New retail stores, entertainment venues and restaurants opening blocks away from the Downtown campus are looking to ASU students to help bring in revenue.
Upon completion, the CityScape development in downtown Phoenix will house about 30 new businesses, including those leasing office space, according to developer’s plans.
Most of the businesses in CityScape are estimated to open in November in time for the grand opening of the overall development.
Development Manager Mike Moloznik said 96 percent of the retail space had been filled and developers were drawn to the area because of the investment the city of Phoenix made in building sports stadiums and the Downtown campus.
“If it wasn’t for the campus being there, we would not be there,” Moloznik said.
The project is unusual because it filled blocks of undeveloped city space that cannot be found in the heart of any other major U.S. city, he said.
CityScape is both a publicly and a privately funded project, Moloznik said. Red Development, LLC, the company building CityScape, will be reimbursed by the city of Phoenix for the expenses of building a parking garage and making infrastructure improvements.
The city will also absolve part of the development’s property taxes for the next eight years, Moloznik said. This was intended to help CityScape enter the market with competitive rental rates to attract tenants, he said.
Phoenix was interested in investing in the CityScape development because they wanted to fill the “prominent pieces of property,” Moloznik said.
Some businesses that have already opened include Gold’s Gym and CVS/pharmacy.
Some other shops moving into the development in coming weeks include a fashion accessories outlet, a comedy club, a designer boutique and a day spa, he said
Lucky Strike, a new bowling alley that opens Friday, had been looking to open a location in Phoenix, and management thought CityScape was a good fit because it was close to both a college campus and sports venues, company spokeswoman Jen Perrymore said.
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“We think it’s got a tremendous amount of potential,” Perrymore said.
The unusual club-like atmosphere of Lucky Strike features pool tables, large couches instead of chairs for each lane, a live DJ on weekends and waitresses serving finger foods.
Big screens at the end of each one of its lanes will feature local Valley artists, sports games and slideshows made for private parties, depending on the occasion.
“We wanted people to feel like they’re bowling in their living room, like the space is theirs,” Perrymore said.
Lucky Strike also intends to start short social leagues for ASU students lasting six to eight weeks and partner with groups on campus to sponsor fundraisers by donating lanes to ASU events.
Tom Slavin, the general manager of Gold’s Gym, said the response from the downtown community has been strong, and as a result, they attended the job fair at the Downtown campus to recruit students.
Slavin said he thought the gym filled a need in the area.
“There really wasn’t a place to work out downtown,” he said.
Nursing freshman Meghan Mack said she thought CityScape could help revitalize downtown.
“I think it’s a good idea because [downtown] is pretty dead at night and on weekends,” Mack said.
Mack also thought that the campus was partially responsible for drawing more businesses.
“I think the campus brings more life to the downtown area,” she said.
Reach the reporter at mary.shinn@asu.edu
