More housing could be on the horizon in downtown Phoenix.A proposed 29-story mixed-use development would be constructed on the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Fillmore Street and add several …
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More housing could be on the horizon in downtown Phoenix.
A proposed 29-story mixed-use development would be constructed on the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Fillmore Street and add several hundred multifamily units and more retail to the area. The site would take up an entire city block.
The proposed project would include about 747 residential units with a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, according to city of Phoenix records. Conceptual residential amenities could include a pool/spa, fitness center and resident clubhouse, the records said.
The 1.83-acre property sold for $22 million on March 8, according to Vizzda, a real estate database. The property sits on the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Filmore Street at 601 N. Central Ave.
The buyer, LG Development Group, declined to comment when contacted by Independent Newsmedia on Thursday. The seller is listed as Glasir Capital Partners on the database.
“It’s still preliminary,” said Eric Toll, a spokesman for the city of Phoenix. “It’s in for pre-application review.”
That process allows the developer to bring the concept to city officials while getting feedback about possible design changes such as the amount of parking and the number of residential units the structure should have. That process includes getting a handle on engineering requirements, Toll said.
“The developer has basic plans,” Toll said. “But (the process gives the developer a chance) to get the city’s opinion if anything needs to be covered or changed.”
The Law Offices of Snell & Wilmer submitted a pre-application to the Phoenix Planning and Development Department officials on March 17.
The area is near Arizona State University buildings, and the proposed mixed-use project would sit across from Westward Ho, which was once used as an historic 600-room hotel. Construction of the building began in 1928, according to the Arizona Department of Housing website. The 1.8-acre property is currently being used as a parking lot.
According to the DTPHX website, the Gold Spot, an underground bowling alley was near the proposed project. The bowling alley was in operation from about 1939 to 1950 still exists, in part, on the southeast corner of Central Avenue and Pierce Street, the website said.
The site has been used as a parking lot “since the late 2000s” when the previous structures at the site were demolished, records show.
In addition, the project would include about 29,000 square feet of ground level commercial space.
A public open space would be added at the southwest corner of near Central and Fillmore.
“A perpetual alleyway easement would be created so that the alleyway itself will remain open for public use, utility access, and waste management as it exists today,” records said. “The primary vehicular access to the structured parking garage for the Project will be provided via the alleyway with a secondary access point to the parking garage for residents on Pierce Street. As demonstrated on the enclosed conceptual site plan, a porte-cochere is also located within the alleyway and serves as the location for the residential pick-up and drop-off area.”
Toll said he’s unsure if the matter would go before the Phoenix City Council.
Brent Ruffner Lead News Reporter | Daily Independent @AzNewsmedia
Journalism has fascinated Brent Ruffner since junior high school.
Since 2001, his stories have been published in newspapers from the Albuquerque to the Arizona and he has always had a knack for making sure his facts are right and his words are to the point.
Growing up, Brent watched as sports reporters covered his beloved Phoenix Suns, a team he followed since Charles Barkley first arrived in Phoenix via trade in 1992. Sports reporting was a dream back then.
But after gaining some writing experience, Brent found a love for news instead of covering different types of sports. In 2008, he moved to New Mexico and covered crime, schools and city beats all while holding elected officials accountable.
He covered stories that ranged from a DEA drug bust gone bad to an award-winning story on school lunches.
In Arizona, Brent was a freelance writer who covered everything from the importance of citrus in the state to Esteban owning a store in downtown Prescott.
Brent is a 2007 graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
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