Neighbors Oppose Transit-Adjacent Gated Development

A proposed development in Phoenix is creating backlash from community members and housing advocates who argue that the 72-unit gated townhome development, which would feature private garages for each unit, would go against the city's "Reinvent PHX" plan to increase density and walkability, reports Katya Schwenk.

"The new project, led by a local developer, is billed as a 'luxury,' gated community. It would consist exclusively of attached townhomes, each with its own two-car garage and private roads to connect the community, including an exclusive entrance to a well-known public park." 

Local residents say the development doesn't fit with the surrounding area, where the city has been encouraging high density and mixed-use, transit-oriented development. "Just south of the proposed townhomes would be a massive mixed-use development with high-rise apartments, a movie theater, and a pedestrian plaza, renderings show," notes Schwenk. "Some activists and neighborhood groups are frustrated by the plans for a luxury development within walking distance of a bustling light rail train station."

The current plan replaces a prior design that would have built 256 housing units. Critics say the development would limit access to the park and bring low density to an area that needs more affordable housing, exacerbating Phoenix's unsustainable sprawl, while the developer argues the community fits with the city's vision of pedestrian-friendly design and transit accessibility.