On Nov. 18, demolition of Metrocenter Mall began to make way for a new, transit-oriented urban village named The Metropolitan. The development will have easy access to the new Thelda William Transit Center — a light rail stop that connects to the downtown area and the East Valley — and includes new retail experiences and more than 1,000 for-rent and for-purchase townhomes.
“It was so important to me that this community be a place where our young adults could get their starter home, where our local schoolteachers and nurses could live in the community they serve, and where our parents whose chicks have flown the coop may downsize,” says City of Phoenix Councilwoman Ann O’Brien. “While I’ll always remember Metrocenter Mall as a foundation of my childhood and teen years, it is time to make this area the crown jewel it once was.”
The Metropolitan will have three residential communities within the development that draw on Metrocenter Mall’s mid-century modern aesthetics “but leans forward with a softness and additional articulation and contrast,” explains Jason Ploszaj, principal at RSP Architects.
The entry-level townhome community is named Terra Court, with Luna Villas offering larger units and shaded patios. Brava Garden will be the top-end community, with even larger floor plans, higher-end finishes and an expanded amenity package.
Beyond bringing new housing units to the market, The Metropolitan will also feature new retail options for residents and visitors alike, with the pedestrian connection from the light rail acting as a gateway into the project.
This pathway, Ploszaj says, will be lined with restaurants, retail, desert landscapes, splash pads and a park. The main park space and amphitheater is expected to host concerts and movie nights. Additionally, the roof of the parking garage will feature a restaurant, pool, pickleball courts, retail and event space that overlooks the main plaza.
Christine Mackay, community and economic development director for the City of Phoenix, notes that The Metropolitan will serve as an important midway point as North Phoenix continues to grow from the direct and indirect jobs created by TSMC.
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“Metrocenter Mall acts as a connector between the southern and northern parts of the city,” she continues. “With the growth in the northern part of the city moving forward with major advanced manufacturing and technologically advanced companies, this will be the location where people come to celebrate and entertain, much like [Metrocenter Mall] was when we were kids.”
The push to redevelop Metrocenter Mall has been many years in the making, but Mackay says that many developers either wanted large incentives to take on the project or to turn it into a distribution center, which did not align with the city’s redevelopment plans.
“Then, in 2020, Steve Sirang [CEO of Wilshire Capital] walked into a conference room with Jeff Stapleton [program manager for transit-oriented development at the City of Phoenix] and I and laid out his vision for what Metrocenter should be. When he left, I turned to Jeff and said, ‘We just met the redeveloper of Metrocenter,’” Mackay recalls. “It’s fun that Chris Anderson [senior managing director at Hines] was the first developer I called, and Mr. Sirang in partnership with Chris Anderson was the 26th developer that we contacted to redevelop Metrocenter Mall.”
