Buckeye is booming, and residents soon will be able to stay closer to home in order to shop. Residents of the growing West Valley city now have a new $125 million retail shopping center planned near Verrado Way and Interstate 10.
The shopping center, called Verrado Marketplace, will be constructed at the northeast corner of the intersection where restaurants, retail and large public outdoor spaces are expected to take shape. Construction is expected to start by mid-2023 and open during third-quarter 2024, according to a press release.
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Buckeye is booming, and residents soon will be able to stay closer to home in order to shop.
Residents of the growing West Valley city now have a new $125 million retail shopping center planned near Verrado Way and Interstate 10.
The shopping center, called Verrado Marketplace, will be constructed at the northeast corner of the intersection where restaurants, retail and large public outdoor spaces are expected to take shape. Construction is expected to start by mid-2023 and open during third-quarter 2024, according to a press release.
“It will just add to the quality of life,” said Annie DeChance, spokeswoman for the city of Buckeye. “(The idea) is to live, work, play — and do it all within the city of Buckeye.”
The shopping center will provide Buckeye residents with “much-needed” amenities so people can travel out of town less, DeChance said.
In the past, Buckeye lacked services such as doctor’s offices and hair salons. But things are changing, DeChance said. The city has met certain population thresholds that make it attractive for retail companies.
Buckeye officials estimate the current population is about 110,000 people based on the number of single-family permits filed each month plus the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau from October 2021, she said.
“It’s great news for the city in general,” DeChance said. “But especially for residents.”
Two real estate developers, Phoenix-based Vestar and Scottsdale-based DMB Associates will collaborate on the project. DMB is the master developer of the 8,800-acre Verrado master-planned community, which now has 6,000 homes.
Sales for the community began in 2004, the press release said.
“In the world of real estate, commercial follows rooftops,” said Dan Kelly, general manager of Verrado and chief operating officer of DMB. “It frustrates residents, they get it. Within the last five years, Verrado has sold more homes than the previous 13 years. The center of growth in the Valley has shifted to the west, and the southwest in particular. Buckeye is the fastest growing city in the country.”
The shopping center intersection could be the “hottest” in the West Valley, Kelly said.
The area should be bustling with activity.
Costco Wholesale submitted plans to build a store at the southeast corner of Verrado Way and I-10, and Phoenix-based Banner Health plans to build a 330,000-square-foot hospital at the northwest corner of Verrado Way and I-10 on 62 acres it bought from DMB for $21 million in 2007, the press release said.
In December, Abrazo Health paid $9.7 million for a 27-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Verrado Way and I-10 to develop its own medical campus.
In July 2021, the Arizona Department of Transportation began making improvements to Interstate 10 between State Route 85 and Verrado Way in Buckeye.
Improvements include adding a third general purpose lane in each direction on I-10 and reconstructing the interchanges at Miller and Watson roads. These improvements will increase freeway capacity, improve traffic flow and safety at the interchanges and accommodate future growth, according to the ADOT website. That road project is ongoing.
The area is “underserved” by quality commercial retail, Kelly said.
Verrado Marketplace will be “developed along the lines” of Vestar’s Desert Ridge Marketplace and Tempe Marketplace.
Manufacturing facilities and distribution centers are succeeding in the area, too. Buckeye’s Five Below Warehouse & Distribution Center currently has 150 employees with another 150 expected to be added within the next year, DeChance said. KORE Power Manufacturing is breaking ground later this year and expected to employ 3,000, she said.
Construction is underway for another distribution center, Ross Dress for Less, which is expected to employ 1,300 employees.
“(We want people) to stay in Buckeye,” DeChance said.
Brent Ruffner Lead News Reporter | Phoenix @AzNewsmedia
Brent Ruffner joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2021 where he writes about developments at TSMC and Maricopa County issues, including election topics.
He's written about stories that range from accusations that a Mesa monkey breeding facility is unsafe to what to do if you encounter a rattlesnake in the desert.
Community: He is a supporter of the American Cancer Society.
Education: Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University, May 2007.
Random Fact: He met former San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays at a Phoenix Firebird game after winning a contest for an autographed baseball.
Hobbies: Hiking in the woods and collecting sports memorabilia.
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