Metrocenter Mall sits vacant and boarded up while plans for the 68-acre redevelopment continue (photo by Kathryn M. Miller).
At a July 17 community meeting, the Metro District Community Collaboration, coordinated by Gordon C. James Public Relations, updated neighbors, business owners and other community stakeholders on redevelopment plans, police department calls for service, and Northwest Extension Phase II Transit Oriented Community planning efforts. The district runs from Dunlap Avenue to Peoria Avenue, I-17 to 31st Avenue.
Jeff Stapleton, with the city of Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department, is the city’s project manager for the yet unnamed Metrocenter redevelopment. At the meeting, Stapleton said that the fencing off of the vacant mall is still planned to take place this summer, with demolition on track to begin later in 2024 – it could take close to a year to complete.
Phoenix Police Department (PPD) Officer Adrian Diaz broke down the June calls for service in the district. Dispatched calls (those coming from the public) are up from 262 in June 2023 to 284 in June 2024. Diaz says that this 8.4% increase is not necessarily a bad thing, but rather indicates that businesses and residents are responding to their “See something, say something,” exhortations. Most of the calls in the area were for trespassing.
PPD Lt. Mark Schweikert, who also serves in the Metro area, attended as a representative of the Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association (PPSLA). Schweikert announced that PPSLA will once again host their popular Superhero Saturday event in the Metro District next year and encouraged residents to save the date, Jan. 18, 2025, and plan on attending this community event. Information can be found at www.superherosaturday.org.
Finally, area residents who missed out on the first round of the Northwest Extension Phase II Transit Oriented Community planning workshops, the Planning Department is still seeking input. An online survey is available through August, along with an explanation of the project, at www.phoenix.gov/pddsite/pages/northwestextensionii.aspx. A second round of community workshops is expected to be held this fall.
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