By Philip Haldiman
Mail | X: @PhilipHaldiman

Peoria was the successful bidder for about 835 acres in a state land public auction Aug. 27, with a final bid of $46.7 million, which was also the opening bid.

Officials say the Amkor Technology facility, initially planned for the commercial core of Vistancia, will move to the newly purchased parcel in the Peoria Innovation Core.

Council will consider several agenda items related to the land development Aug. 28.

If approved, a land exchange agreement and development agreement amendment will allow Amkor Technology to move forward with construction for their semiconductor packaging and test facility on 104-acres of the newly acquired property.

Amkor fully supports the city of Peoria in its successful acquisition of this state land property, Giel Rutten, Amkor’s president and chief executive officer, stated in a news release.

“Pending city council’s approval, we look forward to immediately beginning construction of what will be the largest outsourced semiconductor packaging and test facility in the U.S," Rutten said. "Amkor’s multi-phase investment in facilities and equipment will play an integral role in securing the semiconductor supply chain essential for critical industries including high-performance computing, communications, and automotive.”

City officials say this project will create 2,000 new local jobs, representing a $2 billion investment in Peoria, while securing the nation’s semiconductor supply chain by producing this in-demand product in the United States.

Vistancia area residents have been at odds with the city over the Amkor faciliy locating in Five North, the master-planned development's commercial core.

Philip Haldiman
Senior News Editor | Peoria

phaldiman@iniusa.org

Meet Philip
Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.

Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.

Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater. 

Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.

Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.