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arrive at the site and coordinate after construction has started. Infill construction naturally lends itself to design-build because it works solutions into the design of the actual building. Traditional development doesn’t take all of these nuances into consideration at such an early stage, which can create challenges later, particularly on intricate infill jobs. Q: What are trends you are seeing with infill developments? A: In Phoenix, there is a definite move toward more infill development. Municipalities, developers and building owners are seeing success stories like downtown Phoenix and Gilbert – what happens when you rejuvenate and bring people back to the city centers – and that is creating interest and energy for more. The rapid and sprawling way that Phoenix has developed over the years has left a number of parcels along its growth path vacant. This gives infill a lot of places to land successfully, not only for office, retail and residential development but also for closer-in industrial and warehouse projects that give last-mile and other logistics companies a more strategic location for quick delivery to people. Q: For Phoenix, is redevelopment going to be a continuing trend? A: We believe redevelopment will continue as long as the market is prospering and there is demand stimulated from growth. The Valley’s fairly significant inventory of vacant retail space will help to provide a number of opportunities on this front. Q: Why do you think infill is important? A: Infill keeps core markets alive and viable, versus moving into decline. Downtown Phoenix has been working to revitalize its core for years, and it is wonderful to see their progress. But success like this requires partnerships between city leaders, businesses and developers. Revitalization won’t happen if you infill just one parcel. Many Valley submarkets have recognized this, and have come together to create some very robust, walkable, millennial-friendly and transit-oriented urban communities with a real sense of place. Q: Who do you envision in Camelback Collective? Camelback Collective is a great example of this. The space here is truly Class A and designed for young professionals
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and contemporary businesses who thrive off of a central, efficient, high-amenity location. The AC Marriott Hotel markets to this same demographic with features like an on-site bar, fitness and pool amenities, a businessfriendly lobby and a board room. The rooms themselves are also designed for the modern traveler, with sleek interior finishes and high-tech features. Q: The Valley has seen a lot of new mixed-use developments . How is Camelback Collective unique? A: A lot of urban projects combine retail or restaurant with office space, but Camelback Collective’s combination of true Class A office (which GPEC has noted as being in very short supply in the Camelback Corridor) with a business hotel under the Marriott brand, is a big differentiator. It allows for the recruitment of tenants like regional headquarters who rely heavily on hotels to service outof-state employees and visitors. The AC Marriot brand caters to these types of travelers. It includes a laundry list of amenities and a property designed for connectivity, including rooms with Wi-Fi access and six USB ports each, and a lobby and lounge peppered with the same. The project is also within walking distance to a dozen restaurants and numerous neighborhood services. Q: Since its founding, Graycor has taken on “hard jobs.” Why? A: That tagline comes from our founding project in 1921, when Graycor demolished a retaining wall along Chicago’s Miracle Mile – surrounded by a live operating train and a very busy urban traffic corridor. No other general contractor or demolition company wanted to touch the project, but we did, and we were successful. That rooted Graycor around the idea of strong collaboration and looking at an entire project from the end forward. This is really the heart of the design-build concept, which brings contractors into a project at the earliest stage and empowers them to anticipate and design around challenges far ahead of time. We’ve been doing this for 95 years now. It is just the way that we build. ■
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