The city-owned project is located at Veterans Way and College Avenue along the Valley Metro light-rail line. Slated to open in May, the three-story structure will house city transportation offices on the second floor. Colliers' associate vice president Ruth Darby says she's already received many inquiries about the project although its available space has yet to hit the market.
Darby says city leaders are seeking LEED Platinum certification. "The larger companies have sustainability initiatives, which state they can't go into anything that isn't LEED Silver or above," she tells GlobeSt.com. "Also, the smaller, local companies have latched onto green practices and they're showing interest in such spaces."
Lease rates are being finalized, but Darby says office space most likely will range from $23 per sf to $25 per sf, triple net. She estimates retail space will be tagged at roughly $26 per sf, triple net.
Darby says the transportation center is the only structure in Arizona to have a sustainable "green" roof with Sonoran Desert plants for recycling rainwater. It also features one of the largest bicycle centers in the nation. Commuters can ride bikes to the station and access showers and lockers if needed. Among the perks will be valet bike parking for commuters who want their rides safeguarded. "There's no parking lot there," Darby adds. "This is to encourage people not to drive their cars."
Darby says the transportation center could end up being a viable prototype for other future developments. She acknowledges that building a green center involves more than simply sticking a building on a site--it takes a lot of thought from design to conception to completion. "A lot of different things need to be kept in mind so everything is working together," Darby says. "This is a more holistic development that takes into account the surrounding environment and the people who are coming in and out of the building."
Otak+Architekton's Tempe office designed the center. Adolfson & Peterson Construction Inc. of Minneapolis is the general contractor.
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