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

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On Monday, the Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission approved a proposal that would set aside $500,000 to preserve two iconic, 1920s-era downtown Phoenix skyscrapers. The proposal would also allow the developer to raze buildings on the south side of the block to make room for a future hotel.

Hansji Urban bought the Luhrs block for $28 million last year. The block was built by a pioneer-era Phoenix clan. The patriarch, German immigrant George Heinrich Nicholas Luhrs, built the 10-story Luhrs Building in 1924 and he broke ground on the 14-story Luhrs Tower in 1929. The area is bound by Central Avenue, First Avenue, Jefferson Street and Madison Street, nestled between future developments, CityScape and the Jackson Street Entertainment District

The City Council could consider the proposal as early as June. If approved, Hansji Urban would get $500,000 in city grant money to help preserve the vacant Luhrs Building, which needs many repairs. The plan would also protect most of the one-story span along Jefferson Street that links the Luhrs Building and Luhrs Tower. Other buildings on the south side of the block - including a 1950 parking structure and a 1951 Luhrs Tower annex that faces First Avenue - could face the wrecking ball.

The firm plans to invest $1.3 million to rehab the outside of the vacant Luhrs Building, which needs the most repairs. Luhrs Tower is occupied and needs less work. Bringing the Luhrs Building up to code and other upgrades could cost another $8 million. Ultimately, Hansji Urban, which is affiliated with an Irvine, Calif. hotel developer, plans to build a hotel on the south side of the block. The proposed hotel, which would take a year and a half to plan, could rise as more 200 feet tall.