By BEX Staff for AZBEX
Ten news buildings totaling 123KSF are planned in the long-stalled 70-acre Estrella Gin Business Park at the NWC of Estrella Parkway and Edison Road in Maricopa.
Planned as a mixed-use site, project documents say there will be a total of 82 units in the development, with space for 60 office/storage spaces and 22 retail shops.
Potential users include small retailers, artisan showrooms and small light industrial uses. A preliminary site plan shows the building use and breakout as follows:
- Building 1, light industrial, 9KSF;
- Building 2, light industrial, 12KSF;
- Building 3, light industrial, 18KSF;
- Building 4, light industrial, 18KSF;
- Building 5, light industrial, 12KSF;
- Building 6, retail, 12KSF;
- Building 7, light industrial, 9KSF;
- Building 8, light industrial, 12KSF;
- Building 9, retail, 12KSF, and
- Building 10, retail, 9KSF.
Grand Vision, Troubled History
Even though it was billed as the “most exciting project” in the city going into 2016, development never materialized at Estrella Gin. The Boyer Group tried to generate interest in a proposed flex office shell development in 2015, but high costs and a requirement that 60% of the planned 47.2KSF be leased before construction would begin put the project on indefinite hold.
A 195-unit multifamily development known as Villas at the Gin, planned on 10.19 acres immediately south of the business park at the SEC of Estrella and Edison, received approvals for rezoning and a minor General Plan amendment in October 2022. According to the DATABEX project database, a development review request was approved in May 2023. There was some back-and-forth activity on permit requests in 2023 and early 2024, but there has been no activity since then, as of the last project status check this January.
Arizona Corporation Commission records show Shane Cook of eXp Realty is the manager of Estrella Gin Business Park LLC, the entity that controls the site. He is listed as the realtor on a preliminary site plan, which also lists Robert Klob Designs as the project architect. Robert Klob serves on the planning and zoning boards for the City of Maricopa and for Pinal County.
Maricopa staff has yet to review the development plan, and there has been no timeline set for the project to go before the Planning and Zoning Commission or Maricopa City Council.
