SoDo Phoenix Blog

Hey all you Central Park Business & Property Owners, come out this coming Saturday morning, April 26th from 7 AM to 11 AM and help “clean up the neighborhood”. 

Several local Non-Profit & Neighborhood Groups plus the City Of Phoenix Neighborhood Services as well as Councilman Michael Johnson’s office are collaborating to do a Neighborhood Clean-Up for the Central Park Community - Central to 4th St, Lincoln St to Buckeye.

Staging Area is the United Methodist Church at 1st St & Grant.

Dumpsters will be located at 1st St & Grant and 3rd St & Hadley.

Morning refreshments and Lunch will be served for Volunteers after the Clean-Up.

For more information, contact Patricia Arviso - Program Coordinator at 602 253 6895 or parviso@phxrevitalization.org

Downtown Phoenix Real Estate is our niche.  Hi, my name is Lyle Plocher.  I am the Designated Broker for Urban Connection Realty, a boutique Real Estate Firm, specializing in residential and commercial Real Estate in Downtown Phoenix and it’s surrounding neighborhoods.  We are well equipped to assist you whether you are looking for a condo, loft, home, residential income property such as a duplex, triplex, fourplex or Apartment Complex or other Commercial property.

Our office is located at 707 S. 3rd St in SoDo Phoenix, just south of Grant St and right across 3rd St from the Bentley Projects Gallery.

I can be reached by phone at 602 373 3725 or by e-mail at lyle@urbanconnectionrealty.com .

www.urbanconnectionrealty.com

www.downtownphoenixjournal.com/realestate

The largest contemporary art gallery in the West, Bentley Projects is located in a renovated 1918 Downtown Phoenix warehouse featuring soaring ceilings with clerestory windows and distinctive architectural details.  The 22,000 square foot art space is home to large-scale paintings, sculpture, photography and print exhibitions by mid-career local and internationally recognized artists.  Bentley Projects also exhibits site-specific installations providing visitors with a unique experience at each visit.

Bentley Projects can accommodate a variety of events ranging from large receptions with live music for up to 600 guests, to sit-down dinners for up to 350 guests, intimate cocktail parties, weddings, or business meetings - all in a setting unlike any other in Arizona.

Contact events@bentleygallery.com for more information.

Great owner-occupied or investment property opportunity in the Central Park neighborhood of SoDo Phoenix. City Park with Recreation Center just steps away from the property. Just around the corner from the Bentley Projects Gallery and City Bakery. Just a short walk to US Airways Center, Chase Field & future Light Rail. Cute, brick bungalow with covered front porch and carport. Seller is a licensed Real Estate Agent in AZ.

Currently generating $1200 a month in Rental Income.

Asking Price is $193,000

For more information about this property or any property in SoDo, contact Lyle Plocher with Urban Connection Realty at 602 373 3725 or lyle@urbanconnectionrealty.com

Formerly contactdesign, Phoenix Contemporary Design Fair (PCDF) is hosting the third annual modern design showcase at The Icehouse in downtown Phoenix April 19th and 20th, 2008. This is a unique event putting design enthusiasts in touch with actual furniture makers, designers and innovators who lead the way in modern design.  The purpose of this event is to bring residents and resources together. Many Phoenicians are interested in modern design and have trouble finding reliable resources for their own homes. The popularity of loft living, modern homes and renovated historic homes has risen and now these unique homeowners can find everything they need to decorate, renovate and design, right in one place at the Phoenix Contemporary Design Fair!

PCDF invites guests to connect with and meet members of the design industry. Vendors expected to be exhibiting include furniture designers, interior designers, architects, home décor brands and other unique businesses related to modern living. This event will feature exclusive living displays by world-renowned designers.

The Icehouse is located at 429 W Jackson St in Downtown Phoenix.  The hours are 10 AM to 5 PM both Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th.  The event is open to the Public and Admission is Free.

PCDF Site

The Icehouse Site

If you live or work in SoDo, stop by the Bentley Projects at 215 E Grant St on Thursday, April 16th, at 6 PM, meet some of your SoDo neighbors and enter into some creative discussion about how we can get more folks patronizing SoDo Art Galleries, Coffee Shops, Restaurants, etc.  One of the ideas we would like to toss around is the possibility of doing our own Art Walk maybe combined with a street fair and or a Historic Warehouse Tour or ?  in the Fall of this year.

Please RSVP to lyle@urbanconnectionrealty.com

On Wednesday night, the Phoenix City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into a Lease Agreement with the Suns and the Diamondbacks for the Jefferson Street parking garage.  The $20 million deal would allow the City to pay off the debt they owe to CityScape and would pave the way for the Suns and Diamondbacks to start negotiating with the Jackson Street Entertainment boys who want to develop Retail and Housing adjacent to the south side of the Parking Garage.  So now, we can move on the the next chapter in the unfolding of the Jackson Street Entertainment District.  Stay tuned!!

The RCB will feature the art of Emily Costello and El Moises during a Cinco De Mayo Exhibit on Friday, May 2nd at 7 PM. 

The Royal Coffee Bar is located at the corner of 2nd Ave & Jackson.

RCB site

Emily Costello site

El Moises site

This just in from the Phoenix Business Journal as reported by Jan Buchholz:

The Jackson Street Entertainment District proposed for downtown Phoenix may be a step closer to happening after the Phoenix City Council considers a related matter at its meeting Wednesday.

After more than a year of negotiations, the city staff has hammered out a lease-purchase agreement for the Jefferson Street parking garage located between Chase Field and U.S. Airways Arena on the south side of Jefferson Street. The agreement must then be signed with representatives of the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks, who need the 1,400 parking spaces on game days.

The ordinance scheduled for council action includes a provision that the professional sports teams, as part of the $20 million lease-purchase agreement, negotiate with the developers of the Jackson Street Entertainment District to allow construction of retail space and rental housing the southern exterior of the garage. That would be the first stage of creating the blockbuster entertainment-related neighborhood that would cover about 20 city blocks.

Dale Jensen, majority owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks and a minority owner of the Phoenix Suns, is one of the primary partners in the Jackson Street development, along with David Wallach, Brad Yonover and Michael Hallmark. Jensen has said that commencing the development by adding retail and residential components to the parking structure is crucial to the entire project. His insider status, however, didn’t guarantee that other team owners were keen on the idea.

Though Jensen told the Phoenix Business Journal last fall that a deal to secure the parking garage on behalf of Jackson Street Entertainment District was imminent, it didn’t happen.

Deputy City Manager David Cavazos said he has been negotiating with the teams toward a resolution on the garage. The city, meanwhile, needs the $20 million to reimburse another developer, RED Development Co., which is building the nearby CityScape project with additional public parking. Otherwise, the Jefferson Street Garage will be given to RED when its development is partially completed in 2009.

Cavazos said he is optimistic everything can be worked out, if the council approves the deal. He noted that Sun’s majority owner Robert Sarver is talking with the Jackson Street folks.

“Robert Sarver met with David Wallach (Monday) to discuss the Jackson Street Entertainment District concepts,” Cavazos said. “We walked Jackson Street as part of this meeting. We are hopeful that all of the parties will come together and negotiate in good faith during the next 60 days.”

Sounds like one of those stories when an older person is telling you that they “remember the days”.  In this case, believe it or not, you can actually get a Burger, Fries & a Beer for $5 during weekday lunch hour at the infamous “Brickhouse Theatre”, located at 1 E Jackson St.  Of course, they also have a full menu which you can check out for yourself. 

In the evenings, the Brickhouse hosts many live concerts during the month.  Their website