By Dianna M. Náñez, The Republic | azcentral.com
It has the makings of a blockbuster urban-development story: a 20-acre parking lot in Tempe transformed into the largest office development in Arizona history.
The sky-high cranes that tower over the $600 million Marina Heights project, just north of Sun Devil Stadium at Tempe Town Lake, are a spectacle for passers-by.
Only a year ago, the area was mostly vacant land, housing Arizona State University’s Parking Lot 59, known more fondly as the cheapest parking on campus. The lot would fill with hundreds of cars belonging to students who couldn’t afford the covered, closer-to-campus parking, so they put up with the long walk to class and the stifling heat.
