I toured Matt Seaman’s new development, McKinley Row on 4th Ave and McKinley (MetroWest Development).
First, I’m a big fan of Matt. He is one of the few developers in downtown who is focusing on owner occupied properties on in-fill, walkable parcels. While most other large developers can’t get their heads out of the 1,000+ unit mentality, Matt knows that the future of development will be in finding ways to fill in the many small spaces in Phoenix.
Did you know that 43% of Phoenix is made up of empty lots? Let’s use those for housing, rather than sprawling out in to our beautiful desert, thus causing longer commutes and more pollution.
Matt and I were talking about how the Phoenix push to build apartments over the last ten years crowded out those who want to build owner-occupied properties, but also made it difficult for moderate income folks to afford to live downtown. Part of the problem comes from the investors, who don’t like to back condo projects due to potential lawsuit liability issues.
But, I digress. In short, we have a problem in housing and we need more folks like Matt who can build owner-occupied homes and who can find lower cost ways to build homes for folks in dense urban areas.
I’m not one of those agents who believes that everybody should own a home. But, at last count, there was at least a 6 to 1 ratio of apartments to owner-occupied downtown. Where will all of those renters go in a few years when they want to buy a home and they are priced out? Who will have a stake in our downtown if they all move out?
I wanted to share with you Matt’s project. With 18 town home units at 4th Ave and McKinley, and a similar project coming next year at 2nd Ave and McKinley, Matt is creating homes for downtowners.
Matt tells me that McKinley Row is half sold now, with town homes selling as low as the $390s and as high as the $500s.
Have a look at the photos below. They are just my photos. If you want to see the snazzy photos with the CGI furniture in the rooms, have a look at their website.
The photos below illustrate a few features that I thought were unique.
If you are interested in town house living, please give us a call at 602-456-9388. We’ve represented clients on Matt’s projects before, so give us a call.
MetroWest did a good job of setting back the projects, as required by historic preservation. They’ve left green space and space to enjoy the neighborhood.
These are the massive windows in the corner unit, which you can see from the inside in the next photo. Great views of downtown!
Here are those windows from the inside. That’s a nice view to wake up to.
I did not get a shot from the outside, but this corner unit, in addition to having corner windows on the ground floor, has a separate entrance that you can make in to an office.
