For years, the West Valley was treated as an afterthought, characterized by long commutes, inexpensive land, and limited leverage within the region’s economic hierarchy. 

The tide quickly turned when Peoria city officials executed the first-in-Arizona land deal, giving the municipality control of 843 acres of state land. 

The city has since gained a leg up on competitors by delivering shovel-ready industrial sites in a timely manner. Amkor Technology and others in the semiconductor supply chain took notice. 

Peoria Mayor Pro Tem Matt Bullock has worked on the transformation — as a city official and as someone who understands the industry. He has spent 25 years in cybersecurity and data center operations. 

“We’ve always been a bedroom community,” Bullock says. “Over 80% of our working residents leave Peoria every morning for their job in another city, and they’re also spending their money somewhere else.”

By 2020, the city hit an inflection point. Population growth continued to accelerate, but sales tax revenue per capita flattened, then dipped. The city was faced with raising taxes or cutting services. Peoria, however, changed the structure of its economy.

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Changing the game

The turning point came in 2022, when Peoria approached the Arizona State Land Department with a creative proposal. Instead of waiting years for the state to auction parcels — a process that usually stalls development — Peoria asked to buy the land, build out the infrastructure, and resell it directly to employers.

The deal closed after two years of negotiation, and Peoria authorized $140 million to purchase 843 acres in what is now the Peoria Innovation Core.

“We now have instant shovel-ready dirt. Nobody has to wait for the State Land Department anymore,” Bullock says.

Within a short time, the city sold 100 acres to Amkor to move them out of the Vistancia community. Developers began lining up, so to speak. And, for the first time, Peoria controlled the pace of its industrial growth.

Bullock calls it “rinse and repeat.” Every time the city sells a parcel, it is reimbursed — with interest. Those funds can then be used to acquire additional land if it makes sense for the city. 

Amkor’s decision to build a $7 billion advanced packaging and test facility in Peoria accelerated its land strategy. Upon buildout, the site will be the largest OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) facility in the United States.

The company’s investment is backed by up to $407 million in CHIPS Act funding and an additional $200 million in proposed federal loans — a level of national support that signals confidence in the West Valley’s role in the semiconductor supply chain.

“Whether measured by capital investment, job announcements, land purchases or the number of cranes dotting the skyline, it’s clear the West Valley is becoming its own hub,” says David McCann, senior vice president at Amkor.

Close call is a great call

The strategy is deliberate next to TSMC’s massive fab, just four miles away. In semiconductor manufacturing, proximity is a competitive advantage.

“Being near TSMC allows us to reduce costs and improve process and cycle times,” McCann says.

According to John Bullen, assistant executive director of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), none of this growth happens without supportive infrastructure, such as:

• 331 new freeway and highway lane miles

• 1,000-plus new or improved arterial lane miles

• 43 new or improved traffic interchanges

• 19 new DHOV or system interchange ramps

• Nearly doubling bus and transit funding

• 28.3 miles of new bus rapid transit

• 11.9 miles of new light rail

• $800 million for nonmotorized transportation

• $600 million for ITS and emerging tech

And the funding behind it is massive: $28.2 billion over 20 years, including $14.9 billion from the region’s half-cent sales tax.

For the West Valley specifically, the plan includes:

• Completion of Loop 303 between Lake Pleasant Parkway and I-17

• Construction of State Route 30

• Reconstruction of I-17

• Improvements to U.S. 60 between Deer Valley and Loop 303

• Completion of Loop 101

The West Valley bet 

Bullock sees it on the ground. Bullen sees it from a regional vantage point. Together, their perspectives explain why the West Valley is suddenly competitive on a global scale.

Amkor expects to hire 3,000 employees, and the company is clear about where the pressure points will be. 

“The most challenging roles to fill will be equipment and maintenance technicians and operators,” McCann says.

To meet that demand, Amkor is building a workforce pipeline that spans Arizona’s universities, Maricopa County Community Colleges, West-MEC, and veteran and military transition programs.

The company expects 70% of technician roles to be filled by new college graduates. Arizona’s semiconductor sector is projected to need 67,000 additional skilled workers by 2030, driven by expansions from TSMC, Intel and now Amkor. The West Valley is becoming the talent engine for that demand.

The Peoria Innovation Core spans 7,000 acres, divided into three zones — Core One is residential, Core Two is industrial (anchored by Amkor), and Core Three is mixed-use retail and employment.

Bullock calls it “Peoria’s last great development.” Over the next decade, he expects “10 to 12 technology and supplier companies, hiring 6,000 to 8,000 employees.”

Three national homebuilders are already petitioning to buy land in Core One. A new power center — a northern counterpart to Peoria’s Four Corners — is proposed near Lake Pleasant and the 303. Retail, restaurants and services will follow the workforce.

Developers, Bullock says, are literally lining up. “It is the hottest parcel of land in the entire state of Arizona.”

The West Valley’s challenge now isn’t attracting interest — it’s managing it. Bullock has heard comments from constituents who are against the project. But others applaud it. 

“Change can be hard and the council and City staff do understand that,” he says. 

“Residents want a steakhouse and a nail salon and shopping and more. It’s hard to attract the amenities without the density.”

McCann’s view of the region’s trajectory is clear. 

“By 2030, the West Valley will have evolved into a globally significant semiconductor hub, a more complete, competitive and sustainable cluster.”