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Buckeye projects near‑tripling to about 300,000 by 2040 as retail, jobs and medical campuses expand
Summary
City officials described rapid commercial and health‑care development in Buckeye, citing major projects, 9.2 million square feet under construction, roughly 30 million in the pipeline, and a projection the population will grow from about 20,000 today to nearly 300,000 by 2040.
Mayor and Susie Boyles, Buckeye’s economic development director, said the city is seeing rapid commercial and health‑care growth that city leaders expect will shift jobs and services closer to residents.
“We're only 16% built out,” Susie Boyles said, citing Buckeye’s 640 square miles and the city’s build‑out opportunity. She told the mayor the city currently has about 9,200,000 square feet of development actively under construction and roughly 30,000,000 square feet of employment projects in the pipeline.
Boyles said the city’s population is roughly 20,000 now and is projected to be “just shy of 300,000” by 2040. That growth, she said, is driving plans for more retail, entertainment and health‑care services and associated jobs. “When you have a community of our size that's growing at the clip we are, health care services are very important,” Boyles said.
Officials described several private and institutional partners involved in projects the city is courting or hosting, naming Amazon, Ross, Harkins, Target, Vastar, Scihigh and Merit Partners. Boyles said Banner Health and Abrazo Health are building medical campuses in Buckeye that “eventually will include hospitals”; she said Abrazo’s 60,000‑square‑foot medical office building is due to open this year and is about 90% leased.
City leaders said reducing outbound commuting is a priority. Boyles said roughly 90% of residents currently travel east on I‑10 for work but that figure has decreased from a higher level as local employers arrive. Over the past four years, she said, the city has brought “probably upwards of 4 to 5,000 jobs” to Buckeye.
Officials pointed to specific areas expected to attract new centers and services, including the Verrado/I‑10 specific area plan (referred to in the discussion as “the landing”), the downtown corridor and Sun Valley Parkway. “The landing will be an economic engine, not only for the city, but really for the region,” Boyles said.
No formal votes, ordinances or other official actions are described in the transcript of this exchange; speakers provided an update and outlook rather than proposing or approving specific city policies. The exchange identifies ongoing private development activity and future planning areas but does not record binding commitments, funding approvals or deadlines.
For more details on projects and city planning materials, speakers directed listeners to the city website at buckeyeaz.gov and local information channels.
