PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Phoenix City Council unanimously voted Wednesday night to force the sale of a nearly 10-acre property on Thomas Rd. near 67th Ave. by designating it ‘blight’ and a public health hazard.
Palmie Peralta has been living in the neighborhood for 15 years.
Her only grievance is dealing with a constant issue since she’s moved in: illegal dumping. “But look it. All that. They even broke my cactuses. Trash all over and tall trash,” she pointed out.
Just outside her house, there’s a pile of clothes, empty beer bottles and food containers. That’s not the worst of it.
Peralta said she’s also found dead animals dumped in the area by homeless people who hang around the fenced-off area of a piece of the 10-acre property that’s behind her home.
Arizona’s Family talked with a neighbor who said she’s lived in the neighborhood since the 80s and said the land has been unkept ever since.
She said she’s noticed more illegal dumping along the property in the past couple of years, but it’s been an issue since she bought her house.
Peralta said she used to clean the trash but has given up. But her grandchildren painted ‘No Dumping’ on one of her walls and posted flyers from the City with the same message.
Like many of her other neighbors, Peralta had security cameras installed outside her home to help deter people from going into her property.
Wednesday, the Phoenix City Council voted unanimously to have the property redeveloped by declaring the neglected plot of land “blight” and a public health hazard.
According to city and county records, a developer has purchased the land and is planning to clean the property up and build nearly 300 apartment units on top of it. Part of their pitch is to revitalize the neighborhood and install a gate, security cameras, and potentially have on-site security guards.
BELOW: What developers and city staff found on the abandoned land and their plans for redevelopment
One neighbor isn’t looking forward to that. “Sounds like a lot of traffic. It’s just going to get congested around here. So many apartment buildings have come up around here. It doesn’t seem okay to have another one right in the middle of a bunch of houses,” said Janice Wells.
However, Peralta is hopeful the redevelopment of the land will mean less trash around her home.
“If the problem gets solved, I’ll keep this house for my kids. But if it doesn’t, I’ll probably end up selling,” said Peralta.
It’s unclear how soon the developer will break ground or when they plan to complete the project. Wednesday’s vote by the city council will help prioritize their approval process with the city.
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