Topping off ceremony held for downtown Phoenix Fry's grocery store

PHOENIX (FOX 10) - On Tuesday, Block 23, the nine-story building that's been under construction since 2005, reached a huge milestone.

For years, the block between Jefferson and First Street has been vacant.

"This block was vacant between two other developed blocks," said Jeff Moloznik of Red Development, LLC. "It's difficult to get people to walk between vacant blocks, that's gone now."

Adding something downtown Phoenix has never seen -- its very first grocery store.

"We think about this area as a food desert and now to have nutritious options for people, whether or not you're working downtown, you can walk over, have a quick healthy lunch or even if it's to grab groceries on your way home if you don't live downtown," said Monica Garnes of Fry's Food Stores.

And aside from being at the heart of downtown, the project also includes retail stores, restaurants, office space and even apartments.

"The nine-story tower is just the office building, the grocery store and then Sam Fox is doing a Blanco restaurant at the base as well," Moloznik said. "So that will be on the first floor at Second Street and Washington and then there's a second tower altogether where Streetlight Residential is developing 330 apartment units -- that will be a 17-story tower."

Construction for the highly-anticipated project will be complete in October of this year.