From rubble to revitalization: Former Smitty’s on Grand moves toward redevelopment
As the rubble from the former Smitty’s grocery store on Grand Avenue crumbles to the ground in Peoria, discussions are beginning about what will replace it as a developer plans to revive the property.
This week, Peoria will present plans for the development of the property, 8455 W. Grand Ave., which will require a rezone and general plan amendment.
After a prolonged battle by the owner to fight the demolition, ended by a denial of the Arizona Supreme Court to hear his appeal, the city placed a lien on the property for the cost to raze the building, which is now in the process of being demolished.
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As the rubble from the former Smitty’s grocery store on Grand Avenue crumbles to the ground in Peoria, discussions are beginning about what will replace it as a developer plans to revive the property.
This week, Peoria will present plans for the development of the property, 8455 W. Grand Ave., which will require a rezone and general plan amendment.
After a prolonged battle by the owner to fight the demolition, ended by a denial of the Arizona Supreme Court to hear his appeal, the city placed a lien on the property for the cost to raze the building, which is now in the process of being demolished.
Peoria's Real Estate Development Officer Scott Whyte said most of the structure is expected to be torn to the ground within the next a few days. The removal of the basement structure and continuing trucking for disposal will go into mid-September, and the final site work to leave the former building pad as a retention basin will continue until the end of September.
The city is hosting a virtual neighborhood meeting for residents to give input on the property's future at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020.
The property is in escrow to be sold to private investor SJ Acquisitions, which is working through the process that will pave a path for rezoning, Mr. Whyte said.
The proposed project on 7.5 acres, dubbed Grand Commons, calls for an urban mixed-use development to create both commercial and multifamily housing on the former Smitty's site. To accomplish this, an application request has been submitted to change the Old Town specific area plan designation from flex mixed-use to Old Town commercial mixed-use. In addition, the property needs to be rezoned from Old Town commercial center to planned area development. The PAD would allow for commercial and retail uses along Grand Avenue, complemented by a multi-family community along 85th Avenue and Peoria Avenue, documents said.
The proposal will require planning and zoning commission as well as Council approval.
The project includes a high-quality design framework with consistent architectural and landscape elements and offers strong pedestrian links between the residential and non-residential portions of the site, according to the city. The flexibility of a PAD will allow the site to develop in phases through one of two configurations proposed in the PAD document.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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