By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
A vacant office development on 6.74 acres at the SWC of Lincoln and 5th streets in downtown Phoenix is poised for redevelopment into a 356-unit multifamily development under a proposal from Trinsic Residential Group.
According to the submitted project narrative, the site is currently occupied by a 62.9KSF office development and a surface parking lot. The two-story Lincoln Union office space was an adaptive reuse project that transformed an earlier warehouse in January 2020. Tenant improvements were completed in February 2021 on roughly 11.6KSF as a model office to showcase the building’s potential for prospective future clients. The property has remained unleased and vacant.
A site plan review proposal for Aura Lincoln Union was submitted this May for modification of the existing building as well as new construction that will deliver 82 studios, 202-one-bedroom and 70 two-bedroom units. There is a discrepancy between the various documents on file as to whether the final count will be 354 or 356 units. Since the site plan and fee sheet claim 356, DATABEX will use that as the official count unless and until notified otherwise.
The project narrative states, “The proposed development will be a combination of new construction on the portion of the site that is currently a surface parking lot and modification of the existing Lincoln Union building. The existing Lincoln Union building will be converted into two floors of residences with a large indoor recreational area on the north side taking advantage of the existing 20-foot clear height ceilings in that part of the building. The existing courtyards on the west side of the building will connect to two new courtyards that will bisect portions of the building.
“Along Grant Street and Third Street, new four-story residential buildings will be constructed, wrapping around a six-story parking structure that is accessed via Lincoln Street. Residential units along Third Street will be constructed around three street-facing courtyards to provide usable open space and visual interest along the street.”
The narrative goes on to emphasize the benefit the proposed project will bring to the Warehouse District by adding new high-quality residential space. It says the area has seen innovative growth in office and coworking spaces in the last several years, but that a residential component is a necessary addition to foster continued investment.
The narrative closes by saying, “This development will lead the next phase of development and investment in the Warehouse District.”
The project received a preliminary approval from the Phoenix Planning & Development Department on June 29th. On July 19th the Department issued a time extension for the project to address 10 issues staff found with the proposal – mostly dealing with issues of frontages, setbacks, streetscapes and shading.
Officials with Trinsic have told BEX Research staff they hope to start construction in Q2 2023.
