A new grocery store downtown, presumably an AJ's
UPDATE: PHXated was 100 percent wrong about the grocery store downtown; it’s not an AJ’s, but rather an outpost of a Northern California operation called Oakville Grocery.
Release below:
For Immediate Release:
February 22, 2010
CITYSCAPE GROCERY STORE BACK ON TRACKOakville Grocery Co. to become city’s signature downtown grocery
PHOENIX – The long awaited grocery store for downtown Phoenix is back on track. CityScape project developer, RED Development, announced today that the operator of the Oakville Grocery in Scottsdale has signed a lease and will move into space at the corner of Jefferson and Central Avenue in September of 2010. Oakville replaces AJ’s Fine Foods, whose plans to be at the project were derailed by bankruptcy court proceeding involving Bashas’ Supermarkets Inc.
“Having a grocery store component in CityScape has always been a top priority,” said Mike Ebert, managing partner for RED Development. “Oakville is a first-rate grocery store that provides the city with an exciting new resource that fills a fundamental need for people who live and work downtown. Oakville is a strong addition to our project and we are very happy to have them. It’s time for a downtown grocery and we think people are going to be just as excited as we are when they see what Oakville is all about.”
Oakville, which originated in California’s Napa Valley, will occupy space CityScape on the western-most block of the project as a part of the 750,000 square feet being developed in Phase I. The store will open this September.“We are pretty selective about where we go” said Janell Freeman of Oakville. “CityScape is bringing new life to downtown Phoenix and we are thrilled to be a part of it. The project has world-class design and amenities and it is located at the center of downtown in the nation’s fifth-largest city. It’s the kind of place we want to be and we will do our part to make CityScape a destination for downtown and the center of the neighborhood for people who live and work in downtown Phoenix.”
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon complimented CityScape’s team for its “patient tenacity” in securing an urban grocery.
“It’s no secret that a 24/7 lifestyle in downtown Phoenix requires basic amenities like a grocery store,” said Mayor Gordon. “This is a tremendous accomplishment and what makes it even more exciting is the high quality product that Oakville will bring to the city. Everyone who lives, works, or visits downtown will benefit.”
CityScape is a 1.8 million square foot mixed use urban project located at the very center of Downtown Phoenix, between Washington and Jefferson from 2nd Street to 1st Avenue. In its first phase, opening on two blocks this Spring. CityScape will include more than 620,000 square feet of Class A office, approximately 180,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and nearly 2,700 below-grade parking spaces.
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About RED Development, LLC
RED Development, formed in 1995, develops, leases, manages and owns real estate developments in rapidly growing communities throughout the Midwestand Southwest. RED has 30 centers open, in development, or under construction, totaling nearly 19 million square feet. Within the industry, RED has earned a reputation for delivering as promised and creating strong relationships with its tenants, communities and business partners. RED has nearly 200 employees and is co-headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Kansas City, Mo.To learn more, visit www.reddevelpment.com.
About Oakville
For over 120 years the original Oakville Grocery has been the “little country store” in the heart of Napa Valley, attracting visitors from near and far with its special charm. The Phoenix store will feature wonderful, handmade local products from our neighbors in Arizona as well as in Napa and Sonoma. Along with delicious made-to-order sandwiches, gourmet cheeses and charcuterie, we offer a wide array of prepared foods for your party or picnic needs. You will also find our shelves lined with specialty items which include local olive oils and vinegars, unique mustards, marinades and handmade preserves. To learn more, visit us at: http://www.oakvillegroceryarizona.com
Mayor Gordon is going to be at a noon press conference today to announce a grocery store in the big CityScape development at Central and Washington. I assume its a*n AJ’s:
MEDIA ADVISORY
[…]
WHAT: News conference to announce opening of new grocery store at CityScapeRepresentatives from CityScape and RED Development will join Mayor Phil Gordon to announce a new and much anticipated tenant that will become the city’s signature downtown grocery. It will move into the space at the southeast corner of Patriot’s Square block.
WHO: Mayor Phil Gordon
Mike Ebert, Managing Partner, RED Development
WHEN: 12 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22
WHERE: CityScape – Office Tower, third floor, Central Avenue and Washington Street
30About RED Development, LLC
RED Development, formed in 1995, develops leases, manages and owns real estate developments in rapidly growing communities throughout the Midwest and Southwest. RED has 30 centers open, in development, or under construction, totaling nearly 19 million square feet. Within the industry, RED has earned a reputation for delivering as promised and creating strong relationships with its tenants, communities and business partners. RED has nearly 200 employees and is co-headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Kansas City, Mo. To learn more, visit www.reddevelpment.com. [sic: it’s actually www.reddevelopment.com]
5:23 PM
McCain: The big money boys snookered me!
Dan Nowicki in the Republic, reporting on an editorial board meeting at the paper with Senator John McCain:
Under growing pressure from conservatives and “tea party” activists, Sen. John McCain of Arizona is having to defend his record of supporting the government’s massive bailout of the financial system.
In response to criticism from opponents seeking to defeat him in the Aug. 24 Republican primary, the four-term senator says he was misled by then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. McCain said the pair assured him that the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program would focus on what was seen as the cause of the financial crisis, the housing meltdown.
“Obviously, that didn’t happen,” McCain said in a meeting Thursday with The Republic’s Editorial Board, recounting his decision-making during the critical initial days of the fiscal crisis. “They decided to stabilize the Wall Street institutions, bail out (insurance giant) AIG, bail out Chrysler, bail out General Motors. . . . What they figured was that if they stabilized Wall Street—I guess it was trickle-down economics—that therefore Main Street would be fine.”
Today, meanwhile, McCain voted against the $15 billion jobs bill that passed the senate today. Five Republicans supported it, including Scott Brown, the recently elected Massachusetts senator.
1:30 AM
The living section at the Arizona Republic just ... gives up
As we’ve noticed previously, on a lot of days, the Arizona Republic living section will lack any locally generated copy. The front page will be a mishmash of wire stories about subjects that have nothing to do with Arizona or Phoenix.
Today there was a crappy little wire story about… dogs on Twitter. Well, that’s what it seemed, anyway, but it turns out it was just a junky toy from Mattel that basically just randomly posted to a Twitter account from a set of canned tweets.
The story seemed a bit samey to me. I poked around a little and found a wire story from two weeks ago about … dogs on Facebook.
3:50 AM
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