Chandler Update: Lofts,
Brownstones, and Condos in Chandler, AZ |
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It's about time for Chandler
Lighted clock tower to rise over
San Marcos Commons
Luci Scott
The Arizona Republic -
Feb. 7, 2006 12:00 AM
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Town clocks have played key roles in
popular culture, including the books Catcher in the Rye
and the movies Back to the Future and the first
version of A Kiss Before Dying.
A town clock can mark a gathering place, an intangible glue
that becomes the heart of a community. Now, downtown
Chandler will get its own big clock on a 75-foot lighted
tower that will be visible from the Santan Freeway.
The tower, on the northwestern corner of Arizona Avenue and
Buffalo Street, is the landmark portion of a 15-acre project
called
San Marcos Commons that will extend north to Chandler
Boulevard. The tower site is the former location of the
Chinese fast-food restaurant Chopstix that was torn down
last year.
The developer, Desert Viking, plans 79 townhouses, more
than 200,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and office
space and a garage to hold as many as 500 cars.
"We haven't finalized the exact design of that clock, but we
do want it to be the recognizable signature icon for the
downtown," said Niels Kreipke of Desert Viking.
Expectations are running high that downtown will be
enlivened by the addition of
San Marcos Commons
as well as by a 54-townhouse project
called
123 Washington. That project is under construction on
the northeastern corner of Washington and Buffalo by Benton
Robb Development Associates.
The
123 Washington townhouses are priced from $275,000 to
$325,000. Only 10 of those remain to be sold, and the first
residents will move in by Sept. 1, Ross Robb said. Prices
for the San Marcos townhouses have not been set.
"When you revitalize a downtown, the most important
component you can bring in is residences," said Christine
Mackay, a city economic development specialist.
"If you've got companies, everyone goes out to eat lunch,
but what you need to have a thriving downtown is people
there at all hours, so downtown is their back yard." |
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San Marcos Commons will house retail and restaurants on
the first floor and offices on the second and third floors.
Talks are under way with potential tenants, but no contracts
have been signed, Kreipke said.
Construction is expected to start this spring.
"We're trying to create architecture comparable to a
historic site," said Kreipke, who has won awards for work in
historic restoration. "We're hopeful you'll get the sense of
a resort destination."
The townhouses, which won't be gated, will extend along
Buffalo from Dakota Street at the San Marcos golf course to
Oregon Street. Part of Oregon will be closed to make way for
the parking structure.
The houses will be built in clusters of five and six, and
every unit will be painted its own color. Sizes will range
from about 1,300 to 2,000 square feet. There will be some
balconies, covered front entrances and historic-looking
light fixtures. The complex will have a pool, a grill, a
ramada and an interactive fountain.
"Kids can run through it and water will splash out of the
ground," Kreipke said.
He has a list of potential townhouse buyers, and he hopes
the first residents will move be in by mid-2007. |
The perimeter of the project will include space for public
art.
"Our goal is to make it pedestrian friendly and inviting,"
Kreipke said. "The tower will light up to create a pleasant
atmosphere."
The Chandler United Methodist Church, on a 1.3-acre site at
251 W. Chandler Boulevard, will move to make way for the new
project. The church will break ground in late spring or
early summer on a 7.5-acre location on Chandler Heights Road
just east of Arizona Avenue, and will move in 1 1/2 to two
years, said the Rev. Bob Mitchell.
The two townhouse projects will total 133 units, and Kreipke
said even more are needed to revitalize downtown.
"It's far from where we need to be, but it's a good start."
Jennifer Morrison, Chandler's acting downtown coordinator,
noted that Kreipke has a history of redeveloping buildings
in downtown areas.
"He takes the design of his spaces very seriously, and
they're always of high quality."
About the clock tower, she said, "I think he wanted
something on the corner that would attract attention and be
architecturally pleasing, and I think he certainly hit the
mark. . . . You will have the sense of arrival, that you've
come to some place very special." |
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