VAI Resort, other developments to watch in Glendale, Peoria and Surprise in 2024
The Valley’s largest resort, complete with a music venue and amusement park, and a plan to redevelop a site that was named one of the West Valley’s biggest eyesores are among the most anticipated upcoming developments in the northwest Valley.
VAI Resort
VAI, which will be the state’s largest resort, totaling 1,100 rooms, is expected to open its first phase by the end of 2024, company leaders announced in December. Phase one, which will include the first hotel tower, called the Amphitheater Tower, and the Mattel Adventure Park, is about 70% complete, Grant Fisher, CEO of VAI Global Development, said in early December.
The full resort sits on 60 acres and will include four hotel towers, the concert venue, 12 restaurants, retail shops and will be built around a “swimming oasis,” that will have a white sand beach and will include a “party island,” with a bar and other entertainment. The entire development, including hotel pools and the swimming oasis, is expected to use about 5 million gallons of water.
Howard Weiss, vice president of entertainment for VAI Resort, said he is having conversations about which artists will perform on the opening weekend, but no performers have been announced yet. Weiss said performances and residencies will begin to be announced early next year.
Downtown Glendale renovations and private development
The city of Glendale is undergoing a $90 million reinvestment to public facilities in downtown Glendale, including to City Hall, Murphy Park and the E. Lowell Rogers amphitheater.
The City Council also approved a ground lease with a hotel developer to build a 125-room hotel at 7120 N. 57th Ave., near City Hall. Construction on the hotel is expected to begin in 2024, which is aimed to drive more business to the Glendale Civic Center and boost downtown activity.
Desert Diamond Casino
The first phase of the Desert Diamond Casino near Loop 303 and Northern Avenue near Glendale is on track to open by the end of next year. The casino facility is planned to include 900 slot machines, a poker room, a retail sportsbook, table games and dining venues.
Future development at the site will include a hotel, conference center, pool, amphitheater and event space. The casino is projected to create about 1,000 permanent jobs when the entire project is completed.
Amkor Technology in Peoria
Tempe-based Amkor Technology Inc., a leading provider of semiconductor packaging and testing services, said it plans to build an advanced facility in Peoria that could cost $2 billion and bring roughly 2,000 jobs.
The company will test and package chips produced for Apple at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plant in north Phoenix.
The company said it had “secured” 55 acres of land in Peoria but did not specify an exact location. Groundbreaking is expected in the second half of 2024.
Former Peoria Smitty’s site
A long-vacant site in Peoria, which previously included a vacant Smitty’s grocery store, at 85th and Grand avenues, is planned to be redeveloped into an apartment complex with about 200 units, with some carriage-house style rentals and traditional apartment units. In May, the City Council gave approval for the redevelopment of the site.
The vacant site was once named one of the West Valley’s biggest eyesores, and had been proposed for redevelopment in 2021, but that plan was rejected by the City Council.
P83 restaurants
Common Bond Development Group is breaking ground on a restaurant complex in the P83 district of Peoria near 83rd Avenue and Bell Road. The development will include two Fox Restaurant Concepts restaurants: Blanco Taco Cocina + Cantina and North Italia, and a Postino WineCafe.
The development will include a main lawn for areas of outdoor seating.
Prasada North
Scottsdale-based SimonCRE, the developer of Village at Prasada, is building additional retail space in Surprise that will include a variety of retailers and restaurants. The development, located at Prasada Parkway and Waddell Road, will add 350,000 square feet of retail and restaurants.
Businesses that will be located there include Target, Boot Barn, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Portillo’s and Shake Shack.
BNSF transportation hub in Surprise
BNSF has gotten early approvals on a 3,500-acre development in the far northwest Valley. The Surprise City Council approved a general plan amendment for the project in March, but the site will still have to undergo various levels of approval before construction can begin on the large site.
The site is not in the city of Surprise, but BNSF intends to have it annexed into the city.
Surprise affordable housing
A controversial plan to build more than 600 units of affordable housing in Surprise has been subject to a court battle for months. The city had previously rejected signatures collected to force a referendum on the issue, but the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in August that the City Clerk had overstepped her authority by rejecting the signatures.
The development is planned to include two different developments, one planned for affordable senior housing, and one planned for affordable housing for families.
The plan includes a mix of two-, three-, and four-story buildings on the site and includes a self-storage building, restaurants and small-scale retail.
Reach the reporter at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @CorinaVanek.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: VAI Resort and more projects to watch in Glendale, Peoria and Surprise in 2024
