By Brenna Goth, The Republic | azcentral.com
A crime hotspot in west Phoenix is recovering from blight and illegal activity one property at a time, through public and private projects that neighborhood residents hope will transform 27th Avenue.
The efforts are the culmination of both a city initiative launched earlier this year and the ongoing expansion of Grand Canyon University, an economic driver in the Black Canyon Corridor. The area of focus is bounded roughly from Indian School Road to Dunlap Avenue between 19th and 31st avenues.
Once-seedy hotels are undergoing massive renovations, police are tracking down owners of mismanaged properties and area homeowners are being to asked to report problems they see, from prostitution to code violations. Many of the issues occur on 27th Avenue, according to police.
