GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Glendale City Council approved Tuesday selling a piece of city-owned property to the ongoing VAI Resort project.
An 8-acre parcel near Montebello and 91st avenues has been authorized to be sold to the resort for a price of $7.5 million. VAI Resort intends to build a large parking garage on the property.
The luxury resort has been pitched as a "water oasis to the desert" and could become one of the largest hotels in Arizona upon completion. The resort was expected to open a couple of years ago but delays have pushed back the opening date to 2025.
The large-scale project located near State Farm Stadium has courted some controversy while its been in development.
Threats of a lawsuit were made in 2023 to stop Glendale from entering into a tax deal, known as the Government Property Lease Excise Tax, with VAI Resort. Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps said this week the council had decided not to enter into the GPLET agreement.
During Tuesday's council meeting, some attendees spoke in opposition to the city selling property to the resort.
"This is not in the best interest of Glendale residents," one attendee said during Tuesday's meeting.
Phelps said the land sale is in the best interests of local residents, especially considering the projected economic benefits expected to be generated from the resort.
Records show Glendale acquired the land in 2015 for parking and future city purposes.
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What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
