New Horizons

CityNorth Brings Mixed-Use to a Massive Scale

By David M. Brown

With its first phase opening in October, the $1 billion CityNorth in northeast Phoenix redefines the scale of possibilities within the mixed-use concept.

When it’s finished within the next decade, CityNorth will be the largest mixed-use development in Arizona history, a 5.5-million-sq-ft “city within in a city.”

The development under construction on 144 acres at Loop 101 and 56th Street in northeast Phoenix, will mix retail, restaurant, residential, hotel, office, cultural, civic, entertainment and fitness uses. It's designed to be a 24/7 center for the 5,700-acre Desert Ridge master-planned community that it's part of.

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Chicago-based Thomas J. Klutznick Co., which has been developing Desert Ridge since the 1980s, and New York City-based Related Cos., through its Related Urban Development division, are partnering on the $1 billion, 70-acre mixed-use component of the multi-phase project.

The first two phases, called CityCenter of CityNorth, will include three components. High Street, which will be the first to open in October, features 44 specialty boutiques and stores, seven restaurants, Class A office space and 99 condominiums within 1 million sq ft. The condos range from 750 sq ft to over 1,850 sq ft, priced from the mid-$400,000s to more than $1 million.

The second component is dubbed 54th Street, a commercial retail and office corridor, which opens fall 2009.

Finally, the Boulevard also opens fall 2009 and includes condominiums, office and retail space such as Nordstrom’s and Bloomingdale’s department stores. A third unannounced anchor will also be built as part of this component.

A third phase, including additional office, retail and residential as well as one of the hotels planned for the project, should open in late 2010.

Because of its scale, final build out of CityNorth is expected to take up to 10 years.

“This is a world-scale project, an urban community offering great balance through a broad range of retail, entertainment and living spaces,” says Steve Eimer, executive vice president of Related Urban Development. He emphasizes that CityNorth is not a traditional mall: “Through its public spaces and parklike settings it will be a regional destination - a place to not only shop but to extend a stay into the evening at the many restaurants and clubs.”

Elkus Manfredi Architects of Boston is the lead architect and is responsible for CityNorth's desert-modern structures and cityscapes. The Scottsdale office of Austin, Texas-based Nelsen Partners is the local primary interior designer and architect for the retail and office spaces.

Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Aurora, Colo., is the general contractor for the phase one and two portions-with the exception of a parking garage awarded to the Phoenix office of Sundt Construction. The six-level structure will accommodate 1,433 cars. Its north side incorporates “green screens” that allow for vine growth through them.

The developers are targeting LEED silver for the mixed-use portion of the project. Included will be light-pollution reduction; water-efficient landscaping; water-use reduction in restrooms; recycling program for business and residents; low-VOC materials and regional raw materials; and tenant design and construction guidelines.

To plan for the scope and scale of the mixed-use phases, the Thomas J. Klutznick Co. and Related Cos. have worked for two decades to ensure that the necessary roads, sewer and power infrastructure were in place, working with the city of Phoenix and Arizona Public Service within the guidelines of the Desert Ridge Specific Plan and Desert Ridge Infrastructure Master Plan. In addition, Eimer says the developers have worked closely with the appropriate community associations to ensure that CityNorth complies with their standards and expectations.

“Our ability to integrate a variety of elements in a manner appropriate for the environment is imperative to building a successful mixed-use development,” says Daniel Klutznick, vice president of the Thomas J. Klutznick Co. “Every detail will be woven together to create an interactive urban lifestyle with a synergistic mix of uses.”

Eimer says developers faced three key challenges. “First, we have to productively manage input - from design to construction,” he adds. Eimer says that means combining concepts from the two architects as well as coordinating with the contractor, subcontractors and municipal authorities.

For example, the design for the center incorporates a variety of palettes and materials to express a vibrant urban environment.

Accordingly, the project incorporates a “Neighborhoods” concept, says Brad J. Nelsen, AIA, RAIA, president of Nelsen Partners. “To achieve these goals, a wide range of materials have been crafted specific to each neighborhood - to create variations in proportion, rhythm, texture, color, and scale,” he adds.

He says the materials of High Street include sandstones, limestone, granite and zinc- and champagne-colored metal panels. Deep reds and sage green - desert colors - play against a canopy of street trees, shaded walkways and a pattern of vertically articulated building facades. As this district segues into 54th Street and The Boulevard, the framework and urban character change. The 54th Street buildings facing east or west are articulated with layers of shading devices, and in the Boulevard neighborhood, the buildings become lighter in color and grander, and the material palette of the buildings becomes more formal to contrast with the plazas, water features and hanging gardens of the area.

The retail areas generally occupy the first level of the buildings. Some buildings have office space and others residential above. “From a design point of view, there are different aesthetics and building participants for each of these,” Eimer says. “The condominiums are more private, for example, and the construction entities are different.” As a result, the developers and the general contractor must coordinate schedules not only among many subcontractors but also among differently focused subcontractors: commercial, retail and residential.

As the retail shells become available to the retailers, their contractors will want to build out their space to individual requirements.

Hensel Phelps’ operations manager, Alan Bleismer says that as tenant leasing moves forward, there’s always a potential that some changes will be necessary to accommodate the tenant.

“Many times this can be achieved by walking the project site together to evaluate the existing conditions and identifying design solutions that fit within the existing construction,” he says.

Key Players

Developers: Related Cos.; Thomas J. Klutznick Co.
Architects: Elkus Manfredi Architects; Nelsen Partners
General Contractor: Hensel Phelps Construction Co.; Sundt Construction (parking garage)
Subcontractors: Kovach; HACI Mechanical; Progressive Roofing; Barrett Homes Contractors; RKS Plumbing & Mechanical; SECON; Sun Valley Masonry; CDS Framing; Commercial Wallboard; Mesa Insulation

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