Phoenix café closing to make way for affordable housing apartment complex

PHOENIX — A Phoenix café serving visitors for over eight years is closing shop and making way for an affordable housing apartment complex.

The complex Acacia Heights, which will be located at Seventh Avenue and Camelback Road, will serve low-income families once it’s been developed, according to a press release.

The move comes after Refuge Café, a coffee shop overseen by Catholic Charities Community Services, announced it will serve its final cup of coffee from the location on June 30.

The complex is set to include multiple buildings with various units ready to accommodate a variety of people.

The final two phases of Acacia Heights received funding in early June with construction on the 66-unit Phase Two and 68-unit Phase Three set to begin in the next several weeks, the release said.

Development costs for Phase Two are about $24.3 million and will give a unit mix of 21 one-bedroom apartments, 21 two-bedroom apartments, 21 three-bedroom apartments and three four-bedroom and two-bath apartments.

Phase Three will bring a single five-story building with a mixture of 35 one-bedroom apartments, 18 two-bedroom apartments and 15 three-bedroom units, with units targeted toward families with incomes between 40% and 60% the median income.

Among a range of amenities for both phases includes an outdoor courtyard, play area, sport court and community garden.

Rents will be based off household income and ranges from $600-$900 a month for one bedroom, $700-$1,100 for a two-bedroom and $800-$1,200 for a three-bedroom unit.

“Refuge Café has had a great run the last eight years, earning both accolades and awards, including Best Nonprofit Restaurant in 2016, as a wonderful gathering place for people engaged in helping others,” Catholic Charities Community Services Vice President of Business Development Steve Capobres said in the release.

“That same commitment to serving others will carry the café ‘s legacy forward to the many families who will soon call Acacia Heights home.”

An affiliate of the café will stay open at Sky Harbor International Airport in Terminal 4.

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