Lease agreement signed for outlet mall

Representatives from the Gila River Indian Community signed a lease agreement with the company that will manage a premium outlet mall near the casino at Wild Horse Pass.

Construction of the mall, called Phoenix Premium Outlets, is scheduled to begin in 60 to 90 days.

The 370,000-square-foot outlet center in expected to open in March 2013.

The agreement was signed by Greg Mendoza and Stephen Lewis, Gila River governor and lieutenant governor respectively, and David Simon, chairman and chief executive officer of Simon Property Group. Simon’s company is based in Indianapolis and owns nearly 400 malls across the globe, including the Arizona Mills outlet center in Phoenix.

Mendoza said Simon Property’s premium outlet centers are leaders in the retail industry.

“They are bringing the high-end shopping experience to the Valley,” he said.

Mendoza said the mall was an important economic development project for the tribe that would be another step toward self-sufficiency.

Simon, whose flight from Indianapolis was delayed by snowy weather, said it was great to be at Gila River and hoped to get in some time on the golf course.

He said the outlet center would be “a great addition to this community and greater Phoenix, which has not seen a lot of development lately.”

Simon said he could not announce the names of any of the outlet stores until the groundbreaking. However, he did say the stores would sell name brands at competitive prices.

He said the mall would have about 90 stores and five or six restaurants in its food court. Simon said shoppers also could dine at the restaurants at the nearby casino.

Building the mall is expected to provide 300 construction jobs. About 800 to 1,000 people will work at the mall when it opens, Simon said.