Phoenix is set to add space to the already existing Los Altos Ranch Market grocery store with the goal of creating more jobs and strengthening the community.

The Central City Village Planning Committee voted unanimously at a meeting on Monday to approve the expansion.

The proposal is part of the city’s ongoing effort to recover losses sustained during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The grocery store is a tenant for the whole community as part of a way to keep grocery prices lower and provide more local businesses,” Burch and Cracchiolo Attorney Madison Leake said to committee members at Emerson Court while arguing in favor of the expansion.

Several small businesses already operate in the store due to the building’s size, and the planned expansion will allow more small businesses to open and create more jobs.

“So many people have been gentrified, pushed out for higher-rise development,” said Committee Member Ash Uss when explaining why she voted in favor of the expansion.

Committee members were optimistic about the expansion's economic impact on the area, with the opportunity to provide more jobs for local residents motivating Committee Member Rachel Frazier-Johnson to vote yes on the expansion.

“It’s about impacting our community and celebrating our culture here in Downtown Phoenix,” said Frazier-Johnson.

The planned expansion of the store includes a multi-purpose banquet hall that would be used for a variety of events, which also influenced Frazier-Johnson’s vote, as she hopes the hall will lead to a greater appreciation of local art.

“We live right along the border and are home to multiple Native American tribes,” Frazier-Johnson said. “Regardless of where you come from, it is important to celebrate the southwest and all it has to offer.”

Uss was hopeful about the potential the hall had for bringing the residents of the area together and that the hall would bring forward a greater appreciation for the arts among the community.

“So many of our village, event, music and art spaces have been displaced,” Uss said. “To not only be able to keep local businesses in their spot, but also have a place where people can gather and come together is amazing.”

In addition to support from committee members, the proposal also received a letter of support from a resident in the nearby Garfield neighborhood who favored the expansion.

The resident who wrote the letter was excited about the project, praising the expansion for enhancing the store and expanding opportunities for people living in the area.

Leake said that the only concerns she had received from residents were fears that the grocery store would be going away.

“No, everything is staying the same,” Leake said. “We’re just bringing it into conformity.”

To reassure residents that the project would benefit them, Leake made an effort to attend neighborhood meetings to talk with residents and directly address their concerns.

The Garfield neighborhood meeting that Leake attended resulted in a “nice, long discussion” that led one of the residents in attendance to write the project a letter of support.