The Phoenix Planning Commission is expected to discuss tonight whether a California-based developer should be able to build 120-foot buildings along the Seventh Avenue curve.
Melrose Point is the project slated for the flourishing urban community along Seventh Avenue between Camelback and Indian School roads.
It’s an infill project that would bring 340 condominiums mixed with ground-floor retail and office space to the neighborhood.
Some in the area are concerned about the proposed height of the buildings, and others are eager for the project and the pedestrian traffic it is likely to bring to the area.
The Phoenix Planning Commission is expected to consider the case at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 200 W. Jefferson St.
The Melrose Point towers could be as high as 10 stories, or about 120 feet, and each is expected to have three stories of underground parking.
The land is already zoned for commercial development with buildings as tall as 56 feet. But the developer is asking the city for a waiver to build taller towers.
Several area residents don’t like the idea of being wedged in between mid-rises, and they have gathered more than 300 signatures in opposition to the plan.
"We’re not opposed to urban development, but the city has already set aside areas for high-rise developments," said Todd Lawson, president of the Carnation Association, which represents neighborhoods just east of the proposed project. "This is a half-mile from where high-rises are supposed to be on Central Avenue."
Others see the project differently.
"Seventh Avenue is not the suburbs," said Todd Bradford, who has lived in the up-and-coming community for 18 months. "It’s the urban core. I bought here because of what it is and what it’s going to be. A project like this is what we want."
At issue is that Seventh Avenue is a main artery that gushes traffic in and out of downtown Phoenix. It is also one of the only two remaining streets in the city with a reversible lane, meaning that during peak morning hours the center lane becomes a one-way lane south, and at the end of the work day, drivers can head only north. And because no left turns are permitted at the major intersections during those peak hours, drivers often duck into smaller neighborhood streets.
"The businesses support it because they see new customers around the corner," said Gay King, who has lived in the neighborhood for 50 years. "But the neighbors here see traffic and congestion."
Bill Sandweg, president of the Seventh Avenue Merchants Association, which represents the businesses along Seventh Avenue, is excited about the project and the blight that it will replace.
The site was once home to an abandoned bowling alley and a crime-ridden apartment complex.
Councilman Tom Simplot, who represents the area and is also a member of the merchants association, said the developer has already agreed to help solve the traffic issues.
City traffic officials are also working with the developer and residents to find solutions.
"What we think is the important to have agreement or consensus in the neighborhoods, something that the majority of the people can agree on," said John Siefert, a traffic engineering supervisor in the Streets Transportation Department. "When you start affecting people’s routes on how they get home and go shopping or get to school, all those people need to have a voice. Collectively they need to come and say these are the right solutions."
Monica Alonzo-Dunsmoor – The Arizona Republic
