City unveils vision for mixed-use redevelopment along Salt River, targeting four key parcels Article originally posted on Phoenix Business Journal on July 20, 2026 The city of Phoenix is firming up land use policies and identifying key sites within a chunk of land covering 4,000 acres along the Salt River where it’s aiming to attract new investment and development. The ultimate vision for the once primarily industrial area south of Interstate 17 is to build a more walkable and vibrant mixed-use community while preserving the natural habitat. A general plan amendment is working through the city’s planning process that would formally establish the Rio District Policy Plan, with new details emerging in recently filed city documents. That includes four specific sites the city is targeting for redevelopment, along with design guidelines and renderings of prospective projects. The city only owns one of the sites – a 30-acre parcel at the southeast corner of Central Avenue and Park Drive, which is near a light rail station and a future pedestrian bridge. A mixed-use campus with businesses and a community building are envisioned there. A similar development is proposed at another targeted site off 7th Avenue. The other two sites are south of the Rio Salado, or Salt River, off 16th and 24th Streets. A recreation center is proposed at one, while an “ecological hotel,” a research campus and multifamily housing are proposed at the other. Phoenix has a long history of trying to revitalize the area along the Rio Salado River. In 1999, Congress authorized funding to restore 595 acres along the river from 19th Avenue to 28th Street – an area that attracted gravel mining, illegal dumping and landfills along the dry riverbed. In 2012, the city received a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up several brownfield sites in the area. Such sites are typically abandoned industrial facilities or landfills containing potentially hazardous contaminants hindering redevelopment. Find Complete Article Here: https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2026/07/20/phoenix-rio-salado-river-redevelopment-sites.html?cx_testId=131&cx_testVariant=cx_undefined&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s