Development around town

Major retail development coming south of overpass 

Maricopa City Manager Rick Horst has confirmed that a major retail development is coming to the area at the southeast end of the overpass – soon.  

Horst said a developer is in place and “dozens” of shops and retailers have signed letters of intent, with other joining the center at a rapid pace.  

“Timelines move and this is not locked in, but we think they could start (construction) as early as September or October,” Horst said. “It’s in the area we call the New Maricopa Station, all that dirt on the east side of John Wayne Parkway.”  

That area has been a prime target for commercial development for years. Speculation about major retailers has been rampant, but no details have yet emerged. Horst did nothing to change that but did stoke the fire a bit.  

“What I can tell you is they (the developer) have been signing up national and regional tenants and there is a lot more interest than we ever expected,” he said. “There is a developer on board. They have letters of intent from a lot of these retailers.”  

If construction begins this fall as Horst indicated it might, many of those retailers could have their Maricopa locations open for the holidays in 2023. That would be a huge economic boon to the city, keeping dollars in the local economy and boosting the city’s tax base.   

DR Horton plans large community near Desert Sunrise HS 

Some students at Maricopa’s new Desert Sunrise High School could have a very short walk to school once DR Horton’s newest proposed community is complete. 

The new community, tentatively called Murphy and Farrell, is proposed in two phases, with a total of 1,643 homes at total buildout. At Maricopa’s rate of 3.2 people per household, that will bring more than 5,250 residents to the community, which sits directly east of Desert Sunrise. 

The project covers a total of 326 acres, with 112 acres in the initial phase. That phase, which will be built on the western edge of the property, will include 479 dwelling units. Access to the community will be from Murphy and Steen Roads. There is a proposed 200-foot utility and irrigation easement along Farrell Road. 

City’s industrial triangle generating interest 

The City of Maricopa recently rezoned 300 acres south of Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and east of N. White and Parker Road for industrial and employment uses. 

City Manager Rick Horst said potential users for the land are lining up fast. 

“We have a lot of interest in that area,” Horst said. “We used to get one or two leads a year, and now we’re getting three or four a week.” 

He said the interest is being generated through a joint effort between the city and the Maricopa Economic Development Agency, with MEDA priming the pump and the city finalizing deals. 

“MEDA starts the process, or as we say, fills the pipeline, and we work with them from there,” Horst said. “One of the potential users that we’re in talks with is a private landowner that has made an offer to buy land, so that tells you that’s moving along fairly well.” 

Ground broken on 312-unit Copa Flats Apartments 

St. Paul-based developer Real Estate Equities broke ground in early March on its $87.8 million Copa Flats affordable housing project at 17485 N. Porter Road, just north of Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway. 

The event marked the public launch of the 312-unit project that will be built in five phases. Phase 1 is expected to have units available in April 2023, according to Eric Omdahl, a partner in REE. He said the project is designed to meet the need for affordable housing in Maricopa as the city continues to grow. 

The 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units will be available to those earning 60 percent of the median income in Pinal County. That equates to incomes of between $30-60,000 per year, Omdahl said. He added that rents would fall in the $950-1,330 per month range. 

Omdahl said Copa Flats is addressing a vital need in the city for affordable housing and those being priced out of the single-family home market. 

4-story commercial project in planning stages 

A local businessman is working on plans for a multi-story commercial project on the south side of the intersection of Wilson and Garvey Avenues.  

Entrepreneur Robert Vannasdale, who owns the Discount Cleaners at 41155 W. Garvey Ave., is in the initial planning stages for a four-story, mixed-use building on that site. The project would feature commercial space on the ground level; several Air BnB rentals on the second floor; an upscale steakhouse, to be named “Dorissimo” on the third floor; and a nightclub, tentatively called “Maricopa Skies.”  

Vannasdale said he envisions a building with 7,000 square feet per floor. He already has begun readying the site for construction of the 28,000 sq. ft. project. No timetable was given for the start of construction or buildout.  

Discount Cleaners would be torn down and relocated on the same 1.5-acre property as part of the project.   

APEX Motor Club begins garage condo construction 

Construction has begun on the latest phase at APEX Motor Club, the high-end “country club racetrack” located west of Maricopa off State Route 238 on Ralston Road.  

According to APEX General Partner Jason Plotke, the initial phase of garage construction will consist of four buildings of 12 condominiums each. Work on the project began Feb. 25, with a target date for completion of the units in late August or early September.  

Although there are 48 units under construction, a second phase of 48 units will follow on its heels, and Plotke said there could be more to follow. It is all part of a total investment at APEX of about $35 million.  

“We probably have more demand than the 96 units, and if we do, we’d take a look at doing additional phases,” Plotke said. “Those would be farther out away from the track.”  

The garage condos have a starting price of $430,000 and are designed to be multi-configurable. Each unit spans 1,250 square feet and can be equipped with an optional 625-square-foot mezzanine for an additional price tag of $25,000. Units closer to the track garner the highest prices, while those farther away cost less.