Plaza Cos. Eyes 62-Acre Arizona Mixed-Use

Rendering of the mixed-use project. Image courtesy of Plaza Cos., the city of Glendale and Arizona Cardinals

Plaza Cos. is partnering with the city of Glendale and the Arizona Cardinals to plan a major mixed-use project on 62 acres south of State Farm Stadium and east of the new Crystal Lagoons Island Resort development.

The Glendale, Ariz., site could include up to 600,000 square feet of Class A office space; more than 60,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space; hotels and approximately 230 units of multifamily housing. The site will also be master planned to provide event parking for State Farm Stadium, home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, and the Crystal Lagoons Island Resort, a water park that recently broke ground and will feature a 10-acre lagoon with hotel, retail, restaurants, office space and a Mattel theme park.

The team will collaborate on creating a vision for the project as well as connectivity to the stadium and throughout the development. Plans could include a pedestrian-oriented, walkable environment with tree-lined shaded sidewalks and landscaped plazas to encourage interaction with public art, accent lighting and provide a link to a pedestrian underpass to the stadium.

The city of Glendale owns most of the site located east of Loop 101 and the Bidwell family, owners of the Arizona Cardinals, owns the remaining 10 acres. Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps said in a prepared statement the partnership will create new employment opportunities, draw major businesses and commerce to the region and provide further culture enhancements. He said the city looks forward to working with Plaza to create a dynamic live-work-play experience.

The perks of PPPs

Sharon Harper, chairman and CEO of Plaza Cos., said in prepared remarks the company knows from experience the importance of a strong public-private partnership and how it can provide an economic engine.

The company developed SkySong, The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, a 1.2 million-square-foot mixed-use project featuring Class A office space, retail, restaurant and hotel components along with SkySong Apartments. It has also revitalized Park Central in midtown Phoenix, a mid-century shopping mall that is being repurposed into a mixed-use development. Harper said the Glendale mixed-use project will also be an economic driver for the growing sports and entertainment district that includes State Farm Stadium, Gila River Arena, Westgate Entertainment District, Crystal Lagoons Island Resort and many other amenities in the area.

The city and developers are also looking ahead to 2023, when State Farm Stadium will host its third Super Bowl, and 2024, when the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four is schedule to take place at the University of Phoenix Stadium.