165-foot tower OK'd for Biltmore Fashion Park; neighbors, office owner oppose plan

A Phoenix developer and a mall operator can move ahead with developing a tower on the parking lot of the Biltmore Fashion Park.

The Phoenix City Council voted Monday to approve the plan.

Macerich, the mall’s owner, and Phoenix-based RED Development, have proposed building a tower that could reach up to 165 feet at the corner of 26th Street and Camelback Road. The site is used as a surface parking lot for the Biltmore Fashion Park. A tower had been planned on that spot since 2006 but has yet to be built.

Some community members and the owner of a nearby office property have vocally opposed the project and criticized the leader of a city advisory committee for refusing to hold a hearing about the proposal.

The Camelback East Village Planning Committee, which serves as an advisory body to the Planning Commission and City Council, opted not to hear the proposal at its meeting, a decision left to the discretion of the chairperson.

Instead, the proposal was sent to the planning hearing officer to make a recommendation. Opponents of the tower said the chairman’s decision not to hear the proposal in the committee subverted the public process and left people with lingering questions and concerns.

RED and Macerich have proposed two options for the tower.

The first option is primarily an office tower with a mix of retail and restaurants on the bottom floor. If the developers were to build that option, it could reach a maximum of 140 feet in height.

The second option could include a hotel, residential units, retail and office. That tower could reach 165 feet in height. The developers have not said which option they plan to pursue, nor have they revealed any proposed renderings or design examples.

Robert Marino, vice president of asset management for Tourmaline Capital Partners, the owner of the Esplanade office complex on the south side of Camelback, said he and his company weren’t opposed to development, but said the development did not go through the proper public process.

At the Planning Commission’s hearing in June regarding the development, an attorney who spoke representing the Esplanade’s ownership said the lack of details provided for the project, including what the mix of uses will be, was enough to ask the city to “tap the brakes” and wait for more details.

Despite the lingering questions, the Phoenix City Council unanimously voted to approve the project.

Reach the reporter at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter @CorinaVanek.