What the heck is going on in Queen Creek? The once sleepy southeastern Valley of the Sun sneeze-and-you’ll-miss-it town is in the middle (or maybe beginning?) of a year-over-year boom. In 2000, Queen Creek had a population of a little over 4,000 people before a flurry of land grabbers and young families plant down, bringing the total population to over 26,000 in 2010. Now, Queen Creek is set to eclipse about 45,000 residents and it’s not just young families moving in anymore.
Recently, commercial real estate company Phoenix Commercial Advisors completed the sale of QC District, a booming retail area totaling about 16 acres on the corner of Rittenhouse and Ellsworth Roads, about 40 miles from the state capitol. The retail corner, which houses everything from a Sprouts Farmers Market and a HomeGoods to a smattering of chain restaurants, sold for a total of $44.5 million or $386 per square foot. What’s more, Phoenix Commercial has 14 property sales in the state on the books for 2018 so far.
While decently-sized commercial real estate transactions are nothing groundbreaking, this sale represents a growing trend in Queen Creek. There are plans to turn a corner patch of earth just north of QC District into a new three-business complex featuring a Black Rock Coffee on just over two acres of land and the town management division is set to okay contracts for large capital projects.
“The Town Center has really been the hot spot for commercial investment. This area is home to several large commercial shopping centers and will also be home to Queen Creek’s first hotel in the near future,” says Doreen Cott, Economic Development Director for Queen Creek. “Commercial development is also ramping up in other areas of Town, so residents and businesses alike will be better served by neighborhood shopping and dining options.”
All things keep pointing to the southeast area as more development is already underway. While it’s not within the limits of Queen Creek, a 1.2 million square-foot warehouse row will transform into a data command center for none other than Apple (yes, that Apple) near the town border in southeastern Mesa. Land is being repurposed and commerce is starting to really flex its muscles in an area that was once just a series of farms and dirt roads.
The $2 billion center noted previously marks a full-scale economic effort, set to generate about 500 construction and trade jobs while the Silicon Valley company is expected to build and finance solar projects that provide power to more than 14,000 homes in Arizona.
Queen Creek is set for more growth and will only continue to see new business tenants plant down. This is fueled by a projected continued surge in population and a need to supply the demands of the town’s citizens.
“Queen Creek also offers ample opportunities for new businesses, as the Town projects to add nearly 20,000 new residents by 2022. Queen Creek is committed to investing in the necessary infrastructure to support a growing community, and this also helps diversify and grow the economy. Queen Creek has a business friendly environment and has developed several programs to help support and grow small business,” adds Cott.
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