| Metro Parkway | |||||||||
| Other Name: | Thelda Williams Transit Center | ||||||||
| Style: | Valley Metro | ||||||||
| Style2: | black | ||||||||
| Type: | Valley Metro Rail light rail station | ||||||||
| Address: | 9827 N Metro Parkway East, Phoenix, Arizona | ||||||||
| Country: | United States | ||||||||
| Coordinates: | 33.5751°N -112.1184°W | ||||||||
| Owned: | Valley Metro | ||||||||
| Operator: | Valley Metro Rail | ||||||||
| Line: | Northwest Extension Phase II | ||||||||
| Platforms: | 1 island platform | ||||||||
| Tracks: | 2 | ||||||||
| Connections: | Valley Metro Bus: 27, 35, 90, 106, I-17 Rapid. | ||||||||
| Structure: | Elevated | ||||||||
| Bicycle: | Yes | ||||||||
| Mapframe: | yes | ||||||||
| Mapframe-Custom: |
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Metro Parkway is an elevated light rail station on the Valley Metro Rail system in Phoenix.[1] It is the northwestern terminus of the Northwest Extension Phase II and the current northwestern terminus of the Valley Metro Rail system. The station is located on the east side of the former Metrocenter mall and includes a park and ride facility and relocated bus transit hub, which was renamed to the Thelda Williams Transit Center after the late interim mayor. It is the first elevated station in the system and opened on January 27, 2024.[2] [3] [4]
, the Thelda Williams Transit Center is served by Valley Metro Bus Routes 27, 35, 90, 106, and the I-17 Rapid.
In 2010, the mall was put up for sale and in January 2012, the sale to the Carlyle Development Group for $12.2 million was finalized. The company had publicly stated that over a period of five to six years, it hoped to turn the property into a mixed-use development site, with retail, residential, medical and possibly college campus tenants.
In June 2016, a massive redevelopment of Metrocenter was approved by the Phoenix City Council. Metrocenter will undergo a massive revitalization that will bring more retail and restaurants as well as office buildings, apartments, senior housing, and health-care facilities to the mall. The City of Phoenix rezoned the mall to allow office, medical and residential space; it had been zoned for solely retail use.[5]
In a letter from general manager Kim Ramirez on June 19, 2020, Metrocenter Mall announced that they would be closing at the end of that month citing "the drop in our occupancy levels due to the COVID-19 pandemic."[6] After 47 years of service, Metro Center Mall was closed on June 30, 2020, due to low store occupancy levels following the COVID-19 pandemic, and failed rejuvenation projects to boost foot traffic.[7] Remains of the mall were auctioned off on December 3, 2020.[8] The mall started to be demolished on November 18, 2024 as part of a $750 million redevelopment project that will replace the mall with other retail space, apartments, and services.[9]
A farewell celebration for Metrocenter—featuring a screening of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure—was held on May 21, 2023, prior to demolition.[10] The demolition of the former mall took place on November 18, 2024 and will open in 2026. The name of the redevelopment project will be The Metropolitan.[11] [12]