Maricopa City Manager Rick Horst has confirmed that a major retail development is coming to the area at the southeast end of the overpass – soon. 

Horst said a developer is in place and “dozens” of shops and retailers have signed letters of intent, with other joining the center at a rapid pace. 

“Timelines move and this is not locked in, but we think they could start (construction) as early as September or October,” Horst said. “It’s in the area we call the New Maricopa Station, all that dirt on the east side of John Wayne Parkway.” 

That area has been a prime target for commercial development for years. Speculation about major retailers such as Target, Kohl’s, Home Depot and Lowe’s has been rampant, but no details have yet emerged. Horst did nothing to change that but did stoke the fire a bit. 

“What I can tell you is they (the developer) have been signing up national and regional tenants and there is a lot more interest than we ever expected,” he said. “There is a developer on board. They have letters of intent from a lot of these retailers.” 

If construction begins this fall as Horst indicated it might, many of those retailers could have their Maricopa locations open for the holidays in 2023. That would be a huge economic boon to the city, keeping dollars in the local economy and boosting the city’s tax base.