By Roland Murphy for Arizona Builder’s Exchange
A site in Glendale at 59th Avenue and Butler Drive that has sat only partially developed for 40 years will be reborn as a niche apartment community under a proposal by Visiquest Properties, LLC.
According to an announcement sent to AZBEX and select other outlets by Visiquest Principal Joel Broder, the 6.5-acre site at the SEC of 59th Avenue and Butler Drive was platted for townhome lots and partially developed in 1973 as Las Casas Contentas. The project website says only 20 of the 90 planned units were ever built. The site’s pool was eventually abandoned, and the area has been plagued by trespassing, illegal dumping and other undesirable activities.
After years of other developers considering, but never executing, renovation and consolidation projects at the site, “In January 2018, Visiquest Properties amended the plat to consolidate the 70 vacant lots into a single lot and assemble in a 1/2-acre of contiguous vacant land to the north. This created a clean slate allowing the R-4 zoned land to be developed for 96 two-story garden apartments. The 20 existing townhomes along 59th Ave are part of the plat, but not part of the property,” the announcement states.
The website says in addition to updating the plat, covenants, conditions & restrictions for the existing Las Casas Contentas homes, recorded in 1973, have been updated and modernized to reflect current standards and to facilitate the redevelopment efforts. The existing townhomes will undergo an exterior remodel to fit the overall development aesthetic and vision, according to Visiquest.
Originally known as 59 Butler, the planned development has been renamed 59 Evergreen. Again, according to the announcement, “The community gets its name from the historic street name location “Evergreen”, which is apropos considering the rejuvenation of the property and its green-built credentials.”
As part of the effort to renovate and modernize the development, planned amenities include a swimming pool, shaded tot lot, pet park, reserved covered parking, secured bicycle storage, package concierge, vinyl plank flooring throughout, large balconies with storage, National Green Building Standards certification, charging stations, and smart home options.
The 96-unit development will occupy seven buildings with five floorplans of 16 one-bedroom, 60 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom units. Apartment sizes will range from 697SF-1,158SF, and each will feature a 100SF patio/balcony.
The development is anticipated to cost $16.25M. In an email, Broder said, “We have not selected a contractor yet. Looking for the right fit — not too big, not too small. This project was designed to be an economical build and targeted toward essential workforce residents and Glendale Community College students.”
(Do not publish online from here forward) Visiquest Properties, LLC is the owner. Architecture is by Eric Miller Architecture. Visiquest hopes to begin construction in April.
In a separate message Broder went into greater detail, saying, “We are at preliminary plan stage now. Architects and engineers have started on working drawings. We are looking for right sized contractor(s) to develop a budget based on current pricing using preliminary drawings. This would essentially be a negotiated bid. (The) contractor would become part of the team and make value engineering recommendations throughout plan development phase. Start of construction is hopefully anticipated April 2019. Prospective GC’s are welcome to contact me to get more info and see if we are a fit. This will likely be a HUD 221d4 job. Experience with HUD or other federal contracts would be helpful, but not essential.”