Churchill Owner Aims to Build 325-Foot Tower and Market in Downtown Phoenix Article originally posted on AZ Central on June 18, 2024 A planned high-rise tower in downtown Phoenix could bring a neighborhood market and a new restaurant from the operator of The Churchill. Kell Duncan, founder of The Churchill, the downtown Phoenix restaurant, bar and retail venue made of shipping containers, bought the building at Central Avenue and Garfield Street in 2020 from Uhaul’s real estate arm, Amerco Real Estate. He had been aiming to buy the property for a while, and before he bought it, he had plans to rehabilitate the building as another venue for restaurants, bars and a market. That plan was shelved during the pandemic, when Duncan focused his energy on keeping The Churchill functioning. Now, he has partnered with Mainstreet Capital Partners to develop an apartment building on the site, while keeping some of his ideas for the lower levels of the building. The new project, Duncan said, will breathe some life into a downtown corner that has long sat vacant. “That corner has been empty since the car shop closed, and even then that probably wasn’t the best use of that corner,” he said. Seeking a height increase Duncan and Mainstreet Capital are seeking a height bonus for the project from the city, which would allow them to build about 30% higher than is currently allowed by the zoning if they reach certain sustainability milestones. Those milestones can include creating a vertically mixed-use project, adding pedestrian safety features and amenities, using renewable energy and other sustainability features. While Duncan had hoped to rehab the old building, he said, that plan has changed. The existing building, a long derelict car shop, will be razed to make room for the new project, but some of the materials will be salvaged and incorporated into the new building. Places to go: A local food hall modeled after The Churchill to open in Peoria alongside a new BBQ joint The Phoenix Planning Commission recommended approval of the height bonus at its meeting June 6, and the City Council is scheduled to discuss the project later this summer. Duncan said the team has not established a timeline for construction yet. Mainstreet Capital will oversee the development and operations of the apartment portion, Duncan said. The tower is planned to reach 325 feet high and include about 273 apartment units, according to documents submitted to the city. Duncan will operate the restaurant, a bar space and a neighborhood-scale market that will sell produce and goods from local farms and suppliers. A place for local produce and food Duncan, whose father and brother run Duncan Family Farms in Goodyear, said his idea for a restaurant and a market sourcing high-quality, local foods comes from his background growing up in a farming family. “I believe in local, fresh, organic produce, and unfortunately we don’t have a ton of options for that in downtown,” Duncan said. The development will be a “step out and a step up,” for Duncan, he said. Being involved in a partnership on a high-rise, and operating his own restaurant, will both be new ventures for him. Growing up in downtown Since moving to downtown Phoenix more than 10 years ago, Duncan said he has fallen in love with the area and the opportunities it has brought him as a young entrepreneur. “That’s why I started doing business downtown, and fortunately things started growing around us,” he said. Phoenix’s downtown is still new compared to most major downtowns, giving smaller business ventures like The Churchill a chance to grow and shape the area. “It’s an opportunity I wouldn’t have had in any other city,” Duncan said. “The more I can do down here and create the things I want to see, that’s what I want to do.”