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February 15, 2011

Feliciano Vera on Phoenix’s Geography of Isolation and the Importance of Having Conversations

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Below is the second half of my interview with Feliciano Vera, partner at Habitat Metro, the development company behind Portland Place, The Oasis Motel redevelopment and now the Lexington Hotel redevelopment. If you missed the first half, make sure to catch it here! Blooming Rock: How has the economy impacted you? I know Habitat Metro started in 2007 when everything was flying high. How has it changed you? Feliciano Vera: It’s reinforced our discipline in terms of our basic business discipline and our focus on opportunities and work that passes basic economic muster. We have to be able to…

February 14, 2011

Feliciano Vera of Habitat Metro on Downtown Oriented Development in Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Feliciano Vera, a partner with Tim Sprague and John Hill in the local development firm Habitat Metro. Habitat Metro developed Portland Place and is now redeveloping The Oasis Motel on Grand Avenue. Just recently, they announced that they acquired the Lexington Hotel on Central Avenue and plan to rehabilitate it into a chic, boutique hotel. Can’t wait! Feliciano grew up in South Phoenix then set off to Harvard after high school. Fortunately, he not only came back to Phoenix, he also started giving back to the city. If you…

September 07, 2012

My Speech: From Architect to Community Developer

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Yesterday, I gave a talk to the School of Geographic Sciences and Urban Planning Brown Bag Lunch Series. The talk is about how I went from being an architect to becoming a community developer. I thought I’d share it with you: When I was 8 years old I named my 2 goldfish Gorbechev and Reagan. I remember being an avid watcher of the news back then, shortly after my family emigrated here from Mozambique. I was mesmerized by the Iran Contra Affair, learning about places like Nicaragua and people like Oliver North and John Pointdexter. This was my first…

August 29, 2012

The Lost Art of Browsing – Why We Need a Good Bookstore in Central Phoenix

by: Feliciano Vera

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Feliciano Vera: I did not notice her when she boarded the bus. She was nondescriptly dressed, as was her friend. Not quite hipster casual, nor professional. I still have no idea what she looked like. Cute, I imagine. In all likelihood she worked at either Pixar or Novartis or one of the myriad number of companies that call Emeryville, California home. Maybe it was my old-fashioned commuter etiquette – wherein one keeps to oneself – but she could easily have been one of a thousand other women that were taking the train or…

August 09, 2012

Cafe Culture Doesn’t Kill: A Simple Proposal for Beer in the Commons

by: Feliciano Vera

Tweet Today’s post is by Feliciano Vera: I swear that I left my sanity somewhere between the zoo that is JFK and lush curves of Madrid’s Barajas Airport. The building oscillated in my bleary-eyed state, leaving me confused as I walked out into the brisk March morning. I looked like a fat punching bag dressed in a Michelin Man costume. Or maybe I felt like one. I don’t remember the details exactly, except that I was travelling as a third wheel with two newlyweds – my best friend and his new wife. Someone with more sanity would steer clear of…

July 25, 2012

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Helps Fund Transit Oriented Development in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet We all know that after the housing market crash, banks have tightened their fists considerably, making it hard to develop anything at all, much less innovative and equitable transit-oriented projects. The picture looked bleak for new development and redevelopment, where even suburban tract housing developers were dead in the water. But a few years ago, thanks to a very dedicated local team, some funds were secured to bridge the gap of financing for transit oriented development along the Light Rail. This is great news for Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa who have opted into Light Rail and stand to benefit…

June 21, 2012

Hoy, Soy Arizona. SB1070, the DREAM Act, and Competitive Cities

by: Feliciano Vera

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Feliciano Vera: I was going for the Mexican Ming the Merciless look. Sporting a freshly shaved head – a minor protest against an economy in the gutter – as well as a goatee and mustache, I could easily have been mistaken for your friendly neighborhood cholo. Ensconced as I was amid the couches at Postino Arcadia, that was the farthest thought from my mind. Drinking prosecco with a polyglot group of friends during a not-too-distant holiday season, the mood was cheerful and celebratory, despite the dire state of the economy. We had just…

June 05, 2012

Let’s Not Cook Ourselves in the Crock Pot of Our Stupidity

by: Feliciano Vera

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Feliciano Vera: I had never been to Portrero Hill. The view to the east, across the Bay towards Oakland, was nothing short of breathtaking. Framed as it was by the deep inset windows and aromas of Plow, against a foreground of artisanal sausage, almond pancakes, hipsters and software developers, it almost made me cry. And then Kelley interrupted my reverie: “So, when are you moving here?” “Trust me. This isn’t making my decision to stay any easier.” I responded. My son lives across the Bay in Oakland. With no girlfriend or wife, and…

May 23, 2012

Shade. Or, how I gave up and admitted my secret love affair with Arcadia

by: Feliciano Vera

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Feliciano Vera: Her extended finger was proof enough. Dorina Bustamante was pissed at me. Not that I should have been surprised. She and I have had an ongoing argument about Arcadia for the better part of at least a year. Fortunately for me, the only people that could see her gesture were sitting next to me – fellow presenters at one of Rob Izer and Kirby Hoyt’s Funk Series earlier in the year. Walking in one of its aspirant satellites (Arcadia Lite? South Arcadia? We Really Want to Be Arcadia?) on a recent…

May 10, 2012

The Closing of the Urban Grocery and Wine Bar at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market

by: Feliciano Vera

Tweet Today’s post is by Feliciano Vera: “We should hold a wake, y’know. I mean, the body is still warm and everything. May help with closure,” read the text from my friend. Word about the closure of the Urban Grocery and Wine Bar at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market spread like wildfire last Friday. Occupying nearly every casual conversation I had over the weekend, the news nearly derailed work originally scheduled for the week – how do we save the market? What happened? Who was to blame? I never pretended to have the answers, other than to say consistently that…