Phoenix wants to add lower-income housing along Central Avenue light rail
Phoenix is looking to develop 3.2- acres of prime real estate along Central Avenue between Osborn and Indian School roads.
The city-owned site has sat vacant since 2004 when the city invoked eminent domain to secure the land along the light rail line.
Phoenix’s housing plan promotes redeveloping city-owned land with mixed-income housing. In this case, a developer must agree to offer at least half the units to people making less than 80% of the area median income.
Phoenix’s assistant housing director Aubrey Gonzalez recently told council members that they gathered community input.
“The feedback not only reinforced the need for more affordable units but also to try to ensure that the affordable units in this project are reasonably sized and have no distinction between the remaining workforce and market rate units,” she said. “For ground-floor activation, it was suggested to have community spaces open to the public along with commercial amenities that serve both the residents and the community.”
Phoenix expects to advertise a request for proposals this fall. A committee will evaluate proposals and make a recommendation to the City Council.
