Downtown Phoenix to get hundreds of residential and student housing units

In fast-growing Phoenix, Arizona, a transit-oriented development called Central Station will sit adjacent to Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix campus. The mixed-used, one-million-square-foot development will include two residential towers, 30,000 square feet of food-oriented retail space, 70,000 square feet of office space, and two levels of below-grade parking with 430 spaces. 

Slated to open in 2024, Central Station will merge with the city’s primary downtown bus and light rail transit center, which serves 2 million passengers annually. It will also connect to the city’s Civic Space Park in a unified public space.

One tower, a 22-story student housing building, will be fully furnished and will include 655 beds. Its diverse array of smart tech-equipped residential options will range from micro studios to four-bedroom units, catering to undergraduate and graduate students as well as young professionals. The second building, a 33-story residential tower, will include 362 units and feature smart-tech throughout.

“At GMH, we have been actively pursuing opportunities to expand our footprint and develop Class-A, smart-tech apartment communities across the country,” Steve Behrle, chief development officer, GMH, said in a statement. “With Central Station, our plan is to transform Downtown Phoenix, providing students and the local workforce with the living accommodations necessary to support their unique live-work-play-learn-thrive lifestyles.”

“Central Station will be a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly addition to downtown Phoenix with its densely landscaped pathways,” Monzer Hourani, CEO, Medistar, added in a statement. “Its connection to Civic Space Park will provide another amenity bringing people together to experience events, dining, music, and green space.”

Central Station is a public-private partnership, with the city of Phoenix retaining ownership of the land and the development partners entering into a long-term lease for the project.

Developers: Medistar Corporation, GMH Communities, CBRE Investment Management

Design architect and architect of record: Gould Evans

MEP engineer: Henderson Engineers

Structural engineer: Meyer Borgman Johnson

General contractor/construction manager: Layton Construction