Urban Commercial Core Plans Unveiled By Vistancia Developers

Date Published: Jun 12, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2006

URBAN COMMERCIAL CORE TO ADD TO THE VIBRANT NEIGHBORHOOD FEEL OF VISTANCIA

An innovative urban commercial and residential village could soon begin to rise from the desert in north Peoria, setting the stage for a new standard of urban living in the fast growing city.
Built within the Vistancia master plan, the 506-acre urban center will provide a mix of urban housing, shopping and medical services through a carefully constructed long-term strategy also intended to be environmentally friendly, reducing the number of auto trips Peoria residents make while eliminating the environmental consequences associated with such trips.
Designed to be built in several phases, Vistancia's urban village will serve the retail, housing and entertainment needs of north Peoria residents and will also include a 40-acre park.
"What we're attempting to do is give the people of Peoria an urban community where they can come together and celebrate their personal and professional achievements," said Sunbelt Holdings Chief Executive Officer Curt Smith. "Our vision for this area will be as dynamic as the people who live in Peoria."
Mixed in among the proposed 5 million square feet of office space and 4 million square feet of retail space will be urban-design condominiums and apartments rising above select retail space and overlooking the commercial core's linear park, creating a lively downtown space where a premium will be placed on interaction and community.
Parkhomes, stand-alone condominiums and apartments will round out the 6,000 dwelling units proposed for the urban center.
An integral component to the Vistancia plan is the inclusion of a 60-acre medical campus that will, in its early phases, include emergency treatment and medical clinic services. A full-service hospital will then be added to the campus in later phases.
"The long-term nature of this project assures that it will be built according to the needs of the people it will serve," Smith said.
While the plan still needs the approval of the town council, the first step in that process took place at the June 8 meeting of the Peoria Economic Development Department.
According to Smith, the need for such a downtown center has already been proven through the tremendous population growth of recent years.
"Without question," he said. "We're in the midst of a population and commercial explosion in Peoria that has already lasted more than 20 years and promises to continue for at least another 20 years."
Vistancia's urban proposal will address the needs of an area that has seen its population increase from 12,000 people in 1980 to 140,000 in 2006, along the way garnering Peoria a top five national ranking in growth for cities with at least 100,000 citizens.
With the population projected to increase another 92 percent by 2030 and an employment base of more than four times that amount also needed, the proposed mixed-use retail and office space will accommodate employment levels that have already increased 13 percent over the past six years, outpacing a regional growth rate of 4.1 percent.
"Clearly, the need is there for the type of project we're proposing," said Smith, adding that the urban village will occupy less than 8 percent of the total Vistancia master plan. "The advantage with our plan is that it addresses those needs by growing smarter, instead of simply growing larger."
Named America's Best Master Planned Community in 2005 by the National Association of Home Builders, the 7,100-acre Vistancia master plan also includes Trilogy at Vistancia and the new Blackstone Country Club. The community is located northwest of Lake Pleasant Road and Happy Valley Parkway.
The public is invited to an information meeting on July 18, 2006 from 7-9 pm at the Mountain Vista Club.
For more information, call 623-933-6233 or visit www.vistancia.com.
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