By Corina Vanek | Arizona Republic
A 362-unit apartment complex and commercial development, potentially focused on pickleball, are planned for vacant land along 59th Avenue and Elliot Road in the southwest Phoenix village of Laveen.
Phoenix-based Vintage Partners, the developer of Uptown Plaza at Central Avenue and Camelback Road and the Rise Uptown Hotel at Camelback and Fourth Avenue, and apartment developer Liv Communities submitted plans to the city to develop the 21-acre project, which is directly east of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.
Vintage Partners bought the land from the Arizona Department of Transportation in 2021 and brought on Liv to the project for the apartment portion. Vintage remains the lead developer of the whole site, Walter Crutchfield, partner at Vintage Partners, said.
Apartment development can be unpopular, and Crutchfield said it is not his favorite type of project to develop, but the location near a freeway in a growing section of the city can lend itself well to higher-density housing.
“We need multifamily because we need diversity of housing solutions,” Crutchfield said. Apartments also can give residents the chance to live temporarily in an area before committing to buying a house, he said.
Buildings will range from two to three stories, and planned amenities at the complex include a pool, dog park and sports court.