Buckeye unanimously approves 520,000-sq-ft Verrado Marketplace lifestyle center development

Planning Commission Unanimously Approves 520,000-Sq-Ft Verrado Marketplace Lifestyle Center with Modern Agrarian Design

The Buckeye Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously on May 28, 2024, to approve the Verrado Marketplace site plan (PZV-23-009), a 55.2-acre mixed-use development anchored by approximately 520,000 square feet of retail, grocery, and entertainment buildings. The project, located on the northeast corner of Verrado Way and McDill Road within the Verrado master plan community, features modern agrarian architecture and is expected to break ground in the third or fourth quarter of 2024.

The development represents a significant infill opportunity within the Verrado Market Side District, a character district designated for commercial, multifamily, and high-density residential uses. The project builds on the framework of the earlier Verrado Market Site, with the current parcel developed by Vestar Group, the same entity behind the acclaimed Desert Ridge Marketplace in the Phoenix market.

Key Speeches

"This is a 55.2 acre project located in the Verrado Market Side District giving a little bit of history for anybody who's listening online the market Side District is a character District within verado… well the market Side District is mainly uh for the most part commercial multif family highdensity residential." — Sean Bondo, Planning Staff

"The site plan is for a mixed use project of approximately 520,000 square feet of on story retail a grocer and entertainment buildings… they're often called as you guys may have heard out in newspapers and whatnot lifestyle centers it's not it's not an indoor mall it's not an outdoor mall it is actually something that was uniquely developed uh years ago uh when Desert Ridge Marketplace was developed by vestar." — Sean Bondo, Planning Staff

"The Architectural Components of that modern agrarian look that was actually defined through that character District of verto Market side… they have here that element that have the high quality materials but have exposed you know c channel elements and I beams and stacked Bond materials and wood and metal to take that what they said that modern agrarian or that element of our past and bring it forward with this modern element." — Sean Bondo, Planning Staff

"This project wanting to move forward because they plan to go forward third or fourth quarter this year to start going vertical uh so that means this isn't just a pie in the sky project that's going to sit on a shelf there is a real project that they are ready to build." — Sean Bondo, Planning Staff

"The um aesthetic plan that's been developed here um it's going to be a nice enhancement for the city as a whole um especially as a as an anchor as a Gateway coming into the Buckeye from the East." — Mayor Eric Orsborn

Timeline

• Staff presentation: Sean Bondo walked commissioners through the site plan, design philosophy, and project timeline over approximately 15 minutes, emphasizing the modern agrarian architectural approach and connectivity features inspired by Desert Ridge Marketplace.

• Design highlights: Bondo showcased landscape renderings by J. Hicks (same landscape architect who works on Verrado), architectural details including high-quality materials, exposed C-channel elements, I-beams, stacked bond materials, wood, and metal finishes, and distinct design treatments for freestanding shops, inline retail, the grocer, and Harkins theater components. He specifically praised the attention to canopy details, tongue-and-groove wood elements, and material transitions.

• Traffic and access: Engineer John Willet confirmed ingress/egress configuration on Verrado Way (one full-access signalized intersection plus two right-in/right-out points) and McDill Road (one full-access signalized intersection plus one right-in/right-out point). One commissioner asked for clarification and Bondo deferred to Willet rather than guess.

• Commissioner questions: Vice Chair Bassler asked detailed questions about signalized intersections and directional access points. Commissioner Puppy praised the conceptualization. Commissioner Rexdale noted excitement about seeing the project start and finish. Commissioner Csik stated "Let's get it going." Commissioner Deasio had no questions. Commissioner Bassler called it "a beautiful design looking forward to it."

• Public comment: None; chair opened public comment period and immediately closed it with no speakers.

• Vote: Chair (Mayor) entertained a motion. A commissioner (name not stated in transcript) moved approval of PZV-23-009 with conditions A through W. A second was received. All commissioners voted in favor; motion carried unanimously.

Project Details

• Case number: PZV-23-009

• Applicant / developer: Vestar Group (primary developer); DMB (project partner)

• Attorney: None identified in transcript

• Location / address: Northeast corner of Verrado Way and McDill Road, within the Verrado master plan community and Verrado Market Side District character area

• APN: Not stated in transcript

• Current zoning → Proposed zoning: Project is within the Verrado Market Side District, which permits commercial, multifamily, and high-density residential; zoning district itself not stated to be changing

• Density / units / square footage: Approximately 520,000 gross square feet of retail, grocery, and entertainment space on 55.2 acres

• Site plan features:

  • Multiple retail buildings with modern agrarian architectural aesthetic
  • Freestanding shops (including Harkins theater with distinctive glazing and design)
  • Inline retail shops
  • Anchor grocer
  • Entertainment venues and major tenants
  • High-quality materials: C-channel elements, I-beams, stacked bond, wood, and metal finishes
  • Comprehensive landscape plan with timeing (vegetation) considerations, pedestrian connectivity, vehicular access, crosswalks, and enhancement areas
  • Two primary vehicle ingress/egress points off Verrado Way and McDill Road with signalized intersections
  • Multiple secondary right-in/right-out points for traffic distribution
  • Sense-of-arrival design treatments at main entries
  • Canopy and architectural details, lighting, and material transitions throughout

• Project precedent: Inspired by Desert Ridge Marketplace, also developed by Vestar Group; landscape architect J. Hicks is the same professional who designed elements of Verrado proper

• Construction timeline: Vertical construction targeted to commence Q3 or Q4 2024

Vote Breakdown

• Final: Unanimous approval (all commissioners present voting yes; no dissenting votes or abstentions noted)

• Yes: All commissioners voting (individual names not called out in transcript)

• No: None

• Abstentions / absences: Commissioners Puppy and Ragdale were noted as online; all other commissioners present in person. No absences or abstentions recorded.

Outcome & Next Steps

The Planning Commission approved the Verrado Marketplace site plan with conditions A through W (specific conditions not detailed in the transcript excerpt). The approval clears the path for Vestar Group and DMB to proceed to vertical construction, which is scheduled to begin in Q3 or Q4 2024. The project will now move into the development and construction permitting phase. No continuance was requested or noted; the matter was resolved in a single hearing.

Opposition

• Number of speakers against: 0

The public comment period was opened and immediately closed with no speakers coming forward. No organized opposition was mentioned or evident in the record.

Support

Commissioners uniformly praised the project:

• Commissioner Puppy: "It's a beautiful conceptualization and I'm looking forward to it's exciting."

• Commissioner Rexdale: "I agree with commissioner puppy it looks beautiful and I can't wait till it started and finished."

• Commissioner Csik: "Let's get it going."

• Commissioner Deasio: "I have no questions" (context suggesting approval).

• Commissioner Bassler: "It's a beautiful design looking forward to it."

• Eric Orsborn: "The aesthetic plan that's been developed here um it's going to be a nice enhancement for the city as a whole um especially as a as an anchor as a Gateway coming into the Buckeye from the East."

Staff presenter Sean Bondo stated: "Often times often ignored is the element underneath the canopy and here they took into attention all of those details the wood details the tongue and groove detail the lighting the use materials the transition between those materials to create what you're seeing here today and I'm not trying to platform and put them on a different pedestal but I'm very happy with what we're seeing here this evening uh and very excited about this project that we have in front of us."

Controversies & Context

None evident. The project generated no public opposition and no commissioner dissent or concerns. Staff and commission commentary focused on design quality and aesthetic alignment with the Verrado master plan's market-side character district. The site is an infill parcel within an already-approved master plan framework, limiting the scope for variance debates or significant community friction.

Bondo addressed a question he stated had been asked informally—"what is the rush?"—by explaining that the project was not pursuing expedited approval for expedience's sake but rather because Vestar and DMB had genuine construction readiness and a realistic timeline. This framing emphasized that the project was a serious, near-term development rather than speculative.

Duration

• This item (Verrado Marketplace): Approximately 20–25 minutes (staff presentation, engineer clarification, commissioner questions, motion, and vote)

• Total meeting: Approximately 45–50 minutes (includes roll call, minutes approval, Verrado Marketplace, public comment period, director's report on summer scheduling, and chamber candidate forum announcements)

Other Notable Items

Summer meeting schedule: Deputy Director of Planning announced a possible shift to one meeting per month during summer months, pending commission confirmation of dates and conflict checks. Any critical path projects can still trigger special commission meetings.

Candidate forums: The Chamber invited commissioners to three upcoming candidate forums on consecutive Mondays/Thursdays at local schools (John S McCain Elementary, Buckeye Elementary School library, and Palo Verde Education Center) as part of election season outreach.