In an area that had once been considered for an amusement park and a golf course, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, City Council leaders and staff, dignitaries from Mexico, and members of the Arizona Fresh and Plaza Companies broke ground today (October 25, 2022) on a new Agri-Food Innovation Center that will, along with other projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, beautify and modernize the riverfront area of the fifth largest city in the country.
It will also, according to Mayor Gallego, bring in 1,500 Green Collar Jobs.
It will also, according to the City, end the South Phoenix Food Desert.
Calling it “one of the most complex developments in the City of Phoenix” and “a big day for our city,” the Mayor thanked her team, council members, city staff, dignitaries from Mexico, and the people from Arizona Fresh and Plaza for making this event a reality as she championed this development in her remarks at the event, saying:
“We hope that this project will be catalytic for redeveloping our riverfront area and bringing wonderful, healthy food to our community. The project will bring 1,500 good green jobs to the city of Phoenix and help us pave the way for the future of food solutions in our community…This is an amazing foreign direct investment and shows how important our relationship with Mexico is to the future of our community…It shows that by being a global city, we are stronger together…The Arizona Fresh Food Agrifood Innovation Center is projected to have an $848 million dollar annual economic output. It will have a great impact for our entire region including putting us at the forefront of food innovation. We’ll have incredible fresh-picked produce, academic alliances that will grow talent and sustainability, nutrition, and safe food technology. Residents will get a chance to enjoy open space for exercise, wellness, and community gatherings…Imagine being able to bike along our riverfront and stop for the freshest juice in all of Phoenix for a great view of our downtown…That will be the quintessential Phoenix experience…City of Phoenix exists because of this riverfront and today, we’re making such an important step into making sure the river is the future of our community…”
After the ceremony, Mayor Gallego posted:
Today we broke ground on the Agri-Food Innovation Center – a project that will bring 1,500 #greenjobs to #PHX and create a future for more fresh-grown food. I am proud to work with partners like Arizona Fresh and @PlazaCompanies!
Watch the groundbreaking: https://t.co/nyTHSYaWea pic.twitter.com/UIb6CoBz2e
— Mayor Kate Gallego (@MayorGallego) October 25, 2022