Some Phoenix residents are upset about a new housing development coming to their neighborhood.
The property owner, Richard Kafka, plans to build a four-story apartment complex on the northeast corner of 21st Street and Turney Avenue, between Camelback and Indian School roads.
Opponents wanted the project limited to three stories. Michelle Rhodes thinks the Phoenix City Council’s unanimous vote on Wednesday to rezone the 1.8-acre site will set a precedent.
“So they’re going to have high-density, high-rise apartments next to houses. It’s not going to happen in Arcadia, it’s not going to happen in Biltmore, it’s going to happen in all the working class neighborhoods in central Phoenix,” Rhodes said.
“I think we did a very good job of listening to all sides and taking everything into consideration,” said District 6 Councilwoman Kevin Robinson, who represents the area. “Obviously not everybody was happy with what we came up with or what we talked about and what people want.”
The compromise requires the project be three stories along the frontage streets with a 40-foot buffer between the road and buildings. It will be four stories farther back. The project will have 64 total apartments, nine fewer than originally proposed. The corner currently has two single-family homes and 16 single-story apartments.
Roberta Candelaria told council members she lives in the neighborhood and owns two rental properties nearby.
“I feel like it's going to step up a very economically and socially depraved area," said Candelaria.
Ashley Marsh, a lawyer who represents the applicant said, “We've enhanced landscape and we've really tried to thread the needle between bringing a beautiful quality project that fits contextually with the multifamily properties and bringing something that the neighborhood will enjoy and be proud to walk by. And still making it something we can build, and and all of those are a lot of pieces to a puzzle put put together.”
Resident Kathy DeLorey said she is concerned about the additional traffic and worries.
“If other developers will see this and most likely start gobbling up the other small unit properties in our little neighborhood," said DeLorey.
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