As the rubble from the former Smitty’s grocery store on Grand Avenue crumbles to the ground in Peoria, discussions are beginning about what will replace it as a developer is plans to revive the property.
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As the rubble from the former Smitty’s grocery store on Grand Avenue crumbles to the ground in Peoria, discussions are beginning about what will replace it as a developer plans to revive the property.
This week, Peoria will present plans for the development of the property, 8455 W. Grand Ave., which will require a rezone and general plan amendment.
After a prolonged battle by the owner to fight the demolition, ended by a denial of the Arizona Supreme Court to hear his appeal, the city placed a lien on the property for the cost to raze the building, which is now in the process of being demolished.
Peoria's Real Estate Development Officer Scott Whyte said most of the structure is expected to be torn to the ground within the next a few days. The removal of the basement structure and continuing trucking for disposal will go into mid-September, and the final site work to leave the former building pad as a retention basin will continue until the end of September.
The city is hosting a virtual neighborhood meeting for residents to give input on the property's future at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020.
The property is in escrow to be sold to private investor SJ Acquisitions, which is working through the process that will pave a path for rezoning, Mr. Whyte said.
The proposed project on 7.5 acres, dubbed Grand Commons, calls for an urban mixed-use development to create both commercial and multifamily housing on the former Smitty's site. To accomplish this, an application request has been submitted to change the Old Town specific area plan designation from flex mixed-use to Old Town commercial mixed-use. In addition, the property needs to be rezoned from Old Town commercial center to planned area development. The PAD would allow for commercial and retail uses along Grand Avenue, complemented by a multi-family community along 85th Avenue and Peoria Avenue, documents said.
The proposal will require planning and zoning commission as well as Council approval.
The project includes a high-quality design framework with consistent architectural and landscape elements and offers strong pedestrian links between the residential and non-residential portions of the site, according to the city. The flexibility of a PAD will allow the site to develop in phases through one of two configurations proposed in the PAD document.
Philip Haldiman is a third generation Arizona native with brief residencies on the east and west coasts.
He has bachelor’s degrees in Theater and Journalism at Arizona State University, and is an award winning journalist with more than 15 years worth of experience in reporting and editing.
Most recently, he took first place for investigative reporting and third place for best sustained coverage or series at the 2023 Arizona Newspapers Association awards.
In his free time, he produces an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
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