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Old 07-04-2007, 03:46 AM
 
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I snapped a few shots of Phoenix rising downtown area today and thought I'd share what's going on.

Also a question...I know a lot of people are moving here to Phoenix, but is anyone moving here interested in living in the downtown core in a highrise, or is everyone really interested only in the single family detached home in the suburbs?













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Old 07-04-2007, 04:51 AM
 
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
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Oh my! Thanks for those pics! ..Glad to see 44 Monroe is moving along VERY nicely. Thought it would be lighter in color, though. Summit is looking great, as well.

I'm afraid I'll NEVER be too fond of that god awful bland hotel.. >.<

I'd love love love love love to be able to live in a high rise building downtown - would beat the hell out of surburbia. But unfortunately, I'm priced out of it until I finish college.

Last edited by CodyW; 07-04-2007 at 05:01 AM..
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Old 07-04-2007, 07:53 AM
 
Location: FINALLY living in AZ and LOVING it!!!
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Give me a house in the burbs anyday. My own backyard with my own pool where my dog can run freely and play. I would never want to live in a place where my only access to the outdoors is a 5 x 10 balcony overlooking buildings and having to listen to the sound of traffic day and night. Just my own personal opinion . . .
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Old 07-04-2007, 07:58 AM
 
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MMMMMM, I bet the air is fresh too! I can only live on the outskirts and mountains for the air quality is much better.
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Old 07-04-2007, 11:11 AM
 
Location: Phoenix metro
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New buildings, and still nothing to do downtown. Explain why anyone would want to move there. Im curious because most people move downtown to have close proximity to everything a downtown offers, and downtown PHX is a boring ghosttown. You couldnt pay me to live there, Id be bored silly. Give me a house up in Carefree anyday, THATS Arizona, not a boring wanna-be skyscraper in the middle of the drab that defines Phoenix.
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Old 07-04-2007, 11:34 AM
 
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Wait a second...what is there to do in Carefree?

As for downtown, what sort of things would you want there to be around so it wouldn't be boring?
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Old 07-04-2007, 12:06 PM
 
Location: Inside the 101
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Great photos. As for the question of living downtown, at this point in my life -- with a baby and several pets -- a detached home in a suburban neighborhood near downtown is best for me. Nevertheless, when I was young and single I lived downtown in a two-story apartment complex. If I were at the same point in my life today, I would probably choose a newer high-rise or loft. Likewise, in the future, when my wife and I have an empty nest, urban living may be appealing once again.

My feeling is that there are plenty of young singles, childless couples, and empty-nesters to support projects like these as they develop. As for what to do Downtown, it seems like every day another interesting restaurant, bar, or gallery opens up. Downtown is no longer shaped by huge event-driven structures and is instead developing a much more organic array of homegrown independent businesses. While I don't want to live downtown at the moment, I go there much more these days than a few years ago.
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Old 07-04-2007, 12:23 PM
 
Location: Denver, CO
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The problem with Phoenix isn't that it doesn't resemble Chicago enough... it's that it doesn't resemble Las Vegas close enough. Vegas is our #1 competition-- we should be taking notes from them. A traditional downtown doesn't matter for sunbelt cities-- no one goes to Vegas to see "downtown Vegas"; they go for the strip. I've always thought it would be cool if they built some Indian casinos along Central Ave-- to turn it into Phoenix's own Strip. What we call downtown or Copper Square would be the southern anchor of this new strip. Also, the biggest hope we have to create something cool is the area just northeast and northwest of downtown. There is already a nascent art community there along Roosevelt, so there is some potential, but it is mainly a bunch of vacant lots and old crappy buildings. We should bulldoze that whole area and turn it into a MID-rise walkable neighborhood with shaded trees. These dinky paloverde trees just DO NOT CUT IT when it comes to pedestrian spaces in the middle of concrete desert.
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Old 07-04-2007, 01:38 PM
 
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Nice, we've got a little urban discussion started...

Vegaspilgrim, I can't say I agree with you. Phoenix has tried your theory and so far it hasn't worked. Although not casinos (there is no Indian land downtown), they did try several big attractions like Chase Field, US Airways Center, Arizona Center, Dodge Theatre, the Mercado...and while these places are used by thousands upon thousands of people, these people drive to them...then once the event is over, they head back to their homes 20+ miles away.
The idea of bulldozing the whole area is exactly how all those lots because vacant and dusty. When Phoenix started out about 100 years or so back and up to the 40s, there were stores and shops and homes on every lot. As people started to move into the suburbs and leaving these places, the owners thought they should bulldoze the buildings and have them ready for new development. Well, they are still as ready as ever for new development.

Silverbear...good thoughts on downtown. You are right, slowly new restaurants, clubs, and bars are sprouting up. There is still a long way to go, but maybe in 10 years from now it will be a much better place. The biggest problem Phoenix has had downtown in my opinion is the lack of residents actually living in downtown. The thing is, you have people like Steve-O, which has the same view as many people, that think there is nothing to do..and to an extent they are right. But why is there nothing to do? Because there are no people there to support the restaurants, bars, clubs, grocery stores, video stores, pharmacies...therefore they don't open shop downtown. It's the chicken and egg scenario...and now it seems that finally some residential towers are going in to bring people and I hope the people will come then the amenities will follow.
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Old 07-04-2007, 01:59 PM
 
Location: Phoenix metro
20,004 posts, read 77,372,455 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desert crew View Post
Hey Steve-O. (Is it just me or does that sound like a breakfast food?! LOL!)We don't have to explain why people are moving here. It is obvious, we are a great place to live. We gained more people last year then that junk heap Chicago did. Man, talk about a waste of time city that is. Man, if you thought Carefree was awesome, it makes me wonder what Chicago must be offering these days. We all know that humidity isn't in sort supply! LOL! How do you people stand it?!
hahahaha

Wow. If you think Phoenix is 1/100th the city Chicago is, youve got another thing coming. "Junk heap"? Riiiiiiiight. 8 million people call home in and around Chicago, and its still growing. Carefree is nice because its quiet, set amongst the best scenery in the Valley, and offers true desert living, unlike the concrete jungle Phoenix is. And humidity isnt in short supply either, but its not bad at all compared to Miami or Nashville or Charlotte. Heck, we all know Phoenix isnt in short supply of hellish heat neither. How do YOU stand it?
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