Blog Archives
Restaurant group slates 2 CityScape openings
The Arizona Republic reports on two new openings in CityScape owned/operated by Maven Hospitality Group of Tempe.
CityScape in downtown Phoenix will soon welcome two restaurants by Maven Hospitality Group of Tempe – one that will serve Italian food and another that will serve sushi in a chophouse style.
Jimmy Carlin, a partner at Maven Hospitality, told media at a Downtown Phoenix Partnership-sponsored tasting this week that Strand, the “fast casual” Italian restaurant, likely will open on Oct. 1.
Carlin said the restaurant will feature an Italian fry bread, “cizzellini,” as well as pastas, salads and sandwiches. It will be a seven-day-a-week restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cocktails will also be served, he said.
Strand will be next to Arrogant Butcher near the northwest corner of Jefferson and First streets.
Oakville Grocery to hire 45 for downtown Phoenix store
[Source: Phoenix Business Journal]
Lynn Ducey/The Business Journal
The new Oakville Grocery store at the CityScape development in downtown Phoenix is hosting a job fair in preparation of its spring opening.
The job fair will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, April 25, at the store, 50 W. Jefferson St., Suite. 100.
The store is looking for cooks, bakery and deli workers, stockers, baristas and bartenders. Store officials say they expect to hire about 45 full- and part-time workers.
D-backs & Downtown Phoenix Ready for Opening Day
D-backs & Downtown partners invite public to party and help Foundation for Blind Children
There is nothing in America like Opening Day of a new baseball season and there is no better way to celebrate it than gathering with friends and family to tailgate before the first pitch. CityScape in downtown Phoenix will be the center of activity all week long, culminating in a Friday afternoon tailgate party as the Arizona Diamondbacks open the home season against the Cincinnati Reds at 6:40 p.m. on April 8 at Chase Field.
The warm-up begins Monday when the D-backs open a three-game series in Wrigley Field against Chicago Cubs. The three day-games will be televised daily beginning at 11 a.m. on a large-screen television in Patriots Square at CityScape.
On Friday, the party really begins. D-backs fans who are attending the game, or who just want to be close to the action and enjoy the festivities associated with Opening Day, are invited to attend a free public celebration in downtown Phoenix.
Friday’s events at CityScape begin at 11 a.m. with live music, including a 30-minute musical set by Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers from 12-12:30 p.m. T-shirt giveaways will occur throughout the day, along with interactive speed pitch and t-ball activities.
At 3:30 p.m. the public is invited to attend an Opening Day tailgate party, “Ditch the Grind For the Blind” – presented by the D-backs, FOX Sports Arizona, the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, and CityScape’s RED Development.
For a $100 donation to Foundation for Blind Children, fans can get a ticket to the game, free food, beer and/or sodas, parking, live music and pre-game festivities. If you already have a ticket to the game, a $50 donation is accepted for the VIP party, parking and fun. People can reserve a spot by contacting Barbara Smith at 602-331-7901.
“We’re proud to have such wonderful community partners where we can enjoy America’s pastime while helping Arizona’s blind children,” said Marc Ashton, CEO of Foundation for Blind Children.
Even if fans do not choose to make a donation to the charity, the public can enjoy food from Oakville Grocery, listen to live music, enjoy the Beer Garden and celebrate Opening Day before heading to the game. For those who don’t have tickets, the party will continue and the FOX Sports Arizona game broadcast will be shown live on a large-screen television in the park at CityScape. Post-game festivities will begin following the final out, including an extended Opening-Night fireworks display from Chase Field.
“CityScape was built with this kind of day in mind,” said Jeff Moloznik of RED Development. “We are happy to provide the location to host this event and support the D-backs, their great fans, and help everyone share in the fun of Opening Day, while supporting a great cause like Foundation for Blind Children. We want to make this an annual tradition.”
Downtown Phoenix’s Oakville Grocery is Looking for Local Products
[Source: ABC15]
Oakville Grocery is coming soon to CityScape in Downtown Phoenix.
David Johnson from Oakville Grocery says that this will be the first grocery store downtown stocking essentials for the community. Johnson says the store will have a coffee bar, pastries, handmade sandwiches, salads, soups, grab-and-go items, milk, eggs and other groceries, specialty products, wine, beer and more.
Johnson also shares their significant local product program and plan to source as many local products as possible for the new store. Johnson says 200 products are needed to fill store shelves!
Johnson says you can submit your products by emailing info@oakvillegroceryarizona.com with a short bio along with a description of the product, photos, media coverage/reviews, production capability and packaging information and a link to a website.
Products submitted for consideration must be retail store-ready, Johnson says. Submitted local farmers and purveyors will be reviewed for hand-selected placement in the store’s locavore lineup, Johnson shares, and all submissions must be received no later than Friday, April 15, 2011.
Oakville Grocery is searching for local vendors to help position the store as a key source for locally-grown fruits and vegetables to cater to the needs of downtown residents, Johnson says.
“For nearly 120 years Oakville Grocery has been the glue of the small farmers, vintners and purveyors in its Napa Valley, neighborhood,” Johnson said, “That same community aspect is what we hope to achieve in the unique community of downtown Phoenix by supporting local farmers and highlighting the high-quality local food and products that customers identify with and are proud of.”
Video
Downtopwn Phoenix’s CityScape Mardi Grad Festival TOMORROW
[Source: CityScape]
Explore Downtown Phoenix’s nightlife and celebrate the spirit of Mardi Gras with the Downtown Phoenix Mardi Gras Parade, Festival & Mardi Crawl.
Spend some time in different Downtown Phoenix bars and restaurants and enjoy entertainment, food samples, and drink specials only available to Mardi Crawl participants. Mardi Gras regalia strongly encouraged!
The Festival begins TOMORROW at 6pm in Patriots Square at CityScape. The floats will also be on display along Central Avenue after the parade ends. The Mardi Crawl starts at 9pm. Trolleys will run until 1am to get crawlers to and from participating locations.
Tickets
$7 & $10 (including breakfast) in advance or $10 & $15 (including breakfast) the day of the event.
Click here to get more information about the event.
Details
Explore Downtown Phoenix’s nightlife and celebrate the spirit of Mardi Gras with the Downtown Phoenix Mardi Gras Parade, Festival & Mardi Crawl.
Spend some time in different Downtown Phoenix bars and restaurants and enjoy entertainment, food samples, and drink specials only available to Mardi Crawl participants. Mardi Gras regalia strongly encouraged!
The Mardi Crawl will start from CityScape at 9 p.m. Trolleys will run until 1 AM to get participants to and from participating locations.
Tickets are $7 & $10 (including breakfast) in advance or $10 & $15 (including breakfast) the day of the event. You must check-in at the Mardi Crawl event (near the trolleys) to receive your wristband. Must be 21+ to participate in the Mardi Crawl.
Parade:
- Participation is free and open to the public.
- Groups (floats, dancers, etc) must register. Click here for the form.
- Staging will begin at 5 p.m. on First Street between Jefferson and Madison.
- The parade will begin at 7 p.m. and will take approximately 1 hour to complete.
- The route is just over 2 miles long and circles through the core of Downtown Phoenix.
Festival:
- The festival will be held at CityScape from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m.
- The event is free, but there will be a charge for drinks in the beer garden.
- The event will feature multiple bands, including Bad Cactus Marching Band, performing in the Parade and at the Festival.
- There will be food vendors, artists, fortune tellers and more at the Festival.
- Businesses interested in becoming a vendor should contact Samantha Jackson at 602.744.6415.
Mardi Crawl:
- Mardi Crawl will run from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. and will visit Seamus McCaffrey’s, Rose & Crown, Bar Smith, Coach & Willie’s and Ghost Lounge.
- Trolleys will take teams to each bar.
- Limited tickets available.
- Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.downtownphoenix.com/mardigras.
- Advance tickets are $7 or $10 (includes breakfast).
- Tickets purchased the day of the event are $10 or $15 (includes breakfast). Discount tickets for parade participants!
- Breakfast will start at 1 a.m. at Steve’s Greenhouse Grill.
Sam Fox’s Arrogant Butcher opens in Phoenix
[Source: Howard Seftel, azcentral.com]
Sam Fox, whose Valley restaurant empire started in Scottsdale in 2001 and expanded to other high-rent districts like Kierland Commons and Biltmore Fashion Park, is moving into uncharted territory. His latest venture, the Arrogant Butcher, debuts in downtown Phoenix, on Monday, Feb. 21.
Mark Henle/ The Arizona Republic
It’s the first full-service restaurant to open in CityScape, downtown’s ambitious $900 million commercial/retail/hotel development.
Fox says he’s committed to downtown Phoenix for “the long term.” He was one of the project’s first tenants, signing a 15-year lease back in 2007, when the economy looked a lot brighter.
Still, he’s not daunted by the challenging times.
“We will be busy right out of the gate,” he predicts, especially at lunch, pointing to an “untapped audience” drawn from nearby law firms, businesses, government offices and conventioneers. In the evening, he expects to attract neighborhood residents and folks attending shows, concerts and sporting events in the area.
Fox calls the restaurant an “urban grill,” and it will showcase what he says is “boldly flavored, down-to-earth” fare.
At lunch, that means sandwiches like turkey pastrami ($12) and Italian grinder ($11), and salads like Chinese chicken ($12) and chopped salmon salad with kale, cauliflower, currants and almonds ($13). Heartier midday appetites can opt for hot entrees like fish and chips ($16), beef short rib stew ($14) and ricotta dumplings Bolognese ($13).
At dinner, you’ll find appetizers like smoked salmon rillettes ($11) and homemade soft pretzels with provolone fondue ($9). Main dishes range through skirt steak ($24), grilled swordfish ($23), crab-stuffed chicken ($22) and Fox’s favorite, jambalaya fashioned with shrimp, chicken and sausage ($18).
At any time of day, you can also put together a seafood or charcuterie platter.
Fox also believes in his Saturday brunch, which spotlights egg sandwiches teamed with Italian sausage ($10), smoked salmon ($12) and bacon and cheese ($10). Other items include French toast ($10) and a Cajun breakfast burrito with sausage, peppers and cheese ($10). If you prefer your brunch in liquid form, there are five kinds of Bloody Marys.
The kitchen is headed by Clint Woods, who has worked on several Fox restaurant projects.
Why call the restaurant the Arrogant Butcher? Fox says the name has dual connotations.
One is to gently tweak the deal-makers and power-brokers he expects to be dining there. But the other is meant to summon up the image of the proud, old-time butcher who would never sell customers anything less than the best.
Details:
Arrogant Butcher
2 East Jefferson St. (CityScape), Phoenix,
602-324-8502.
foxrc.com
Hours
Lunch and dinner, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday;
Brunch, lunch and dinner, 9 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday.
RED Development gets Loan for Hotel in Downtown Phoenix
[Source: City of Phoenix Press Release]
Loan Approved for Downtown Construction Financing
The Phoenix Community Development and Investment Corporation (PCDIC) today announced that it has approved a $34.3 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) loan to RED Development that will bridge a financing gap for construction of the Kimpton Palomar Hotel at CityScape in downtown Phoenix. “CityScape is creating thousands of construction jobs, opening retail, restaurant, entertainment and office doors and attracting thousands of long-term sustainable jobs,” said Mayor Phil Gordon. “This loan fills a financing gap that allows CityScape to deliver on a promise of sustainable jobs, future growth and expansion.”
The loan, from the NMTC program, provides below market rate commercial real estate loans to small businesses, developers and mission-focused nonprofits to encourage neighborhood revitalization and stabilization in qualified low- to moderate-income communities in Phoenix. The Palomar loan utilized developer equity of $25.9 million to leverage $8.4 million in the NMTC structure.
“Prior to the CityScape development, this area was occupied by an outdated park and an underutilized surface parking lot with no landscaping and was generating zero jobs and zero tax revenue for the city,” said Councilman Michael Johnson. “This public/private partnership enhances downtown Phoenix’s redevelopment and renaissance efforts, creates a sustainable tax revenue source and long-term jobs.”
“CityScape serves as the downtown link that provides a much needed amenity for Convention Center visitors and hotel guests looking for a convenient place to lodge, shop, dine and enjoy entertainment,” said City Manager David Cavazos. “Conventioneers often told us that the downtown area lacked amenities within walking distance of their convention. This PCDIC loan provides the financing needed to bring these components together, enhance our downtown and create new jobs.”
The Kimpton Palomar Hotel in downtown Phoenix is the second phase of the CityScape project, which represents a nearly $500 million investment in the downtown core.
“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the support of Phoenix Community Development and Investment Corporation,” said Mike Ebert, managing partner for CityScape developer RED Development. “The PCDIC investment not only supports the CityScape project and the overall Phoenix economy, but it helps all of the other projects and investments that have been made downtown by the public and private sector. They are terrific partners.”
“Projects like the Kimpton Palomar Hotel demonstrate our commitment to serve by creating jobs and revitalizing downtown, which is located in one of the poorest census tracts in Maricopa County. With our New Markets Tax Credit allocation, the PCDIC board is working with our investor partners to create economic opportunities for under-served communities in Phoenix by providing below market rate commercial real estate loans,” said Jerome Miller, deputy city manager and PCDIC chairman.
As part of the NMTC financing, RED committed a $1 million endowment for the benefit of low- to moderate-income students pursuing four-year degrees at accredited universities and incorporated Small Business Enterprise recruitment for construction subcontractors.
“Recovery strategies come in different shapes and sizes and PCDIC is pleased to play a role in the financing so we can help bring much needed jobs to Phoenix,” said Patricia Garcia Duarte, president and CEO, Neighborhood Housing Services of Phoenix, and PCDIC board member.
“CityScape represents the crown jewel of our ever improving downtown. The fact that PCDIC could add to the success of this endeavor is a good feeling. I hope that we can continue to be associated with projects of this nature,” said Don Keuth, president and CEO, Phoenix Community Alliance, and PCDIC board member.
PCDIC has also utilized the NMTC program in providing financing to these community development projects in the Phoenix area:
- Native American Connections, 4520 N. Central Ave., $6.1 million loan
- Hacienda Skilled Nursing Center, 1402 E. South Mountain Road, $6 million loan
- Arizona Bridge to Independent Living, 5025 E. Washington St., $16.5 million loan
- YMCA, N. 3825 67th Ave., $6 million loan
- Phoenix Rescue Mission, Changing Hands, 338 N. 15th Ave. $4 million loan
Other commercial redevelopment projects in Phoenix also financed through PCDIC and its NMTC program are:
- Spectrum Mall, 1703 W. Bethany Home Road, $37.5 million
- Clarendon Hotel, 410 W. Clarendon Ave., $4.2 million
- Riverside Industrial Center (new Amazon center), 4950 W. Mohave St., $44.5 million
While the NMTC program supports a range of economic development strategies, the NMTC program is highly effective in attracting private sector investment to Phoenix’s NMTC Census Tracts, characterized by highly stressed demographics, including a poverty rate above 30 percent and/or family median income that is 60 percent or below the Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area’s median income.
To implement the NMTC program, the city created the nonprofit corporation, PCDIC, governed by a seven member board of directors. In 2002, PCDIC received a $170 million NMTC allocation and in 2008 a $40 million allocation. PCDIC created commercial real estate loan funds that have closed on 23 loans totaling $276.5 million, resulting in $370 million in private investment and creating 4,800 construction jobs and 3,611 long-term jobs.
PCDIC has $8 million of NMTC financing available for commercial real estate projects in the NMTC census tracts. For information on obtaining a loan, contact 602-495-5247.
Workbench brings custom designs to CityScape in Downtown Phoenix
Source: Christina O’Haver, Downtown Phoenix Journal]
Since its recent opening, CityScape has brought many businesses to Downtown Phoenix, and about a month ago, a new independent shop found its home in the mixed-use facility.
Workbench is a store where woodworkers, architects, metalworkers, graphic designers and other local artists collaborate to produce functional art, according to CityScape.
The store sells products ranging from dining room tables and chairs, to wall art and plant arrangements, and will also custom design one-of-a-kind pieces for customers seeking specific products.
Designer and woodworker Lew Gallo, who previously co-owned Haus Modern Living, a local home furnishings and décor boutique that closed in January, is the creator of Workbench.
“He found people that had a like-minded kind of vision for design and just rounded us up; we were all equally motivated, so we just jumped in and did it,” says architect and Phoenix native Christoph Kaiser.
Kaiser, who is the co-owner and co-founder of the Phoenix-based architecture firm Plus Minus Studio along with fellow Workbench contributor Hayes McNeil, said he joined the Workbench team as a way to give his products more exposure, but also because it’s just a great thing to be a part of.
“We’re pulling multiple people together under one roof, and it’s kind of exciting to do that anyway, just as a project,” he explains.
Kaiser mentions that there are few places people in the Valley can go to find handmade furniture, and many of the stores that were similar to Workbench have closed recently. But CityScape was eager to bring in more tenants, and thus made it an attractive place to open the shop.
In addition to Workbench’s unique, handmade and eco-friendly products, Kaiser adds that buying from local retailers is better for the state’s economy.
“These days, there’s just so much mass-produced stuff,” Kaiser continues. “There’s something to be said about having a story behind an object and having something that has a little bit more of the human touch.”
Many of these handmade products are built from reclaimed materials, which Kaiser says are easy to find in the designer community because architects, woodworkers and artists tend to have “piles of junk” in their sheds, workshops and back yards.
“If there’s something out there that can be used in [some] way, then why kill another tree or have something else produced?” Kaiser asks.
Workbench is located at 50 W. Jefferson St. in CityScape. Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Help launch 26 Blocks iPad App featuring Downtown Phoenix
By now, most readers have probably heard about the 26 Blocks exhibit that been making its way around town (and is now being shown at CityScape, if you haven’t you can find out more about the project here: 26blocks.com.
Basically it is a multi media exhibit featuring 26 of Phoenix’s best photographers, 26 of Phoenix best writers and 26 downtown Phoenix city blocks along with 1 of the city’s best sculptors.
Buoyed by the success of their exhibit, the 26 Blocks team is taking the project to the next level. On First Friday December 3rd, they are launching a FREE iPad application of 26 Blocks at CityScape. This free, all ages event will feature a street party, live music featuring Mr. Meeble, live art feature Dumperfoo, a beer garden benefit Ear Candy Charity and a iPad raffle!
To help cover the costs of the launch, 26 Block is seeking support from the community. They are looking to collect 300 donations of $26 each for the 26 Blocks iPad App Launch party before midnight, this coming Friday. In return, 26 Blocks will put every donor name on the iPad App. if they receive 400 donations, they will include a link from your name on the iPad app to your website! It’s 100% tax-free and you can gift a friend’s name.
If they collect 299 donations or less, your $26 donation will still enjoys 100% tax-free status & you will still get that warm fuzzy feeling knowing your $26 is making the 26 Blocks free music & art celebration for Phoenix possible… but no names will be on the iPad app.
If you can’t make a donation, no worries; you can still come out and celebrate the launch of the app on Friday night!
Outdoor Ice Rink in Downtown Phoenix
[Source: KPHO ]
Source: KPHO.com
The latest addition to the newly opened CityScape in downtown Phoenix is an ice skating rink. The rink will join a holiday tree and vivid displays of holiday lights and ornaments.
The cost to skate is $10 and skaters can either bring their own skates or rent them.
The ice rink will be operated by American Skating Entertainment Centers, the largest independent operator of ice rink facilities in the United States – including Seasonal outdoor rinks in Los Angeles, Denver, Raleigh, N.C., and Washington, D.C.
The rink opened Saturday and will operate through Jan. 15.
