Construction begins at Estrella Gin, with a twist

The developers of the 32-acre Estrella Gin Business Park have received construction permits and will begin work on the initial 6,000 square feet of office space.

That space will house the offices of the Maricopa Economic Development Alliance.

Shane Cook of MHG Commercial, developer of the project, said tangible progress is being made at the site.

“Currently the utility work and infrastructure for the new road and the entire development are going in,” he said, noting MEDA will occupy the building as early as late this year or early next year, depending on supply chain delays.

City Manager Rick Horst said a central location for the Alliance, which he as described as a “business incubator,” will benefit the city.

“MEDA represents our economic effort toward job creation,” Horst said. “To have a physical presence within the community is critical to our collective mission.”

Cook said construction started about a month ago on the facility’s infrastructure, including an interior road which will connect Edison and Loma roads. After MEDA’s office, the next building to start construction will be a 45,000-square-foot flex/industrial space that could house a furniture/mattress/retail store, auto body shop, combination showroom / office / warehouse space for a variety of different trades, or a light manufacturing facility. Interest in the space is strong, he said.

“We are currently working through leases with potential tenants for this building with suites starting around 3,000 square feet,” Cook said, noting he is in current discussions for about 25,000 of the 45,000 square feet.

“Ideally, we will start construction on this building in the next few months and aim for occupancy by tenants by the end of Quarter 2 of 2022 or shortly thereafter.”

The proposed development of the PHX Surf park across Loma Road is impacting the potential scope of Estrella Gin development.

The 70-plus acre site was originally zoned as heavy industrial, but the proposed surf park now presents new opportunities at the business park.

“The surf park changes the context of what we’re going to do across that front side of the project,” Cook said. “It will lean toward more retail and office and less toward industrial now. There will be more demand for retail and restaurants along what I call the Edison-Loma Bend with the surf park right there. Our property right along Edison and Loma will now become even more attractive for retail uses or restaurant pads.”

Estrella Gin will also offer offices of 12,000-80,000 square feet for tenants, he said.