COVER STORY, DECEMBER 2007

A QUEEN'S RANSOM

Thanks in part to its economic development efforts, Queen Creek, Arizona, located 40 miles southeast of Phoenix, will welcome a wealth of development in first quarter 2008, including Vestar's Queen Creek Marketplace and Westcor Development Partners’ Cornerstone at Queen Creek.

As 2007 draws to a close, many cities and towns in the West are looking for ways to attract developers, construction and new project to meet the needs of the communities’ population, as well as benefit the city and its surrounding areas.

Located approximately 40 miles southeast of Phoenix, Queen Creek boasts a pro-business attitude and an expanding population of 22,000. With strong demographics and an increase in residential growth, Queen Creek and the surrounding Pinal County area is poised for continual growth in the next few years.

“The city greatly benefits from its proximity to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Arizona State University’s Polytechnic campus and the Williams Campus of Chandler-Gilbert Community College,” says Doreen Cott, Queen Creek’s economic development director. “[These businesses] are significant contributors to the economic growth of the southeast valley and are tremendous assets for Queen Creek.”

With marketing and recruitment efforts focused on several industry sectors, including aerospace and aviation; health and wellness; arts, culture and experience; specialty retail; advance financial/business services; and education (attracting higher education facilities), the town council has recently adopted a revised Economic Development Strategic Plan, which will guide the decision making of the town council and staff.

“The new plan includes an investment program that will be used when evaluating the expenditure of public funds for eligible development projects,” explains Cott. “Eligible projects need to meet certain criteria [before] the town may consider waiving fees, expediting review, etc.”

Phoenix-based Vestar Development Co. is currently developing Queen Creek Marketplace, a more than 1 million-square-foot, master-planned regional power and entertainment center located just south of Rittenhouse Road on the west side of Ellsworth Loop Road. The first phase, which is slated to open in March 2008, will add 920,000 square feet of commercial space to Queen Creek. Anchored by SuperTarget, the center will also feature Stein Mart, ULTA, JC Penney, Kohl’s, Sport Chalet, Old Navy, Ross Dress For Less, Circuit City, PetsMart, OfficeMax, Cost Plus World Market, Famous Footwear, Del Taco, Shoe Pavilion, Tilly’s, BevMo!, Riviera Pools, Nails of the Word, Alltel, Great Clips and Pacific Dental.

Another significant development in Queen Creek is Westcor Development Partners’ Cornerstone at Queen Creek, which is under construction on the northwest corner of Rittenhouse and Ocotillo roads. The center will feature more than 380,000 square feet of commercial space. Anchored by Wal-Mart Supercenter, the project will offer a variety of tenants, including Staples, Petco, Walgreens, Danny’s Family Carousel, Bank of America, Panda Express, Fletcher’s Tire & Auto, Jack in the Box, Brakes Plus and T-Mobile. Several tenants are slated to open mid-February 2008.

Over the next few years, Queen Creek is focusing its efforts to attract high-wage employment opportunities for residents, as well as specialty tourism-related businesses, which would help to make the city a destination in the East Valley.

— Amy Bigley

©2007 France Publications, Inc. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints of this article contact Barbara Sherer at (630) 554-6054.