The Berger Project will be a 20-story multi-use tower located at Central and Adams, on the Southeast corner. New Orleans-based Berger Holdings bought the lot from the City of Phoenix in June for $2.8M. Berger won the bid over another development company which offered $700k more for the lot, but planned to build a 12-story hotel with no office space. Phoenix opted for the Berger offer due to the multi-use and higher-density aspects of their plan, as well as a higher number of projected permanent jobs (230 over 45). Berger Holdings is partnering up with Sunbelt Holdings, which has a well-established presence in the Valley, for the project. Sunbelt has completed such projects as Marina Heights, the 20-acre complex along Tempe Town Lake.
The tower, will cost approximately $62 million and include 200 hotel rooms, 20 hospitality suites, 2 floors each of parking and office space, and 6100 square feet of ground-floor retail. In addition, the project will make targeted pedestrian and sidewalk improvements to promote walkability along Adams St, which the City considers an important tourism corridor.