Grayson Steinberg
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 11, 2007 12:00 AM
NORTHEAST VALLEY – Alma Shapiro lives in the middle of a shopping center, and while that might seem chaotic for some, Shapiro likes the excitement.
“If I’m bored, I go sit in the park,” said the retired resident of Plaza Lofts at Kierland Commons. “Someone always sits down. I’ll have a conversation.”
Shapiro is one of about 50 residents living at the Plaza Lofts, a development of 30 units that opened about two years ago above the Kierland Commons retail stores. Some people reside there only part of the year, while others live there full-time.
The lofts are part of an increasingly popular and prevalent trend of urban, mixed-use projects in the Valley that let people live, work and play in the same place. This trend in Scottsdale and northeast Phoenix will include CityNorth, Palisene and Scottsdale Crossing, which is planned across Scottsdale Road from Kierland.
Residents include young singles, childless couples and second homeowners.
The trend is a resurgence of what the norm was in many cities for decades, said Daniel “Buzz” Gosnell, president of Dallas-based Woodbine Southwest Corp., Kierland’s developer .
“The town square was always the place that had the activity and the people living there,” Gosnell said.
Artist and Plaza Lofts resident Dale TerBush, 58, likes visiting Barnes & Noble, or spending an evening at the bar without getting into his car.
For Shapiro, her new lifestyle is a refreshing change from when she lived in a 3,800-square-foot house in Paradise Valley. The home was too big for her and the neighborhood wasn’t particularly social, she said.
“You get in your garage, back your car out and do your thing and you never see anyone,” Shapiro said.
She said Kierland feels like a large urban area with all the amenities but has a small-town feel because she gets acquainted with many people that pass through there.
Getting to know one’s neighbors is also another incentive to live in a community like this, Gosnell said.
“You really do feel like you’re in a neighborhood,” said Gosnell, who used to live at the Plaza Lofts before leasing out his unit. “The elevator becomes your front porch.”
TerBush, who lives at Kierland about four months out of the year, also said he doesn’t miss the responsibilities of maintaining a home, like mowing a lawn.
Yet having a lot of amenities at one’s doorstep comes with a hefty price tag. The 54-unit second phase of the Plaza Lofts starts at about $500,000 and goes up to $2.5 million. Construction on the lofts is expected to be completed in November.
TerBush just bought a 2,200-square-foot, two-bedroom loft in the new tower for about $1.5 million to live in full-time.
Living at Kierland is worth the price, he said.
“It’s a very comfortable place to live,” TerBush said. “It’s like going back and living the way it used to be. In Kierland, there’s a main street.”
Gosnell said the expensive, upscale housing market in north Scottsdale and northeast Phoenix dictated higher prices than those that might prevail elsewhere.
“Every price bracket has its limitations,” he said. “Not everyone is going to live in a $100,000 home either.”
These developments also don’t have all the amenities a resident might desire, such as doctor’s offices and grocery stores.
The nearest grocery store is a Safeway near 64th Street and Greenway Parkway .
“There’s always going to be a time when you have to get in your car, and people love their cars here,” Gosnell said. “I don’t think you’ll ever get away from it entirely.”
TerBush said it’s not a problem that Kierland Commons doesn’t have such neighborhood services.
“If you were living in a house, you wouldn’t have that right outside your front door,” he said. “If we achieved perfection, we’d still be disappointed in one way or another.”
Shapiro said, “I’m happy as a clam. I’d never move out.”
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