I remember back in 2007 when "mixed use hotel" projects invariably assumed four or five-star accommodations and luxury residential units with high-end retail amenities and maybe some class-A office space. At the time, I wondered how many such projects the world really needs (not to mention, I was feeling a little left out, given that I needed projects befitting a more practical limited service hotel and a lower cost basis). But it was clear that the craziness of the times made people want for something glitzy and glamorous, with a high dollar development cost that justified all the "juice" on the projects and all the financing that was flying around. I get it, I really do.
Now I'm hoping that all the doom and gloom of the last few years makes people receptive to a more blue-collar notion. Maybe we won't see a Ritz Carlton on every corner, but a few limited service hotels, convenience stores, and other such amenities can be good too, right? I mean, especially if it's an all-in community redevelopment project that really works for the surrounding area.
While Brooklyn's hipster artisan scene somehow gentrifies all that was previously nitty-gritty about that now trendy borough of NYC, there are plenty of other areas with an interesting story to tell, and I think those too deserve similar treatment -- even if not on the same scale of coolness. One such place is Detroit, where interesting things are already happening. Another is much closer to home for me and more typical to my region, in the mostly rural-turned-suburban villages of Phoenix, AZ, known as Laveen and South Mountain.
Here's a recent blog post from my Laveen blog: Laveen-SoMo Motor City. Please let me know what you think, as I really hope this catches on but I'm always open to criticism.
Now I'm hoping that all the doom and gloom of the last few years makes people receptive to a more blue-collar notion. Maybe we won't see a Ritz Carlton on every corner, but a few limited service hotels, convenience stores, and other such amenities can be good too, right? I mean, especially if it's an all-in community redevelopment project that really works for the surrounding area.
While Brooklyn's hipster artisan scene somehow gentrifies all that was previously nitty-gritty about that now trendy borough of NYC, there are plenty of other areas with an interesting story to tell, and I think those too deserve similar treatment -- even if not on the same scale of coolness. One such place is Detroit, where interesting things are already happening. Another is much closer to home for me and more typical to my region, in the mostly rural-turned-suburban villages of Phoenix, AZ, known as Laveen and South Mountain.
Here's a recent blog post from my Laveen blog: Laveen-SoMo Motor City. Please let me know what you think, as I really hope this catches on but I'm always open to criticism.
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