The abandoned towers that have loomed over downtown Tempe for three years are now bustling with life.
College students make up almost 80 percent of the first tenants living in the West Sixth high-rise apartments, General Manager Amity Peters said.
Tower construction originally began in 2005, but was halted in 2008 when the project’s financial backer Mortgage Ltd. filed for bankruptcy. Building restarted earlier this year after Cleveland-based developer Zaremba Group purchased the towers.
The 22-story Tower One was completed in late July and opened for resident move-in on Aug. 1. West Sixth began accepting applications for the second, 30-story tower in June and anticipates residents to move in Nov. 14.
“If I had to picture what my dream apartment would look like in college, I guess this would be it,” criminal justice senior Greer Rubinstein said.
Rubinstein moved in Aug. 13 to a two-bedroom apartment and said she was pleased with her residence.
Roommates Patrick Erhart and Ben Cochran, both interdisciplinary studies seniors, moved to their 12th-floor apartment in early August and were enthusiastic about their new home.
“We’d rather live here than any other place in Tempe,” Erhart said while perched on his granite countertop.
Cochran and Erhart previously lived in The Vue apartments on Apache Boulevard and Rural Road and said they like West Sixth “at least twice as much.”
“Living right on Mill is nice because we always go out to the bars,” Cochran said. “(We) don’t have to pay for taxis.”
Living close to campus is another benefit and the commute to campus is about five to 10 minutes, Erhart and Cochran said.
“Here you just walk out, cross Mill, and you’re basically on campus,” Erhart said.
Studios begin at $945 per month, while two-bedroom units begin at $1,550 per month, Peters said. Rental prices increase by 20 percent on the seventh floor, and 10 to 15 percent if the unit is on the eighth floor or above.
Erhart and Cochran live on the 12th floor and said they split the rent, which is approximately $1,700. All three students said their parents are paying for the apartments.
Tower One contains 186 units, not including the townhouses, and all 186 units are full, Peters said.
With the rent comes access to the 9,000-square-foot gym and a pool area containing cabanas, fire pits, and Wi-Fi.
Rubinstein said the best part about her apartment is the view.
“It faces southwest so one side I can see the downtown area, and the other side overlooks all of ASU campus,” she said.
Cochran said he has had few problems besides long waits for one of three elevators, which cater to 22 floors. The water for their refrigerator did not work when they arrived, and Rubinstein said she had to wait several days for a maintenance person to fix her shower.
“Some appliances were not hooked up properly in some units,” Peters said.
As for safety, Rubinstein said it’s “refreshing” how tight security is.
“You can’t come in if you don’t live here and aren’t with someone, so they’re trying to make it really safe,” she said.
West Sixth hired a private company, Urban Tactical Security, which posts guards from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends, Peters said.
“The residents we have there are really excited to live there,” said Angie Miller, director of public relations for The James Agency which oversees West Sixth. “There’s really nothing like it.”
West Sixth began accepting applications for Tower Two on June 27 and anticipates a move-in date of Nov. 14.
Reach the reporter at sksmith9@asu.edu
