By COLLEEN SPARKS, Managing Editor
Southeast Chandler residents can expect more dining and retail options when a new commercial center is built on land the legendary Riggs family previously owned.
Capital Development Group, the development arm of Capital Asset Management Phoenix, will be building The Steelyard on the southeast corner of Gilbert Road and Chandler Heights Road.
The 26,020-square-feet group of three integrated and freestanding multi-tenant buildings is being built in response to high demand from the neighborhood, residential growth and the desire for unusual retail in the area, according to Capital Development Group.
The company bought the property from the Riggs family and the land had been an active steel yard until the deal closed in April.
Officials expect to break ground in the third quarter of this year and within a year.
Some of the tenants in the retail center will be Pita Jungle, the Arizona healthy food staple, as well as High Tide Seafood Bar & Grill, which will be the second location for the upscale seafood eatery that specializes in steam kettle cooking.
Jason Hersker, a partner with Capital Development Group and leasing director said a Jersey Mike’s Subs will also set up shop.
A day spa is expected to sign a lease and other tenants may include a dentist’s office and insurance office. About 60 percent of the building space has been pre-leased.
“It’s a very underserved retail trade area with extremely high household incomes and a very affluent demographic,” Hersker said. “It’s an agrarian take on an industrial design.”
Suite 6 Architecture + Planning of Scottsdale is providing architectural services and will keep the water tower —an iconic landmark on the property.
The design attributes are “in line with Chandler’s agrarian general plan but with more of a raw take with the architecture,” Hersker said. Corrugated steel will be part of the development.
“It’s a very modern design and it certainly doesn’t look like anything in the area,” Hersker said.
The new Taylor Morrison Valencia II Homes subdivision is just behind the development and Maracay Homes announced it is going to build five new developments in the area.
“This development is a reflection of our continued focus of creating community while adding quality projects to our portfolio, including the most recent 7th Street and Townley Walgreens retail center redevelopment and other projects throughout the Valley,” said Rachelle Strole, development partner with CDG and owner of Capital Asset Management.
Stephen Herman, partner with CDG and vice-president of development for Capital Asset Management, said the design for The Steelyard is consistent with Chandler’s Southeast Chandler Area Plan and cultivates an atmosphere reminiscent of the area’s rural character.
“The Steelyard is going to be a special place for the growing neighborhood,” Herman said. “We have gone to great lengths to bring amenities to the area through a unique blend of retail uses and an emphasis on a modern-industrial agrarian design.”
Hersker said CDG went through a year-long process to rezone the property to prepare for the new development.
“The owner of the property was really great to work with and helped us along with all of our neighborhood outreach meetings,” he said.
“There were some things that we needed to account for and be cognizant of,” he added. “There’s a neighborhood directly behind us. We wanted to make sure we were listening to them and that our design and overall development wasn’t going to be invasive and that it was going to be something that was accepted and that people would be excited about.”
Hersker said he and his partners in CDG listened to homeowners’ concerns regarding lights, noise and having a drive-thru on the site and are making sure everything will be screened properly.
“We felt that we spoke with each individual homeowner there and really listened to what their needs were and tried to accommodate,” he said.
The drive-thru will be for a fast-casual restaurant but Hersker did not want to reveal the name yet.
The Riggs family is well-known and has deep roots in Chandler.
Lyle Riggs was born in 1916 in Mesa and his father farmed at Jep Peterson’s land, which was a mile and a half south of Williams Field Road on Gilbert Road, according to an oral history from the Chandler Museum.
Willetta, who was Lyle’s wife, was born in 1917 on the John and Fanny Nelson farm at Gilbert Road and Chandler Heights Road, according to “Driving Chandler’s Streets, The History of Chandler’s Streets as told by CGCC Students” out of Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Lyle and Willetta met at Chandler High School and both have since passed away.
Lyle’s family moved to different farms between Gilbert and Chandler and as a young man Lyle worked for some of them, including harvesting hay for the Chandler Improvement Company, the CGCC historical report said.
CDG has offices in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles and is a division of Capital Asset Management, which is a full-service real estate firm that specializes in the management, brokerage and development of commercial assets.
Capital Asset Management has established a history as a competitive, connected and conscientious real estate firm, since 1994, with partnerships in the industries it serves.
Information: camcre.com
