By City of Phoenix and BEX Staff for AZBEX
The City of Phoenix has taken a significant stride in the investment of its west side community.
In hopes of partnering with community members to revitalize the area, along with the redevelopment of Metro Center and nearby health care facilities, the City of Phoenix purchased the former Kmart building located at the NWC of I-17 and Northern Avenue. Plans are underway for renovations of the site to transform it into a much needed, state-of-the-art workforce training and education facility, appropriately named the Innovation 27 Workforce Training and Education Collaborative.
The City, along with education partners: Arizona State University, Maricopa County Community College District, and Western Maricopa Education Center, intends to provide advanced education opportunities and workforce development to support this area of Phoenix in both its workforce and businesses. The former Kmart building has been vacant for the past five years and is one of the last remaining large infill sites located along a major freeway in Phoenix that is available for redevelopment.
In 2022, the Phoenix City Council approved the 27th Avenue Corridor Community Safety and Crime Prevention Plan, which directly focuses on the community. Innovation 27 is an essential part of the solution to help combat those safety and economic issues. Residents currently experience barriers to education opportunities, food deserts and access to transportation to other training facilities in the Valley. Training opportunities anticipated for this site are expected to prepare individuals for careers in the semiconductor, public safety, bioscience, information technology, food innovation and healthcare fields.
Innovation 27 provides a space for advanced education and job upskilling. It will focus on cultivating sustainable occupations that can withstand market volatility and foster entrepreneurship, creativity, and growth opportunities. Programs and classes in the buildings are estimated to begin in the fall of 2024.
According to the DATABEX project database, the City of Phoenix has Requests for Qualifications in place for both CMAR and Architectural Services that are due by noon on April 14. Pre-submittal meetings were held March 30.
