Project Rising Phoenix Announces Projects to Fill 3 Downtown Vacant Spaces

PHOENIX - Feb. 10, 2014 - PRLog -- The Project Rising Phoenix Board of Directors has announced the selected ideas to fill three downtown Phoenix vacant spaces. After a month-long call for ideas, multiple submissions, and review by Project Rising’s Investor Stakeholder Group, the following teams are now refining their concepts with development professionals and municipal officials: Luhr's Market Place, Jefferson St. between First & Central avenues; PHX Commons, 125 E. Adams St.; and Central Adams, southeast corner of Adams St. & Central Ave.

The Luhr's Market Place is an open dining concept that will feature three local food concepts, a full bar, and the historic beauty of the restored space. The goal is to create and promote a venue that consistently showcases the best local culinary artisans. Street-side patios will also serve to promote an active, pedestrian-friendly environment. Team lead is Bob Tam.

PHX Commons is about capturing the ingredients for a true community gathering space inside the downtown core and putting it on steroids. It's a restaurant; coffee/wine bar; newsstand; Arizona Local shop; and makerspace, tech workspace, and business center that showcases the unique art and culture of the state. FAB6 is a nonprofit organization that will provide the space and tools in PHX Commons for people of all ages and backgrounds to work collaboratively on digital fabrication projects. Through partnerships with Arizona's universities, outreach programs for younger students, and development of curricula for high school students and adults, FAB6 will provide a pipeline of underrepresented groups to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) majors and careers. Team lead is Rhonda Bannard with Vasthy Lamadrid leading the FAB6 component.

Central Adams is an 18-story mixed-use complex with street level retail, a public/private outdoor event space, commercial space, apartments, and condos. The project's goals are to activate Adams Street, provide affordable housing for entry-level urban workers, and create a destination point at a vital downtown intersection. Team leads are Jeffrey Sherman and Thomas Topero.

"Each project team brings unique skills and attributes, but they all share a passion for one thing – downtown Phoenix and its ongoing revitalization. Teams are now going through an intensive three-month incubator program to refine their projects and develop their 'pitches' to potential investors and developers," said Leslie Lindo, Project Rising's executive director.

About Project Rising Phoenix

Project Rising Phoenix is a Phoenix, Arizona based not-for-profit urban infill accelerator that creates a pipeline of viable development projects sourced from and for the benefit of the community. Project Rising pre-selects project sites from a collection of vacant lots and underutilized buildings, and test their best use through pre-development studies and community input. A call for project ideas is then announced for these sites to developers, professional groups, and the public. The selected projects are incubated in an accelerator program, including valuable education and mentorship initiatives, to become bankable projects. Once completed, the project concepts are presented to investors and developers for adoption. For more information, visit http://www.projectrisingphx.org