Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Buckeye highlights major job wins and millions of square feet of development
Summary
Mayor Eric Osborne and economic development staff outlined recent corporate commitments and large development pipelines that city leaders say will bring thousands of jobs and millions of square feet of commercial space to Buckeye.
Mayor Eric Osborne said Buckeye is “one of the fastest growing cities in the country” and highlighted several private investments the city says will create thousands of jobs and large-scale commercial development.
City leaders told residents the community recently attracted a new Amazon distribution hub expected to create more than 700 jobs; a Blue Polymers facility projected at about 60 jobs; a Rarig Pacific logistics operation described as ‘‘100 plus jobs’’; and a Ross Dress for Less distribution center expected to bring more than 1,300 jobs. Mayor Osborne said the city has “over 9,200,000 square feet of development underway or planned” and that the employment pipeline totals nearly 30,000,000 square feet.
Susie Boyles, the city’s economic development director, said she is most proud of the “diversification of that development,” pointing to growth in employment, retail, entertainment and health care projects. She named local development partners bringing projects to the city, including VESSTAR, Scihigh and Merit Partners. “We can’t do it without our great partners,” Boyles said.
Officials also listed retail and mixed-use projects under construction or announced, including Buckeye Commons East (bringing Home Depot, Over Easy and Slim Chickens, per city remarks), a planned Verado Marketplace described as a 500,000-square-foot hub with Harkins Backlot, Safeway and Total Wine, and a Sprouts Farmers Market location near Roosevelt and Verrado Way. A project referred to as “Fries Grocery” was described as under construction on Miller Road.
City figures cited by the mayor and staff included an estimate that Buckeye’s current population is “roughly 120,000” and a projection that the city will be “just shy of 300,000” by the date given in the remarks (the date in the transcript is unclear). Boyles said the city has brought “probably upwards of 4 to 5,000 jobs” in the last four years.
Officials framed the growth as both an economic opportunity and a planning challenge: Boyles noted the city’s 640 square miles and said only about 16% is built out, leaving room for continued development. The mayor and staff said the city is working to match housing, retail and services to employment growth so residents can “live, work and play” locally.
Ending: City officials said they will continue recruiting employers and shepherding announced projects through permitting and construction. No formal actions, votes or funding commitments beyond previously referenced bond and capital programs were announced during the remarks.
