CityScape revitalizing downtown Phoenix with its myriad dining, shopping and entertainment choices.
The arrival of CityScape has done more than change the business and entertainment landscape of Downtown Phoenix.
“CityScape has been a boon for booking meetings and conventions because of the dining, shopping and entertainment options it provides right at the doorstep of the convention center and downtown hotels,” says Scott Dunn, associate director of communications for the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It’s not like downtown has a dearth of restaurants or nightlife; but what it largely lacked before CityScape was a sort of concentrated, recognizable ‘bug light’ zone that attracts pedestrian visitors. With CityScape and the nearby Legends Entertainment District, downtown now has that, and meeting planners the CVB brings to town take notice.”
Since CityScape opened in 2010, the $500 million, mixed-use urban development has become Downtown Phoenix’s destination for business, nightlife, shopping, entertainment, and special events. CityScape has capitalized on being bordered on three sides by the city’s new light rail transit system, and the fact that its neighbors include US Airways Center, Chase Field, the Phoenix Convention Center, Arizona State University’s 8,000-student downtown Phoenix campus, City Hall and the Maricopa County administrative and court complex.
“CityScape has become an authentic urban space for residents and tourists to organically gather and interact in a way that has never existed in Downtown Phoenix,” says Jeff Moloznik, general manager of CityScape.
Because of that, CityScape has come to define the resurgence of Downtown Phoenix.
“Probably the biggest indication that the perception of Downtown Phoenix has changed is the NFL’s decision to bring the Super Bowl back to Arizona in 2015,” Dunn says. “The transformation of downtown was a major part of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee’s pitch to the NFL, and the NFL obviously liked what it saw. Remember: The last time the Super Bowl was here, there was no CityScape, there was no light rail, there was no new Sheraton or Westin. Downtown was pretty much a construction zone. CityScape embodies the renaissance of the city’s urban core — and in 2015, when the world is watching, it will be even better.”
CityScape, like downtown, continues to evolve. It added three new restaurants in late 2011 — The Breakfast Club, The Strand and Chipotle — and will continue add to its dynamic roster in 2012.
“Starbucks and Chloe’s Corner opened earlier this year and Palomar Phoenix at CityScape, a 242-room luxury boutique hotel operated by Kimpton Hotels, will open later this spring,” Moloznik says. “Silk Sushi is also a new local spot that will join our diverse restaurant offering this summer.”
CityScape has started to drive more traffic downtown through special events and activities, including an ice skating rink over the winter and a well-received Saint Patrick’s Day party.
“No matter the time or day, something is always happening at CityScape,” Moloznik says. “We’ve introduced a community-focused lineup of unique, interactive outdoor events at Patriots Square, which is located in the heart of CityScape. Just one example is our weekday ‘Pop Up Park,’ where lunch-goers can soak up the sunshine and socialize with fun, free activities from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. At no cost, you can play Scrabble, Jenga, corn hole, get books and magazines from a free loaner library, use lawn chairs and blankets, Frisbees and a basketball hoop. A DJ spins live music and you can have a picnic in the park by grabbing a quick lunch at Chipotle, Jimmy John’s, Five Guys, Vitamin T or Chloe’s Corner.”
Beyond the delicious food from The Arrogant Butcher and the fun of Stand Up Live, Copper Blues, and Lucky Strike, CityScape has become an epicenter for the Phoenix business community. The office tower at CityScape is at nearly full with major employers, including UnitedHealthcare, Alliance Bank and several of the Valley’s most powerful law firms.
“CityScape is a collection of the best of businesses and individuals in the Valley,” Moloznik says. “From (restaurateur) Sam Fox’s Arrogant Butcher to (Phoenix Suns owner) Robert Sarver’s Western Alliance Bank, the most progressive and entrepreneurial talent in the Valley have convened at CityScape. The impact our tenants’ businesses have brought to Downtown Phoenix is noticeable and significant. In an area that once lacked a central core, there is now energy, creativity, enterprise and excitement all day, every day in once central location.”
Calling CityScape Home
Alliance Bank * Alvarez and Marsal * Ballard Spahrz * Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck * Buzz Mouth * Cantor Law Group * Charming Charlie * Chipotle * Chloe’s Corner * Copper Blues Rock Pub and Kitchen * Corporate Office Centers * CVS Pharmacy * Fidelity Title * Five Guys Burgers and Fries * Gold’s Gym * Gordon Silver * Gust Rosenfeld * Jennings, Strouss and Salmon, PLC * Jimmy John’s * Kimpton Palomar (opens in June) * Lucky Strike * Mybullfrog.com Verizon Wireless Premium Retailer * Par Exsalonce * Polsinelli Shughart * Raza Development Fund * RED CityScape Management Office * RED Development * Republic of Couture * Silk Sushi * Squire Sanders (US) LLP * Stand Up Live * Starbucks * The Arrogant Butcher * The Breakfast Club * The Strand * Tilted Kilt * UnitedHealthcare * Urban Outfitters * Vitamin T * West of SoHo * Yogurtini
