Ten years ago, many people made the West Valley their second, third or fourth choice when locating businesses and development, according to Jason Morris, founding partner of Withey Morris Baugh.
MORE NEWS: West Valley evolves into a year-round tourism destination
“Clearly, a decade later, we see it as the No. 1 choice in many categories,” Morris says. “This is due in large part to major infrastructure projects which created the backbone for successful development.
In addition, the population growth, education choices and significant employers really shifted people’s perceptions.”
So, what did the West Valley do right to change those perceptions? Az Business asked West Valley leaders how their cities helped shape a region that has quickly become known for its rapid growth and innovation. Here’s what they had to say:
Eric Orsborn, mayor, City of Buckeye: “With almost 10 million square feet of active development occurring across the city, Buckeye is a major player in changing the perception of the West Valley. The growth seen across the city represents high-paying employers in manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, retail and services. These developments bring in brands such as Kore Power, Funko, Rehrig Pacific Company, Vestar, Banner Health and Abrazo. As these powerful brands continue to invest in Buckeye and the West Valley, it brings notoriety and changes the vision of the community and region. In order to attract these types of private industries, Buckeye has streamlined our development process, ensuring we’re meeting time to market goals and private industry needs. These efforts, combined with our population growth and infrastructure investments, have reshaped the community and in turn are part of changing the West Valley’s image.”
Kevin Phelps, city manager, City of Glendale: “It starts with leveraging our assets. But most importantly, we haven’t just talked about where we are going, we have produced tangible evidence of where we are and where we are going. To paraphrase one of my favorite slogans, ‘What you do speaks so loud I can’t hear what you are saying.’ In other words, the City of Glendale didn’t just talk about success, we went out and produced success.”
Joe Pizzillo, mayor, City of Goodyear: “It is a multi-pronged approach in just about every operational area. Our council and executive leadership have been very intentional, employing highly focused strategies that support the business environment in the West Valley. Our team has worked hard to increase efficiencies in every step of the development process. We work diligently to maintain the aesthetic appeal of our city through design guidelines and by having a stable approach to growth, which balances community needs with development impacts. We prioritize amenities such as our parks and recreation facilities. Although we are growing, we continue to offer opportunities that foster a true sense of community for our residents. We fund major events that promote connectedness and a ‘small town’ feel.”
Jeanine Jerkovic, economic development director, City of Surprise: “Luxury or high-end retail brands and restaurants used to be rare west of 83rd Avenue. Surprise made a deliberate decision to curate unique lifestyle corridors in key areas of the community that are starting to come to fruition today. Today, the Loop 303 extends 35 miles from the I-10 to the I-17, and a three-mile stretch of the Loop 303 in Surprise offers the corridor’s only retail-lifestyle-quality of life amenities, drawing in a wide range of retail and restaurant visits to the City of Surprise from throughout the West Valley. Following the opening of the Surprise Costco in September of 2020, restaurant concepts like Cooper’s Hawk, Firebirds and Barrio Queen and highly desired retailers like Total Wine & More, Hobby Lobby and American Furniture Warehouse could be convinced to locate to Surprise, and these new exciting amenities are dramatically shifting market perceptions of our city and the entire West Valley.”
