The city of Phoenix is buying the property across the street from Taylor Place to expand the Downtown campus, the university planner said Monday.
According to Richard Stanley, Senior Vice President and University Planner, the property will most likely be used for office space and classrooms or a facility for the Sandra Day O’Conner School of Law.
“The site has always been one we thought was necessary for the longer-term for the campus, given its central location,” Stanley said.
The city of Phoenix is currently finalizing an agreement with the owners of the motel property at 401 N. First Street, said Rick Naimark, deputy city manager.
Naimark said the property, which will go up for auction March 2 if a deal is not completed, was always intended to be a part of the campus. The city was unable to acquire it earlier because the property owners wanted either more money than the city felt the property was worth or more money than was available, he said.
“Now that the property is in a foreclosure situation … we’re able to buy it for a price that is below what we think the value would be,” Naimark said.
ASU does not expect to develop the property, previously a Ramada Inn, for at least three years, Stanley said, but it will be converted into a parking lot run by the Sheraton Hotel that will better match its surroundings.
“It’s not a particularly appealing-looking piece of property right now, and it’s on a key place along Taylor Place,” he said.
The purchase of the property, which was used for student housing from fall 2006 until spring 2008, is a testament to the investments made by the University and the city of Phoenix in the Downtown campus, Stanley said.
“It’s a symbol and an indication that both the city and the University are very dedicated to the longer-term future of the campus,” he said.
History senior Bryan Hadley, who has applied to the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, said he thinks the Downtown campus would be a great location for a law school because the Phoenix legal community is focused around the downtown area.
“I currently have an internship downtown at a law firm, so I think it’s very convenient for students to get internships, externships, anything with law firms in the area — and also to get to know the firms for potential jobs,” he said, adding that the Maricopa County Superior Courthouse and the U.S. District Court of Arizona are located downtown.
Nursing sophomore Kelsey Jensen said she thinks the expansion will be good for the campus.
“The bigger the better,” she said. “Our classrooms are so full all the time. We can’t ever get a study room. You know, we’re growing.”
Contact the reporter at salvador.rodriguez@asu.edu
