City of Phoenix Abandonment Hearing Officer conditionally approved the abandonment of the 8th and 9th Avenue rights-of-way between West Jefferson Street and West Madison Street in downtown Phoenix on December 12, 2024. The request was filed by Maricopa County to facilitate construction of a new Maricopa County Elections Facility and secure the premises. The 51,480 square-foot abandonments (1.18 acres) were originally dedicated in 1897 under the Neahrs Addition plat. The conditional approval is subject to stipulations including retaining 50-foot and 45-foot buffers from the Jefferson and Madison monument lines, respectively; dedicating public ingress/egress, refuse, emergency access, and utility easements over the entire abandoned area; and ensuring relocation or retention of all affected utilities at no cost to the city. Streetlighting stipulations require de-energization and transfer of ownership for four existing fixtures. Outside utilities (Cox, Southwest Gas, APS, CenturyLink, SRP) provided conditions for facility relocations or objections, and a performance agreement or retention of easements is required. All stipulations must be completed within two years or the approval will expire.