By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
A plan from Kimco Realty could deliver 760 new multifamily units and permanently transform the area around Christown Spectrum Mall in north central Phoenix.
Kimco has a request before the City of Phoenix to rezone 12.15 acres at the NWC of 15th and Montebello avenues from Planned Shopping Center, Interim-Transit Oriented Zoning Overlay District One to Walkable Urban Code, Transect 5:5 District, Transit Solano Character Area for the project.
The location is currently occupied by a surface parking lot and a vacant 5.2KSF former Costco Auto Center that will be demolished if the project goes through.
Under the proposal, the development will be executed in two phases. Phase I will create a five-story, 290-unit apartment building and a 260-space four-story parking structure that will be wrapped by the residential space.
In Phase II, the remaining 470 units will be in a tiered building going from two stories up to five. There will also be a parking structure of four-to-five stories that will be screened by the residential component.
Among the original plans and attached planning stipulations are a 10KSF civic plaza with public access that directly connects to the sidewalk on Montebello to create a pedestrian amenity. There will also be a pedestrian paseo at the Phase II building. An additional paseo will be built between Phases I and II to deliver “a highly walkable and connected pedestrian experience.”
The staff report accompanying the proposal before the Alhambra Village Planning Committee recommended approval for the project, with stipulations. The report found the project in keeping with the Walkable Urban Code and Transit Oriented zoning, as well as the existing scope and development of the surrounding neighborhood and density.
In speaking specifically about the areas immediately surrounding the site, the report said:
The 19North corridor is uniquely situated between the North Mountain Village Core (which encompasses Metrocenter Mall) and the Alhambra Village Core (which encompasses Christown Spectrum Mall). Both areas are positioned for high-quality, walkable, urban, mixed-use development.
The subject site is identified as an area to “Retrofit” in the plan’s community-identified change area maps. Areas identified as “Retrofit” are those that would benefit from additional landscaping within the right-of-way or parking lot, adaptive reuse of structures or adding new buildings to vacant properties or parking lots at the same scale as surrounding neighborhoods.
It went on to detail the 19North Urban Principles for Infill Development, which calls for, among other items, expanding the Walkable Urban Code to all of 19North and applying it to future projects and promoting pedestrian plazas and open spaces at key locations.
The report also found the project supports the goals of the Alhambra Village Character Plan by promoting compatible infill development with a mix of housing types near transit areas, protecting and building upon the character of the neighborhood with compatible development, and encouraging multimodal transit options.
Unlike many large-scale projects that are expected to have impacts that change the character of existing neighborhoods, nearby residents largely expressed support for the plan, including the Washington Park Neighborhood Association, the Pasadena Neighborhood Association and individual residents. The comments generally said the project will serve to help revitalize and rejuvenate the neighborhood, which has long struggled to overcome the problems associated with aging commercial services and declining density.
The Alhambra Village Planning Committee heard and approved the request in its Feb. 28 meeting.
Kimco Realty is the developer. The project planner is Streetsense. Kimley-Horn is the civil and traffic engineer, and the project is represented by Earl & Curley.
