Who's Who in Retail
Project update for some of the largest retail developments happening across the state.

July/August 2007 issue of AZRE

The Pier at Town Lake

One of the hottest development areas in the Valley, Tempe Town Lake, is well on its way to offering Valley residents a plethora of residential, office, hospitality and retail opportunities. One site getting a lot of buzz is The Pier at Town Lake, a joint venture between Laguna Pacific Properties, Barker Pacific Group and Highland Realty Capital. The $1 billion venture will develop nearly 3.7 million SF on 27 acres. Proposed parcels within the project might include the following uses:

• Residential: 10 condominium towers (four high-rise and six low-rise, totaling 1,480 units)
• Office: Two 10-story office buildings totaling 460,000 SF
• Hotel: One four-star hotel offering 285 rooms
• Retail: Ground-floor space for retail and restaurants totaling 98,000 SF

The Pier at Town Lake will have distinct districts to help users navigate the complex. The Commerce District will be composed of contemporary and technology supported businesses. The Hospitality District will feature the Hotel Porte Cochere, including a tower and luxurious villas. The Residential District will have generous terraces overlooking pedestrian paths that lead to the waterfront. Residents can choose from a variety of floor plans that offer direct access to retail amenities. Townhouses in this district will be located along the lakefront open to The Promenade. The Promenade will embrace the waterfront and all other districts, connecting the entire complex, providing a vibrant and pedestrian-friendly atmosphere. The Pier District will offer boat and ferry docking and is a focal point of the development, connecting Pier 202 with downtown Tempe.

Construction dates are phased between 2007 and 2012. McCarthy Construction of Tempe is the general contractor. Architecture firms include McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners (master architect), Architekton (associate architect), WAT&G (hotel architect) and SWA (landscape architect). The pier is bordered by ASU Karsten Golf Course to the east, Rural Road to the west, Rio Salado Parkway to the south and Tempe Town Lake to the north.

Brokers for the Commercial District of The Pier at Town Lake are Don Arones and Scott Baumgartener with Grubb & Ellis. www.lagunapacific.com

Mesa Riverview

Mesa Riverview, jointly developed by DeRito Partners Development, Inc. and Kimco Developers, Inc., is targeting 4Q07 for completion. Located south of Loop 202 between Dobson and Alma School roads, the mixed-use project sits on 250 acres. At $300 million, Mesa Riverview is composed of 1.3 million SF of retail space on 170 acres, 500,000 SF of office space on 38 acres, a 33-acre auto park with three to five dealerships and a Hyatt Hotel on 8 acres.

General contractor is Ricor, Inc., Wolff Urban Development is developing the Hyatt Hotel, and Lauth Property Group breaks ground this summer on the first 166,000 SF of office space. Architect for the development is Saemisch Di Bella Architects.

Of the 170 acres of retail, 32 acres will be lined with pedestrian-oriented shops, dining and a multi-screen theater. Buildings near the 16-screen Cinemark Theatre will be connected by a 900-foot long paseo and courtyard pedestrian way. The architecture is a collection of eclectic urban facades and towers, with courtyards featuring water fountain centerpieces creating a relaxing atmosphere. The facade and tower material is stucco varied in texture, pattern and color. The roofs of the towers and other sloped roofs have green metal standing seams with white fascias and window frames. The design will provide four-sided, user-friendly approaches to each building.

At build out, Mesa Riverview expects 20 anchors and a total of 120 to 150 tenants. Major retailers signed include: Bass Pro Shops, Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, Jo-Ann’s Fabrics, Petco, Shepler’s, Wal-Mart Supercenter and Danny’s Car Wash. Restaurants include: Cracker Barrel, Logan’s Steakhouse, Ruby Tuesday’s, Chili’s, El Pollo Loco, Subway and Golden Corral Restaurant.
Andy Kroot, Larry Zebe, Paul Sarasin, Stan Sanchez and Andy Cooper with DeRito Partners are the retail brokers. www.derito.com

CityScape

Construction on CityScape, a signature urban redevelopment project defining downtown Phoenix, is underway. Developers of the $900 million retail mixed-use project are RED Development, LLC; CDK Partners; Barron Collier Co.; and Novare Group. A general contractor has not been selected, but the architect is Callison Architects. CityScape is located between First Avenue and Second Street, and Washington and Jefferson streets. The vast project will feature 2.5 million SF spread across three city blocks (approximately 5 acres).

Features include:
• 250,000 SF Retail
• 400,000 SF Office
• 1,000 residential units, 200 luxury residential units, 75 residential lofts
• 150-room boutique hotel
• 500,000 SF multi-use tower

Completion of Phase I, with retail, office tower, residential condo tower and boutique hotel, is expected in 2009. Phase II, which includes another residential condo tower, a mixed-use tower and residential lofts, is expected in 2011. RED Development, LLC is handling the leasing for the project. At build out, the project will feature four high-rise towers between 450 feet to 500 feet tall.

www.downtownphxrising.org
www.reddevelopment.com

Estrella Falls

Westcor is developing Estrella Falls, a 300-acre mixed-use retail center featuring 2 million SF of shopping, dining and entertainment venues at build out. The open-air center includes hotel, office and multi-family residential space. Located on McDowell Road between Estrella Parkway and Bullard Avenue in Goodyear, infrastructure construction began earlier this year. Phase I is a regional shopping center, which opens fall 2008. Phase II’s full-service power center, called The Market, is planned for a fall 2009 opening.

The Market at Estrella Falls will include a Basha’s, Staples, Shoe Pavillion and Razmataz. The regional shopping center will include White House/Black Market, Chico’s and Industrial Rideshop.

The design of Estrella Falls is influenced by the Arizona cienega, meaning the landscaping will be blended with distinctive architecture, water features, pedestrian pathways and public art. Architecture will be handled by Omniplan Architects. Landscaping will be handled by Greey Pickett.
A venture with Globe Land Investors, a subsidiary of Globe Corporation, will develop associated commercial uses around the shopping center. www.westcor.com

Scottsdale Quarter

Developers Glimcher Realty Trust, The Wolff Co. and Vanguard City Home plan to develop a mixed-use retail complex at 15101 N. Scottsdale Rd., which use to be the Dial Research Facility. The 1.2 million square-foot project sits on 28 acres on the SEC of Greenway Parkway and Scottsdale Road. Plans show a 38,000-square-foot movie theater, 170,000-square-foot boutique hotel, 365,000 SF for retail and restaurant space, 246,000 SF for office/hotel space and 408,000 SF for residential units.

The complex will be developed in three phases, with Phase I completion set for fall 2008 and Phase II set for spring 2010. A completion date for Phase III has not been set. Some of the materials used in construction include stainless steel, glass, stone, masonry, concrete, EIFS, zinc and copper. Whitting-Turner is the general contractor and Nelson Partners, Inc. is the architect. Brokerage for the office space will be handled by CBRE, with retail space brokerage done by The Corritore Co. www.nelsenpartners.com

Skyline Ranch Marketplace

Diversified Partners Development Co. is developing Skyline Ranch Marketplace, a retail complex at the NEC corner of Gary Road and Hunt Highway in Queen Creek. Situated on 64 acres, the complex will feature more than 640,000 SF for majors, mini-anchors, shops and out-parcels.

The project is valued at $100 million. Construction started during the 2Q07 with expected completion by 2Q08.

Layton Construction is the general contractor and KDRA is the architect. Phoenix Commercial Advisors will be handling the brokerage.

Skyline Ranch is designed to meet the changing fabric of Pinal County, a variety of materials and massing will be utilized to create a village theme that is true to the agrarian history of the area yet expresses the dynamic of change that is taking place. www.dpcre.com

Promenade at Casa Grande

Residents of Casa Grande will soon have a new shopping experience when Phase I of the Promenade at Casa Grande opens this fall.

Developed by Westcor, WDP Partners and The Pederson Group, the Promenade at Casa Grande will feature more than 1 million SF of retail, dining and entertainment on more than 130 acres. The open-air lifestyle center will have a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere.

Located on the NEC of I-10 and State Route 287 (Florence Boulevard). Phase II is expected to open spring 2008. The architect is Ellermann, Schick & Bruno, Inc., and the general contractor site work is being handled by Infrastructure Dynamics Inc. The building general contractor is Adolfson & Peterson and the landscape architect is ARC Studios, a division of TMHS.

Retailers signed on to the project include Best Buy, Harkins Theatres, JC Penney, Kohl’s, Staples, Target, Dillard’s, Famous Footwear, Lane Bryant, Michaels, PetSmart and Shoe Pavilion. www.westcor.com

Honorable Mention

As the fastest growing state in the country, it’s hard to keep up with retail developments planned and under construction. January’s AZRE featured the following projects within ICSC’s annual supplement:

• Westgate City Center, www.ellmanco.com
• Tempe Marketplace, www.vestar.com
• SanTan Village, www.westcor.com
• At Home District, www.suncoraz.com
• CityNorth, www.tjkcompany.com
• Biltmore Fashion Park, www.westcor.com
• One Scottsdale, www.dmbinc.com
• Lake Pleasant Towne Ctr., www.vestar.com
• Gilbert Esplanade, www.derito.com

Retail Who's Who is printed as a part of AZRE's July/August mid-year Retail Report. Projects within this feature must be currently under construction and have a significant impact upon the community it is being built within.

To submit a project for the next Who's Who in Retail, please e-mail a Project Information Form, a brief outline of the project's impact on the community, and several small renderings to Allie Bell at:allieb@azbusinessmagazine.com