BUCKEYE, Ariz. — Drive along Interstate-10 in Buckeye and you'll see a lot of open land. However, officials say that's all about to change.
"Buckeye had a reputation for being a sleepy suburban town which was true for a long time but it's not what we see ourselves being in the future," Buckeye Planning Manager, Ken Galica, said.
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The project is called 'The Landing,' a 3.4 square mile area that'll soon transform the land near and around Verrado Way.
"It's exhilarating," Galica said. "It reaches up to I-10 on the north, goes almost to Jackrabbit to the east, to 215th Avenue on the west and to the south it stretches down to Yuma Road."
The plan became a reality in 2019. Galica says he's been one of many working on the project to help bring the vision to life. It's still in the planning phase and officials are still seeking public comment on what they'd like to see come to the area, but there is some activity starting to pick up.
"We're working on a specific area plan for 'The Landing' which will identify the types of land use we want to see," Galica said. "What design criteria there should be to really make this a unique place. I hate to use other examples from other places, but a good example would be the Scottsdale Quarter shopping mall. Another good example is what our neighbor to the east is doing in Goodyear with their Civic Campus. Except we have so much more land than both of those places."
So what will the area become? A public planning meeting is taking place Nov. 6 at 5:30 p.m. Anyone who has any ideas or suggestions is welcome to attend the meeting that'll be held at new City Hall.
"I would expect things they are going to indicate they want to see are more restaurants, a greater variety of restaurants that are more fine dining and not drive-through," Galica said. "Shopping opportunities are usually popular as well."
Also a possibility, is what the city is calling unique living opportunities.
"I think we're going to see the periphery of The Landing continue to be active over the next two to three years," Galica said. "We're considering the core of the project would probably take off after that."
Officials say the future is bright for Buckeye, and this project, they feel, is proof of that.
"I think we want to be a city for everybody," Galica said. "We want to give all of our residents what they're looking for or even prospective residents a reason to move here."
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