Downtown cultural district proposed
Condo tower part of developer’s plans
An international developer wants to create a cultural and entertainment district in downtown Phoenix around the convention area and its new condominium tower.
The proposal is for a project that would also bring office, retail and a better walking experience to the stretch along Third Street from Van Buren Street to the Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Houston-based Hines has submitted a proposal to Phoenix for the district that would include vacant land around the Herberger theater for a Latino cultural center and Valley Youth Theatre. Loft homes could be included in the new buildings.
The district would tie into the 25-story condominium high rise that Hines is planning at the Colliers Center, near Third and Jefferson streets. Plans call for 375 condos in the tower.
Phoenix’s Downtown, Aviation, Economy and Innovation Subcommittee is scheduled to hear the unsolicited proposal at its meeting Wednesday.
The plan also calls for narrowing Third Street to create a more pedestrian-friendly area.
“Our proposal responds to the vision of local leaders who have dreamed of enhancing the existing sports, cultural and entertainment vibrancy of downtown Phoenix,” Chris Anderson, managing director Hines in Arizona, said in a statement.
Anderson said Hines is complying with the city’s new unsolicited proposal policy. It calls for keeping plans confidential until the council acts to move the proposal forward with a RFP that allows for community input and competing proposals.
Since the full proposal isn’t public yet, more specifics on the plan weren’t available.
Hines is also proposing to work with other developers on the downtown district.
Hines has developed some high-profile projects in the Valley, including the former corporate headquarters of U.S. Airways in downtown Tempe and the 24th Street and Camelback mixed-use project near the Biltmore in Phoenix.
Hines has also developed other downtown revitalization projects, including CityCenter DC, a 2.5 millionsquare-foot mixed-use development on 10 acres in downtown Washington D.C.; Bayside Toronto, a mixed-use waterfront community in central Toronto, Canada; and Porta Nuova, a 3.8 millionsquare-foot mixed-use development with office, residential, retail and cultural venues in Milan, Italy.
“Hines has extensive expertise in urban place-making at the pedestrian level,” said Arizona developer and community leader Steve Betts, who is advising Hines on the project. “The plan also proposes to enhance and improve cultural, theater and convention assets in the district.”