PVCC Puma Press: April 2006

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	Photo by Jason Forward
	When finished, CityScape will provide Phoenix with four more skyscrapers. Two will be condominium towers, one an office tower and one a “mixed use” tower.
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Downtown Phoenix is about to undergo a multi-million dollar, five-year re-development project known as CityScape. The project will change three city blocks into what developers hope will be the new social hot spot for the Copper Square area.

RED Development, a nationwide developing corporation based out of Kansas City, Missouri, has teamed its Scottsdale office with Phoenix company TDK Partners, which is headed by Callison Architecture Inc. of Seattle, WA.

The plan is to redevelop blocks 77(Patriots Square Park), 22 and 23, the two blocks east of the park.

The project planning started this year, and the first phase of development will take place in late 2009, according to John Bacon, RED Development Public relations representative. The project will take two to three years to finish and will hopefully give sports fans and event goers a place to gather after the game.

When finished, CityScape will provide Phoenix with four more skyscrapers. Two will be condominium towers, one an office tower and one a “mixed use” tower.

The development will also open up apartment complexes and two new underground parking garages. According to Bacon, the current garage will be restored and the park will be bigger and better than ever.

The area was considered for this redevelopment project because of all the changes that are already happening to the rest of the downtown area. The rail system is being put in, there is new construction going up over the old civic center, other facilities are going in, and these blocks are a prime location because they are so close to the baseball field and basketball arena. The Orpheum Theater and the Dodge Theater are also only a few blocks away.

This development will generate extra business for the shops, restaurants and clubs in the surrounding area, says Bacon. RED believes this project will “add a vibrant entertainment and night-life” to this area. After a sports game or concert event, people will have more places to go to visit or eat. Instead of feeling the need to “go someplace safer,” downtown will have a new connotation.

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	Developers believe the project will add vibrance to the nightlife downtown
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RED paid an initial $27.5 million for two of the city blocks owned by Ambasz, the New York architect and designer of Patriot Square Park. By the time CityScape has finished this project, there will be around 250,000 square feet of redeveloped and rejuvenated real estate. Also by that time, $900 million to $1 billion will have been spent to see the project through.

“We want this to be the ‘center of downtown,’ the focal point and gathering point of the downtown area,” says Bacon.

To find out more information on RED Development and this project, visit www.reddevelopment.com and search cityscape.