Mixed-use project is moving quickly
3 restaurants eyed for Gilbert’s Heritage Marketplace
After years of recession-induced delay, Heritage Marketplace in downtown Gilbert is quickly moving toward reality as design plans went before the Redevelopment Commission earlier this month.
The mixed-use development promises to bring office and retail space and at least three restaurants to a 2.7-acre parcel on the northwestern corner of Gilbert Road and Vaughn Avenue in the heart of the historical Heritage District.
Phoenix developer LGE Design Build has until the end of 2013 to start construction, according to a development agreement with the town. On Wednesday, the company brought revised drawings before the Redevelopment Commission depicting the project’s first phase.
LGE will initially construct three buildings along Gilbert Road, including a two-story office and retail building flanked by single-story restaurants to the north and south.
A second phase likely would add two buildings to the west with the potential for residential-loft space. LGE President David Sellers did not provide a timeline for development of the second phase.
The town has agreed to build a 365space parking garage on the west end of the property at an estimated cost of $7.6 million. The development contract requires Gilbert to start building the garage by the time Heritage Marketplace’s first commercial buildings are nearing completion.
Sellers said his company is in negotiations with a single tenant for the office building and has received significant interest in the restaurant space.
Although preliminary design renderings are subject to change with feedback from town planners and the Redevelopment Commission, they provide an early glimpse of what the highly anticipated development might look like.
A rendering of a single-story restaurant at the corner of Gilbert and Vaughn shows a pitched roof with a metal canopy, reminiscent of “ranch territorial” commercial buildings of the early 20th century, according to a town-staff report.
The brick office and retail building acts as the centerpiece of the project’s first phase and provides storefronts along Gilbert Road. A cream-colored building on the property’s north end is considered “modern territorial” architecture.
The development also features landscaped courtyards, walkways and a “pocket park.” The complex will provide a link between the Western Powerline Trail and a cluster of shops and restaurants to the south.
Downtown Gilbert is in the midst of a renaissance of sorts, as redevelopment efforts have encouraged millions of dollars in public and private investment into the district.
Recent additions to downtown include Postino East, So Cal Fish Taco Company and Flashback Antiques. U.S. Congressman Matt Salmon last year opened his home office in the Heritage District, and the owners of Postino East are building a Mexican restaurant in the northern half of what used to be the GrainBelt restaurant.
LGE’s development portfolio includes projects around the Valley, including office complexes, retail plazas and medical centers. The company’s industrial projects include a 60,000square-foot building for Legacy Window Coverings in Gilbert.
Last December, the Town Council amended the Heritage Marketplace development agreement for a third time since an initial plan was approved in 2007. The newest iteration includes up to $294,000 in penalties if the project’s first two restaurants aren’t ready by September 2014.
The contract calls for two restaurants that are required to be “comparable to the quality of a Sam Fox restaurant.” Fox Restaurant Concepts includes trendy eateries such as True Food Kitchen, Modern Steak, Olive & Ivy and the Arrogant Butcher.
As part of the development agreement, Gilbert agreed to sell the 2.7-acre site to the developer for about $580,000.
LGEis working with Gilbert to find a suitable location for a bus stop long the property’s frontage with Gilbert Road. The town is required to pay for off-site street improvements, including the relocation of Ash Street, streetlights, sidewalks and landscaping.