Heritage Park, a mixed-use project, began demolition for its 10-acre development last month in downtown Gilbert after five years of delays and will break ground on construction Thursday.

The project will include nine buildings on the northern end of Gilbert’s downtown and will feature restaurants, retail space, apartments and offices, Gilbert Economic Development Director Dan Henderson said.

The project, formerly known as Heritage North or the north anchor, was originally scheduled to begin construction in 2020 but was delayed due to zoning issues, development timelines and the COVID-19 pandemic. The development agreement has been amended three times, with a fourth change expected, Henderson said.

But progress is underway.

The first phase began demolition, and Gilbert residents will begin to see restaurant and retail storefronts popping up in July, Henderson said. Apartment construction is also beginning but won’t be completed until 2028.

“It has been a long haul for this project," Gilbert Councilmember Jim Torgeson said. "Between the pandemic and the town loans, they’ve had to go through a lot. But I am so excited to see this project breaking ground.”

Heritage Park will feature a boutique hotel entrance on the site of a former Burger King, which was demolished in late April, Torgeson said.

“It’s hard to believe that an old Burger King is transforming into a boutique hotel,” Torgeson said. “You don’t rule this time, Burger King!”

LGE Design Build is the developer working on Heritage Park and has completed several projects in downtown Gilbert in recent years, including Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row.

Heritage Park will nearly double the current square footage of Gilbert’s Heritage District, adding 800,000 square feet of retail and residential space.

Adam Baugh, an attorney who represents LGE Design Build, said Heritage Park will set a new standard for mixed-use lifestyle projects across Arizona.

“How many projects can you name that are a fully amenitized village in one place?” Baugh said. “That’s why I was so excited to be a part of the land use entitlements for Heritage North. Future projects will be compared and judged by this one. The bar is high.”

While the project won’t be completed for several years, restaurant and retail construction is expected to be finished by July 2026.

“Now that we’ve started demolition, the community can see that this is actually happening,” Henderson said. “We are really excited to be bringing this to the table.”

Cassie Kresin is a student in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.