Avondale is shaking up its leadership roster just as its marquee redevelopment push, The BLVD, starts to draw serious interest. Economic development chief Jennifer Stein was promoted to assistant city manager on Wednesday, expanding her role at City Hall while an interim economic development director steps in to keep the department running.
In a press release from the City of Avondale, officials said Stein's new post is designed to better line up senior staff around big, complex projects and improve coordination across departments. The Phoenix Business Journal reported that the move includes naming an interim economic development director while the city works to permanently fill Stein's previous job.
Momentum At The BLVD
The BLVD has become the centerpiece of Avondale's redevelopment efforts in the Park Avenue area, with the city courting a mix of hospitality, retail, and other uses. Earlier this fall, staff recommended Blueprints Capital to take on three city-owned parcels and Whitten Development to handle a hospitality site that includes a proposed Embassy Suites for the district.
AZBEX reported that Avondale plans to enter formal negotiations with the selected developers. Any eventual development agreement, according to that reporting, is expected to spell out infrastructure phasing along with potential reimbursement terms tied to how and when improvements are built.
Stein's Track Record
Stein joined Avondale's economic development team in late 2024 after earlier stints in Peoria and Glendale, a career move previously covered in detail by her hiring as Avondale's business development director. Since coming on board, she has frequently pushed placemaking and public art as key tools in Avondale's strategy to draw visitors, residents, and employers to The BLVD and surrounding areas.
AZ Big Media previously quoted Stein on the role of art in helping to brand The BLVD, highlighting her view that creative projects can help distinguish the district in a crowded regional market.
What’s Next
According to city documents and published reports, the next phase for The BLVD involves detailed talks with developers over infrastructure responsibilities, public reimbursement mechanisms, and performance milestones. Those pieces would need to be hammered out before the Avondale City Council takes up a formal development agreement, with action anticipated in the coming months.
The Phoenix Business Journal also noted that the interim economic development director will handle daily operations for the department while Stein shifts into her wider assistant city manager duties. Officials told the city's news center they plan to post updates as negotiations move forward and council items are scheduled.
For now, the promotion puts a familiar deal maker from Avondale's economic development world squarely in the upper ranks of City Hall at a moment when The BLVD is edging from vision to potential shovel-ready reality.
