The Latino Cultural Center's construction is still being planned and it has been for months.

Based on an article that was published online in September of this year, the committee responsible for its planning, design, and construction had been established in February of this year. The committee had recommended a place to build the Latino Cultural Center during their meeting conducted last September 23rd at the City Hall at Phoenix. One of the recommended areas for building the center is in the North Building located at Hance Park.

Some of the participants in the meeting were staff members of the city: Alan Stephenson, director of planning and development of the city office, and Christine Mackay, director of community and economic development of the city office.

The two city staff members had requested the committee to select the North Building because of the convenience of renovation instead of going through the steps of constructing a new building from the ground up.

This discussion, made in September, was not the only one.

On an earlier date, an article published in August of this year said that some of the Latino voices were unheard during the debates regarding the area where the Latino Cultural Center is to be constructed.

Now however, the location of where the Latino Cultural Center will be built is still undecided, but multiple places are already being considered.

The committee that was established to handle the planning of the construction of the center is being led by Vice Mayor Betty Guardo and Councilor Michael Nowakowksi. The committee had recently sited an abandoned church located at the northwestern corner of 3rd Street and Moreland Street.

Some say that the center should be situated in a place in Phoenix where a majority of cultural institutions are built. Councilor Carlos Garcia, however, said that he can't recommend any place because of the absence of any significant and historical event related to Latinos in the area.

"I had an artist call me about it and say, 'Our communities were redlined and weren't allowed north of whatever-Van Buren or the tracks-and so how can we set something up like where our communities weren't even allowed," said Garcia.

The North Building is situated beside Hance Park. The building has a good amount of parking spaces of 148. It is also easily accessible through trains and buses.

The estimated rehabilitation cost of the building is $12,056,800. Phonix possesses a $997,902 cash fund from the city bond program in the year 2001. This fund had been apportioned for use for promoting Latino culture and tradition.

Garcia also expressed his idea of the importance of the economic growth opportunities upon the establishment of the center.

Some of the other areas where the Latino Cultural Center could be built are:

  • The Herberger Theater grounds located at the southwest corner of Monroe Street and 3rd Street
  • The Regency Garage located at the southwest corner of Adams Street and 2nd Street
  • The Public Market parking grounds located at the southwest corner of McKinley Street and 1st Street
  • In a land of Northeast corner of 7th Street and Buckeye Road
  • In a zone for Reuse in the Aviation land "Spark" areas
  • In a Landfill at Del Rio
  • In the Southeast corner of Central Avenue and Broadway Road
  • In the Southwest corner of Broadway Road and 5th Avenue