Tempe, AZ

Last week, I was in San Francisco for two different real estate conferences. I had a great time, and enjoyed the convenience of utilizing San Francisco's public transportation system. I specifically picked a hotel that was between the two conferences and was adjacent to a BART station so that I could try it all out. From the airport, during traffic, I was at my hotel in less than a half hour and the cost was just over five bucks. The bus system on Market street was surprising to me as well. I recall seeing at least 4 different types of bus that stopped directly in front of my hotel. For a buck fifty, I could get to most parts of the city and yes, it took me within a block of my conference on Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday, I rode BART toward down town and exited within a very short walk of the other conference as well. Before my trip, I made sure to brush up on my etiquette by reading "Muni Manners." I think it came in handy a couple of times. :-) Here in Arizona, there is incredible opportunity to create some really cool things along the new light rail line. Some of the areas are largely un-developed and others are already pretty cool. Prime examples of where we have opportunities to create some really great new environments would be along Washington Street between Tempe and downtown Phoenix and along the Apache Corridor in Tempe. Tempe has done a really cool study along the Apache Corridor and there have been recommendations for creating transit oriented developments (TOD's) along the boulevard. These exciting new areas should incorporate street facing shops, café's and businesses along with pedestrian friendly access, off street parking (rear of buildings?) bike path's to access the area, ample shade and a vibrancy that we currently have very little of. RailLife.com, is going to be a great place to learn about the changes that WILL be coming to the areas along the light rail route. Keep up with some of the areas surrounding the new light rail line by joining this "Light Rail Flicker Group" which will be sharing all kind of pics of things on and near the new light rail line. There will be lot's of cool changes to these areas in our future!

We don't need to become San Francisco, we need our own face, our own identity but we will embrace a new style of living to enhance the other many options that our state has. Tourists will love the convenience of the light rail route. The ability to get to the Mill Avenue District and yet be a few minutes from Downtown Phoenix and see a play, a baseball or basketball game, get to the convention center etc etc.. This place is changing right before our eyes. It is nice to see the excitement building in these upcoming areas. With gas prices changing the way many people think about their commute, the housing demand near transportation (mainly light rail) has become very appealing to many people. These trends should continue well in to the future. Take a look at this video I shot at a light rail stop in the Mill Avenue District this past 4th of July. It was one of the rare times when the public has had access to the trains and the reaction was very positive! (they begin service in December)

Tempe is a growing, vibrant community with excellent access to amenities.. To Live, work and play, our great city is hard to beat! Tempe is very centrally located with easy access to our freeway systems and to the airport. Here, you will find some amazing housing opportunities, a great arts community, wonderful restaurants, great schools, lot's of different jobs, enthusiastic sports fans and a wonderful lifestyle in an amazingly convenient location that is close to many of the things our great state has to offer.

If you have any questions about the community of Tempe Arizona, please feel free to visit our web site at http://www.nickbastian.com/ or feel free to call us at 602-803-6425 or toll free at 1-888-343-6425.

Over the past month or two, the City of Tempe and the Downtown Tempe Community (Tempe Leadership Class) have been adding the following signs to the Mill Avenue District. An idea which has proved successful in other downtown environments, the "Give Change for Change" campaign maintains that sometimes a "hand out" is not always a "hand up".
Taken from the actual signage: "Giving change or food to panhandlers or homeless people may hurt more than it helps by encouraging life on the streets and by discouraging people from seeking the real help that they need." It continues, "If you really want to help, feed the change for change parking meters mounted to most of these directory locations instead...". The idea being that the change you give to the meter will actually go to aid organizations who help the homeless get off the streets.

Mill Avenue Gives Change for Change

Signage in the Mill Avenue District

Although this project will probably not completely solve the problem, it will certainly go a long way towards helping clean up the streets and we applaud the Tempe Leadership Class for promoting such an aggressive campaign.

The parking garage next to Tempe city hall is going up fast and most are looking forward to its completion. Why you ask? Why would anyone care about another parking garage in downtown Tempe? Well, for obvious reasons, additional parking is very good for the downtown environment. But, that isn't why we are looking forward to it. This garage will also be wrapped at the street level with retail space thus hiding it's more mundane purpose. Here is a rendering of what it will look like:

No word yet on who the retailers, or cafes may be. But, we'll report here as soon as we know. We'll keep our fingers crossed that they can draw some good tenants even in this slower market. Here is a current photo of the construction progress:

Others are interested too! Here is a link to an Arizona Republic Article on the garage: City of Tempe Parking Garage with Retail

For more information on living the downtown Tempe lifestyle, feel free to contact us. Urban living in downtown tempe condos or lofts is what we specialize in!

Tom Tokoph

602-549-9000

I was a little surprised that SunCor decided to sell one of their two office towers at Hayden Ferry Lakeside to New York based Sumitomo corp. While some of the projects in and around the Mill Avenue District have been delayed, canceled or had different "financing issues" come up, the Hayden Ferry project is one that seems to have it all. Great location, great views, easy access to freeways, the airport and the upcoming light rail line etc.. The project is a wonderful mix of commercial and residential uses.

The commercial building that has been sold has a decent tenant in Smith Barney. Several other high profile tenants include KPMG, MetLife and the new corporate offices of Fidelity National Title. Fidelity decided to lease the entire 11th floor, leaving the posh 24th / Camelback location for this awesome area. Believe me, the management group at Fidelity knows a thing or two about real estate. The $92.5 million price tag is a lot of money but given the demand for the area, the growth and excitement surrounding the Mill Avenue District and the future developments that SunCor has talked about in the area, this might end up being a great deal for all involved. These "New Yorker's" are not exactly new to town. In fact, they recently sold out of the Phelps Dodge Tower in Phoenix prior to picking up this trophy property along the Tempe Town Lake. If you haven't seen these buildings, they are worth a look. The following pic is one I took in the lobby of the Hayden Ferry building. The lobby was designed with a really cool nautical theme where you feel like you are looking through the hull of a ship. :-)

Here, you can see the homes currently for sale at Hayden Ferry. These buildings are just East of the commercial buildings.

The lifestyle along Tempe Town lake and in and around the Mill Avenue District is changing drastically. This is a growing, vibrant community with excellent access to amenities..

To Live, work and play, our great city is hard to beat! Tempe is very centrally located with easy access to our freeway systems and to the airport. Here, you will find some amazing housing opportunities, a great arts community, wonderful restaurants, great schools, lot's of different jobs, enthusiastic sports fans and a wonderful lifestyle in an amazingly convenient location that is close to many of the things our great state has to offer.

If you have any questions about the community of Tempe Arizona, please feel free to visit our web site at http://www.nickbastian.com/ or feel free to call us at 602-803-6425 or toll free at 1-888-343-6425.

5th Street Lofts

Downtown Tempe Mill Avenue District, 7 condominium units, built in 2007, 1 and 2 bedrooms, 1339 to 1760 sq ft,, prices starting at $482,000. Three story loft space with spacious nine foot ceilings, first floor office or den space,private garage parking,distributed audio visual system, high speed internet/CATV, private master retreat, private porch and two balconies for each unit. Free downtown shuttle, stops every fifteen minutes

UrbanLiving360 - Downtown Tempe Lofts, High-rises, and Unique Condominiums