The City of Phoenix will purchase the former Kmart site at I-17 and Northern Avenue and lease an adjacent building to create a workforce and education center.
The site had previously been considered for a food distribution center.
Since the store closed there had been multiple considerations for its use, including commercial, industrial and multifamily developments. It is one of the few remaining locations available for redevelopment on the I-17 corridor.
Work to redevelop the site and its educational uses will continue as part of a joint effort with Arizona State University, the Maricopa Community College District and West-MEC, which contracted with M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates Inc (Gensler).
Phoenix City Council voted unanimously to buy the facility from current owner Saia Family Limited Partnership for $12M and to lease an adjacent building with an annual rent of $234K for 25 years. The purchase and initial renovations will be funded by monies from the American Rescue Plan Act. (Source)