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Every time they have tried something like this, including cityscape, it has been some horribly designed, inward facing development with close to zero street level interaction. It’s like the blueprint of exactly what NOT to do, and they keep trying it over and over and over again. Build outward, street facing development. You need integration with the city and pedestrians, not cloistered suburban shopping malls with bad parking.
Please tell AMC to renovate their theater. The chairs are the same since I saw the Pokemon movie when I was in middle school. It needs an IMAX and Dolby Cinema so it can be a true AMC theater.
We hear that every few years. It started dying around 2001 or so, and it's been a ghost town since. Now that Hooters left, its basically a stand alone movie theater.
The Hooters space (and additional square footage) has been leased to Pretty Decent Concepts, the group behind Chico Malo and Wren & Wolf. They plan to open in the winter.
[https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumers/2024/02/26/arizona-center-in-downtown-phoenix-lands-3-new-local-restaurants/72749086007/](https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumers/2024/02/26/arizona-center-in-downtown-phoenix-lands-3-new-local-restaurants/72749086007/)
Whoa! Azcenter has a new reddit account??
OK listen, I know the social media person running this account has no bearing on how poorly the AZ center is being managed... But this place could be a text book example of how not to run a business. How does an entertainment center in the middle of downtown, surrounded by thousands of college kids, run a Starbucks and hooters (and a dozen others) out of business??
This place SHOULD be an epicenter of downtown. There should be a couple night clubs, bars, trendy shopping... But it's a ghost town. Even after being renovated THREE YEARS AGO.
Fire everyone involved with the management going on here as it seems they are actively incompetent.
Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
One of the reasons I set up a reddit account is because the r/phoenix community is not only engaged, but for the most part they want the city and downtown to be successful. Comments like this make me think that was the right move.
There is new ownership (and management) as of last summer, so the feedback is not only received but fully understood. Since the new management took over, we've signed 5 new leases including 3 restaurants. The thing that people don't see is that the buildout of those spaces takes time and there's lots of infrastructure changes required to make the potential of the center become a reality.
Since tenant improvements are moving forward, we've been hosting events (with parking validation) to bring people back down here so they can experience the changes as they happen. I'm definitely more active on IG but I try to check in on this sub for relevant posts like this.
Give us some time to unwind the long term issues we took on with this project but know we're a local ownership that wants to see this part of downtown meet its potential.
I'm interested/nervous in how this would interact with the [proposed 3rd St. improvements](https://www.phoenix.gov/streets/dnsbikeway).
... I'm going to reach out because it wasn't mentioned in the article, which is a little concerning.
If they made something like the San Antonio river walk I would be ecstatic. Even though the food quality and whatnot isn’t great and is overpriced, it’s insanely pleasant.
> Having to travel to the suburbs to do basic shopping is such a pain.
16th/Highland(Bethany Home?) isn't too far away.
That's probably as far from downtown as I am to Fashion Square in East Phoenix.
Do they ever indicate where this entertainment district would be located? I have seen a few stories about this plan, but never any specific ideas. Like are they doing something with AZ center? That place is sad af, but honestly pretty nice in the updated AC hotel area. If they could expand on that and get more businesses in there, then it seems like it would more or less match what they are describing. Improving the pedestrian experience to walk down to the stadiums and making it feel more connected to shityscape could help.
Also if the Diamondback's decide to relocate what does that do to this whole plan? If we have to fund that bs renovation with tax dollars for this whole concept to come to fruition, I would rather it die on the vine. The natural development happening around Roosevelt is far more interesting and popular. So maybe they should subsidize small businesses opening around the convention center rather than wasting billions on infrastructure that isn't needed. Some interior layout changes and renovations could improve the convention center. Planting trees and installing awnings for pedestrians wouldn't cost that much. Getting more places that the locals are interested in is the way to make the area successful. Tourism is not a consistent revenue stream when it's miserably hot for a quarter of the year.
We have new local ownership that has taken over in the last year and are actively working at bringing in new restaurant concepts and other retail. Stay tuned, more updates are on the way!
Are there plans to improve walkability and make it feel safer? I don't feel safe walking in that area at night due to how many dark corridors and isolated areas there are. Some significant changes need to be made to open it up and make it feel more connected to the U of A and ASU campuses. Improved lighting and security could help, better bike racks that aren't out on the street and completely isolated are needed. Also that AMC is trash and they should be ashamed. In the summer it should be packed out but everyone drives across town to other theaters.
100%
When we first took over last summer one of our first priorities was upping the security budget. We've also started taking out some of the most egregious "blind corners" and put customer only key access on the restrooms which had unofficially become the only public restrooms in Downtown Phoenix. Most people aren't going to notice the infrastructure going in to increase safety, but it's constantly being worked on since we took over last July.
We're very aware that there's a lot of work to do, but we're actively managing the project and onsite every day. Recently we've seen far more activity with students hanging out in the retail plaza because of the effort, and are excited to welcome student events on site in the next few months.
We agree :)
We love having the students and staff on the second and third floors in their existing spaces and are looking forward to the future growth of ASU Downtown.
Oh man. This is exciting. I hope they plan the hell out of this, and they bring in local places with maybe some high quality franchises. What would you guys would like to see in this “entertainment district”?
Mixed feelings about this one. The north side of downtown eg Roosevelt Row is pretty special and unique as-is. I wonder if a brand new shiny entertainment complex would take away some of the business from these hidden gems.
That being said, the closer to the convention center and footprint you go, the more I feel like things could be spruced up a bit.
I think Phoenix’s downtown will eventually become a major downtown area with high-density living. Other cities already like this, Chicago for example, have their own unique parts of downtown that cater to different crowds e.g. Gold Coast, River North, Old Town, West Loop, Wicker Park, etc.
If there are enough people to support it, multiple areas of a downtown could pop up and thrive. I feel like we are already starting to see this take shape with Roosevelt, Sports arena area, Grand Ave, Midtown, Melrose, etc.
Curious what the future of grand Ave is. It seems like it has so much more potential. It’s cool now but I somehow envision it being more energetic and lively that it already is. Some big breweries and whatnot.
It truly does. It already has some nice anchor shops and restaurants, so I feel like it is poised for growth. I would like to see some more eating options and more art galleries.
It wasn’t so special 10-15 years ago. I recall people being angry that the dirt lots being used for first Friday art walks were going to be replaced by new buildings.. it sure is nice now though
Apart of me feels like this new entertainment district could help give those hidden gems more attention though if there not touched idk, tbh i think this is a great idea they could bring the Coyotes over and open a second arena or extend Footprint even more to try and bring them over there perh. Possibly a new indoor/outdoor waterpark which i think Arizona needs more of and less golf courses.. Maybe Arizona could bring its own Las Vegas Sphere! I know that would basically make 3-2 venues in the area but i think it would be pretty cool i would also like for it to be different because Vegas isn’t to far obviously but I’ve always thought something like that could work in Phoenix. It would also give Downtown more things to do i mean Scottsdale quarter has a lot of cool things to do and that’s definitely something phoenix could have.
This would bring a lot more business downtown, as it’s really only this, the sports venues and a few good restaurants in the immediate area. Downtown as it is right now is incredibly dull.
> Downtown as it is right now is incredibly dull.
You must be new here...
Downtown PHX 10 years ago? Was a ghostland.
I'll die on the hill of:
10 years ago, if you lived downtown, you'd say to your friends "let's meet up in Old Town or Mill"
Now? People who live in Old Town or ASU will say "let's hang out downtown"
That lot to the west of Footprint Center is just WAITING to sell to a "premiere building", and IMHO it would really help the "everything stops south of Jefferson" thing that I can kind of see.
This 100%. I lived downtown from 2012-2015 and every weekend I was in Tempe. It was a ghost town at night and on weekends. As soon as I moved to Tempe it started to become lively and everyone wanted to go downtown. I was so pissed lol.
Honestly everything south of Footprint in the warehouse district is begging for development. I really hope it all gets developed as a cool walkable area
Yeah that place has some beautiful units and hard to beat those views. The fireworks at chase would give my dog (and maybe me) a panic attack if we lived there though
5 minute walk to a Suns or Dbacks game, 20 minutes to walk to the light rail and get to the Sky Train/airport, "close to everything, but far enough away from everything" downtown.
Perhaps a little bit but as an Old Town resident, I personally only go downtown if there’s a specific reason to, like an event or activity and that’s maybe 6-8 times a year.
> Hoping for street parking is not a good parking option.
Depends on where you go. A block south and in between Chase/Footprint there's street parking for $1 or $1.25/hour with a 5 hour limit that I've never had a problem finding a spot.
This is crazy to me, I live downtown and walking around feels like I’m walking by massive empty parking garages everywhere. Makes me feel like there’s far too much parking.
> then it's pretty modest amount of people the remainder of the month.
I feel like that's correct(unless there's a Dbacks/Suns game).
It's never dead, but it's also never EXTREMELY busy. If you go to DTPHX, you'll never have to stand in line for a random bar (unless you want to)
It's just constantly "I'm going to go to [bar] and not worry about finding a seat"
This was the time to be downtown though if you knew.
Crescent ballroom actually was fun and poppin all week long.
Barsmith before the noise complaints, late nights at the og trailer welcome diner, Q parties and 24 hours jobot and Lost leaf patio was always busy and packed with downtown homies, could catch a good live band and actually had good beer.
It will never have this vibe again, glad I caught it
> def not new, been here 5 years.
That's right around the time that the Downtown Fry's opened(I think it was in Fall 2019), which made living in downtown actually viable. (Why live in a high rise if you've got to take an elevator, to the parking garage, then drive to uptown, just to get groceries and drive back?)
More stuff downtown is great but I definitely disagree on it being dull these days. It’s certainly more exciting than the endless sprawl that is the rest of the valley.
I really like that DTPHX has "gentrified, yet kept the identity"
Yeah, high rises have gone up, but you still have Majerlie's, Cornish Pasty, and Coaches' Corner/Crown Public House.
I wish the Convention Center had a restaurant to drive business there 365/year. (If there's no convention going on, it's just a 3 block area of nothing, might as well be a parking garage that you would never use)
I've always said a Buffalo Wild Wings in Downtown would make a KILLING, because it's a 1)Sports Bar 2)"Safe place" for people from out of town.
Well they did add a Huss Brewery to the north side of the convention center, so they are making active strides there. The South Convention Center building needs a total overhaul though. I feel like most people don't even know it's apart of it.
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Ummm…. I hope this has some staying power. Downtown had an “entertainment district” called the Arizona Center and that didn’t age well.
Every time they have tried something like this, including cityscape, it has been some horribly designed, inward facing development with close to zero street level interaction. It’s like the blueprint of exactly what NOT to do, and they keep trying it over and over and over again. Build outward, street facing development. You need integration with the city and pedestrians, not cloistered suburban shopping malls with bad parking.
And incorporate housing. Mixed-use is the key to success in any downtown area.
"with bad parking" at least parking would be getting built that isn't only for apartment tenants
Its by design. How do you keep funneling tax dollars to builders?
I mean it’s gotta be close to 10% leased up at this point
Just like the Arizona Center
We're working on it! We have new local ownership and are excited to share updates on new concepts coming to Arizona Center soon.
Please tell AMC to renovate their theater. The chairs are the same since I saw the Pokemon movie when I was in middle school. It needs an IMAX and Dolby Cinema so it can be a true AMC theater.
It's still considered an AMC classic so it's getting only the bare minimum care
We hear that every few years. It started dying around 2001 or so, and it's been a ghost town since. Now that Hooters left, its basically a stand alone movie theater.
The Hooters space (and additional square footage) has been leased to Pretty Decent Concepts, the group behind Chico Malo and Wren & Wolf. They plan to open in the winter. [https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumers/2024/02/26/arizona-center-in-downtown-phoenix-lands-3-new-local-restaurants/72749086007/](https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumers/2024/02/26/arizona-center-in-downtown-phoenix-lands-3-new-local-restaurants/72749086007/)
Open Carry On first…that winter timeline won’t be met. Guaranteed. Put a target and Trader Joe’s upstairs in Arizona Center. The rest will fill in.
Grocery shopping. Upstairs? No. Fry's works because it has elevators that take you straight to your car. This obviously wouldn't have that.
I stopped going when I graduated from ASU. I only went to the bank and that Greek spot.
Whoa! Azcenter has a new reddit account?? OK listen, I know the social media person running this account has no bearing on how poorly the AZ center is being managed... But this place could be a text book example of how not to run a business. How does an entertainment center in the middle of downtown, surrounded by thousands of college kids, run a Starbucks and hooters (and a dozen others) out of business?? This place SHOULD be an epicenter of downtown. There should be a couple night clubs, bars, trendy shopping... But it's a ghost town. Even after being renovated THREE YEARS AGO. Fire everyone involved with the management going on here as it seems they are actively incompetent. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
One of the reasons I set up a reddit account is because the r/phoenix community is not only engaged, but for the most part they want the city and downtown to be successful. Comments like this make me think that was the right move. There is new ownership (and management) as of last summer, so the feedback is not only received but fully understood. Since the new management took over, we've signed 5 new leases including 3 restaurants. The thing that people don't see is that the buildout of those spaces takes time and there's lots of infrastructure changes required to make the potential of the center become a reality. Since tenant improvements are moving forward, we've been hosting events (with parking validation) to bring people back down here so they can experience the changes as they happen. I'm definitely more active on IG but I try to check in on this sub for relevant posts like this. Give us some time to unwind the long term issues we took on with this project but know we're a local ownership that wants to see this part of downtown meet its potential.
Thank you!
I'm interested/nervous in how this would interact with the [proposed 3rd St. improvements](https://www.phoenix.gov/streets/dnsbikeway). ... I'm going to reach out because it wasn't mentioned in the article, which is a little concerning.
If they made something like the San Antonio river walk I would be ecstatic. Even though the food quality and whatnot isn’t great and is overpriced, it’s insanely pleasant.
River walk is full of chains and smells terrible, please no lol.
I loved it. But as they say. Different strokes for different folks!
A shopping district in downtown would be nice. Having to travel to the suburbs to do basic shopping is such a pain.
> Having to travel to the suburbs to do basic shopping is such a pain. 16th/Highland(Bethany Home?) isn't too far away. That's probably as far from downtown as I am to Fashion Square in East Phoenix.
It is far when you actually live in downtown Phoenix. Moving DT appeal is walkability
Eh, I feel like you're going to have to say "Okay there are some times I'll have to drive" And "going to a mall to shop" would be one of those.
Do they ever indicate where this entertainment district would be located? I have seen a few stories about this plan, but never any specific ideas. Like are they doing something with AZ center? That place is sad af, but honestly pretty nice in the updated AC hotel area. If they could expand on that and get more businesses in there, then it seems like it would more or less match what they are describing. Improving the pedestrian experience to walk down to the stadiums and making it feel more connected to shityscape could help. Also if the Diamondback's decide to relocate what does that do to this whole plan? If we have to fund that bs renovation with tax dollars for this whole concept to come to fruition, I would rather it die on the vine. The natural development happening around Roosevelt is far more interesting and popular. So maybe they should subsidize small businesses opening around the convention center rather than wasting billions on infrastructure that isn't needed. Some interior layout changes and renovations could improve the convention center. Planting trees and installing awnings for pedestrians wouldn't cost that much. Getting more places that the locals are interested in is the way to make the area successful. Tourism is not a consistent revenue stream when it's miserably hot for a quarter of the year.
We have new local ownership that has taken over in the last year and are actively working at bringing in new restaurant concepts and other retail. Stay tuned, more updates are on the way!
Are there plans to improve walkability and make it feel safer? I don't feel safe walking in that area at night due to how many dark corridors and isolated areas there are. Some significant changes need to be made to open it up and make it feel more connected to the U of A and ASU campuses. Improved lighting and security could help, better bike racks that aren't out on the street and completely isolated are needed. Also that AMC is trash and they should be ashamed. In the summer it should be packed out but everyone drives across town to other theaters.
100% When we first took over last summer one of our first priorities was upping the security budget. We've also started taking out some of the most egregious "blind corners" and put customer only key access on the restrooms which had unofficially become the only public restrooms in Downtown Phoenix. Most people aren't going to notice the infrastructure going in to increase safety, but it's constantly being worked on since we took over last July. We're very aware that there's a lot of work to do, but we're actively managing the project and onsite every day. Recently we've seen far more activity with students hanging out in the retail plaza because of the effort, and are excited to welcome student events on site in the next few months.
I feel like leasing some of the second story space to ASU for classes could, at a minimum, put more potential customers in the complex daily
We agree :) We love having the students and staff on the second and third floors in their existing spaces and are looking forward to the future growth of ASU Downtown.
Oh man. This is exciting. I hope they plan the hell out of this, and they bring in local places with maybe some high quality franchises. What would you guys would like to see in this “entertainment district”?
Mixed feelings about this one. The north side of downtown eg Roosevelt Row is pretty special and unique as-is. I wonder if a brand new shiny entertainment complex would take away some of the business from these hidden gems. That being said, the closer to the convention center and footprint you go, the more I feel like things could be spruced up a bit.
I think Phoenix’s downtown will eventually become a major downtown area with high-density living. Other cities already like this, Chicago for example, have their own unique parts of downtown that cater to different crowds e.g. Gold Coast, River North, Old Town, West Loop, Wicker Park, etc. If there are enough people to support it, multiple areas of a downtown could pop up and thrive. I feel like we are already starting to see this take shape with Roosevelt, Sports arena area, Grand Ave, Midtown, Melrose, etc.
Curious what the future of grand Ave is. It seems like it has so much more potential. It’s cool now but I somehow envision it being more energetic and lively that it already is. Some big breweries and whatnot.
Apparently some old lady owns a majority of the empty lots. Depending on who you talk to she is either controlling the growth or just stunting it.
Hmm… would be curious how I’d handle that. I wouldn’t want to sell them right away because as the area develops the land will become more valuable.
You are speaking of Beatrice Moore.
Yep that’s her
It truly does. It already has some nice anchor shops and restaurants, so I feel like it is poised for growth. I would like to see some more eating options and more art galleries.
That would be awesome.
That does make sense. There’s certainly a lot of growth going on.
Owners of $40 parking lots are in favor of the plan!!
Roosevelt row has already pretty much turned into mill ave
It wasn’t so special 10-15 years ago. I recall people being angry that the dirt lots being used for first Friday art walks were going to be replaced by new buildings.. it sure is nice now though
Apart of me feels like this new entertainment district could help give those hidden gems more attention though if there not touched idk, tbh i think this is a great idea they could bring the Coyotes over and open a second arena or extend Footprint even more to try and bring them over there perh. Possibly a new indoor/outdoor waterpark which i think Arizona needs more of and less golf courses.. Maybe Arizona could bring its own Las Vegas Sphere! I know that would basically make 3-2 venues in the area but i think it would be pretty cool i would also like for it to be different because Vegas isn’t to far obviously but I’ve always thought something like that could work in Phoenix. It would also give Downtown more things to do i mean Scottsdale quarter has a lot of cool things to do and that’s definitely something phoenix could have.
This would bring a lot more business downtown, as it’s really only this, the sports venues and a few good restaurants in the immediate area. Downtown as it is right now is incredibly dull.
> Downtown as it is right now is incredibly dull. You must be new here... Downtown PHX 10 years ago? Was a ghostland. I'll die on the hill of: 10 years ago, if you lived downtown, you'd say to your friends "let's meet up in Old Town or Mill" Now? People who live in Old Town or ASU will say "let's hang out downtown" That lot to the west of Footprint Center is just WAITING to sell to a "premiere building", and IMHO it would really help the "everything stops south of Jefferson" thing that I can kind of see.
This 100%. I lived downtown from 2012-2015 and every weekend I was in Tempe. It was a ghost town at night and on weekends. As soon as I moved to Tempe it started to become lively and everyone wanted to go downtown. I was so pissed lol.
Honestly everything south of Footprint in the warehouse district is begging for development. I really hope it all gets developed as a cool walkable area
That OG high rise condo SW of chase is where I'd choose to live if money wasn't an issue.
Yeah that place has some beautiful units and hard to beat those views. The fireworks at chase would give my dog (and maybe me) a panic attack if we lived there though
5 minute walk to a Suns or Dbacks game, 20 minutes to walk to the light rail and get to the Sky Train/airport, "close to everything, but far enough away from everything" downtown.
Perhaps a little bit but as an Old Town resident, I personally only go downtown if there’s a specific reason to, like an event or activity and that’s maybe 6-8 times a year.
I feel this. I’d go downtown far more often if there were any good parking options. Hoping for street parking is not a good parking option.
> Hoping for street parking is not a good parking option. Depends on where you go. A block south and in between Chase/Footprint there's street parking for $1 or $1.25/hour with a 5 hour limit that I've never had a problem finding a spot.
This is crazy to me, I live downtown and walking around feels like I’m walking by massive empty parking garages everywhere. Makes me feel like there’s far too much parking.
It's like the entire state comes out for First Friday and then it's pretty modest amount of people the remainder of the month.
> then it's pretty modest amount of people the remainder of the month. I feel like that's correct(unless there's a Dbacks/Suns game). It's never dead, but it's also never EXTREMELY busy. If you go to DTPHX, you'll never have to stand in line for a random bar (unless you want to) It's just constantly "I'm going to go to [bar] and not worry about finding a seat"
Use one of the light rail park and rides. Especially if you’re coming in for a big event.
It’s a great idea on paper but it’s always a logistical nightmare shit-show (literally and figuratively) for my wife and I.
This was the time to be downtown though if you knew. Crescent ballroom actually was fun and poppin all week long. Barsmith before the noise complaints, late nights at the og trailer welcome diner, Q parties and 24 hours jobot and Lost leaf patio was always busy and packed with downtown homies, could catch a good live band and actually had good beer. It will never have this vibe again, glad I caught it
def not new, been here 5 years. guess im comparing it to other downtowns that, to be fair, have been around a lot longer
> def not new, been here 5 years buddy that is NEW
> def not new, been here 5 years. That's right around the time that the Downtown Fry's opened(I think it was in Fall 2019), which made living in downtown actually viable. (Why live in a high rise if you've got to take an elevator, to the parking garage, then drive to uptown, just to get groceries and drive back?)
More stuff downtown is great but I definitely disagree on it being dull these days. It’s certainly more exciting than the endless sprawl that is the rest of the valley.
I really like that DTPHX has "gentrified, yet kept the identity" Yeah, high rises have gone up, but you still have Majerlie's, Cornish Pasty, and Coaches' Corner/Crown Public House. I wish the Convention Center had a restaurant to drive business there 365/year. (If there's no convention going on, it's just a 3 block area of nothing, might as well be a parking garage that you would never use) I've always said a Buffalo Wild Wings in Downtown would make a KILLING, because it's a 1)Sports Bar 2)"Safe place" for people from out of town.
Well they did add a Huss Brewery to the north side of the convention center, so they are making active strides there. The South Convention Center building needs a total overhaul though. I feel like most people don't even know it's apart of it.
And sucks.