Downtown Phoenix's Central Station Project Marks Construction Milestone, Plans Opening

A redevelopment project that includes two light rail stations and a bus depot in downtown Phoenix will open its first tower, a 21-story building designed to house students, by the end of 2024.

The development, called Central Station, marked the “topping off” of the first tower, meaning the last beam was placed on the building, which will eventually have fully furnished units designed for students.

A second tower, which will be 32 stories tall with traditional, unfurnished apartments, is also under construction. That building’s “topping off” will be in 2024, and the tower will open in 2025 or 2026, project leaders said. About 7% of the 360 units in that tower will be designated for workforce housing.

The project, located on Central Avenue north of Van Buren Street, is being developed by GMH Communities and Medistar. The site is bounded by light rail stations on two sides and will include a bus station, which was temporarily relocated during the construction.

Transit, walkability a priority

Central Station is one of the few developments in downtown Phoenix to have underground parking, which allows the ground floor to be fully commercial and public space, with a shaded breezeway through the site for pedestrians and people crossing the site to access transit, Krista Shepherd, principal at Multistudio, the designer of the project, said.

“This is one of the most complex sites in downtown,” Shepherd said.

Along with the residential towers, the project will also include about 70,000 square feet of office space, as well as ground-floor commercial space for retail and restaurants throughout the development.

Restaurants, stores, offices to come

Dusty Smith, senior vice president of GMH, said no companies have signed leases yet for the restaurant or retail space but some have expressed interest in locating there. Leasing for both the retail and office space will likely come closer to when the space will open, he said. Most of the space will likely be restaurants, he said.

Smith said the site feels like the “main and main” corner of downtown Phoenix and has unique access to transit for employees who work in the office portion of the development and residents of the towers.

The redevelopment of Central Station, which is on land owned by the city, has been in the works for years.

The city tried to bring the site forward for redevelopment about a decade ago, but the plan was shelved when the chosen developer died. In 2018, the city again released a request for proposals for redeveloping the site and selected the proposal that is now moving forward.