“We were placing tenants in new buildings and we decided we liked the attributes of the new building (for ourselves),” Manning explains, citing updated design, modern finishes and higher ceilings as attractions. “And,” he adds candidly, “it’s close to my house.”

Indeed, the tremendous residential growth in the north Phoenix area is driving a lot of the commercial growth, and Manning notes, “We’re getting a lot of people who want to (locate their businesses) closer to their homes.”

The building is comprised of all office space, 15,000 square feet in two floors of 7,500 square feet each. Three M will take 4,100 square feet of the ground floor for itself and lease out the other 3,400 square feet. Manning anticipates space on the second floor breaking down in a similar division to house two tenants, but posits that a single tenant might occupy the entire floor. While the layout of the second floor will depend on the tenant, the remaining first‑floor space will be completed as part of the original construction and will be move‑in ready spec space. Date of completion is projected to be in April or May of next year, after a ground‑breaking of September 1 this year.

Designed by Sherm Cawley of Phoenix‑based Cawley Architects, the structure is conceived as a

professional building and features a common lobby – with an elevator – to which all suites will have access. It is a full two‑stories high and all glass, making a dramatic entry for the building. This main entry is located on the front west corner of the building; a secondary entrance is located on the front east corner and is also walled in by a full two stories of window. Since the property lies on the south side of Whispering Wind, both entrances capture natural daylight from the north rather than the blistering direct sunlight from the south.

Large banks of windows break up the concrete exterior walls. Pairs of stone columns flank the main entrance, while the other accents –notably the steel canopies at the main lobby entrance and the matching steel framing across the top edge of the windows–emphasize the horizontal banding of the building. That banding is done in three tones of tan, or, as Cawley describes them, “contemporary Southwest colors.” The dominant color is the lightest, with a slightly darker shade in a band between the upper and lower windows. The deepest shade is used in a thin band at the roof edge and a wide band at the base of the walls. A low wall in this same deep shade blends into the color scheme as it crosses the front of the building to separate the front walkway from the landscaped street side set‑back.

Parking on the .93‑acre site will envelop the building on three sides, double‑loaded on the long east and west sides and a single row facing the outer embankment on the shorter rear side.

As a professional building, 1523 W. Whispering Wind is not Three M Property Management’s typical product. “It’s more in tune with what we wanted from the property,” explains Manning. “We couldn’t accommodate space for our needs if we did office warehouse.”

For information on leasing space in the office building, contact J.D. Manning of Three M Property Management at (480) 609‑3936.