With ceremonial shovels in hand and temperatures soaring, town leaders and development partners officially broke ground Thursday on Heritage Park, a major mixed-use project set to redefine the northern entrance to Gilbert's Heritage District.
Heritage Park is poised to become a cornerstone development for the town, planned as a walkable, high-density blend of residential, commercial, and community spaces designed to complement and expand the character of the historic downtown bordering it to the south.
The project, a collaboration between Creation, LGE Design Build and Crescent Communities, will include approximately 47,000 square feet of retail and boutique office space, 288 residential units and a new public park. A paseo will extend the iconic Water Tower Way, helping to connect the park space to the heart of the district.
“Heritage Park, I think, is really going to set the standard for true walkable mixed use in the Southeast Valley, and we're thrilled to start that process today,” said Alex Bez, a principal with Creation, who opened the event.
Bez emphasized the project's scale and its potential to serve as the northern gateway into the Heritage District. He highlighted the commitment of anchor tenant Flagship Restaurant Group, which will bring three new concepts — Blue Sushi, Palma and Ghost Donkey — to the site.
Gilbert Mayor Scott Anderson underscored the importance of the project not only to the Heritage District but to the town’s future.
“We need this project for the downtown,” he said. “We need the vibrancy that will come with it, and the rest of the town will enjoy everything that comes with this. I'm so proud to say that we will maintain our quality of life for future generations through projects such as this.”
Anderson also invoked the inspiration he drew from Bruce Springsteen’s “My Hometown” when he decided to run for mayor.
“I committed at that point that it wasn't going to happen in Gilbert,” he said, referring to the song’s story of urban decline. “In Gilbert, we are going to maintain the quality of life that so many people have come to enjoy for future generations, and this project will be part of that.”
A rendering shows a daytime aerial view of Heritage Park development in Gilbert. (Courtesy Creation)
A rendering shows an evening aerial view of Heritage Park development in Gilbert. (Courtesy Creation)
A rendering shows a street view of Heritage Park development in Gilbert. (Courtesy Creation)
Crescent Communities, which is co-developing the project with Creation and LGE, echoed those sentiments.
“Few things in this business are as complicated or as challenging as creating from scratch the best-in-class mixed use community,” said Ken Keefe, director of development at Crescent. “Heritage Park will be the finest mixed-use community in the town and above the very finest in the entire Valley.”
Sagar Rathie, managing director of Crescent Communities, added, “In the not-too-distant future, you all are sitting in what will be our future park space right in the middle of the plaza here, the front door to the Heritage District. And we are just so excited to see that come to life.”
The groundbreaking is the culmination of years of planning and perseverance, especially amid evolving economic conditions and a shifting development landscape.
“This is up there,” David Sellers, founding partner at Creation, said about where this project rates for his company. “This is pretty incredible. To be able to put together a site that's corner to corner, 10 acres in an area like this, it's pretty rare.”
The town originally awarded the developers a 9.1-acre parcel via a competitive RFP process, but the acquisition of the corner parcel, which previously housed a Burger King, expanded the site to 10 acres.
“We figured out it was pretty critical to get the corner really to maximize this development,” Sellers said. “I don't think it would feel the same if Heritage Park wrapped around a Burger King.”
Phase one of the development will include the public park, retail buildings, infrastructure and the linear paseo connecting to Water Tower Plaza.
Retail is expected to open by late 2026, while the multifamily residences are scheduled for completion in 2027. Future phases will include office and hotel components.
The park, which will serve as a central gathering space, is being designed with multiple distinct zones, including shaded areas, lawn space for events and recreation, a water feature, and even a historic silo repurposed to house an ice cream shop.
“I think the Heritage District is just a special place,” Sellers said. “It has a very unique design. It has design restrictions that you have to abide by that's not like most places … This project will feel like the Heritage District — it just moves it on.”
The development team stressed that creating a space true to Gilbert’s identity has been central to their approach.
“A lot of time and attention was put into the placemaking and the materials, the plant palette and what the execution is going to be,” Sellers said. “We want something that’s family friendly (and) is activated throughout the entire day.”
The project had been delayed by different challenges over the year, including seeing where the market would go after the COVID-19 pandemic and deciding to phase out construction, Sellers said. The groundbreaking represented an end to those delays.
“Honestly, we're just really happy,” Rathie said. “The vision's been fantastic, the town's been great to work with. I know everyone's breathing a sigh of relief that we're here, me included.”
We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
Heritage Park,
Heritage District,
town of Gilbert,
Creation,
Flagship Restaurant Group,
Crescent Communities,
LGE Design Build,
Alex Bez,
Scott Anderson,
Ken Keefe,
Sagar Rathie,
David Sellers
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