Next to the Tempe EnVision Center now sits a site of rubble. Not long ago, it was a bustling grocer for the residents who lived around the Apache corridor in north Tempe.
Now, the city is demolishing the structures to make way for an affordable housing complex called Dorsey Station, which will hold over 300 units of affordable housing, senior housing and a 10,000-square-foot grocer.
“A few of the residents in the area called me personally and said that they were concerned about the Food City that was here closing. They also said that they didn’t want a developer to come in and create luxury apartments that would make the area around it more expensive, so I got to work,” Mayor Corey Woods said on the morning of July 23 as trucks, bulldozers and other equipment worked around the site to remove tons of building debris.
Woods was then inspired to find out how to purchase the property, which cost over $10 million, and by December 2021, it was purchased for $10.7 million. Then, the city got to work.
After two council meetings the project was unanimously approved. There will be over 400 units in total, with around 40 available at a market rate, expecting to open in 2029.
Residents can expect a new, improved mixed-use residential and commercial space in the coming years.
Woods says that a grocer has not yet been determined, but residents are passionate about the business moving in.
Woods said that this was a catalyst for the city to purchase more properties such as the Tempe National Bank and historic Hardware Building on Mill Avenue. The city will own Dorsey Station, which Mayor Woods says is beneficial for tenants whether it be residents or businesses.
“We bought those sites for the purposes of getting mom and pop shops back to Mill Avenue, and that’s similar to what we’re doing here,” he said.
To learn more about Dorsey Station visit Dorsey Station | City of Tempe, AZ
To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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