High Street isn’t trying to reinvent itself. The entertainment and residential district is catching up to the momentum surrounding it.
“We really want to create a reason for people to be here both day and night,” said Rood Investments president Darris Cassidy.
That balance, he said, has been missing for years.
“I get to be a resident and see everything that’s going on at all hours,” said Cassidy, who oversees the district and lives in the apartments above it.
“I get to kind of be a resident and see everything that’s going on at all hours,” he says. “It’s exciting to watch it change week to week.”
When Rood Investments took full control in March, several restaurants had already left, Nori Sushi and Mellow Mushroom among them. But Cassidy said that chapter is closed.
“I don’t foresee anyone else moving,” he said. “We have leases nearly signed on every single vacant space.”
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The Sprouts grocery store is closing and a new tenant, whom he would not name, will move in.
The new wave of operators is overwhelmingly local.
“That’s something we want to continue to focus on,” Cassidy said. “The site isn’t really set up for national tenants the way some others around town are.”
Recent additions include Kanoki Sushi & Cocktails, ProteinHouse, and ChillHouse.
Sandbox VR will open next to Humble Oyster, joining the Nemesis Club escape room behind Soda Jerk. “It’ll be a good mix,” Cassidy said. “We’re bringing in high‑quality operators that people will know.”
No Longer on an Island
For years, High Street stood alone near Desert Ridge Marketplace and the Mayo Clinic. Cassidy remembers that isolation clearly.
“It was a little bit on an island for a long time because the development around it wasn’t happening,” he says.
Now, the area is booming.
“The economy in general is incredible here,” he said. “Despite the macroeconomics you’re seeing around the country, the growth in Phoenix is really, really incredible.”
Two hotels are rising on either side of High Street. Across 56th Street, Rood Investments is planning a Hilton on one parcel and luxury multifamily on another. Sprouts’ new headquarters adds nearly 100,000 square feet of office energy to the area.
“Even if I go a week without coming down, you can see quite a bit of change,” Cassidy said.
Parking has long been a sore spot, even though High Street has two large garages and surface lots. Cassidy acknowledged the complaints. “People don’t recognize how large the garages are.”
A new parking vendor has already made improvements, new gates are being installed, and valet stations are planned.
“We want to make it easier for people,” he said, noting that heat, hotel traffic, and new multifamily development all affect flow.
Wayfinding is also being redesigned.
“We’re working on all new signage,” Cassidy said. “Just to make it easier for people to find their way around and find the parking garage.”
High Street’s branding has been refreshed under E Squared, the district’s new marketing firm. “They really just got going a few months ago,” Cassidy said. “We’re already seeing a brand‑new website and a lot of new social media.”
Events remain central. The farmers market will continue, Cars & Coffee remains a staple, and the USA Wine & Food Festival is returning. Shuttle vans will run between High Street and the WM Phoenix Open.
Cassidy’s team is also interviewing tenants to understand what past events worked and what didn’t.
The apartments above High Street house a blend of young professionals, retirees, and snowbirds. “They’re all over the place,” Cassidy said. “But definitely a lot of young professionals.”
Cassidy described the next phase as one focused on community and vibrancy.
“We’re going to continue to make capital improvements to make it more community‑friendly,” he said. “More open spaces for families or younger kids. We also want to create more vibrancy both during the day and the nighttime.”
