24-03-2025
What's being built on this prime downtown Phoenix site? A new 24-story tower
Location: Southwest corner of Central Avenue and McDowell Road in central Phoenix
Description: A 24-story apartment tower called "The Whitney" is being built on 3.3 acres. The developer plans to construct an 'L-shaped' building, with the tower on the hard corner of the site, and lower-rise commercial space along McDowell Road.
The facility will have 320 units: 80 studios, 175 one-bedroom units, and 65 two-bedroom units. Amenities will include a rooftop pickleball court, a pool, fitness center, sauna and co-working space.
Randy Grudzinski, a partner at Empire Group, the developer of several high-rise apartment towers in downtown Phoenix, said the company would like to see a large anchor retail tenant, like a specialty grocer, lease some of the commercial space. The smaller spaces are likely going to be mid- to higher-end dining, he said.
History: Aspirant Development, a development arm of Empire, bought the land from Donnelley Financial Solutions for $13 million in March 2024. Donnelley had an office building on the site for a long time, but the building was razed before the sale. Aspirant is also responsible for building Astra, a tower that will eventually be the tallest in Phoenix. The former Chase Tower at First and Van Buren streets is currently Arizona's tallest building, standing at 483 feet.
Tallest buildings: The 10 highest buildings in downtown Phoenix from Chase Tower to City Hall
When will the work be done? A representative for Empire Group did not respond, but construction is already visibly underway.
Sources: Reporting from Arizona Republic reporter Corina Vanek, who spoke with the Empire Group.
Reporter Corina Vanek contributed to this article.
Is there something under construction you'd like to tell us about or find out more about? Contact the reporter. Taylor Seely covers Phoenix for The Arizona Republic/ Reach her at tseely@ or by phone at 480-476-6116.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New 24-story apartment tower being built on Central Avenue in Phoenix
