A long-vacant site at 18th Street and Indian School Road could become a 76-unit apartment complex with small commercial space.
Jason Morris, a zoning attorney representing the developer, Scottsdale-based Del Pueblo Communities, said the project has been in the works for more than four years, going through many design iterations to find something that would be palatable to the neighborhood.
The 2-acre site was once used for offices. But when the State Route 51 freeway was built, the road became a dead end and was no longer suitable for offices, Morris said. Most of the site has been vacant since the mid-1990s.
"This is a vacant property adjacent to an arterial road and a freeway, there isn't a better location for apartments," Morris said.
The building
will be four stories tall, including three stories of apartment units over one level of parking, with two ground-floor commercial spaces. Morris said those spaces will be small, and could fit businesses like a café, gym or salon.
“It makes for a great streetscape,” he said.
The plan has been altered several times to address concerns about increased traffic and worries about privacy from residents in the nearby neighborhood, Morris said. The original proposal requested 102 apartment units without any commercial space. The revised plan includes 76 apartment units and 1,700 square feet of commercial space.
The revised plan also moved the apartment complex’s pool and added visual barriers to minimize noise and disturbance to neighbors.
The development will include mostly one-bedroom units but will range in size up to three bedrooms.
The Camelback East Village Planning Committee recommended approval at its October 6 meeting. The Phoenix Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss it in November, and Morris said it could go before the City Council before the end of the year.
If the Council approves it, construction could begin in late 2027 or early 2028, Morris said.
Reach the reporter at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @CorinaVanek.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Vacant site along SR 51 proposed for apartments | Exclusive
