By Rebekah Morris for AZBEX
After delays stemming from the pandemic, it appears that The District at Copper Sky is once again moving forward in conjunction with the Seasons Living at Copper Sky senior housing in Maricopa. However, the southernmost portion of the development may be headed in a different direction after a recent land sale bid opportunity from the City.
Shea Connelly has submitted a pre-app for a luxury multifamily development with ground-level retail. The large, mixed-use development is located at the SEC of SR 347 and Bowlin Road in Maricopa. The north phase of the project is comprised of 300+ units of Class-A multifamily units with 16KSF of ground level retail. There was an original plan for a mirror image southern portion of the development to occur after the northern portion was developed.
The initial project dates back to 2019; a development agreement signed by the City of Maricopa with Shea Connelly was signed in early 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic effects were felt, and provided 24 months for completion. According to Joshua Bowman, Director of Economic Vitality for the City of Maricopa, amendments to the development agreement have provided extensions of time. The newly submitted five-story plan is not substantially different from earlier versions.
The Mixed-Use North component has always been envisioned as Phase II of an overall 3-phase plan for “The District at Copper Sky”. Seasons Living at Copper Sky senior housing is the first phase and is moving forward in conjunction with the North Mixed-Use project.
The sale and purchase of the land that was formerly Phase III of the District at Copper Sky was recently bid out by the City of Maricopa. That portion of land was included in the original plan and known as Copper Sky Mixed-Use South. The most recent bid opportunity from the City closed on April 13, 2023. Bowman stated that the City is reviewing the bid proposals for the land sale agreement. He was vague when pressed for details on whether the developer would be Shea Connelly or not. Requests for comment from Shea Connelly were not returned by press time. At this time it is unknown if the South portion will remain on the original path towards development or move forward with a new team and a new development plan.
