Phoenix Readies 12 Acres, Minutes From Downtown, For Developer Interest

Phoenix AZ

06 March, 2021

12:59 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Phoenix: March 5, 2021 The 12 acres at 24th Street and Broadway are a prime opportunity for creative development Show Caption Hide Caption Phoenix Readies 12 Acres, Minutes from Downtown, for Developer Interest March 5, 2021 1:15 PM The city of Phoenix is seeking ideas for developing 12 acres of prime, undeveloped land at the southwest corner of 24th Street and Broadway Road. Phoenix Community and Economic Development is issuing a Request for Information on January 29 to collect site development ideas. By Eric Jay Toll for PHXNewsroom At the crossroads of two major arterial streets, the 24th Street and Broadway Road site is across the street from the Phoenix Neighborhood Resource Center and a police substation. "We're looking for creative concepts that work for this site and the community," said Christine Mackay, director, Community and Economic Development. "We hope to attract ideas from developers interested in large, flat, undeveloped parcels close to Downtown Phoenix and on two major transit routes." The site consists of two parcels. The Broadway Road frontage zoned C-2, and the southern portion of the site zoned R1-6. The property is within the Four Corners Overlay District and is a part of Target Area B Redevelopment Area. "Our current thought is that the desired project is a mixed-use development with a combination of workforce and affordable housing, with retail uses or commercial development in support of the surrounding community," said Mackay. "Of special interest is projects that also address the current 'food desert' in this area." The RFI outcome will tell the city and neighborhood which development options are economically feasible and meet the goals of activating the property. The RFI responses will help determine if the City issues a formal Request for Proposals at a later date. "A creative idea is going to be the catalyst to get this property on the market," said Mackay. "We have listened to the neighborhood and are now trying to connect their vision with developer concepts." In addition to development ideas, Phoenix wants to know what type of assistance, if any, developers believe is necessary for a successful project. Timeline projections are part of the RFI and the city wants to see how a healthy development of this site benefits the surrounding neighborhood. About one mile from Interstate 10, the 24th Street and Broadway Road site is under 10 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Downtown Phoenix. The property is situated in an actively developing area: • Agri-Food Innovation Center on the former Del Rio Landfill site is near 7th and Elwood streets about two miles to the west. The $200 million capital investment will generate $848 million in annual economic output and create more than 1,400 in direct and indirect jobs. • Around 200 single-family home permits and more than 100 certificates-of-occupancy were issued within a three-mile radius of the site in 2020. • Rio Reimagined, the John McCain Legacy Project, will revitalize Rio Salado and the surrounding region starting about one mile from the site. A federal grant kicked off work on a target area of the river. • The under-construction South Central light rail route puts a station under 2.5 miles from the offered property, connecting bus service running to-and-from the station on Broadway Road. • South Mountain Communication College is just two miles from the site. The college is known for its engineering, communications and mobile application development training. SMCC also provides customized training programs in transportation, logistics and construction trades. • South Mountain Park and Preserve is the second largest municipal park in the world. At over 16,000 acres, the park's terrain provides innumerable active, developed and backcountry recreation opportunities just three miles from the site. Over 50 miles of trails crisscross the park. Trip Advisor awarded South Mountain a 2020 Traveler's Choice Award. The RFI goes to the market on March 5, and the deadline for responses is April 15, 2021. Community and Economic Development is conducting an informational webinar at 9:00 a.m. on March 18. All submittal requirements, dates and deadlines are in the RFI. Downloaded the document from ProcurePHX, 24th Street and Broadway Road Development Request for Information. This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author's own.