New Project: AC Marriott at Arizona Center

The Arizona Center is building a new hotel. Construction is due to begin this year on a new 14-story, 200-room AC Marriott Hotel which will be located at 414 North 5th Street. The hotel, designed by California-based AXIS/GFA Architecture, is due to be about 152 feet tall according to an FAA building height review. This project is one of many big updates and recent changes to the Arizona Center, including a large recently-completed renovation and a planned residential tower.

The developers for this project had applied for a variance to increase the distance of their building from the sidewalk from 10 feet to nearly 50 feet. This variance was initially approved by the city, but overturned on appeal due opposition from local urban advocates. The Urban Phoenix Project’s Sean Sweat and another man, Mr. Mike Angulo, opposed the variances, arguing that large building setbacks essentially create a dead spot on the sidewalk that detracts from the street’s walkability and urban appeal, which the city’s setback requirements had been intended to promote. Additionally, Mr. Sweat argued that the requested variances did not meet the statutory requirements for approval. The Adjustment board agreed with these positions and denied the variance, sending the developer back to the drawing board to create a more walkable design.

Despite the setback, this project appears to still be moving along. Filings with the city as recently at February 26th indicate continued activity on the project. PHX Rising Blog has submitted a public records request to obtain any updated designs or plans regarding this project.

These renderings included with this post were submitted with the project as originally designed, and do not reflect anything done by the developer in response to the denied variances.