Jason Morris, a Phoenix land use, zoning attorney and partner with Withey Morris PLC never had a case take a turn like this. In the trendy and eclectic Phoenix area called the Melrose District along 7th Avenue between Camelback and Indian School Roads, clients Bruce and Kim Raskin wanted to transform a vacant, boarded-up building into a self-storage facility. The neighbors opposed it. Morris, along with the Raskins, came up with a creative solution to solve a difficult situation involving an angry neighborhood opposed to the storage location. The solution? An architectural competition with the neighbors judging building designs.
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| Winning Design, Andrews Design Group |
“The situation evolved into one in which my client agreed to allow the neighborhood a seat at the table,” said Morris. “And the solution turned into an architectural competition. I have never seen a developer who is willing to do anything like that, which is indicative of a trend of growing clout neighbors are having in development issues. There has never been a similar competition and we hope to start a trend for the future.”
The three architectural teams were Andrews Design Group, 180 degrees and LOCALstudio. Neighbors met with the architects to provide input and direction on the concepts they could support for a storage facility that would complement the community’s character.
A panel including community members and the property owners recently judged the designs from the architectural teams and selected the winning design from Andrews Design. Watch a video of the winning design here or see more of the concept design and features here and here. Community space was an important parameter to the community. The winning design included those elements with an art studio, an exhibition area and a multifunctional room that can serve as a lecture hall or a theater. The building also has capacity for moving trucks to drive into an enclosed area and unload in an air-conditioned setting.
