Home In Tempe

Mill Avenue's new Irish pub - Robbie Fox's Public House

Raise a glass for Mill Avenue's new Irish pub; get ready for St. Patrick's Day

Robbie Fox's Public House, another new restaurant on Mill Avenue, recently opened. About 10 new businesses have opened on Mill Avenue in the last six months, with more coming soon. T-shirt shops, restaurants, boutiques and the like are popping up like spring flowers.

Guests will be able to see the famous, 130-year-old back bar that sort of saved the live of Irish activist Michael Collins. The bar was originally part of a pub named Phil Shanahan's, located on Foley Street in Dublin in the early 1900s.

Those staying for lunch or dinner will be able to sample some of the delicacies on their menu – cottage pie, a seafood pie with a luscious white sauce, fish and chips and maybe try the Robbie Fox sandwich …

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman, members of the Tempe City Council  and the downtown Tempe community will toast Mill Avenue’s latest restaurant on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 a.m.

The restaurant opened just in time for St. Patricks Day on March 17. Those who would like more Irish options for their holiday can visit Rula Bula just down the road or attend the St. Patrick's Day concert at Tempe Beach Park featuring Flogging Molly, the Keltic Cowboys, Metric and the Bollox. (www.luckymanonline.com for ticket prices and details.

Robbie Fox’s Public House is located on Sixth Street just west of Mill Avenue.  www.robbiefoxs.com

Phoenix Real Estate

Tempe Homes

Tempe one of country's best rowing communities

Tempe State of the City Address provides "Shop Tempe" resource - Nov 2009

Tempe State of the City Address provides "Shop Tempe" resource - Nov 2009

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman's State of the City Address this morning spelled out the details of Tempe's financial situation while also discussing ways to improve upon it.

Five Tempe residents were showcased as community leaders in efforts to improve our city through a series of short videos. Mayor Hallman gave nods to Walt Richardson for his longtime efforts working toward the resurgence of music in Tempe, Raillife.com's Nick Bastian for his promotion of real estate around the light rail line, Christina Cenzano and the Dave's Electric Brewpub team to highlight the experiences of new business owners, Pastor Sang Hoon Yoo for his role with For Our City, a group of faith leaders helping in the community and Lisa Roach, for her work on a neighborhood committee to renovate her local park.

The speech, given at The Buttes Resort, and videos are available online at www.tempe.gov/elected/hallman.htm -- click on Additional Links, State of the City 2009.

Mayor Hallman also called out www.tempe.gov/shoptempe as a resource for businesses to sign up for exposure through the city. Tempe-based businesses may provide a synopsis of their business and contact information for this website. Shoppers may use this directory as a means to find local shops near them. Also online will be a series of gift-giving ideas. The first list, Help Your Neighbor, focuses on Mom and Pop shops that people love. New lists will be added monthly. 

In his Tempe State of the City Address Mayor Hallman said, "It is by better networking, and further reducing your costs of doing business in Tempe that we hope to help you and your businesses flourish in Tempe. We all must help one another succeed. Just as Tempe cannot succeed unless its surrounding communities do, most of us will not succeed independently; we must all work together to improve the business climate in Tempe, in Arizona, in this nation and across the globe."

The Shop Tempe initiative is a step in that direction.

Tempe Homes for Sale

Tempe Orbit bus Systems may lose routes

Tempe Orbit bus Systems may lose routes

Tempe to host public meetings about Orbit and bus systems

Tempe residents are encouraged to attend one of three public meetings to learn more about potential route changes to the existing Orbit neighborhood circulator and fixed route arterial bus systems. The purpose of these meetings is to gather ideas from neighbors and get input on potential Orbit route changes that may occur in January and/or July 2010.
The scope of the proposed route changes has been expanded to include the majority of the arterial bus route system in Tempe. These proposed changes are due in large part to the slowing economy. The Tempe transit system is funded primarily by a half cent sales tax, which has dramatically decreased causing Tempe to reevaluate the Orbit transit system to make it more efficient in order to reduce costs. Passengers and residents are able to comment online beginning Oct. 28. at www.tempe.gov/tim. The same Orbit bus systems information will be presented at all three meetings. Meetings will occur:

Oct. 28 at 6 p.m.
Pyle Adult Recreation Center
655 E. Southern Ave., Tempe
 
Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.
Tempe Transportation Center
Don Cassano Community Room
200 E. Fifth St., Tempe
 
Nov. 7 at 10 a.m.
Tempe Transportation Center
Don Cassano Community Room
200 E. Fifth St., Tempe
 
For information about Orbit bus systems, call (480) 350-2775 or visit www.tempe.gov/tim

More than a dozen new businesses coming to Tempe -- meet them Sept 10th, 2009

More than a dozen new businesses coming to Tempe -- meet them Thursday afternoon

A bright spot in a tough national economy, Tempe has about a dozen businesses announcing and opening new locations within the city, many of these within the Mill Avenue District. These include:

•   The Irish Pub
•   Five Guys
•   Jimmy Johns
•   Bright Horizons Daycare
•   Smashburger
•   Dave's Electric Brew
•   Suckerpunch Sally's Cafe
•   Spark Magazine
•   Sea Life
•   Regions
•   Total Wine & More
•   Vanity on Mill
•   Pancheros

Media is invited to join the City of Tempe, Downtown Tempe Community (DTC) and Tempe’s newest businesses on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 2 p.m. for introductions to some of the city’s newest offerings and the announcement of the Mill Avenue Retail Competition winners. Meet at Centerpoint on Mill, located at the southwest corner of Sixth Street and Mill Avenue in Tempe. 

City of Tempe Mayor and Council, DTC representatives and local entrepreneurs will be present to talk about their new business ventures in the Mill Avenue District.  

“We are excited about all of our new businesses that are adding to the great destination that is the Mill Avenue District, both those that won our contest and those who independently chose to make Tempe their business home,” said Nancy Hormann, DTC Executive Director. 

Mill Avenue Retail Competition winners will receive a year of free rent with three-year lease, free website design and development by Synapses Studios and free one-year-membership from the Tempe Chamber of Commerce.  

Twenty business plans ranging from retail shops to restaurants to music venues were received. These were judged by a committee comprised of DTC, local retailers, City of Tempe staff and development owner DMB.  

“This is an impressive list even in a great economic cycle. It’s a strong indicator Tempe remains the best place to do business, and is a great dining and entertainment venue,”said Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman.  

Both Entrepreneur and BusinessWeek magazines recently named Tempe one of the 10 best places in the country to start a new business.  

Dave's Electric Brewpub will bring a grill to share with other restaurants to cook samples of some of their best dishes. Spark Magazine has a new issue coming out. Check out one of the custom-built motorcycles by Suckerpunch Sally’s and hear about their new, first in the nation café, which will be open 24 hours several days a week, complete with a homemade doughnut buffet.  

These are the first Arizona locations for mid-size companies such as Five Guys, Smashburger and Pancheros. Others are mom and pop operations taking a chance on their first store.

Tempe Arizona Homes for sale

Tempe Real Estate market forecast

Demolition begins for Tempe Historical Museum renovation

Major demolition, including removal of the front entrance, will begin on Tuesday at the Tempe Historical Museum, 809 E. Southern Ave. The Tempe museum is currently closed to the public and is scheduled to reopen in March.  

Renovations include developing a children's area that involves families and schools in historical and educational activities, redefining the exhibit area to feature flexible spaces with changing exhibits, integrating new technology with innovative interpretation to dramatically stage the stories of Tempe, increasing program space to accommodate up to 300 people, creating a versatile multi-use area and creating a dynamic, highly visible museum entrance. 

Museum services remain available; however, the museum staff will not be able to guarantee that immediate access will be given to anyone who chooses to come to the museum without an appointment.

•         Research, collection and photographic reproduction services will be available by appointment only by calling 480-350-5100.

•         Ongoing programs, such as the Third Thirstday Night Café and the Tempe Historical Society's Lunch Talks will continue on their regular schedules. However, they will take place at the Tempe Public Library, 3500 S. Rural Road.

Renderings/Information: www.tempe.gov/museum/CIPinfo.htm

Tempe continues to move forward with new businesses and developments

On the heels of the BusinessWeek designation as Best Place in Arizona to start a business, here is a list of some of the positive economic events that either have taken place in Tempe over the last three months or are coming forward in the next couple months.

Tempe Economic Development was vital in recruiting 25 new businesses last year and added hundreds of new jobs to the city. The Development Services Department has, so far this year, never seen a higher level of private capital investment -- $327 million this fiscal year. Much of that comes from new projects along the light rail line.

Development:

• Regency just opened -- 44 new condos, rehabilitating a 1950s building into state of the art housing just one block from ASU (www.regencytempe.com)
• Campus Suites on the Rail, at Apache and McClintock, will open this fall with new rental housing for students on the light rail line (www.campussuitesontherail.com)
• The Vue on Apache and Rural will also open with new rental housing for students. The development is almost completely filled. (www.thevueonapache.com)
• Tempe Gateway opens this July with 1,300 new parking spaces, new office space and retail space that is nearly 100% leased. (www.opuswest.com)
• Grigio Metro is pre-leasing for the opening in August with 180 move-ins anticipated. (www.grigiometro.com)
• Nearly 90% of the 525 apartments at Grigio Town Lake are leased. The Valley's most expensive luxury apartments. (www.grigio.com)
• 675 South is a 12 unit, five-story condo green-friendly infill project. Located just off Mill and on University, the project will be finished by July. (http://www.675south.com)
• The historic Fifth and Mill Building will be 100 percent occupied in late May. (www.tempe.gov/maps)
• New parking garage adjacent to City Hall in downtown Tempe opened on March 13, wrapped with 12,000 sq ft of office/retail space and including 438 parking spaces. (www.tempe.gov/parking)

New and Expanded Businesses:

• Medplast is adding a 20,000-square-foot clean room, a 20,000-square-foot white room, and many new engineering jobs by the end of the month. MedPlast Tempe focuses on the medical market and surgical tools. (www.medplastgroup.com/)
• MedImpact, the nation's largest pharmacy benefit management recently opened its southwest regional office in Tempe, and will eventually house as many as 200 employees. (www.medimpact.com)
• City Market and Deli has leased more than 2,000 square feet of space on the first floor of the Hayden Ferry Lakeside Retail Office Loft and is set to open this month. (http://www.citymarketanddeli.com/)
• Segway of Tempe is moving into Hayden Ferry Lakeside later this month to provide tours of Tempe Town Lake and sales of the Segway machines. 602 909-9188
• Knoll, Inc., a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of branded furniture and textiles for corporations, healthcare organizations and educational institutions as well as residences. Knoll is increasing its showroom size by 70 percent when it moves to Tempe, leasing 6,500 square feet in the Retail Office Lofts, a three-story office and retail building, at Hayden Ferry Lakeside. The new location will be one of 20 Knoll showrooms throughout North America. The company also distributes its products through a U.S. and Canadian dealership network. Knoll also has locations throughout Europe, South America, Asia and the Middle East. (www.knoll.com)
• LandAmerica’s new Tempe facility includes 41,000 sq. ft. to house LandAmerica’s title production for Arizona, Nevada and California, as well as the escrow production for all LandAmerica branches, escrow officers and account managers in Arizona. Approximately 65 positions will be new hires.
• Arizona Production & Packaging, a leading manufacturer of liquid nutritional supplements, will be relocating its corporate headquarters and manufacturing operations to a Tempe facility. The 67,000 square-feet facility, located at 7303 South Kyrene Road, will house the company's office, distribution and manufacturing operations. (http://azpack.com/)
• Asic North, a Vermont based computer chip designer, is moving it’s new design center to Tempe. (www.asicnorth.com)
• While banks everywhere are closing and reorganizing, Comerica is going strong., and just opened a new branch on Mill Avenue that will cater to international students and global businesses. (www.comerica.com)

Sports/Tourism Business Development

• Spring Training continues to bring millions of dollars into the State and local economies. Tempe’s strong partnership with Arte Moreno and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim insures that kids and amateur ballplayers have a home throughout the year when the pros are back in LA.
• Global company, Athletic Republic, has opened a performance sports training center south of Kiwanis Park on Kyrene. Since 1990, over 570,000 athletes have taken advantage of the 160 facilities throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Russia and Japan. (www.athleticrepublic.com)

Homebuilder cancels Tempe project and 8 others

DR Horton was introducing a new style of homes they called the "Urban Living Series." Urban Living was to be exclusive community luxury condominiums. In Tempe the units were 3-floors each ranging from 1,685 sq ft - 1,922 sq ft. They were priced from $387,500 - $405,000 and were to be located at the NE corner of Rural Rd. and Lakeshore Dr. (just south of I-60).

Architectural drawing:

However, the housing market stepped in and changed DR Horton's plans. I talked with the sales person who formerly worked at the Tempe location and learned that DR Horton restructured their company and dropped the Urban Living Series. That decision stopped development plans at 9 valley locations, including the one in Tempe.

Not one unit was sold during the brief 5-6 weeks the Tempe location was open for business.

DR Horton should have paid a little more attention to what is happening on Tempe Town Lake, at least for the Tempe location. There are condos there in the $400,000 range with a much better location and more amenities. Potential buyers in the $400,000 price range would be more likely to purchase at Tempe Town Lake.

What next for Rural Rd./Lakeshore Dr. area? It won't be a Taco Bell because they just opened at McClintock and Southern.

Tempe developments move forward

Despite the state of the economy, the outlook in Tempe is good. Let's review 5 Tempe projects:

1. Onyx Tower -  A 26-story luxury condo tower on the north shore of Tempe Town Lake, Onyx Tower is currently planned as the tallest building on the lake. It will have one to three bedroom floor plans ranging from 711 sq ft to 2,364 sq ft and from the low $300,000's to over $2,000,000. This project is scheduled to break ground later this year. Click on the picture to view it in full-size.
2. Campus Suites on the Rail - A 299 unit student complex with over 730,000 sq ft located on Apache Drive in  Tempe is beginning construction in 2008. It will have over 950 individual bedrooms, a 10,000 sq ft clubhouse, and 14,000 sq ft of retail space.
   
3. South Bank - A 3.6 million sq ft development on 27.3 acres that broke ground in May. It will be an interconnected urban community of Tempe office, retail, hotel , and residential space. A pedestrian-focused design, including a central plaza, public parks, a lakeside boardwalk, and an iconic pier will make South Bank unique in the Valley. Though various phases will be completed on an ongoing basis, the entire project is scheduled for completion in Tempe in 2010.
   
4. Hayden Flour Mill - A 469,160 sq ft development that will include retail, office, residential, and potential for a boutique hotel. It broke ground in Tempe in early 2008 and the first phase is scheduled for completion in mid-2009.
5. Tempe Marketplace Phase 2 - Remediation efforts have begun to restore the ground that was once a Super Fund site so the owners can build a major office park.