Astra Phoenix slated to be the city's "new tallest" (Tempe: low crime, quality of life)

[Maroon197]

An observation tower for what? We don’t have scenery like Seattle or New York or Paris. We don’t even have the scenery to compete with tucson. I just don’t see an observation tower becoming a big iconic draw here.

[FlurryCat]

When I first started hiking the city mountains I carried binoculars. Took me about 5 minutes to realize there was nothing to see other than houses and the hint of distant mountains obscured by dust and smog.

"Hey! I can see the Dollar Store from here!"

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Maroon197

An observation tower for what? We don’t have scenery like Seattle or New York or Paris. We don’t even have the scenery to compete with tucson. I just don’t see an observation tower becoming a big iconic draw here.

Oh, good grief! The desert in & around Las Vegas is even more drab than Phoenix's ... yet, the Stratosphere attracts millions of visitors. Of course, there are fun attractions at the Stratosphere, so it's more than just an observation tower. Regardless, Phoenix can certainly use an iconic tower similar to Stratosphere or Space Needle, only it could be a replica of the Phoenix Bird with interesting attractions.

The difference between Vegas & Seattle, and Phoenix seems to be the willingness to get things moving in those other cities. It's negative people like you with "we don't need that here" type of attitudes which prevent amazing attractions from even reaching the drawing boards here! Included are the NIMBYs who fight tooth & nail to stop practically everything which is proposed. I don't understand why you and those like you continue to stay here if you dislike it here so much, and are against every new development idea.

Originally Posted by FlurryCat

When I first started hiking the city mountains I carried binoculars. Took me about 5 minutes to realize there was nothing to see other than houses and the hint of distant mountains obscured by dust and smog.

"Hey! I can see the Dollar Store from here!"

Then why even hike in the Phoenix mountains if the scenery is so dull & unattractive? I can't understand people like you either.

[Hschlick84]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Oh, good grief! The desert in & around Las Vegas is even more drab than Phoenix's ... yet, the Stratosphere attracts millions of visitors. Of course, there are fun attractions at the Stratosphere, so it's more than just an observation tower. Regardless, Phoenix can certainly use an iconic tower similar to Stratosphere or Space Needle, only it could be a replica of the Phoenix Bird with interesting attractions.

The difference between Vegas & Seattle, and Phoenix seems to be the willingness to get things moving in those other cities. It's negative people like you with "we don't need that here" type of attitudes which prevent amazing attractions from even reaching the drawing boards here! Included are the NIMBYs who fight tooth & nail to stop practically everything which is proposed. I don't understand why you and those like you continue to stay here if you dislike it here so much, and are against every new development idea.



Then why even hike in the Phoenix mountains if the scenery is so dull & unattractive? I can't understand people like you either.

We're trying to fight the NIMBYs similarly in Prescott and PV also. It's tougher than the valley but things are changing up here too. The mayor is getting the dirt race tracks back, inline roller hockey, roller skating, indoor volleyball, soccer and pickleball. All of those activities are going to occur in the newly developed sports complex in east PV. Gives something for families and youth alike to keep them active. Hopefully PV becomes more like Chandler and less like North Sun City.

[Maroon197]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Oh, good grief! The desert in & around Las Vegas is even more drab than Phoenix's ... yet, the Stratosphere attracts millions of visitors. Of course, there are fun attractions at the Stratosphere, so it's more than just an observation tower. Regardless, Phoenix can certainly use an iconic tower similar to Stratosphere or Space Needle, only it could be a replica of the Phoenix Bird with interesting attractions.

The difference between Vegas & Seattle, and Phoenix seems to be the willingness to get things moving in those other cities. It's negative people like you with "we don't need that here" type of attitudes which prevent amazing attractions from even reaching the drawing boards here! Included are the NIMBYs who fight tooth & nail to stop practically everything which is proposed. I don't understand why you and those like you continue to stay here if you dislike it here so much, and are against every new development idea.



Then why even hike in the Phoenix mountains if the scenery is so dull & unattractive? I can't understand people like you either.

Yikes, that was maybe a slight overreaction to what I said, eh? I'm all for new development ideas, but I don't think an observation tower makes a ton of sense for Phoenix. People aren't flying to vegas to visit the stratosphere - it's one of those "since we're already here..." kind of things. Besides, what the other poster said about views of strip malls and smog was spot on. This is not a city that is going to blow you away with natural scenery or stunning architecture. Phoenix doesn't need to be vegas or seattle, it just needs to be it's own thing. I'm not sure what that is yet, but up to this point its main thing has been tract housing, huge parking lots, and sprawl.

[FlurryCat]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Then why even hike in the Phoenix mountains if the scenery is so dull & unattractive?
I can't understand people like you either.

Exercise, fresh air, up-close scenery (flora & fauna), and a bunch of other stuff you'll never experience from a tower downtown.

There's a lot you don't understand, and not just about people like me.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Maroon197

Yikes, that was maybe a slight overreaction to what I said, eh? I'm all for new development ideas, but I don't think an observation tower makes a ton of sense for Phoenix. People aren't flying to vegas to visit the stratosphere - it's one of those "since we're already here..." kind of things. Besides, what the other poster said about views of strip malls and smog was spot on. This is not a city that is going to blow you away with natural scenery or stunning architecture. Phoenix doesn't need to be vegas or seattle, it just needs to be it's own thing. I'm not sure what that is yet, but up to this point its main thing has been tract housing, huge parking lots, and sprawl.

That's why I'm saying Phoenix needs to change its focus if we want to be known for more than just tract housing, huge parking lots, and sprawl. I agree that the natural scenery isn't very attractive, but there's not much we can do about that. We can improve the architecture, however. A taller skyline & more exciting things for visitors as well as residents could have easily been accomplished by now if it wasn't for the defeatist attitudes that we don't need this or don't need that. Unfortunately, I see you as a defeatist much of the time.

Originally Posted by FlurryCat

Exercise, fresh air, up-close scenery (flora & fauna), and a bunch of other stuff you'll never experience from a tower downtown.

There's a lot you don't understand, and not just about people like me.

Exercise is what fitness centers are for. There are literally hundreds of gyms which offer very affordable memberships. As for "fresh air", you stated in your other post that you viewed dust & smog on your hikes. You also indicated there was nothing to see other than hazy mountains, houses, and dollar stores.

[Hschlick84]

Nay-sayers are coming out of the woodwork as usual. If Phoenix wants to be unique from other large city skylines in the United States, they should use Egyptian styled architecture or even bring ideas from Dubai and build them here. Who wouldn't want Phoenix to resemble this?

[Maroon197]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

Who wouldn't want Phoenix to resemble this?

People with an aversion to slave labor.

[Hschlick84]

It's possible without slave labor, we have a nimby problem.