Erin
Zlomek - The Arizona Republic
Jan. 10, 2007 12:00 AM
A 69-acre compound, replete with
specialty retail shops beneath 200 loft-style
apartments, a 14- to 16-screen movie theater, office
condominiums and other amenities, is expected to go up
near Surprise Stadium by January 2009.
At its last meeting, the Surprise City Council approved
an infrastructure agreement with Millennium Properties &
Development Inc. of Las Vegas to build Surprise Stadium
Village. The project, bounded by Bell Road, Bullard
Avenue, Paradise Lane and Parkview Place, will neighbor
the city's future 25-court Tennis and Racquet Complex
and the stadium, which is the Cactus League's spring
training home to the Texas Rangers and Kansas City
Royals. The developer has sold all but 5 acres of the
development for individual projects that city planners
hope will soon become "downtown Surprise."
"The goal is for Surprise to become a tourist
destination," city spokesman Ken Lynch said. "This is
going to create an environment that gives the stadium
that buzz and vibrancy that places like Tempe and
Scottsdale have achieved."
The project has various components:
• Crestone Cos. bought a 17-acre strip, visible from
Bell Road, with plans to build the project's retail
space and apartments. Tentatively, "The Shops at Stadium
Village" will consist of 104,000 square feet of
ground-floor commercial space, excluding the movie
theater. Restaurants and storefronts will open out to a
hometown-style "Main Street," and two separate
10,000-square-foot pads are available for stand-alone
restaurants. Crestone designated a nearby 5-acre section
for the movie theater, though a deal with a major
theater company has not yet been reached.
Prospective restaurant tenants include a steakhouse, a
microbrewery, a sports bar, a French bistro, a wine bar
and a Chinese restaurant. Prospective retail tenants
include clothing and sporting goods stores and a day
spa.
The loft apartments are designed to include 12- to
14-foot ceilings with exposed ductwork, expansive
windows, a pool, outdoor cooking and exercise
facilities.
Altogether, the project is estimated to cost $51.2
million.
City economic development director John Hagen compares
the strip to north Phoenix's
Kierland Commons at Scottsdale Road and Greenway
Parkway.
"Kierland
Commons is the analogy for it, but it will have
its own distinctive look and feel," he said.
• Shea Commercial bought 12 acres on the compound's west
side to accommodate a cluster of office condominiums.
The project will face "The Shops at Stadium Village."
• Residential projects are planned for 35 acres on the
compound's southwestern side. The area has the potential
for up to 1,200 units, according to a report done by
Crestone Cos.
United Dominion Realty Trust will acquire 16.5 acres of
the residential area, but has not yet disclosed its
construction plans.
Land Consulting and Development of Scottsdale plans to
build "The
Lofts at Parkview Place" on 6.5 acres of the
area. Developer Jon Jackson described the project as a
high-end town home complex. Each three-story, loft-style
home is designed to include a rooftop patio, balconies
on the second and third floors, and a two-car garage.
Jackson said he plans to break ground July 1 and that
the community should take anywhere from 18 to 24 months
to complete.
• Other parts of the development include a Holiday Inn
Express & Suites hotel which is under construction, and
a branch of a regional bank. Developers of the Holiday
Inn said they will decide by February whether to build a
second hotel, likely a Marriott.
City planners expected development around the stadium to
settle in five years after the venue was built in 2002.
However setbacks in planning for infrastructure delayed
construction, said Jim Wilcox of Millennium Properties.
Infrastructure construction for Surprise Stadium Village
was originally scheduled to begin last October. Wilcox
said that he now expects it to begin in February.
