The 5¾-acre site at the northeast corner of John Wayne Parkway and Honeycutt Avenue is described by the city as the last portion of the shopping center’s buildout. Developer Thompson Thrift’s filings outline a 10,000-square-foot multi-tenant building, a 6,500-square-foot “Pad A” with a drive-thru restaurant on its west end and a 3,200-square-foot “Pad B” for a future drive-thru restaurant.

Color elevations released for the first time show Aldi’s 20,664-square-foot store with a contemporary design of stone and metal finishes, consistent with the architecture of other recent Aldi locations. Indianapolis-based Thompson Thrift, which has offices in Phoenix, confirmed Aldi’s lease this summer, saying the grocer was submitting building plans to the city while the developer finalized the tenant mix for the rest of the center.

“After working with the city to bring the Sprouts development we knew we had to continue to look for opportunities in Maricopa,” Andrew Call, the vice president of development management in Thomspon Thrift’s southwest region, told InMaricopa Aug. 11. “With Lowe’s now open, we’re excited for the next phase of Southbridge and the tenants we are working with.” 

The building plans, up for discussion tonight, were filed nine days later.

As cluck would have it…

The second pad could be home to a Chick-fil-A. In December, a source with access to Arizona Commerce Authority communications said that the evangelical chicken sandwich company intended to build in Maricopa. The source said a drive-thru was planned along John Wayne Parkway, and InMaricopa identified the South Bridge pad as matching the chain’s franchise specifications: a roughly 3,500-square-foot building with dual drive-thrus fronting a main road.

Chick-fil-A has not publicly confirmed its Maricopa plans. The Atlanta-based chain told InMaricopa last year it was “eyeing the city but could not confirm expansion just yet.” The company’s restaurants typically range from 3,400 to 5,000 square feet.

Confirmed drive-thru tenants at South Bridge include Einstein Bros. Bagels, Panera Bread and Five Guys Burgers and Fries, but none of those businesses are slated for Pad B. Other confirmed tenants are Club Pilates, European Wax Center and She Nails.

If approved, plans for the final South Bridge phase will go before the Maricopa City Council for a final green light. No public comments were submitted on the major development review case.

When construction is complete, South Bridge Marketplace will total about 56,000 square feet of shops and restaurants across 8½ acres, pushing one of Maricopa’s busiest commercial intersections past half buildout.