A plan to build nearly a dozen buildings on a high-profile swath of Tempe Town Lake is bursting its way through red tape because they will be several stories shorter than proposed.
The Tempe City Council, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and US Airways have now signed off on the 25.6-acre project, and the land went into escrow late last week. Now the project is awaiting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
"I think this is going to be very good thing for Tempe, a very good thing for ASU, and good income generator for the city that brings new development on the lake and fills in the gaps between buildings and helps offset the cost of operating the lake so it can continue to be a benefit for everyone in the community," said Randy Levin, a vice president with land developer SunCor Development Co.
The first Marina Heights building to go in probably will be an upscale hotel. Marina Heights high-rises also will include office space, retail, an outdoor plaza that ASU intends to use before sporting events, and lots of luxury housing, although uses could change depending on the market.
Backers say they hope the project, which will be visible from Loop 202, will entice corporations to locate headquarters in Tempe as buildings rise during the next 10 years.
Arizona State University owns the southern shoreland. University leaders in 2000 selected SunCor to develop it.
Although SunCor pieced together a plan for a series of sleek new buildings intended to fill in the empty space between the Rural Road Bridge and the Hayden Ferry Lakeside development early on, the Marina Heights project didn’t go anywhere until this year, when the university signaled it wanted to move forward with the multiuse high-rise project before the end of the fiscal year.
The university and the developer then struck a deal: ASU will retain rights to the eastern portion of the project, and SunCor will buy the rest of the property – about 11 acres – for $20.2 million. SunCor will lease the other portion of the land from ASU and manage the property.
The land is right in the pathway of Sky Harbor, which has added additional complications to the project.
About six weeks ago, US Airways leaders voiced concerns about how proposed building heights could interfere with an emergency policy for airplane-engine failure known as "engine-out procedures."
Leaders from the airline, SunCor and the airport recently were able to compromise on lower building heights, chopping off about 130 feet, or a third, of the initial building height.
But the limitation satisfied concern over the engine-out procedures that has plagued other Tempe high-rise projects, including the 30-story Centerpoint Condominiums and the 26-story University Square. Now, Marina Heights will top out at 253 feet, or an estimated 22 stories.
"If that is implemented, US Airways believe the building will not have a detrimental impact on the efficient and safe operation of airlines at Sky Harbor International Airport," wrote C.A. Howlett, US Airways senior vice president, in a letter to SunCor.
The Arizona Board of Regents also has given its blessing to the land deal.
Now, an FAA go-ahead is the final piece of the puzzle. Records show that the FAA received the SunCor application for approval June 18. FAA decisions generally take about six weeks.
Katie Nelson
The Arizona Republic
