Phoenix will install its 1,000th alley gate this weekend. It's all part of an initiative by the city to enhance neighborhood safety and cut down on crime.
Roughly 80,000 residents across Phoenix have alleyways outside their homes, and the city’s Gated Alleyway Program has in progress since 2018.
The number of installations inside each district used to be restricted, but after growing demand, any Phoenix resident can go through the process of applying for a gate. Communities are required to get 51% of their residents to sign a petition in support of an installation.
The program has received over $5.5 million. Phoenix City Councilmember Betty Guardado said nearly a third of residents with alleyways in her district have had gates installed.
See a map of where gates have been installed
“It was absolutely horrendous to see everything that was happening in the alleys," she said. "Homeowners wanting to reach that American dream, buying their homes, but then feeling little by little, the control of their home was being taken away from them.”
The city says it receives an average of 30 requests per month for gate installations. In the program’s first year, the city said calls for service to Phoenix police fell by more than 12% where alleyway gates were installed.
It costs the city about $12,000, on average, to install each pair of gates, according to city officials. They also said $3 million was allocated to the program throughout fiscal year 2024 and 2025.
Guardado said the council will be requesting more money for the program next year.
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