Attachment A - EDH Minutes 3.26.25.pdf

Phoenix City Council 
Economic Development and Housing (EDH) Subcommittee 
Summary Minutes 
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 
City Council Chambers 
200 W. Jefferson Street 
Phoenix, AZ 
Subcommittee Members Present     
 Subcommittee Members Absent 
Vice Mayor Ann O’Brien, Chair 
Councilwoman Debra Stark (Phone) 
Councilman Kevin Robinson 
Councilwoman Kesha Hodge Washington 
CALL TO ORDER 
Chairwoman O’Brien called the Economic Development and Housing Subcommittee to 
order at 10:01 a.m. with Councilwoman Stark, Councilwoman Hodge Washington, and 
Councilman Robinson present. 
CALL TO THE PUBLIC 
None. 
MINUTES OF MEETINGS 
1. Minutes of the Economic Development and Housing Subcommittee Meeting
Councilwoman Hodge Washington made a motion to approve the minutes of the
February 12, 2025, Economic Development and Housing Subcommittee meeting.
Councilman Robinson seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0.
CONSENT ACTION (ITEMS 2-5)  
Items 2-5 were for consent action. No presentations were planned, but staff was 
available to answer questions. 
2. Request Authorization to Issue Central and Broadway SEC RFP
Consent only. No councilmember requested additional information.
3. Request Authorization to Issue 7th Avenue and Washington Street RFP
Consent only. No councilmember requested additional information.
4. Authorization to Enter into a Membership Agreement with Downtown Phoenix
Inc.
Consent only. No councilmember requested additional information.
5. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Five-Year Agency Plan
and Annual Plans
Attachment A

Consent only. No councilmember requested additional information. 
 
Councilwoman Stark made a motion to approve Items 2 through 5. Councilwoman 
Hodge Washington seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0. 
 
INFORMATION ONLY (ITEMS 6-7)  
 
6. Head Start Birth to Five Monthly Report – January 
Information only. 
 
Councilwoman Stark requested staff to provide information on how the Head Start 
Program may be affected by the federal government in the next monthly report. 
 
7. Downtown Redevelopment Plan Update 
Information only. No councilmember requested additional information. 
 
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION (ITEMS 8)  
 
8. Phoenix Bioscience Core Update 
Community and Economic Development Director Christine Mackay and Program 
Manager Claudia Whitehead presented on the item. 
 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked how much of the 30 acres that started of the Phoenix 
Bioscience Core (PBC) the City of Phoenix currently owns. 
 
Ms. Mackay answered the City owns all land on the PBC and has leased it to 
participating universities for 30 years. She noted the land automatically transfers to the 
universities by the end of the lease. 
 
Chairwoman O’Brien inquired if the City invested any funding to the PBC buildings or 
programs. 
 
Ms. Mackay explained the City invested 90 million dollars in the initial acquisition of the 
land and used the Downtown Reinvestment Fund to invest in some buildings. The City 
also issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Bioscience Garage on the land, which 
was built by the private developer. 
 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked if other companies in PBC also have similar arrangements 
as the universities. 
 
Ms. Mackay answered the only private company that is not partnering directly with a 
university is TGen. Ms. Mackay noted the company TGen is a long-term tenant located 
in a City owned building and has the option to purchase the building from the City 
should they want to do so.

Councilman Robinson asked for additional information regarding the paused 
construction by University of Arizona on PBC along with the impact of federal funding on 
the construction. 
 
Ms. Mackay explained that the University of Arizona is heavily reliant on university 
research grants from the federal government and is working diligently to resume 
construction. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked if there is any indication of concerns moving 
forward for the private companies that are making decisions to invest in PBC due to 
uncertainty with federal grants. 
 
Ms. Mackay answered that the Council’s ability to showcase the City as an investment 
destination has led to the private sector looking to invest more and companies in the 
City.  
 
Ms. Whitehead added Mayo Clinic’s recent announcement on the expansion of their 
campus testifies to continued momentum in the private sector recognizing the 
opportunities in Phoenix and staff anticipates the interest in the City to continue to grow. 
 
Ms. Mackay asked Ms. Whitehead to provide cumulative capital investment in the last 
few years. 
 
Ms. Whitehead stated since 2019, 4.7 billion dollars have been invested in primary 
facilities in the City, which created 11,000 high quality jobs. She noted this amount does 
not include the 2 billion dollars investment by Mayo Clinic. 
 
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION (ITEM 9-13)  
 
9. Consideration of a Possible Shopping Cart Restrictive Device Ordinance 
Neighborhood Services Director Spencer Self and Deputy Neighborhood Services 
Director Anamaria Ortega presented on the item. 
 
Ms. Lisa Bednar, President of the Arizona Food Market Alliance, thanked City staff and 
Council for engaging them as stakeholders on this agenda. 
 
Councilwoman Stark asked if the Ordinance allows retail stores to have access to 
alternative measures outside of using locking wheel mechanisms for their shopping 
carts. 
 
Mr. Self said yes. 
 
Councilwoman Stark inquired whether retailers are given flexibility in addressing 
abandoned shopping carts.

Mr. Self confirmed that is correct. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked how many retail stores do not have any 
abandoned shopping carts. 
 
Mr. Self answered that a majority of the retail stores have less than one abandoned 
shopping cart per store. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington inquired what the threshold for classifying large retail 
stores from smaller stores. 
 
Mr. Self explained the abandoned cart policy is enforced at each store instead of at a 
larger level. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked how the number of abandoned carts are 
identified and compiled. 
 
Mr. Self said a majority of the carts are reported by residents, and said staff was closely 
monitoring hot spots that have been identified and works with a contractor to collect the 
carts, which is used to generate the numbers. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington inquired whether the primary concern for 
stakeholders was the uniform approach of using restrictive device on shopping carts. 
 
Mr. Self explained conversations with stakeholders led to consideration of alternative 
devices such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking mechanism, which is new 
and there is uncertainty around its long-term efficacy. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked how many retailers currently have existing 
contract for shopping cart collection. 
 
Mr. Self answered majority of the retail shops have their own shopping cart collection 
contracts with a third party. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington inquired if retail stores with higher number of 
shopping carts also have their own shopping cart collection contracts. 
 
Mr. Self explained there is a mix of stores that may have separate shopping cart 
collection contracts. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked if there is any part of the Ordinance that 
needs to be a requirement for retail stores to comply with to ensure the effectiveness of 
the Ordinance.

Mr. Self answered the retail stores’ shopping cart retrieval plans will be subject for 
review by City staff throughout multiple points of time including the time of submission, 
allowing staff to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan and provide a mandate on use of 
restrictive devices. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington expressed content that the Ordinance went through 
sufficient stakeholder engagement process. 
 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked how the City approaches selection of contractors for 
shopping cart collection and if there is any requirement for contractors. 
 
Mr. Self explained historically only one contractor was available for the contract, but 
there are new contractors which allows flexibility in the procurement process. He noted 
having new contractors allows for new dialogues and potential challenges, which led to 
identification of a need for a cart registry.  
 
Chairwoman O’Brien inquired why staff requires registration at a store level instead of at 
the larger organizational level. 
 
Mr. Self said that City Staff needs specific information about each store and establishing 
contact at each store to receive the information. 
 
Chairwoman O’Brien encouraged staff to make the registration process as simple and 
easy as possible. 
 
Councilman Hodge Washington made a motion to approve Item 9. Councilman 
Robinson seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0. 
 
10. Spark Area 2 Land Acquisition 
Community and Economic Development Director Christine Mackay and Economic 
Development Program Manager Thomas Sawyer presented on the item. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington expressed her excitement as the item was a 
community driven initiative. 
 
Councilman Robinson made a motion to approve Item 10. Councilwoman Hodge 
Washington seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0. 
 
11. Aviation Noise Land Disposal Located North of Interstate 17: Areas F, G, H, I, 
and J 
Community and Economic Development Director Christine Mackay and Economic 
Development Program Manager Thomas Sawyer presented on the item. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington stated this item was moving in the right direction for 
revitalizing underutilized parcels.

Councilman Hodge Washington made a motion to approve Item 11. Councilman 
Robinson seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0. 
 
12. Development Agreement with Aardex LLC 
Community and Economic Development Director Christine Mackay and Deputy 
Economic Development Director Xandon Keating presented on the item. 
 
Councilman Hodge Washington made a motion to approve Item 12. Councilman 
Robinson seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0. 
 
13. Authorization to Enter into Development Agreement for Sale and Development 
of City-Owned Parcels at 1016 N. 2nd Street 
Community and Economic Development Director Christine Mackay, Program Manager 
Jeff Stapleton, and Special Projects Administrator Gretchen Wolfe presented on the 
item. 
 
Councilwoman Stark expressed excitement for more affordable housing coming to the 
downtown area. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington expressed similar sentiments. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington made a motion to approve Item 13. Councilwoman 
Stark seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0. 
 
CALL TO THE PUBLIC  
 
Ms. Mandy E stressed the need to prevent eviction and asked the City to provide legal 
representation for tenants facing eviction and invest more in affordable housing. 
 
Mr. Juniper Brafford asked for greater inclusiveness in society and access to economic 
resources for the unsheltered population.  
 
Mr. Eric Mahaffey remarked on the importance of legal representation for tenants facing 
eviction. 
 
Ms. Pamela Sylvis asked the City Council to put patients’ rights to eviction legal 
services as an item on the April 9 EDH agenda. 
 
Ms. Ruth Kentigian requested the City Council to add eviction legal services item on the 
April 9 EDH agenda.  
 
Mr. Darren Jezick urged the EDH Subcommittee members to add eviction legal services 
to the agenda for April 9 EDH meeting.

Ms. Evelynne Castillo asked an Ordinance for eviction legal services be adopted at the 
April 9 EDH meeting. 
 
Ms. Andre Luna Cervantes requested the Council to add an Ordinance for eviction legal 
services to the April 9 meeting agenda. 
 
Mr. Sebastian Del Portillo urged the City to provide more affordable housing and take 
preventative measures to ensure people are not evicted and requested an Ordinance 
for eviction legal services be added on the April 9 meeting agenda. 
 
Ms. Catherine Branch asked the City Council’s support in ensuring housing security for 
residents in the City. 
 
Ms. Michelle Ashton stated an Ordinance for eviction legal services will Benefit the City 
address its homeless crisis and creating more homes does not rehouse those that 
already have been evicted. 
 
Chairwoman O’Brien thanked residents for their testimony and explained there is 
eviction legal services currently being provided by the City. 
 
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington requested an update on eviction legal services to be 
on the agenda for the next EDH meeting. 
 
ADJOURNMENT 
Chairwoman O’Brien adjourned the meeting at 11:56 a.m. 
 
Respectfully submitted, 
 
Brian Seo 
Management Fellow