Affordable housing may be coming to south Phoenix light rail extension

Article originally posted on AZ Central on September 24, 2025

A vacant 5.5-acre site at Central Avenue and Broadway Road could be redeveloped for affordable housing and commercial uses as Phoenix works to bolster transit-oriented development along the South Central light rail extension.

“This is sort of a gateway to the south Phoenix community,” Xandon Keating, Phoenix’s deputy economic development director, said. “We are using this site for a development that can speak to the gateway aspect.”

Phoenix has applied to rezone the city-owned site to allow a mixed-use apartment development. The City Council has already authorized city staff to issue a request for proposals, soliciting proposals from private developers, once the rezoning is complete, Keating said.

Portions of the site have various zoning designations, including neighborhood retail, parking, multifamily housing and general commercial. The rezoning will apply to the entire site and make it comply with the walkable urban code for the south Phoenix district.

The council is scheduled to vote on the rezoning in October, and the request will likely be released in early 2026, he said.

The site is adjacent to a light rail station, which opened in June. Before opening the light rail extension, the city completed the South Central Transit-Oriented Development Community Plan. It serves as a guide to identify key cultural places, places in need of reinvestment and key goals for the area. One of the priorities, Keating said, is affordable housing.

The city will require half of the proposed units in the development to be affordable to people earning under 80% of the area’s median income. Housing is generally considered affordable if a person spends one-third or less of his or her income on it per month.

The proposal will also seek ground-floor commercial uses in the development. Keating said the types of uses will depend on the projects proposed but said they should focus on the needs of the community.

“Historically this area of the city has been underserved by a lot of amenities,” he said. “There is a lack of public and private services in the area.”

Most land along the light rail extension is privately owned, Keating said, though the city does own some sites where it could later seek redevelopment projects. As private landowners look to reinvest in their properties or pursue new development, their projects will also be guided by the city’s transit-oriented development plan.

“The big takeaway is this us a very culturally diverse part of our city,” he said. “We want to make sure development contributes to the cultures and communities that are here.”