Residents of the downtown area will be seeing a new project surfacing on Roosevelt Street and First Avenue from a local team of developers who aim at rebuilding the historic Roosevelt district to reflect the culture and lives of its citizens.
Metro West Development is a real-estate development and investment company headed by Matthew Seaman, a graduate from ASU’s School of Architecture and Design and proud resident of the Roosevelt neighborhood.
“It is clear that there is a strong demand for more of a neighborhood feel that people want brought to the downtown area,” Seaman said. He added that his current project will draw more people to the neighborhood and make more people want to call the area home.
The vacant lot on the corner of Roosevelt Street and First Avenue will be a mixed-use development containing residential and retail space upon its completion. The plan is for the new development to have an apartment complex with about 60 units upstairs and space for restaurants and retail on the ground floor. Seaman is currently in discussion with small businesses, retailers and restaurants that will fit well with the neighborhood.
“When we initially purchased the property, we were always surprised at how a site like this, which is kind of a gateway into the neighborhood and downtown, could be vacant for so long,” Seaman said. “It is really a shame.”
Metro West began construction on the lot, which has been vacant for about 50 years, in mid-March. There has been a focus on narrowing the streets and adding on-street parking to create an atmosphere that is friendlier for pedestrians and bikers.
Katherine Coles, the city of Phoenix village planner, said she is hopeful any time new housing choices are added to the Phoenix area.
“It is a good thing,” Coles said. “I like that it has a lot of density and that it is right near the light rail stop.”
The proximity of the light rail was prime motivation for building on the lot. The development will benefit students, people of the Roosevelt neighborhood and people who wish to be closer to the bourgeoning culture of the downtown community.
Shawn Nichols, 24, is a resident of the Roosevelt area who thinks the new development will be beneficial to the neighborhood if the right businesses are put there.
“There is a lot of competition with businesses in the area. Food is always good, so I would like to see some new vegan shops added or even some boutiques that carry clothing specifically for men,” said Nichols.
This is not the first of the projects designed and built by Metro West Development in the Roosevelt area. The luxury condominiums located on McKinley Street and Fourth Avenue was one of their bigger projects. They also renovated an abandoned historic house and turned it into four brand new homes called the Cathedral Town Homes in a neighborhood along Roosevelt Street.
Metro West is a company that prides itself in helping to establish a neighborhood with a strong sense of community. Each design is carried out with the utmost care in hopes of creating something that will benefit everyone who thrives in that community. They take hopeless lots and adapt them into prosperous housing developments and businesses that draw people in to the city.
The apartment and retail space planned for the Roosevelt Street and First Avenue location is hoped to be under construction by the beginning of 2014 with businesses moving in by the fall of that year.
Contact the reporter at miranda.rivers@asu.edu
