Girasol Apartments: quality, affordable housing in Edison-Eastlake Community
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
The Phoenix Housing Department and Gorman & Company hosted a joint groundbreaking event to celebrate the development of Girasol Apartments, formerly known as Sidney P. Osborn Apartments.
Girasol will replace 145 outdated public housing units with 364 new affordable and market-rate apartments in the Edison-Eastlake Community of Phoenix, City Hall officials tell the Digital Free Press.
Named “Girasol,” which is Spanish for “sunflower,” by members of the Edison-Eastlake Community, this affordable housing community is designed with accessibility, sustainability, and inclusivity at its core, city officials say. The development will provide one, two, and three-bedroom mixed-income apartment homes, serving both individuals and families.
Phoenix leaders say the Girasol Apartments represents a new chapter in Phoenix’s affordable housing initiatives, a critical next step in revitalizing the Edison-Eastlake Community through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhoods program and the Edison-Eastlake Community’s Neighborhood Transformation Plan known as the One Vision Plan.
Girasol is funded in part by 2023 General Obligation bond program as approximately $21.3 million of GO Bond funds will be used to ensure the completion of these much-needed new housing units by helping to cover rising construction, labor and material costs, city officials say.
“Girasol Apartments are a shining example of how we’re addressing our housing shortage and revitalizing our aging stock of public housing,” Mayor Kate Gallego said in a prepared statement. “We’re layering local and federal funding, cultivating strong senses of community, and embracing diversity and sustainability along the way. Most importantly, we’re creating nearly 400 new homes for our residents.”
Phoenix District 8 Councilwoman Kesha Hodge Washington echoed a similar sentiment.
“This project signifies a new chapter in the historic Edison-Eastlake neighborhood; it is a meaningful community investment and provides much-needed affordable and attainable housing opportunities for individuals and families to thrive for generations to come,” she said. “I am grateful for our partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, with their support of $42.5 million in Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant funds, we are seeing impactful changes.”
The new community will serve as a model for sustainable, affordable housing, blending design innovations that meet the needs of the community while enhancing the quality of life for its residents.
“Gorman & Company is committed to transforming this site into a vibrant, inclusive community,” said Sally Schwenn of Gorman & Company. “The collaboration with the City of Phoenix and the local community has been instrumental in shaping Girasol Apartments into a home for hundreds of families and a source of pride for the entire city.”
Girasol Apartments offers quality, affordable housing in Edison-Eastlake Community
The new development will occur in three construction phases, which will be completed from 2026 to 2027. The Girasol Apartments groundbreaking marks the commencement of the fourth phase of redevelopment of the Edison-Eastlake Community, building on the successes of Soluna Apartments and Harmony at the Park Apartments, city leaders contend.
Of Note: Girasol Apartments is financed and supported by the following partners: Phoenix Housing Department, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Arizona Department of Housing, Gorman & Company, and Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust.
