Every developer has critics. For David Dewar of Avenue Communities, the first critic of his plan for Centerpoint Condominiums was the most unlikely of sources – his wife.
She’d gone to Arizona State University in the early 1980s, before meeting her husband. She recalled the downtown as a "chug and puke." She remembered an unsophisticated downtown that featured cheap beer and couldn’t imagine why her husband and his development partner, Ken Losch, considered Tempe a hot spot for pricey condos.
She changed her mind after seeing how the city had transformed itself, but her reaction shows how Tempe still hasn’t overcome its former image among some people. Mill Avenue has reached a tipping point that’s triggering a surge in sophistication, Losch said.
"There are people who get it but not enough people in the Valley get it yet," Losch said.
They’ve convinced a locally renowned chef from north Scottsdale to move his restaurant, Michael’s at the Citadel, to Centerpoint. It’s run by Michael DeMaria.
They’ll also have a full-time resident chef, Troy Thivierge, to run an eatery for residents. They’re working to attract boutique stores and restaurants – from around the Valley and as far away as Canada – to Tempe.
"It’s going to get more refined," Losch said. "It’s going to get more sophisticated."
Losch and Dewar spent much of their lives in Canada’s urban cities, living in high-rise buildings and basking in urban lifestyles. Dewar, a 44-year-old who is now a U.S. citizen, grew up in a high-rise and recalls going down an elevator carrying his hockey stick.
Losch, a 46-year-old who is working to get U.S. citizenship, said a surprising number of Valley residents want the urban experience despite the Valley’s reputation for suburban sprawl. Most locals grew up someplace else and long for the more urban lifestyles they left behind.
Tempe has the hardware for this, they say. They’re supplying the software, which they consider unique businesses.
By Garin Groff – East Valley Tribune
