Downtown Phoenix development to have transit center, apartment towers. Take a look

Corina Vanek, Arizona Republic
Updated ·3 min read
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A downtown Phoenix development that will include two residential towers, office space and restaurants and retail uses, sandwiched between two light rail stops, will open in the first half of next year.

The project, called Central Station, is under construction south of Civic Space Park in downtown Phoenix, on a 2.6-acre site on Central Avenue north of Van Buren Street. The project was designed to integrate the light rail stops and a bus station into the design.

The early 2025 opening is a slight delay for the smaller tower, which originally was expected to open in late 2024. That tower will have student-oriented housing and traditional apartments.

Both buildings now at their full height

Now, both towers, one reaching 32 stories and the other reaching 22, are expected to open around the same time, said Dusty Smith, executive vice president of GMH, the developer and operator of the project. The development will also include about 70,000 square feet of office space and 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurants.

Smith said the exteriors of both towers are between 80% and 90% complete, and the interiors are about two-thirds complete. Now that the buildings have reached their maximum height, the windows, exterior walls and roof will be finished to fully enclose the buildings so the interiors can be completed.

At a ceremony marking the “topping off” of the tallest tower, a construction milestone marking the placement of the last beam of the building, representatives from the developer and the city recognized the project as a transformative change for downtown Phoenix.

The 32-story tower at Central Station will boast nearly 360-degree views of the Valley.
The 32-story tower at Central Station will boast nearly 360-degree views of the Valley.

Project will be a hub for light rail, bus service

“This will become the hub of all things transit in downtown Phoenix,” Phoenix Councilwoman Ann O’Brien said at the event. “This site will become so much to so many people.”

O’Brien said about 180 light rail trips will pass the station each day, and the bus station will have access to five different routes.

Andrew Geier, executive vice president for Layton Construction, the builder of the project, said the location and scope of the building made construction complicated.

“When you do a large, complex construction project like this in the middle of downtown Phoenix, it’s a little like remodeling your kitchen on Thanksgiving,” he said.

The taller tower will have traditional apartment units, and 7% of the units in the tower will be designated for affordable housing, said Shaun Gallagher, vice president of development for GMH.

The exterior of the tower that will include student housing and traditional apartments is between 80% and 90% complete, representatives from the developer said.
The exterior of the tower that will include student housing and traditional apartments is between 80% and 90% complete, representatives from the developer said.

Shops, restaurants sought for ground-floor space

No businesses have finalized leases for the retail space or office space yet, Smith said, but they have begun to get more inquiries now that the building is about 12 months away from completion.

Gallagher said for the ground-floor retail spaces, they are seeking tenants like restaurants or neighborhood-scale services that could benefit transit passengers and residents who live in the building. The site will not accommodate a full-size grocer, he said, but a smaller, neighborhood-style market could be a good fit.

In the fall, the apartment portion will open a leasing office in the nearby Freeport-McMoRan office so prospective residents can look at the renderings and floor plans and sign leases ahead of the building’s completion, Gallagher said.

Transit center name still up in the air

The transit center portion of the project has been the subject of some controversy regarding the ceremonial naming of the site.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and several members of the Phoenix City Council had suggested naming it to honor former Phoenix Mayor and U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton. However, some members of the council and some community activists have said the station should instead be named to honor the late U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor.

Pastor's daughter, Councilmember Laura Pastor, is among the council members suggesting the center should instead be named for Pastor.

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Reach the reporter at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @CorinaVanek.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Central Station tower in downtown Phoenix to open in 2025