Third Street & Earl - Whole Block Fenced Off

[grmi66]

I'm only an amateur sleuth, so just basing this off of what I saw on one of the real estate apps. Looks like most of the properties sold for about the going rate of what the dirt's worth in the neighborhood. But 2-3 holdouts got almost $100-$175,000 more for the lots than their neighbors did.

Third Street is already too congested, now adding another 335 units to the mix and taking away two lanes of traffic will make it even worse. It's the only street other than Central where you can do left hand turns in rush hour.

[new2colo]

Originally Posted by kytoaz

I'm all for infill but the trend of bulldozing single family homes to build over priced "luxury" apartments is sickening. The amount of these units coming on line is ridiculous and totally unsustainable. Developer greed buying city councilman and not giving a crap about what's best for our city. Typical.

What is the issue if the homeowners of the single family residences agree to sell? As the population of Phoenix continues to grow, I would expect more traditionally urban living options. Single family residences in the heart of the city might have made sense when they were built between the 1920s and 1960s, but these days more dense complexes make sense in central areas.

If the complexes didn’t make sense financially, developers and investors would not take the risk of building here.

[new2colo]

Originally Posted by grmi66

I'm only an amateur sleuth, so just basing this off of what I saw on one of the real estate apps. Looks like most of the properties sold for about the going rate of what the dirt's worth in the neighborhood. But 2-3 holdouts got almost $100-$175,000 more for the lots than their neighbors did.

Third Street is already too congested, now adding another 335 units to the mix and taking away two lanes of traffic will make it even worse. It's the only street other than Central where you can do left hand turns in rush hour.

Major cities are congested places. In a city with 1.7 million people, I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect free flowing traffic at all hours. A glut of apartments will congest streets, but people will adapt to the congestion like they do in all other major cities. If traffic gets so bad where people start considering other modes of transportation, so be it. Phoenix’s days as a small town that caters to vehicular traffic only are gone.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by new2colo

Major cities are congested places. In a city with 1.7 million people, I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect free flowing traffic at all hours. A glut of apartments will congest streets, but people will adapt to the congestion like they do in all other major cities. If traffic gets so bad where people start considering other modes of transportation, so be it. Phoenix’s days as a small town that caters to vehicular traffic only are gone.

Phoenix, like most major cities, has a serious need to add housing options in its central core, particularly in proximity to high-capacity transit. There are residents of central neighborhoods who understandably like things the way they are and want to maintain the status quo, but that's just not realistic in a dynamic, growing urban environment. I'm not even convinced that the new apartments are going to make congestion that much worse. Many Midtown office workers will now have the option of living within walking distance of their employers, others will catch the train to workplaces elsewhere along the line, and the new bike lanes to be added to Third Street will provide another option for mobility. People will adapt.

[asufan]

Originally Posted by kytoaz

I'm all for infill but the trend of bulldozing single family homes to build over priced "luxury" apartments is sickening. The amount of these units coming on line is ridiculous and totally unsustainable. Developer greed buying city councilman and not giving a crap about what's best for our city. Typical.

The highest and best use of properties in midtown zoned TOD is definitely not single family dwellings. As long as they aren't in a historic district they are fair game. Developers buying up properties to get a large piece of dirt is called "assemblage" and happens every day, moreso in other cities with less vacant land. If a house is unique and worth saving, they can be moved.