long hoped-for mixed-use project set for downtown phoenix

A patch of urban land in downtown Phoenix, surrounded by gleaming skyscrapers, will soon see the construction of a 20-story hotel and office project.

Members of the Phoenix City Council have agreed to sell the 0.59-acre site to Berger Holdings of Phoenix for $2.8 million.

City officials have for years wanted to see the 66,000 square foot property at the southeast corner of N. Central Avenue and E. Adams Street developed.

Last year, the city issued a Request for Proposals noting that the site, which is currently used as a parking lot, is close to light rail transit, the Phoenix Convention Center, and other downtown amenities.

In response, Berger Holdings, working jointly with the Scottsdale-based Sunbelt Holdings, has proposed building a structure measuring more than 200,000 square feet that would include 220 hotel rooms, 6,100 square feet of retail space on the structure’s ground floor, and two floors of office space.

The project will also include a two-floor parking deck.

With final details of the project still to be worked out, it is expected that work on the new mixed-use development will begin sometime next year.

By Garry Boulard