All eyes in the Valley focused on Goodyear

By Kelly O’Sullivan
Twitter: @AzNewsmedia

Goodyear’s Civic Square at Estrella Falls isn’t just the talk of the town; it’s the talk of the entire Valley.

The public-private partnership between the city and Globe Corp. to develop land at McDowell Road and 150th Avenue into a hub for all things Goodyear has everyone from government officials and corporations in need of office space in the West Valley to restaurateurs and retailers buzzing.

City Manager Julie Arendall, Globe. Corp. President George Getz and others associated with the project led members of Westmarc, the Western Maricopa Coalition, on a virtual open for business tour of Civic Square Phase 1, scheduled for groundbreaking in April 2021 and completion in summer 2022.

Westmarc is a public-private partnership with representatives from 15 West Valley communities, and business and educational sectors. The organization’s Economic Development Committee chaired by Mike Hoover from the city of Surprise and Karla Moran of Salt River Project, hosted the virtual tour Oct. 20.

READ: Goodyear receives Excellence in Economic Develop awards

Civic Square Phase I will feature a four-story, 125,000-square-foot City Hall building with a two-story, 20,000-square-foot public library in addition to council chambers and city offices; Globe Corp.’s three-story, 100,000-square-foot office building and 980-space parking garage; and a two-acre park where the city can hold activities and special events.

Subsequent phases will feature retail and restaurant space, and a second office building and parking garage across the square from the the Globe building.

Both entities hope the Globe building will attract Fortune 500 companies looking for office space in the West Valley.

History of the land

Mr. Getz, whose business is based in Scottsdale, said his family has owned several hundred acres of former farmland in Goodyear since the 1970s. At one time, the 47-acre site where the six-acre Civic Square will be built was leased to a farming family who grew scallions.

In the 1990s, the Getz family was approached to sell all of its land in Goodyear, but declined. Instead, Mr. Getz said, Globe Corp. developed some 200 acres for multi- and single-family housing, and developed 58 acres at McDowell Road and PebbleCreek Parkway, west of the Civic Square site, as the Market at Estrella Falls. That site features retailers, restaurants and small office spaces.

READ: Goodyear named 2020 ‘Best City for Business’

Further east on McDowell, closer to Civic Square, Globe developments include Harkins Theatres Estrella Falls 16 and restaurants including Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.

“Civic Square will be truly exceptional,” he said. “The energy this will create will develop a true downtown for Goodyear.”

Ms. Arendall, who screened a video of what Phase I will look like when completed, agreed.

“It’s truly a special time for the city of Goodyear,” she said. “The Globe Corp. building will allow the city to compete for jobs it can’t compete for right now.”

What’s good in Goodyear

As one of the fast-growing cities in the country, Goodyear has a population of nearly 89,000 and is at 11% build-out of available space, she said. Among its amenities are Goodyear Ballpark and two Major League Baseball spring training facilities, Phoenix Goodyear Airport and proximity to Phoenix Raceway, which is home to Nascar and other professional races.

Goodyear’s median income is more than $80,000 annually, second only to Gilbert for cities over 10,000 population, Ms. Arendall said.

On the downside, 90% of the city’s workforce commutes east for work, but city officials are aiming to change that by working with companies like Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ferrara Candy Co., Fairlife, Microsoft and REI to bring more more industrical jobs to the city. It’s also working with companies like Globe to provide large-scale office space that is virtually nonexistent in the West Valley.

“I want to thank you and George for delivering spec office space in the West Valley,” Mr. Hoover said. Speculative space is that which is built before tenants have signed on to a project. Goodyear began building speculative industrial space about 12 years ago; the Globe building will be the first of its kind in Goodyear.

“What I love is that you’ve got government, business and community together in one place” at Civic Square,” Mr. Hoover said. “Every win by one of our West Valley colleagues is a win for every resident.”

It’s all about the timing

Cathy Teeter, managing director of CBRE Phoenix, a commercial real estate and investment firm, said timing for Civic Square is perfect. The company recently surveyed 10,000 office workers around the world to find out what they want in their work place and found that the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed workforce expectations.

“If companies want employees to come to the office,” they’re probably going to need to bring the office closer to employees,” Ms. Teeter said, noting that 38% of health care workers and 34% those who work ing finance and accounting live in the West Valley.

“We have the workforce,” Ms. Arendall said, predicting that 10 years from now, the region will look very different in terms of office space.

Checking all the boxes

Ashley Brooks, CBRE Phoenix senior vice president, said people want offices with easy access to freeways and nearby amenities.

They want buildings with lots of natural light, good views, access to the outdoors, and interior spaces where they can work without distraction, and come together to collaborate.

Goodyear’s new City Hall and the Globe Corp. building check all those boxes, said Jeff Cutberth of Butler Design Group, who worked with Mr. Brooks and others to implement workplace wants. People who work in both buildings will find interior amenities discussed by Mr. Brooks as well as bike, walking and jogging paths right outside their doors, and easy access to shops and restaurants.

Beau Dromiak of Ryan Companies, said City Hall will be “seriously convenient,” with public spaces that include a large council chamber and adjacent work room, and a second floor that will serve as a one-stop-shop where people can come to conduct city business.

The two-story library will be a key draw for Civic Square, Mr. Dromiak said.

“Libraries are an engine for an active and thriving community,” he said. “Libraries touch everything.”

Goodyear’s library is expected to draw more than 142,000 people to Civic Square annually. Patrons and visitors will have access to typical offerings like books, videos and computers; teen and children’s areas; and study and collaborative areas. They also will find business programs offered by the city’s Economic Development Innovation Hub, and numerous Maricopa County Library District programs and events.

“We just really feel we’re creating a beautiful space,” Ms. Arendall said.

Who else will Goodyear draw?

Zach Pace, senior vice president of Phoenix Commercial Advisors, said Valley restaurants and retailers as well as those outside the greater Phoenix market are all eyeing Civic Square, and the area’s Interstate 10 and Loop 303 business corridors.

“Restaurants and retailers are looking for the next big mixed-use opportunity,” he said.

The area has a good mix of national chains but is underserved in terms of smaller regional businesses like farm to table restaurants, so Goodyear could see an influx of those businesses as it continues to develop, he said.

Kelly O’Sullivan can be reached at kosullivan@newszap.com or 760-963-1697