Phoenix, Arizona — Over 600 affordable housing units will soon be added to the Valley’s housing stock. Many people in the Phoenix metropolitan area are struggling to find affordable housing and pay increasing rents.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted Monday to approve $17 million to fund affordable housing projects. This includes a hotel renovation with 50 apartments in Phoenix and new construction for 368 apartments in the West Valley and 192 apartments in downtown Phoenix.
The funding will come to Maricopa County through the American Rescue Plans Act, according to a news release from the county.
Approximately $8 million in the total amount will go to Arizona Housing, Inc. to transform the hotel on Van Buren Street in downtown Phoenix into a 50-unit permanent, supportive housing complex.
In addition to improvements to ensure that hotel rooms are suitable for long-term living, former hotel properties will help residents with employment barriers and provide other services they may need. Provide on-site case management to match service.
Construction is expected to begin later this year and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023, according to the county.
Maricopa County Commissioner Bill Gates said in a news release, “We are grateful for the innovative thinking and partnership that has transformed an old hotel into a place where people at risk of homelessness can live long term.” With such a creative approach and the Board’s continued commitment and investment, we can make a significant impact on the affordable housing challenges facing our communities.”
Approximately $6 million in total will go to the Gorman Group to build 368 new apartments on the southeast corner of 67th Street and Glendale Avenue in Glendale. Construction of Glendale’s Centerline will be in two phases, with 186 units in the first phase and 182 units in the second phase.
The remaining $3 million of the $17 million total will go to Ulysses Developments to build a new 192-unit complex called Salt River Flats near Broadway Road and 14th Street in Phoenix. Construction he plans to complete by March 2024. According to the county, the Salt River Flats are intended for people earning he 60% of the median income in the area.
Vice Chairman Clint Hickman said in a news release, “Remember what they say about how elephants eat. Take one bite at a time. It’s a necessary way of thinking,” he said. “It will take a while to have inventory in the locations we need it, but the addition of nearly 400 new rental properties in the heart of Glendale makes it affordable, one investment and one partnership at a time. It’s just one example of how we can address the housing shortage in the United States.”
