Tempe planning to buy Pollack Apache Center to expand affordable housing
Dec 21, 2021, 8:00 PM
Pollack Apache Center, home of the former Food City. (City of Tempe photo)
(City of Tempe photo)
PHOENIX — Tempe plans to purchase the Pollack Apache Center on Apache Boulevard, site of the recently-closed Food City, to expand affordable housing in the area and bring a grocery store back to the neighborhood.
The Tempe City Council at a special meeting Monday unanimously authorized the $10.7 million purchase of the three-acre site using general funds.
The city following the purchase will own six properties along Apache Boulevard, with the plan being to develop housing opportunities along the stretch from Rural Road to just east of the Price Freeway for low- to moderate-income residents, as well as mixed-income developments.
“Anyone who wants to live in Tempe should be able to,” Mayor Corey Woods said in a press release. “We are working hard to make that a reality for more people and more families.
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“We are excited about the opportunity to bring a grocery store back to the neighborhood, along with more community services that benefit current and future residents in the area.”
Tempe officials are currently working to rezone the area from commercial, shopping and services to mixed-use residential housing, while in the meantime locating a new grocer, the city said.
Surrounding neighborhoods and stakeholders will be involved in the future development of the site, city officials said.
The Pollack Apache Center is adjacent to the city’s new resource center that upon opening next year will offer job and housing help, educational classes, health programs, heat relief, assistance with emergency preparedness and more.
Purchase of the site is part of Tempe’s Hometown for All affordable housing initiative, which launched earlier this year and has a goal of adding 11,000 affordable units in the city by 2040.
