Is Phoenix being overdeveloped? (Mesa, Glendale: condos, mortgages, townhomes)

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by PhD Biology

Do you guys think Phoenix should keep growing up (densify) or keep sprawling? I feel like there’s still plenty of land to keep sprawling but I don’t want The Valley to become another LA with nightmare congestion. Right now Phoenix is still very livable and i’m hoping for it to STAY that way. LA’s mistake was overdeveloping once quiet suburbs.

I wouldn’t mind for Downtown Phoenix to keep urbanizing but keep the suburbs untouched please!

It should be what the market demands. Right now, there is more demand for denser urbanization, but there still is (and likely always will be) a good amount of people who want the quieter suburban life. You say you want the suburbs to remain untouched, but sorry to say that's just not going to happen. Remember that Tempe used to be a quiet suburb many years ago, but it has grown upward and densified in recent years, and that's actually very positive as far as I'm concerned.

I would like to see more reputable companies become established here, and be headquartered in highrises in downtown or midtown Phoenix ... not in office parks scattered all over the place. That alone would help central Phoenix become taller and even denser. I don't see Phoenix becoming quite like L.A., but in some ways we are similar to what L.A. was like 40 or 50 years ago.

[PhD Biology]

Originally Posted by Copymutt

I lived on the valley in the 70's.
Yes it's over developed, but what metro isn't?
My breaking point with Phx. Was the parking lot traffic and the oppressive heat. Not a good mix.
Leaving for a small, pop. Under 30k community was one of my better life decisions.

Do you mind sharing where you moved to? So I can also move and tell all my friends to come along and increase the population there. Secret small towns don’t stay a quiet paradise forever

[CAHLUV]

Originally Posted by Copymutt

I lived on the valley in the 70's.
Yes it's over developed, but what metro isn't?
My breaking point with Phx. Was the parking lot traffic and the oppressive heat. Not a good mix.
Leaving for a small, pop. Under 30k community was one of my better life decisions.

You are spot on! Every metro is, on top of pricing many people out.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by PhD Biology

Do you mind sharing where you moved to? So I can also move and tell all my friends to come along and increase the population there. Secret small towns don’t stay a quiet paradise forever

There are tons of towns in the Midwest, South, etc, that are lovely and stay a quiet paradise forever.

[Colt AZ]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

There are tons of towns in the Midwest, South, etc, that are lovely and stay a quiet paradise forever.

Ain't that the truth!

[Jnvlv247]

Usually, when you get older you complain about these things and don't want to live in a big city or an urban sprawl. You rather be in the country or at the edge of the metro where it is quieter. I am 28 and have lived in N Sdale where it was pretty quiet and suburban. I have lived in Tempe, Downtown Phoenix and now central. I like the central city. It has lots of things going on and places open as well as jobs. I suppose as time goes by, I will long for a family and the suburb or even country side life. Some people are just city people and others aren't. Plenty of places in AZ that are not sprawl. Pretty much everywhere except Phoenix.

I'd rather growth than decay and decline like some places are going through now

[locolife]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

There are tons of towns in the Midwest, South, etc, that are lovely and stay a quiet paradise forever.

But then you have to be in the Midwest!

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by PhD Biology

Do you guys think Phoenix should keep growing up (densify) or keep sprawling?

Undoubtedly both, although to me Phoenix seems ripe for a huge amount of redevelopment in the more central areas.

I previously lived in Colorado, and remember Denver from 25+ years ago. What was then a bunch of warehouse districts is now mostly/completely converted to lofts, apartments, trendy restaurants, pubs, and sporting venues. Phoenix seems very early in this process to me, and there's lots of "underutilized" real estate within a few miles of the city center.


Also, Phoenix has the advantage of having it's airport right in the center of the metro area, unlike many other large cities, which should make living in the center of the metro area even more attractive to some people.

[man4857]

Originally Posted by PhD Biology

Do you guys think Phoenix should keep growing up (densify) or keep sprawling? I feel like there’s still plenty of land to keep sprawling but I don’t want The Valley to become another LA with nightmare congestion. Right now Phoenix is still very livable and i’m hoping for it to STAY that way. LA’s mistake was overdeveloping once quiet suburbs.

I wouldn’t mind for Downtown Phoenix to keep urbanizing but keep the suburbs untouched please!

The problem is... you can't stop people from moving in. So you gotta do one or the other, or both.

If you stop growing the housing supply in Phoenix, then housing prices will adjust accordingly and we'll also become LA... with expensive housing. (It's already been getting more expensive for the past few years).

So what do you do? You have to build housing, but probably not ridiculous McMansions, but more reasonably sized single family and condos/townhomes in high rises to increase density to reduce dependence on cars. The freeways in the Valley still have the capacity to handle a few stretches of widening projects but it'll reach a point where there's no more room to widen, or it's just ridiculous to keep going. Just look at the 60, 1 HOV + 5 general purpose lanes will not solve traffic during rush hour, and going to bet adding lanes won't help either.

Phoenix has the advantage that the city is central to the Valley and thus, jobs/commuting paths is pretty predictable. So the solution is to develop smart housing projects/public transit projects that house people next to their jobs along easy ways to get around to grocery stores/entertainment/malls to keep people from moving to some far location and relying on a car to get everywhere.

[Copymutt]

Originally Posted by PhD Biology

Do you mind sharing where you moved to? So I can also move and tell all my friends to come along and increase the population there. Secret small towns don’t stay a quiet paradise forever

Sorry you've been beat to the punch. Durango, Co has been a good run for 40 yrs. Now it's like every other tourist trap and liberal special snowflake deserves it all city gov.. Now headed to the N woods of Maine. Lots of room for everyone there if your of a mind.