of a one-way ticket by 50 cents to $1.75 on Wednesday. An all-day pass increased by 40 percent from $2.50 to $3.50.

"A 40 percent increase is pretty significant," Simonetta said, adding that consultants estimate the bump will lead to at least 10 percent fewer riders.

An average of about 34,000 people now ride the light rail on any given weekday, about 8,000 more than operators had hoped for. Monthly ridership peaked in April with about 1 million passengers, but decreased to 928,000 riders in May. Preliminary data shows there were 807,000 riders in June.

Light rail officials attribute some of that drop-off to the end of the college year and to snow birds, people who leave the Phoenix area in the summer for more forgiving climates.

Simonetta said he thinks the heat will be more of a test of the light rail's equipment than its riders.

"The first summer is really sort of the test to make sure that everything was (designed) right, it was constructed right and that it's operating correctly," he said. "So far, no major problems that we see, but you know that we just had our first 110-degree day, and we know there's lots more of those."

In Sacramento, Calif., 108-degree weather in late June caused overhead wires to sag and disconnect from light-rail trains in the city's business district, disrupting service for about five hours on two days and leaving passengers stranded in the heat.

Simonetta said Phoenix's trains and stations were designed specifically for extreme heat. The outdoor stations provide shaded areas and cold water fountains, and trains have heavy-duty air conditioning and heavily tinted windows.

People in other hot environments throughout the world ride commuter rails in big numbers despite the heat, and Phoenix likely will be no different, said Rod Diridon, executive director of the San Jose, Calif.,-based Mineta Transportation Institute, a nonpartisan research institute that conducts transportation policy studies.

"I think it's just a matter of getting used to it," he said. "The people of Phoenix have embraced the light-rail system overwhelmingly. Now it's a matter of a population that loves light rail adjusting to the summer."

Michael Roller of Phoenix said he'll only ride the light rail in the summer, because his daughter uses his car to get to her job as a lifeguard when she's not in school at the University of Arizona.

"The heat doesn't affect me," said Roller, who was wearing a long-sleeved cotton button-up while waiting at a light-rail station recently. "I've been in Arizona all my life. I'm used to it."

Phoenix was the last of the country's largest cities with a public rail line before it opened in December, becoming the latest Western city to try to flout urban sprawl and car culture and get people on public transportation.

The 20-mile, $1.4 billion startup line runs from north-central Phoenix through downtown and then east through suburban Tempe and Mesa. More than 30 more miles are planned to open in Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa and Glendale by 2025.

Heat is more than a matter of comfort in the Phoenix area. It kills more people than earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes combined in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Dozens of mostly homeless and elderly people die in the Phoenix area every year, and hundreds more experience heat-related illnesses that can cause a rapid heart beat, throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion and unconsciousness.

Its a dam shame that the city didnt devote more to providing shade along the routes so that riders dont have the sun blasting down on them while waiting. My god this it the HOTTEST major city in the Nation, and you would think that providing shade would have been a critical element.

Not only that, but now Im understanding that there are hardly any places to "use the bathroom" along the routes and at most of the stations.

Look at Dtwn. Sacramento Ca. That place is saturated with shade trees. However the climate is much cooler there. But in Dtwn. Phoenix there are little to none in terms of shade trees and very hot.

WHATS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE!

[Krasna Sreča]

Originally Posted by lallen39

Its a dam shame that the city didnt devote more to providing shade along the routes so that riders dont have the sun blasting down on them while waiting. My god this it the HOTTEST major city in the Nation, and you would think that providing shade would have been a critical element.

Not only that, but now Im understanding that there are hardly any places to "use the bathroom" along the routes and at most of the stations.

Look at Dtwn. Sacramento Ca. That place is saturated with shade trees. However the climate is much cooler there. But in Dtwn. Phoenix there are little to none in terms of shade trees and very hot.

WHATS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE!

Phoenix itself was a poorly planned city from the begging. No one ever planned it would grow to what it is now, so lack of giving a damn has yielded ineteresting results that come with many challenges. Phoenix is also not like Sacramento, Phoenix has a desert climate and water conservation is a must as much as possible. Northern Phoenix follows in Scottsdales footsteps of planting a wide array of plants that are compatible with the climate and require little water to sustain them. This way you get shade and greenery and still conserve.

[sxydrkhair]

take more picture of phoenix at night and beautiful sunset.

[sxydrkhair]

Our city need to work on our pollution and smoggy. Its really bad over here.







Maybe it was smoke from Los Angeles' fire? lol

Here are some nice pictures
















Note the lack of older buildings in this relatively new city

[PrinzII]

Originally Posted by Krasna Sreča

Phoenix itself was a poorly planned city from the begging. No one ever planned it would grow to what it is now, so lack of giving a damn has yielded ineteresting results that come with many challenges. Phoenix is also not like Sacramento, Phoenix has a desert climate and water conservation is a must as much as possible. Northern Phoenix follows in Scottsdales footsteps of planting a wide array of plants that are compatible with the climate and require little water to sustain them. This way you get shade and greenery and still conserve.

I happened on this site because of a search for, of all things, police cars. Nevertheless, I was reading some of the posts in this thread and must admit there is a LOT of information that I did not know about PHX.

I do have to agree with Krasna in that PHX (really, the metro area as a whole) did not plan for the level of growth the Valley would sustain over the next decade or more. Being a person from a larger city (Chicago), I do realize that PHX is still growing and developing.

However, one thing I can agree with is that the transportation infrastructure is still developing. Although the light rail is a step in the right direction, my personal thought is that the Valley does need a regional rail system akin to Metra in Chicago. The costs of expanding the light rail could be used to develop a regional rail system and, like Metra, they could work with UPRR to share track lanes/space to serve outlying communities such as Buckeye and Queen Creek.

As for the development of taller buildings in downtown Phoenix, I am thinking that taller buildings could really not be developed in PHX due to the multitude of flight lanes to Sky Harbor which would mean that it would not only take local, county, and state, but also FAA approval.

When you think about it, cities such as Chicago have no fly zones for their downtown (Daley's rationale for that was more security related than anything else). Planes go through downtown PHX with regularity due to the proximity of Sky Harbor to downtown.

[Elnerico]

Phoenix was hot when I was there last summer, 115. But sometimes I miss the heat.

[Lovetown]

Originally Posted by thomasxjames

Dear whoever is out there that's reading,
I am a 16 year old Junior currently attending Paradise Valley High. I work at <b>Desert Ridge Marketplace</b> and I know that they are building CityNorth but i can't find anything about it other than its website that isn't much help.

I was born in Phoenix, yet I just moved back after living in Queens, Ventura (CA), Vallejo (CA-Bay area), Seatac, and Germany.

As much as I want to go back and live in NYC, I feel like if I move outta Phoenix, it'll take me by big surprise when I visit.

It its about the time I should be looking in for colleges and what not and start thinking about career goals. Does anyone know what I should go to college for being interested in Urban whatever??

Ps. I'd also like to add that downtown Phoenix is embarrassing. and these 22 story proposals shouldnt be proposed for DOWNTOWN 22 stories is like suburbia.
Get your head outta your fat ass phoenix!!!!!

pps i am not a 16 year old nerd in high school.

Hey I graduated from PV in 2004. Go Trojans haha. I worked at Desert Ridge for 3 years or so starting 2003. Small world. Now I live in Philly- I can certainly say that there is an astounding difference between living in Phoenix compared to the east coast. I miss the Phoenix lifestyle, culture and scenery a lot. I miss living in a city as remote as Phoenix-a little outpost on the western frontier that somehow managed to grow into a cosmopolitan oasis. I want to go back but I know that Phoenix's economy is to underdeveloped to give me the job future i'm looking for. Besides, I do love it out here where my roots are. Though it is hard to feel like you have two hometowns. I think people give Phoenix too hard of a time. The fact that it exists at all is a miracle of modern environmental engineering and climate control, not to mention a testement to the American spirit of enterprise. What I wouldn't do right now to hike Lookout Mountain and see the sunset over the EKG outline of the White Tank Mountains.

[CityTrip]

Does Phoenix have any height restrictions on there downtown buildings because of it's proximity to the airport?

[Lovetown]

As far as I know Phoenix has no formal height restrictions but each proposed tower is subject to review by the FAA.

In my opinion Phoenix doesn't need to concentrate its towers in the flight path burdened Downtown area, the "Uptown" area along Central Ave theoretically should allow unlimited tower height. The Downtown was robbed of its character in the 70's and tall buildings won't necessarily save it. Also I think that Phoenix shouldn't have to force its vertical growth in one spot, especially in a city so poised to capitalize off of mountain views.

[Drecun]

Cool

[Drecun]

Cool

[desertpunk]

Originally Posted by CityTrip

[Does Phoenix have any height restrictions on there downtown buildings because of it's proximity to the airport?

Phoenix may change building height limit
Plan seeks to protect Sky Harbor flights

Ginger D. Richardson
The Arizona Republic

Phoenix is changing the rules that govern how tall downtown buildings can be in an effort to better protect flights into and out of Sky Harbor International Airport. The proposed changes, which are still under discussion, could actually allow taller high-rises in some areas of the city's core while reducing height in others. But it's likely that in most areas, the height of structures will be capped at 40 stories, roughly the height of Bank One Center, downtown's tallest building. "That really is our controlling factor," Aviation Director David Krietor said. "We don't want to build anything that would make it worse." advertisement

The situation poses a unique problem for Phoenix because it marks the first time that two of the city's top priorities have collided.
Sky Harbor, a massive economic development engine, has always enjoyed a privileged position in which its desires came first. But in recent months, Mayor Phil Gordon and the City Council have put billions of public dollars into downtown redevelopment projects in hopes of revitalizing the city's core with hundreds, if not thousands, of full-time residents. In many ways the effort appears to be working, and that's the problem. Interest in downtown living has skyrocketed, with many developers proposing residential condominiums up to 50 stories high.

All the talk is making the airport nervous. "All around Sky Harbor is of concern to the Federal Aviation Administration and should be of concern to the city of Phoenix," said Jane Morris, special projects administrator for the Aviation Department. "Our role at the airport is to look at all of the factors that affect us."

Most of downtown is not in Sky Harbor's flight path. Instead, the concern stems from the fact that some of the proposed developments, if built, could force the FAA and the airlines to change emergency takeoff and landing procedures. Those procedures are a complicated set of rules and technical guidelines, but the basics are this: On the rare occasion that one of an airplane's engines would fail, there are mandatory actions a pilot must take to land the aircraft safely. The actions could involve deviating from standard flight paths and are further complicated by such factors as ground and air temperature, aircraft weight and rate of ascent.

An increase in the number of tall buildings around the airport would make it more difficult to get airplanes to the ground safely in emergencies. The FAA, which works with the airlines to set the procedures, cannot control whether a high-rise is built, but it will make a ruling on whether the building poses a potential hazard. Such was the situation several years ago when a plan to build the Arizona Cardinals football stadium in Tempe was scuttled because of its height and proximity to the airport.

In most cases, when the FAA rules that a proposed structure poses a risk, cities don't build it. But if a city opts to move forward, the FAA moves in and changes the flight procedures. "We have to do what is right for the traveling public," said Donn Walker, the FAA's regional spokesman. That can result in mandates that planes carry less weight in the form of fuel, passengers and cargo, which, in turn, reduces the capacity of the airport.

And that's the one thing Sky Harbor, which is among the nation's busiest airports, doesn't want.

"If there were, theoretically, a lot of high obstacles nearby, we would have to reduce the weight of our airplanes in hot weather," said Carlo Bertolini, a spokesman for America West Airlines. "We'd reduce fuel (and) cargo first, and try to do passengers last. But it would affect our operations." The current height rules have been in place since 1971 and are severely outdated, officials said. They allow buildings to range from 250 to 500 feet in the downtown area, with taller structures allowed along Central Avenue, if first accepted by the airport, city Planning Director David Richert said. nd although aviation officials have not worked out exactly what the new regulations will be, they do say that they don't anticipate allowing structures in Copper Square to be taller than about 500 feet, the approximate height of the Bank One Center. The building is the state's tallest.

In some areas of the core, like the Warehouse District, buildings will not be allowed higher than about 22 stories, the approximate height of the Bank One Ballpark and the yet-to-be built Summit at Copper Square condominium project. That area, ironically, also has a special zoning overlay that is more restrictive than the airport's proposed rules. Those rules state that any building within the district, generally defined as the area south of Madison Street, from Seventh Street to Seventh Avenue, cannot exceed 56 feet, or 80 feet with a use permit. To build a taller structure, a developer needs special variance approval from the Board of Adjustment.

Gordon and others at City Hall are convinced that the proposed changes won't affect the momentum they are trying to create in downtown, even though the regulations appear to have helped scuttle at least one development plan in the downtown area: a proposed 50-story condominium tower on the site of the old Ramada Inn-Downtown. "They can and they will co-exist," Gordon said. "There's this theory that says, to be a great city, you have to have great downtown skylines. And while I agree that downtown should have the highest buildings in the city, not every building will be, or needs to be, a skyscraper."

From the AZ Republic: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...xheight12.html