NIMBY's Strike again ...this time in Tempe (Phoenix, Miami: renters, HOA fees)

[new2colo]

This is not a high rise. The rendering makes it appear to be about six floors. In any case, the building is butt ugly and out of scale with the rest of the neighborhood. This is a low density, low rise metropolitan area and that's the way most of us would like to keep it. If you want high rise living, hop on the 10 or the 8 and head about 5.5 hours west to San Diego or LA. Urbanity of that scale is not good for this area. Tempe is already in the middle of the urban heat island. If developers keep building to this intensity, pretty soon it's not going to drop below 105-110 at night during the summer and it will drive up electricity usage/costs. That would destroy the ecosystem. If you don't believe that intensive urbanization exacerbates the heat island, look at NY. There are some nights when it's 20 degrees warmer in the city than surrounding suburbs. That may be okay when the average low is in the 60s, but when the average low is in the mid 80s, it's unacceptable.

This sort of development also tends to be way overpriced. The Republic ran a story this week about a proposed high rise residence in DT Phoenix that will potentially charge residents $1300 for 400 square feet. Is that a joke? You can find better deals on high rise living in Miami and LA. Prices like that drive out lower income people, because all real estate starts going up in price. This is not a third world country. We do not need upper income people living in high rises in the central areas while the poor are restricted to the endless sea of Taco Bell style homes on the periphery.

Lastly, development like this destroys mountain views. I can see at least six prominent mountain ranges in the Phoenix area from my property. It is soothing and a reminder that I live in a unique desert environment. If I were to be surrounded by a bunch of hideous glass high rises, I would lose my sense of place. I would have to contend with nosy high rise neighbors invading my privacy, trash being thrown onto my property, hundreds of additional cars clogging up local roads, and all the increased noise and light. No thanks. I think we have done enough to already disturb the natural environment here. We don't need to turn this place into the Tokyo of the desert.

Keep this urban garbage in other places. If you are so hellbent on being surrounded by strangers living on top of each other, go somewhere else. That's not what we do here.

[Prickly Pear]

They are able to charge that much for a 400 square foot apartment here because there really isn't any high-rise living options here. Simple supply and demand.

I agree that the apartment complex looked out of place. But I think we do need more high rise options.... In Downtown Phoenix, where they are the most appropriate.

[Bondurant]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

Crescent Rio was dropped. It was a plan to build a high rise apartment building. The main concern was "population density"....are you kidding me? I wish these small town Mayberry minded NIMBY's would move to the country side and allow our city to progress..

Big Tempe apartment plan dropped after neighbors complain

You disdain NIMBY's but I'll bet your tune would change if there was a development project in your neighborhood you objected to.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

Crescent Rio was dropped. It was a plan to build a high rise apartment building. The main concern was "population density"....are you kidding me? I wish these small town Mayberry minded NIMBY's would move to the country side and allow our city to progress..

Big Tempe apartment plan dropped after neighbors complain

It probably would be better suited for the Mill district-Rio Salado-ASU, I don't think anyone would fight taller buildings around those areas.

It has nothing to do with small-town Mayberry-minded people, Tempe isn't that way at all.

Would you want something that looked out of place right next to your house? Developers should keep zoning ordinances and the best interest of the neighborhood in mind before planning these projects.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by new2colo

This is not a high rise. The rendering makes it appear to be about six floors. In any case, the building is butt ugly and out of scale with the rest of the neighborhood. This is a low density, low rise metropolitan area and that's the way most of us would like to keep it. If you want high rise living, hop on the 10 or the 8 and head about 5.5 hours west to San Diego or LA. Urbanity of that scale is not good for this area. Tempe is already in the middle of the urban heat island. If developers keep building to this intensity, pretty soon it's not going to drop below 105-110 at night during the summer and it will drive up electricity usage/costs. That would destroy the ecosystem. If you don't believe that intensive urbanization exacerbates the heat island, look at NY. There are some nights when it's 20 degrees warmer in the city than surrounding suburbs. That may be okay when the average low is in the 60s, but when the average low is in the mid 80s, it's unacceptable.

This sort of development also tends to be way overpriced. The Republic ran a story this week about a proposed high rise residence in DT Phoenix that will potentially charge residents $1300 for 400 square feet. Is that a joke? You can find better deals on high rise living in Miami and LA. Prices like that drive out lower income people, because all real estate starts going up in price. This is not a third world country. We do not need upper income people living in high rises in the central areas while the poor are restricted to the endless sea of Taco Bell style homes on the periphery.

Lastly, development like this destroys mountain views. I can see at least six prominent mountain ranges in the Phoenix area from my property. It is soothing and a reminder that I live in a unique desert environment. If I were to be surrounded by a bunch of hideous glass high rises, I would lose my sense of place. I would have to contend with nosy high rise neighbors invading my privacy, trash being thrown onto my property, hundreds of additional cars clogging up local roads, and all the increased noise and light. No thanks. I think we have done enough to already disturb the natural environment here. We don't need to turn this place into the Tokyo of the desert.

Keep this urban garbage in other places. If you are so hellbent on being surrounded by strangers living on top of each other, go somewhere else. That's not what we do here.

I agree the project is out of place for that neighborhood.

I strongly disagree with your insistence to keep Phoenix low-rise and low-density, it's a large metropolitan area that has a good mix of low density suburban areas and higher density urbanity.

Your idea of making everything low-density would force more suburban sprawl and destroy the ecosystem more than building denser buildings on available land in the cities.

When azriverfan wrote about small-town Mayberry-minded people I think he had you in mind.

This isn't a small town so maybe you should move because you don't seem to like it here very much judging by some of your other postings.

[AZ Manager]

Originally Posted by asufan

It was shut down because it was in an area away from downtown not approved for that height, not due to lack of demand "here". There definitely is a market for high rise living here (Phoenix metro), the wait list for rentals at W6 or whatever its called now says enough. I actually agree with this being turned down, I don't want the density in Tempe spread so far away from downtown while there is already ample developable land around downtown Tempe that is approved for high rise residential. Building more around downtown will add to the vibrancy, no reason to go into a single family home neighborhood that has been established for years.

It was shut down because it is against the current city plan for population density reasons, at the very least you could know the facts before spouting your nonsense. The city plan is a voter approved plan which means the majority of people decided they don't want these buildings in their city. I'm pretty sure I just repeated myself but maybe you can't read?

I'm not confusing rural living and sprawl, the idea is the same people want space from their neighbors. This is why our city plans have low population densities, the voters have decided they want and like the sprawl.

[elcajones]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

Crescent Rio was dropped. It was a plan to build a high rise apartment building. The main concern was "population density"....are you kidding me? I wish these small town Mayberry minded NIMBY's would move to the country side and allow our city to progress..

Big Tempe apartment plan dropped after neighbors complain

NIMBY's don't belong in Tempe, which is growing a strong urban core. I'd give some love if this was in South Tempe.... I wish they would plan something like this in the Fiesta District area. This project on Southern has made the area almost impassiple on the Southern Corridor (our main corridor over here) since 2013. If Tempe want's to fight it. Tear down the old Bennigans center on Alma/ Southern and build there, catty-corner from the B of A building.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by AZ Manager

It was shut down because it is against the current city plan for population density reasons, at the very least you could know the facts before spouting your nonsense. The city plan is a voter approved plan which means the majority of people decided they don't want these buildings in their city. I'm pretty sure I just repeated myself but maybe you can't read?

I'm not confusing rural living and sprawl, the idea is the same people want space from their neighbors. This is why our city plans have low population densities, the voters have decided they want and like the sprawl.

Tempe has a dense urban core and a good share of buildings that could be defined as highrises.

If the majority of Tempe residents decided they don't want these buildings in their city, I'm sure they would have resisted all the high-density development in the Mill district, ASU, and Rio Salado areas.

There are plenty of buildings fitting this description in those parts of Tempe and plenty of construction cranes, meaning even more high-density development is coming.

Maybe you should buy your twenty acres of land up north and move there as soon as possible because I don't think you're going to like they way the Phoenix area is growing, it's not as much low-density sprawl like it used to be.

[AZ Manager]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

Tempe has a dense urban core and a good share of buildings that could be defined as highrises.

If the majority of Tempe residents decided they don't want these buildings in their city, I'm sure they would have resisted all the high-density development in the Mill district, ASU, and Rio Salado areas.

There are plenty of buildings fitting this description in those parts of Tempe and plenty of construction cranes, meaning even more high-density development is coming.

Maybe you should buy your twenty acres of land up north and move there as soon as possible because I don't think you're going to like they way the Phoenix area is growing, it's not as much low-density sprawl like it used to be.

No if about it in May 2014 the voters decided they wanted the current plan by 56% you cant get anymore of a literal majority than that. The majority of people said very plainly they don't want these buildings being built where they tried to put this thing. The plan allows for a very high density core around ASU but if you want to spread that further then you need to get a new plan approved by the voters, good luck. Stop telling people you don't agree with to move, basically you want 56% of the people to abandoned Tempe which would turn it into a ghost town. If you don't like it tough your point of view lost in that election but good luck next time, the plan is good until Dec 2023 but don't get your hopes up.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by asufan

It was shut down because it was in an area away from downtown not approved for that height, not due to lack of demand "here". There definitely is a market for high rise living here (Phoenix metro), the wait list for rentals at W6 or whatever its called now says enough. I actually agree with this being turned down, I don't want the density in Tempe spread so far away from downtown while there is already ample developable land around downtown Tempe that is approved for high rise residential. Building more around downtown will add to the vibrancy, no reason to go into a single family home neighborhood that has been established for years.

Completely agree.