Phoenix suburb aims to create 2,100-acre entertainment hub

A Phoenix suburb has set aside 2,100 acres for a regional entertainment hub.

Buckeye, about 35 miles west of Phoenix, plans to employ the private and state trust land as a mixed-use destination for entertainment, retail, housing, recreation, education and research, the Phoenix Business Journal reported.

The special planning area, dubbed The Landing, is south of Interstate 10 on each side of Verrado Way. 

“This project is not only about erecting structures, but also about building an ecosystem that

will ultimately lead to a thriving live, work and play environment in one of Buckeye’s

most robust core growth areas,” states a city brochure connected to the specific area plan.

The Buckeye City Council is tentatively slated to vote on the plan this spring, an unidentified spokesperson for the city told the Business Journal.

At a community meeting, residents of the fast-growing city said they wanted the area to be pedestrian friendly, with a walkable shopping and entertainment district with diverse housing options, plus infrastructure improvements. Another meeting is slated for Nov. 6.

Buckeye has experienced employment growth across new industrial and manufacturing facilities, but it has been largely underserved in retail and entertainment offerings, according to the Business Journal.

Other cities west of Phoenix, such as Goodyear and Surprise, are also working on beefing up  their downtown and entertainment draws.

The proposed 3.4-square-mile entertainment hub in Buckeye is surrounded by residential neighborhoods, and includes the West-MEC education campus and Buckeye Commons, a shopping center anchored by Costco.

It’s also south of a master-planned neighborhood known as Verrado, with nearly 7,000 homes, in an area slated for new hospitals and large shopping centers, according to the newspaper. 

Within the next two years, Vestar plans to build a 520,000-square-foot shopping center, with restaurants and stores including Target, Safeway and a Harkins Backlot. Three more shopping centers with a combined 600,000 square feet are under construction south of Interstate 10, at Verrado Way, within The Landing area.

— Dana Bartholomew

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