The Phoenix City Council on May 20 approved a $75,000 contract with Merge Architectural Group LLC to finish tenant improvements at the new Greg Stanton Central Station, the downtown transit hub that anchors the recently completed South Central light rail extension.

The contract covers construction administration and inspection for the second-floor Public Transit Department and Police Transit Unit space within the station. The item was approved as part of the consent agenda.

The Greg Stanton Central Station

The new Greg Stanton Central Station is a transit hub built into a 1-million-square-foot mixed-use development at Central Avenue and Washington Street. The broader development includes 338 apartment units, 629 student housing beds, and 7 percent workforce housing.

The station connects the east-west light rail line on Washington and Jefferson streets with the new South Central line running south along Central Avenue, which opened in 2024 and created Phoenix's first two-line light rail system. Multiple Valley Metro bus routes also converge at the station.

Merge Architectural Group LLC was selected for the design work in November 2025, with design completed in February 2026. The current contract covers construction administration — making sure the build matches the design. The city used a Direct Select procurement process under state law to avoid the delays of a full bidding process, since Merge already knew the project from the design phase.

Context: the transit capital plan

The $75,000 contract is one piece of a much larger capital program. The Public Transit Department's Capital Improvement Program for fiscal years 2025-26 through 2030-31 totals approximately $1.8 billion. Funding comes primarily from Transportation 2050 sales tax revenue, federal grants, and regional transportation taxes. The current year budget includes:

  • Light rail: $165.5 million — covering the South Central and Northwest Extension close-out, and design work for the Capitol Extension and I-10 West Extension
  • Revenue fleet: $40.5 million — replacing end-of-life buses with new lower-emission vehicles
  • Admin and maintenance facilities: $23.1 million — including the purchase of 25.5 acres in north Phoenix for a future bus operations yard
  • Bus Rapid Transit: $5 million — community outreach and preliminary design for Phoenix's first BRT line

The capital plan reflects a broader transition in Phoenix transit priorities. The heavy spending on light rail construction that defined the past decade is winding down as major extensions are completed. The next phase shifts toward Bus Rapid Transit, bus fleet modernization, and maintaining the system the city has built.