With final approval, West Maricopa Village to start building

West Maricopa Village, the mixed-use development that will add 530 residential units on the city’s west side, is set to begin construction in September.

The development plan received final approval last week from city council.

According to Ron Smith, vice president of Matrix Equities, which is developing Innovation Village, which will offer single-family homes for rent. The other component, called Fuze 520 apartments, will be developed by Chandler-based Z Modular.

Both projects could be completed by the fall of 2022, said Smith. That’s a good thing, given the demand for these types of housing in the city, he added.

“There was a study done in 2017 that indicated that in Maricopa, the rental product available was nothing but single-family residence units,” he said. “There weren’t any apartments and no villa-type product like we’ll be offering. The study indicated a very, very strong need for rental product in the city.

“That’s the driving force – there is just a lot of demand for this product,” he added. “The number of units that study indicated would be needed, we’re approaching that number, but we haven’t passed it.”

The 35-acre development will sprout at the southeast corner of Loma Road and State Route 238, just west of Acacia Crossing. The Estrella Gin Office Park is under construction to the south and the proposed PHX Surf park will be to the west.

Innovation Village will feature 182 one- and two-bedroom, single-family homes for rent on 16.3 acres on the property’s east side. Fuze 520 will offer 342 apartment units in one-, two- and three-story buildings on 14 acres on the Loma Road side.

City Manager Rick Horst agreed with Smith that this type of project fits the needs of many Maricopans.

“I have shared in the past our need for ‘circle of life’ housing – multiple options to fit community needs,” Horst said. “These units will meet the needs of our community workforce to include police officers, schoolteachers, firefighters and service workers.”

In addition to the residential components, West Maricopa Village includes a mixed-use development that could include a multi-story building with apartments, condominiums or townhouses above businesses on the ground floor. The area also is likely to have a gas station, convenience store and/or a car wash. A final phase would include planned retail, commercial office or medical space.

Smith said the homes will be built in 40-unit blocks, with successive phases beginning about two months apart to ensure a steady flow of available new units to the market.

“These will go fast,” Smith told InMaricopa when the project received approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission. “The market is such that we anticipate that rental activity will be strong enough that we’ll just keep rolling through 40 after 40 after 40. That’s been the track record of this product.”

West Maricopa Village is envisioned as pedestrian-friendly, with a private main street emphasizing walkability and community enjoyment, according to developers.