Developers want to silence nearly all train horns on a stretch of tracks on the southern end of Downtown Phoenix. The proposed quiet zone would impact Union Pacific trains that travel along Harrison Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Street. Several developers have built condos in the area and other plans to build more condominiums and hotels are underway.

Train engineers honk their horns at each railroad crossing in Phoenix. In quiet zones, train operators use horns less often. A temporary quiet zone may cost as little as $250,000 but would face a years review by the Federal Railroad Administration. A permanent quiet zone could cost up to $4.5 million but many of the recommended improvements are probably already in place, substantially reducing the price tag. The city has already contributed $150,000 toward the project, and several businesses have raised about $100,000 so far.

Developers have big plans for the neighborhood. W Developments, the firm that built the Summit at Copper Square, is involved in the proposed Jackson Street Entertainment District for the area. CityScape, a $900 million RED Development project, is expected to include hotels and dwellings. The Luhr’s building will one day be a hotel

UrbanLiving360 - Downtown Phoenix Lofts, High-rises, and Unique Condominiums

Portland Place has just released new pricing on select units. These units have been discounted from 10-20% from last week’s asking price! Check out urbanliving360.com for more details and to request information.

The ASU College of Nursing just keeps getting bigger and better! (See expansion info below) If you are a nursing student or a member of the faculty, there are great options for nearby chic urban living - and at affordable prices! Check out 215 E. McKinley and Roosevelt 11 and give us a call at 480-232-9699 if you would like more information.

ASU News: Tuesday, the ASU College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation broke ground on a $30 million addition to its existing five-story building in Downtown Phoenix. Opening in 2009, it will provide more teaching and office space for the college. Started in 1957 with just three faculty members and six students, the school now has nearly 2,000 students and is the nation’s largest. In 2002, ASU graduated an average of 160 nurses a year. Now it graduates 320 a year.

ASU is in the midst of a multi-million dollar building spree in the heart of Phoenix. The university partnered with Phoenix city leaders to open a downtown campus in 2006. It’s a key part of plans to revitalize the heart of the city. Construction crews are building a $150 million student housing complex, which is called Taylor Place, a $71 million school of journalism and a $30 million park with a $2.4 million artwork crafted by Boston artist Janet Echelman.

This June, Scottsdale developer Grace Communities expects to finish the first dozen floors of its 34-story Downtown Phoenix high-rise, 44 Monroe - the tallest residential building in Arizona. By August, the rest of the building interior will be completed. The 196-unit condo tower will bring more full-time residents to downtown, a key component of long-term plans to bring vitality and foot traffic to the neighborhood. Cost: $160 million. For a hard-hat tour of the building, call 480-232-9699.

If you have been watching the delightful resurgence of 7th Avenue, turn your eyes east to 3rd Street. Several high-end residential and non-franchise boutique-business developments are planned in an area known as the Third Street Promenade, between Steele Indian School Park and Downtown Phoenix.

Among the developers is Urban Dencity, a Scottsdale-based architecture and design firm. The company hopes to build Soleil, a four-unit residential project at Third Street and Mulberry Drive. The three-bedroom, three-bathroom townhouses would be nearly 3,700 square feet each and would start at $1.35 million. All the units would have outdoor lap pools, roof decks and 10-foot ceilings. They also hope to build Forma on Third Street at Windsor Avenue. The two-bedroom lofts would have a pool and large patio and roof decks. Urban Dencity also will take advantage of the area’s potential business options with a mixed-used development on Third and Flower Streets. This development would have luxury condos on the top floor as large as 3,000 square feet and commercial projects on the ground floor. A restaurant, a wine bar, a little market. Hope so!

Mike Lafferty, president of Lafferty Development, Inc., will build 11-story Union Square on the SE corner of 12th Street and Washington in Downtown Phoenix. With a light rail station of each side of this project, Union Square will include 280 condos, public and business meeting rooms, a 175-room hotel, and street level retail. His intention is to engage the neighborhood residents and adjacent property owners to create a business district that encourages more live/work/play activity in the area. To lead the charge in accomplishing this goal, he hired “the best urban planner known to God” according to Lafferty. She is Dana Crawford, the brain behind Larimer Square and other projects in Downtown Denver. We can’t wait to see her magic in Downtown Phoenix!

Relax on your upstairs terrace at Portland Two and take in the spectacular view of Downtown Phoenix. Located at 7th Street and Portland, these contemporary townhomes are just about ready for move-in. Sporting exposed ductwork and other lofty elements, these large spaces range from 1,600 to over 2,165 square feet. And, to top it off, they have attached 2-car garages, a rare thing indeed in the heart of downtown Phoenix!