It appears Pioneer Park is about to get a little bit bigger.
Peoria City Council this week approved the purchase of a 1.1-acre property at 8795 N. 83rd Ave., located between Olive and Northern avenues, and bordering a western portion of Pioneer Park.
It is a lone parcel that is bordered only by the park. On it sits an HVAC service and supply business as well as a pest control business.
The property owner has agreed to sell the property for $1.21 million, which is 10% above the appraised value but below the listed price of $1.5 million.
“Sometimes it makes sense for a municipality to acquire a property in order to preserve a space, create amenities, and/or spur revitalization of a particular area,” City Manager Henry Darwin said.
He added that this acquisition fits with that strategy.
The property is zoned under the industrial category.
Councilmemeber Jennifer Crawford, who represents the area, said this is a good opportunity for the city and allows for better continuity of use.
“If anybody has been in that area, you can see that it is completely surrounded by Pioneer Park. That’s why I think this is such a critical move for us.”
The owners of the property have been marketing its sale for several months, with prospects varying from a mechanic repair shop to a used car lot, according to a staff report.
Assistant City Manager Rick Buss said the property has been listed for $1.5 million and has had at least one buyer under contract within the last 60 days. The latest buyer sought to build a 3-story self-storage facility and underwent several site plan reviews, but ultimately chose to cancel the contract, and the property very recently became available, according to the report.
Buss said the parks and recreation department plans to look at the property and see what they can do with the space and then bring it back to council for potential uses.
“The idea here was to grab the property when we can because there are other people that are looking at the property,” Buss said.
As part of the agreement, the seller will to continue to occupy the premises for a period of up to 270 days post-closing. This post-closing possession agreement, which Buss said is common in real estate acquisitions, requires the seller to assume all liability of the property during tenancy, requires a fee of $600 +/- per month, and a $25,000 holdback of the sale proceeds until the end of the post possession period. The entire fee will be paid up front at closing.
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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