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The Business Journal of Phoenix - April 7, 2006
by Mike Padgett
For the past week, designs
for a major mixed-use urban project in downtown Phoenix
called CityScape, with 2 million square feet in four
high-rises, have dominated the executive offices at three
companies promoting the concept.
That's because this
is the last week before an April 7 deadline to file their
proposal with city planners. The companies declined to
release details about the project until after their
discussions with city officials, who also declined to say
whether they support the companies' plans until they see the
designs.
Because of the
massive scale of this project -- covering up to three city
blocks -- one can only imagine what the designs will
contain.
CityScape's tentative look
includes four towers filled with offices, residential units,
restaurants, retail space, a hospitality component and open
space for public events.
The concept is proposed for
the two blocks between Central Avenue and Second Street,
Washington and Jefferson streets. RED Development in March
announced its $27.5 million purchase of the 2-acre block
between Central and First Street. The other block is
controlled by Barron Collier Cos.
in Naples, Fla.
West of the site is Patriots
Square, which could become part of the redevelopment if the
city can resolve existing commitments on the square's
underground parking.
The CityScape partnership
consists of RED Development LLC
in Scottsdale, Cardon Development
Group of Mesa and Barron Collier. Leading the design
team is Callison Architecture Inc.
of Seattle, which has worked on designs for Westcor's
existing Scottsdale Fashion Square, Westcor's proposed
Palisene development in northeast Phoenix, and
SunCor Development's
Hayden Ferry Lakeside in Tempe.
RED Development officials
envision about 200,000 square feet of retail space, possibly
on two floors. The retail and commercial mix could include
apparel, home furnishings, a specialty grocer, restaurants
and offices.
More ideas are expected from
retailers after CityScape's designs are explained to them at
the International Council of Shopping Centers convention May
21-24 in Las Vegas, said John Bacon, RED Development
marketing vice president.
"We have a key list of two
dozen tenants we want to get this in front of and get their
feedback, because they are integral to how the project may
take shape," Bacon said.
Acting Phoenix Deputy City
Manager David Cavazos said he's unaware of other companies
planning to file proposals by April 7.
"Until we're at that
deadline, it's hard to speculate," Cavazos said. "We're
hoping to get at least one and if we get more than that, it
would be great."
He said the number
of proposals filed and their complexity will determine how
much time the city will take to make any decisions about the
concept.
A cost estimate for CityScape
is not yet available, but it's safe to say it would be
comparable to the $600 million price tag of the
Phoenix Convention Center
expansion now under way. Incentives from the city won't be
considered until developers and the city are deep in
discussions, Cavazos said.
Downtown proponents say
whatever design is approved for the downtown property,
whether from the CityScape joint venture or others, it must
become a place to see and be seen if it is to work.
"It's got to be the one place
in the core of the city where everybody has to go," said
architect-urbanist Mo Stein of The
Stein-Cox Group. "When they get off their plane at
Sky Harbor, they say, 'I want to go see this CityScape
project that I've heard so much about.'"
An ardent downtown fan is Jay
Tubbs, development director at Ryan
Cos. U.S. Inc., which is in the Phelps Dodge building
across the street from the block that RED Development bought
in March. Tubbs' office looks south over the block.
"It's the best site in the
city, with light rail on both sides and next to the ballpark
and the arena," Tubbs said. "If somebody could pull that
(proposal) off, it would be off the charts, but it's very
ambitious."
Others said retail is an
important part of the formula needed to make a new
development popular.
"I want to see the biggest
mixed-use project we've ever seen in Arizona," said
Phoenix Community Alliance
President Donald Keuth. "This (proposal) is something we've
been talking about for a long, long time."
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