Horst shares vision for Maricopa Station retail project

Transportation has been the No. 1 issue mentioned by Maricopa voters for years.

But City Manager Rick Horst introduced plans at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that could reduce the need for Maricopans to travel.

Horst unveiled updated plans for the Maricopa Station retail project proposed for 18 acres southeast of the overpass, and that plans are moving forward.

“I wanted to share this about Maricopa Station because we hear this all the time: ‘What’s going on? What will happen?’” Horst said. “We did issue a request for bids earlier this week. We know of two commercial developers who have expressed interest. It will be a couple of weeks before we get their bids in. We hope we get additional bids.

“They now feel like the retail market is better than it was a year or two ago, partly because the cost of building is coming down. They are concerned about the cost of interest rates going up. At the same time, they are beginning to realize the Maricopa market is very underserved and there are a lot of people interested in beginning to find a path to service our community.”

Graphics shown at the meeting depicting potential site plans included three major retail anchors on the site.

The potential exists for even more retail, as Horst said the owners of land just south of the proposed retail project could be interested in a joint project.

“The piece to the south is privately held, but it is my understanding that the parties that are interested in working with our land are also working with that landowner to do a collective project,” Horst said.

Horst said if the project is completed as proposed, Maricopa Station would have the capacity “and I emphasize capacity” to be about 250,000 square feet of retail.

Horst once again emphasized that the project is still out for bids and that nothing is etched in stone.

“Once you go in and they take your money and you can take your bag out to the car, that’s when it’s real,” he said. “But before then, this is where it all starts.”

The proposed 574-unit Overland Waterman Butterfield apartment project, which is in the process of getting city approvals, would sit directly east of the proposed Maricopa Station. The anticipated 1,900 residents of Overland Waterman Butterfield would give the retail center an immediate captive audience.

Access would be from John Wayne Parkway on the west and Honeycutt Avenue on the north.

The Maricopa Station area has been a target for commercial development for years. Speculation about major retailers’ interest has been rampant, but no deals have yet been completed.

Watch the video here.

https://www.youtube.com/live/2XSDp-7wJ4o?feature=share&t=2127