By Corina Vanek | Arizona Republic
A plan to add new affordable housing by selling or leasing city-owned parcels in Phoenix for residential development is gaining momentum, with the first project receiving zoning approval and requests out for development on other projects around the city.
As part of the Housing Phoenix Plan that was approved by the City Council in 2022, about 20 city-owned sites were identified as potential locations for new housing developments.
The sites were chosen because they were not earmarked for another use and could be suitable locations for housing, Samantha Keating, deputy housing director for Phoenix, said. The city has begun releasing requests for proposals from developers on how they would develop some of the sites. Those proposals are then judged by city staff and then one is recommended for the council to approve.
First project approved
So far, the first project to go through the process, a vacant site next to the Helen Drake Senior Center on 27th Avenue south of Northern Avenue, just received zoning approval from the council on January 3. The developer of that project, the Richman Group, is planning a two-phase development that is expected to include 204 units of affordable senior housing in the 4.5-acre site.
Keating said the city will be working with the developer on permitting and expects construction to begin on that project at the beginning of 2025.
Housing is generally considered affordable if a person spends one-third or less of his or her gross monthly income on it. According to Phoenix’s 2022-2023 guidelines, a couple earning 80% of the area median income would earn $56,550 annually.
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