14-15 Story Hotel/Apartment Complex Proposed for Downtown Mesa

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

I don't really understand the thinking here. Downtown Mesa is still lacking in development and pales in comparison to downtown Chandler and Gilbert in terms of restaurants, night life and development. Downtown Mesa also has a lot of crime and it's adjacent to blighted areas. High rise apartments or buildings are typically expensive due to the construction costs. I fail to understand why anyone with money would invest in those apartments when they can invest elsewhere.

hmmmm.....exact same thing was said about downtown Phoenix 15 years ago.....and Chandler.....and Gilbert......and Glendale.......(and Tempe 30 years ago)

if I had some backers, I'd be grabbing every square foot of downtown Mesa right now while the gettin' is good

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

That doesn't make sense because it's much more expensive to build a modern high building hence the reason those units are expensive. Normally that works in dense areas that are in demand and in which people earn a good income (San Francisco), it won't work in Mesa. Unless downtown Mesa create a lot of local high paying jobs, cleans up the area and provide bars, restaurants and other local amenities, they aren't going to attract a lot of demand to pay $$$ for a high rise unit.

Nowadays, 15 story buildings are NOT considered highrises. You're starting to sound like the pathetic NIMBYs that both you and I have always balked at. Why are you on their side now?

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

One of the biggest suburbs in the entire country and we're excited over a 15 story building? I hope people from other cities don't read this forum, its embarrassing. Only in the Valley do we get stoked over tiny "highrises". hahaha

Well said! Mesa should be building up its central core because of the fact that it's a sizeable city on its own, not to mention one of the nation's largest suburbs. Tempe has been able to build upward with 20 & 30 story buildings, so I don't see why Mesa can't as well. You're right that it is pretty embarrassing when we get excited over MIDRISE buildings. Even in downtown Phoenix, a good share of the newer developments are under 20 stories, and people seem to be fine with that kind of small townish architecture.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Well said! Mesa should be building up its central core because of the fact that it's a sizeable city on its own, not to mention one of the nation's largest suburbs. Tempe has been able to build upward with 20 & 30 story buildings, so I don't see why Mesa can't as well. You're right that it is pretty embarrassing when we get excited over MIDRISE buildings. Even in downtown Phoenix, a good share of the newer developments are under 20 stories, and people seem to be fine with that kind of small townish architecture.

Its the "something is better than nothing" mentality that permeates the PHX forum, making us sound pathetic. No major city should EVER get excited over such miniscule projects. Bringing in small, low-capacity apartments and condos to gargantuan cities like PHX and Mesa shouldn't even be mentioned. Why? That's the NORM elsewhere. No reason to get excited about that crap here.

[wase4711]

I wonder if its the fact that the really deep and super strong foundations required for really tall buildings cant be done in this area, because of whats underground...
I'm no engineer, so I am just speculating, but a 50 story tower in downtown phoenix would be kewl!
Although I would hate to see the electricity bill!!

[Colt AZ]

Originally Posted by wase4711

I wonder if its the fact that the really deep and super strong foundations required for really tall buildings cant be done in this area, because of whats underground...
I'm no engineer, so I am just speculating, but a 50 story tower in downtown phoenix would be kewl!
Although I would hate to see the electricity bill!!

I would think that in a so-called landlocked state like Arizona, complete with that awful new word (CALICHE) that noobies continually discover when they come here to dig us, all manner of 50-plus story buildings would be able to be built. What is caliche

I dunno what kind of slippery slopes they build skyscrapers on over there in New York, Chicago, San Fran, etc, but it seems to me that places which have always been surrounded by water, sand and wastewater dump sites -- just can't be the most ideal sites to build those big, tall things.

Please correct an Arizonan if he's wrong...

[wase4711]

here's how its done in Chicago for now..I assume the same could be done in AZ...

https://www.chipublib.org/blogs/post...il-1870s-1900/

[kent_moore]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

Ill admit to standing out in the rain some nights.

I gotta Instagram the rain last night

On Topic:
What is the height restriction of building here in AZ? 15 storey is a low rise building. Back in my home country, new residential building can be as high 70 floors

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

Its the "something is better than nothing" mentality that permeates the PHX forum, making us sound pathetic. No major city should EVER get excited over such miniscule projects. Bringing in small, low-capacity apartments and condos to gargantuan cities like PHX and Mesa shouldn't even be mentioned. Why? That's the NORM elsewhere. No reason to get excited about that crap here.

Right! Start building 60 & 70 story skyscrapers in downtown Phoenix, and 30 story buildings in Mesa ... those would be worth mentioning! It's great that the downtown areas are attempting to bring in more residents & become more dense, but a few new 10 or 15 story buildings in the central core shouldn't be such a big deal in a city or metro area as big as this. It makes us look more like America's biggest small town rather than the fifth largest city.

Originally Posted by wase4711

I wonder if its the fact that the really deep and super strong foundations required for really tall buildings cant be done in this area, because of whats underground...
I'm no engineer, so I am just speculating, but a 50 story tower in downtown phoenix would be kewl!
Although I would hate to see the electricity bill!!

It has nothing to do with the type of soil or the rock. It's mostly the stupid NIMBYs and the FAA pushing their height restrictions. A good example of this was about 10 years ago, there was a 39 story hotel tower proposed for downtown Phoenix, but it was scrapped mainly because a group of preservationists started a lawsuit over the location of the development ... it was supposed to be located on a supposed historical site. NIMBYs are generally against anything & everything that will disturb "their" tranquility, or block "their" sunshine & "their" mountain views. Most of them are pathetic losers who have nothing better to do than protest & attempt to get in the way of progress.

[belgirl]

There have been tall skyscrapers proposed in the past; but financial costs scrapped all these projects.
The Chase tower is currently the tallest building in Arizona at 40 floors. I can't see Mesa ever getting a bunch of tall skyscrapers in downtown Mesa. That's never really been their vibe.