Attachment B - Staff Report - Z-75-25-8.pdf

City of Phoenix — Formal (2025-10-15)

Extracted text (via pymupdf) 17091 characters

Staff Report: Z-75-25-8
July 31, 2025
South Mountain Village Planning
Committee Meeting Date:
August 12, 2025
Historic Preservation Commission
Hearing Date:
August 18, 2025
Planning Commission Hearing Date:
September 4, 2025
Request From:
C-2 BAOD (Intermediate Commercial,
Baseline Area Overlay District) (0.28
acres)
Request To:
C-2 HP BAOD (Intermediate Commercial,
Historic Preservation, Baseline Area
Overlay District) (0.28 acres)
Proposal:
Historic Preservation Overlay for
Roosevelt Park Grocery
Location:
Southwest corner of 10th Street and
Southern Avenue
Owner:
Zebiba Hagos and Nuraine Hagos
Applicant:
City of Phoenix Historic Preservation
Commission
Representative:
Kevin Weight, Principal Planner
Staff Recommendation:
Approval
Background
In 1989, the City of Phoenix commissioned Ryden Architects to prepare the South
Mountain Agricultural Area Historic Resources Survey. The survey contained a brief
history of the area generally bounded by Southern Avenue, South Mountain Park, 40th
Street and 19th Avenue, as well as recommendations on individual properties and
districts within the area that were eligible for historic designation. One of the eligible
districts that was identified in the survey was the Roosevelt Park Historic District,
located between Southern and Old Southern Avenues and 7th and 10th Streets, which
included the subject property. The City of Phoenix HP Commission first initiated HP
zoning for Roosevelt Park in 1992, but the application was withdrawn due to
questionable owner support. The district was ultimately listed on the Phoenix Historic
Property Register (PHPR) in 2003 but with different boundaries from what had been
recommended in the 1989 survey—four properties on the north side of Southern
ATTACHMENT B

Staff Report: Z-75-25-8
July 31, 2025
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Avenue were included in the boundaries and the properties located east of 9th Street
were excluded, including the subject property.

In 2020, HP staff revisited the subject property and prepared a Recommendation of
Eligibility form, confirming it was individually eligible for historic designation. In January
2025, the property owner contacted HP staff to inquire about grant opportunities and
listing the property on the PHPR. After meeting with staff, the owner submitted a Phil
Gordon Threatened Building grant application in March 2025, along with a signed
Proposition 207 Waiver and an Ownership Authorization Form requesting that the HP
Commission initiate the HP zoning process. On April 21, 2025, the HP Commission
recommended approval of the grant and initiated HP zoning for the subject property.
The grant was approved by the City Council on June 4, 2025.

History

Built ca. 1929, the subject property is a single-story, rectangular-shaped, stuccoed
masonry building with a flat roof and raised parapet. It has large storefront windows
facing Southern Avenue and a single door at the center of the facade. The building’s
origin can be traced to a sale agreement dated January 31, 1929, between Sarah C.
Ruggles, the seller, and S. P. and Margaret Staples and H. C. and Frances M. Brooks,
the buyers. Although it is unclear when construction of the store building was
completed, it first appears in newspaper advertisements in May 1930 as the “Roosevelt
Park Grocery.” The store served the Roosevelt Park subdivision located on the south
side of Southern Avenue between 7th and 12th Streets, as well as the surrounding areas.
Roosevelt Park was platted in 1924 by Maie Bartlett Heard and Dwight B. Heard; the
subdivision’s large lots offered highly arable land adjacent to the San Francisco Canal,
well suited for citrus trees.

The first Phoenix City Directory entry in 1932 shows S. P. Staples and Harry C. Brooks
as co-owners of the store. Staples and Brooks remained co-owners of the store until
ca. 1949, when Brooks became the sole owner. At that time, the name was changed to
the “Harry Brooks Grocery.” By 1961, the name had changed to “Cliff’s Market,”
followed by “Kass Food Store” in 1965, although Brooks continued to own the property.
In 1970, Brooks sold the property to J. H. and Charlotte M. Richey, who in 1975 split off
the eastern portion containing the store and sold it to Kung Tao “Betty” Fong, then sold
the western portion to Rocco and Benedict Mancini in 1976. By 1976, the store had
been renamed “Valley Spot Market #2”; the Fong family also operated Valley Spot
Market #1 at 3317 South 40th Street.

Although the exact dates are unclear, aerial photos show that the original store had a
rear addition by 1949. Unlike the original building, which was constructed of masonry
and had a flat roof with a raised parapet, the addition had a low-pitched gable roof and
was built of adobe. In 1977, a second addition was built behind the adobe addition; this
new addition was used as a residence by the Fong family and was constructed of slump

Staff Report: Z-75-25-8
July 31, 2025
Page 3 of 6

block. A 1979 aerial photo shows a rear accessory building was also present at that
time, although it has since been removed. Aerials also show that a small bathroom
addition was built on the west side of the residence between 1991 and 2001; it is still
present but is slated for demolition.

By 2008, the property had fallen into disrepair, with the Arizona Republic reporting
seven major violations from a Maricopa County Environmental Services inspection.
There are also newspaper accounts of several robberies taking place at the store over
the last 50 years, including a 1981 robbery where a thief shot Betty Fong in the
abdomen. Consequently, security bars were installed over the storefronts, and one of
the storefront windows was modified to install a smaller sliding window for walk-up
customers.

By 2021, the store had closed and was sold to current owner Zebiba Hagos. The
following year, Zebiba’s sister, Nuraine, was added as an owner. The sisters are the
current owners and have commenced rehabilitation work, which includes repair of
masonry and adobe walls, stucco repair, exterior and interior concrete repair, window
and door repair and replacement, roof repairs and reinforcement of historic roof
structure, and other items. The owners’ intention is to reopen it for use as a market to
serve the community once again.

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for HP overlay zoning and listing on the PHPR are set forth in
Section 807.D of the City of Phoenix Zoning Ordinance. To qualify, a property must
demonstrate significance in local, regional, state, or national history, architecture,
archaeology, engineering, or culture, according to one or more of the following criteria:

A. The property is associated with the events that have made a significant
contribution to the broad pattern of our history;
B. The property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past;
C. The property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method
of construction, represents the work of a master, possesses high artistic values,
or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may
lack individual distinction; or
D. The property has yielded or may likely yield information integral to the
understanding of our prehistory or history.

In addition to the significance requirement, the property must also be at least 50 years
old or have achieved significance within the past 50 years if it is of exceptional
importance. The property must also possess sufficient integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association to convey its significance.

Staff Report: Z-75-25-8
July 31, 2025
Page 4 of 6

Significance

Roosevelt Park Grocery is significant under Criterion A for its association with early
commerce in Phoenix, representing the expansion of retail from the central business
district to more distant residential areas. The property is also significant under Criterion
C as a rare remaining example of a once common type—a neighborhood grocery store
built between the turn of the century and the advent of the Great Depression (1900-
1931).

The following information is from the publication Commerce in Phoenix, 1870 to 1942: A
Context for Preserving Historic Properties, prepared by Janus Associates, Inc. for the
Arizona State Historic Preservation Office in 1987:

A distinct type of commercial property, the neighborhood retail building
represents the essence of both the expanding residential development
away from the original townsite, and ethnic, cultural, and economic
diversity of Phoenix in the first thirty years of the twentieth century. The
development of this type of building had a distinct pattern in terms of
location, period, and function. The neighborhood retail establishment
flourished from 1900 through the 1920s, then construction virtually halted
in the 1930s and 1940s. Trends in the use of the automobile and the
regulations of the city’s zoning code were the factors that led to the
cessation of this type of building.

The result is that today the neighborhood retail commercial building
illustrates a particular period in local history, combined with an association
with the historic development of all neighborhoods citywide.

Location is the most characteristic quality of this property type. Location
of the buildings was always associated with a residential area, usually
located at a street intersection. In its earliest and simplest form, it was a
free-standing building, nonintrusive and integral with the neighborhood.

The scale of the buildings was always one-story, with the facade at the
property line. Often the buildings were adjacent to, or attached to, the
owner's dwelling. Construction of this property type was primarily of
pressed brick, with some utilizing formed concrete block.

The stylistic appearance was subdued and not overtly articulated. A
simple, parapeted Panel Brick Commercial Style was most frequently
used. The facades contained arched or flat openings, usually modest in
size. The use of large display windows was rare.

Staff Report: Z-75-25-8
July 31, 2025
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This property type represents a direct association with early twentieth
century outward growth of residential subdivisions. The increased
distance from the downtown business district promoted growth of the
neighborhood retail store or business, principally groceries. Their
association with the establishment of ethnic neighborhoods is an important
characteristic, since the buildings often functioned as a gathering place or
focal point within a particular residential area, helping to define its distance
identity.

Roosevelt Park Grocery exhibits all the characteristics of the property type outlined
above, including its location, building form, single-story height, setback, and building
features. Although built many years later, the rear residence is also a characteristic
feature of the property type.

As previously mentioned, these buildings have become increasingly rare as many
examples have been lost. The subject property is particularly unique, as a portion of it
is constructed of adobe. Additionally, it has an association with Asian American
heritage that is now 50 years old and may be significant in its own right.

Integrity

Roosevelt Park Grocery retains sufficient integrity of location, setting, design, materials,
workmanship, feeling, and association to convey its historic significance. Although
Southern Avenue is a much busier thoroughfare than it was in 1929, the general setting
remains intact, particularly with the Roosevelt Park Historic District located just to the
west of the store. Alterations, which have been minimal, include the sliding storefront
window, changes to openings on the side of the building, and the rear additions, which
add to the property’s significance rather than detract from it. The interior has been
gutted, but original trusses are still present and visible in both the original store building
and the adobe addition.

Boundary Justification

Section 807.E states that, when applying the evaluation criteria in Section 807.D, the
boundaries of a historic district should be drawn as carefully as possible to ensure that:

1. The district contains documented historic, architectural, archaeological, or natural
resources;
2. The district boundaries coincide with documented historic boundaries such as
early roadways, canals, subdivision plats or property lines;
3. Other district boundaries coincide with logical physical or manmade features and
reflect recognized neighborhood or area boundaries; and
4. Other non-historic resources or vacant land is included where necessary to
create appropriate boundaries to assist in meeting the criteria in Section 807.D.

Staff Report: Z-75-25-8
July 31, 2025
Page 6 of 6

The proposed HP zoning boundary encompasses 0.28 gross acres. It has been drawn
to include the subject building in its entirety with a small buffer around it, as well as the
adjacent portion of the right way, as is customary in rezoning cases. The larger parcel,
however, has been excluded as it does not contain documented historic resources and
the owner wishes to redevelop it in the future.

Findings

The rezoning request Z-75-25-8 to establish Historic Preservation (HP) overlay zoning
for the subject property should be approved for the following reasons:

1. The property meets the significance, age, and integrity requirements for HP
overlay zoning set forth in Section 807.D of the Zoning Ordinance; and
2. The proposed boundaries meet the eligibility criteria outlined in Section 807.E.

Stipulations

None

Writer
Kevin Weight
July 31, 2025

Team Leader
Helana Ruter

Exhibits
Sketch Map (1 page)
Aerials (2 pages)
Site Photos (4 pages)
Roosevelt Park Plat Map (1 page)
Newspaper Advertisement (1 page)

¯
0
0.04
0.07
0.02
Miles
SOUTH MOUNTAIN VILLAGE
COUNCIL DISTRICT: 8
APPLICANT'S NAME:
APPLICATION NO:
GROSS AREA INCLUDING 1/2 STREET
AND ALLEY DEDICATION IS APPROX.
MULTIPLES PERMITTED
CONVENTIONAL OPTION
* UNITS P.R.D OPTION
REQUESTED CHANGE:
FROM:
TO:
DATE:
REVISION DATES:
AERIAL PHOTO &
QUARTER SEC. NO.
ZONING MAP
* Maximum Units Allowed with P.R.D. Bonus
5/29/2025
Z-75-25-8
City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission
Z-75-25-8
0.28 Acres
QS 2-29
D-8
C-2 BAOD ( 0.28 ac.)
C-2 HP BAOD ( 0.28 ac.)
C-2 BAOD
C-2 HP BAOD
4
4
5
5
Path: S:\Department Share\Information Systems\PL GIS\IS_Team\Core_Functions\Zoning\sketch_maps\2025\Z-75-25-8.aprx
BASELINE RD
BROADWAY RD
SOUTHERN AVE
40TH ST
DOBBINS RD
27TH AVE
48TH ST
19TH AVE
7TH AVE
CENTRAL AVE
7TH ST
16TH ST
24TH ST
32ND ST
I-10
Z-115-02
C-2
R1-6
R-3
R1-6
R-3HP
R-3
SOUTHERN AVE
11TH ST
12TH ST
8TH PL
10TH ST
KIRSTIE LN
HIDALGO AVE
OLD SOUTHERN AVE
9TH PL
9TH ST
Baseline Area Plan and
Overlay District
South Phoenix Village
and Target Area
B Design Overlay Distr

Roosevelt Park Grocery
945 East Southern Avenue

Proposed Historic Preservation (HP) Zoning Overlay shaded in purple