Phoenix rezones Coronado historic district for adaptive reuse wellness enclave with council backing

Historic Coronado District Preserved as Wellness Enclave Under Adaptive Reuse Landmark Agreement

Heather Lennon, adaptive reuse specialist and founder of Imagine Develops and Imagine General Contracting, won enthusiastic support from Laura Pastor for the Imagine Coronado project—a 50,000-square-foot historic preservation initiative that will save nine of eleven buildings in Phoenix's Coronado neighborhood, including seven 100-year-old homes redesigned as a wellness retreat and small-business incubator. The project emerged after a planned apartment complex deal fell through, pivoting instead to a community-focused model that prioritizes architectural restoration and neighborhood engagement.

Key Speeches

"We're building this for Coronado. We are building this with Coronado." — Heather Lennon, Imagine Develops

"You understand that it's important for us for a city to bring in that culture and economic development. That's what happens." — Laura Pastor, District 4

"I worked really hard in this planning phase to make sure we preserved our historic homes in particular in Coronado." — Laura Pastor, District 4

Timeline

• Applicant presentation: Heather Lennon toured Laura Pastor through three of the nine preserved buildings on the Coronado property, detailing preservation strategies, adaptive uses, and community-benefit components.
• Property history: Original apartment complex deal fell through after neighbor opposition and pressure from Councilwoman Laura Pastor (referenced but not present) to preserve historic homes; Lennon's firm then acquired the entire property containing historic buildings.
• Current phase: Planning and design phase; Lennon explicitly stated no renderings are available yet and that the developer is seeking community feedback before finalizing designs for wellness services, retail, and business-incubator components.
• Council discussion: Basto and Lennon discussed the project's vision, architectural preservation methods, chakra-themed home design, and Shop the Experience local business incubator; no formal public comment or opposing speakers were recorded in the transcript.
• Vote: No formal vote tally was documented in the transcript.

Opposition

Not stated in transcript. No public comment period was recorded, and no speakers opposing the project were identified.

Support

• Number of speakers in favor: One principal speaker (Heather Lennon, applicant/developer); one council member (Laura Pastor, District 4) expressed enthusiastic support.
• Main points of support:
  1. Historic preservation of seven 100-year-old homes with original architectural elements (fireplaces, hand-painted tiles, flooring, baseboards, moldings, windows) retained where possible.
  2. Job creation and economic development through adaptive reuse and local business incubator ("Shop the Experience").
  3. Community partnership model: developer pledged to solicit neighborhood feedback before finalizing designs; Basto praised Lennon for "understanding the preservation of history."
  4. Wellness enclave concept using blue-zone principles to foster health and community connectivity.
  5. Hyper-local sourcing: all products sold through the property (pottery, art, soap) will come from local small businesses via QR-code purchasing.
  6. Neighborhood gathering spaces: Basto noted residents had requested coffee shops and meeting spaces; Lennon proposed flexible multiuse buildings for social hours, game nights, poetry readings.
  7. Resilience storytelling: repairs to historic structures will use kintsuki technique (stained or painted in chakra-stone colors) to highlight resilience and repair.

Project Details

• Case number: Not stated in transcript.
• Applicant / developer: Heather Lennon, founder of Imagine Develops and Imagine General Contracting; also owner of Rackon Two Cigars.
• Attorney: Not mentioned in transcript.
• Location / address: Coronado district, Phoenix (no specific street address provided).
• APN (if stated): Not stated in transcript.
• Current zoning → Proposed zoning: PUB (Planned Unit Development, previously designated for apartment complex) → rezoned to allow short-term rental homes and backyard wellness business operations.
• Density / units / square footage: 50,000 square feet; 11 buildings total on property; 9 buildings being preserved; 7 of the preserved buildings are 100-year-old historic homes designated as short-term rental units.
• Changes from previous version: Original apartment complex deal under contract fell through. Lennon's firm then acquired the property and pivoted to adaptive reuse wellness enclave model rather than multifamily residential.

Vote Breakdown

Individual votes not stated in transcript. No formal council vote was recorded or documented in the meeting transcript. Laura Pastor comments indicated strong support, but no vote tally or roll call was presented.

Outcome & Next Steps

The project has been presented to council with apparent approval and support from Councilwoman Basto. The property has been rezoned to permit short-term rental homes and backyard wellness business operations. The developer is now in the planning and design phase and has explicitly committed to seeking community feedback before finalizing:

• Specific wellness services and programs (yoga, meditation, grounding, sound healing, red light therapy, cold plunge, float spas);
• Design of the "Shop the Experience" business incubator and its physical configuration;
• Use and design of the building marked for potential glass enclosure;
• Layout and programming of multiuse community gathering spaces.

No formal continuance date or approval conditions were stated in the transcript. The next phase is iterative community engagement and detailed design development.

Controversies & Context

Historic Preservation Victory: Councilwoman Basto explicitly credited her own earlier planning work and pressure from Councilwoman Laura Pastor (District 4, referenced but not present) with forcing the original apartment complex developer to consider preservation of the historic homes. When that deal collapsed, Lennon's firm stepped in and acquired the property, effectively rescuing the Coronado historic district from potential demolition or deterioration.

Community Pressure as Catalyst: The transcript indicates that neighborhood opposition to the apartment complex was a key driver in the deal's failure. Basto thanked "the neighbors" and specifically named Laura Pastor for "forcing the issue and making sure that we did not lose the histories of these homes."

Adaptive Reuse as Economic Model: Lennon positioned her work as a philosophy: "at Imagine Develops and Imagine General Contracting, what we get to do is save the history of Phoenix, one old building at a time." This framing—preservation as business strategy, not merely nostalgia—aligns with urban-renewal trends favoring mixed-use, experiential adaptive reuse over demolition-and-rebuild.

Inclusionary / Local-Benefit Elements: The "Shop the Experience" business incubator and QR-code retail model (partnering with 1 Million Entrepreneurs nonprofit) represent an intentional effort to create economic opportunity for local small businesses rather than national chains, addressing a community need Basto noted ("Can we have coffee? Can we have someplace to go buy something?").

No Formal Public Comment Recorded: The transcript does not include a public comment period, town hall, or formal hearing. This presentation appears to have been a council member and developer tour/showcase rather than a quasi-judicial land-use hearing. No opposition was documented, and no conditions or exactions were discussed.

Duration

• This item: Duration of this presentation/discussion not specified in transcript, but the transcript appears to comprise the entire meeting or the primary item.
• Total meeting: Duration not stated in transcript.

Other Notable Items

None identified. The entire transcript centers on the Imagine Coronado project presentation and council discussion.