BUSINESS
EMPOWERING THE BUCKEYE COMMUNITY
VERRADO MARKETPLACE WILL TRANSFORM BUCKEYE BY 2026 BY DILLON ROSENBLATT
“West-MEC provides hands-on career training in high-demand industries, equipping high school and adult students with the skills they need for a faster way forward to their careers.” CAREER-FOCUSED PROGRAMS
T HIS AIN’T YOUR MAMA’S FLEA MARKET. Phoenix developer Vestar in November broke ground on the $275 million Verrado Marketplace — a transformative, 500,000-square-foot development that promises to redefine shopping, dining and entertainment in the West Valley. Established in 1888, the one-time quiet desert town of Buckeye has transformed from a modest agricultural community into one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. Between 2000 and 2023, the city’s population surged more than 1,200%, reflecting its appeal as a desirable place to live and work. This rapid expansion necessitated significant infrastructure and commercial developments to meet the needs of its burgeoning population, city leaders said.
Verrado Marketplace, slated to open in the spring of 2026 (delayed from late this year), will feature major retailers such as Target and Safeway, alongside the second-ever Harkins BackLot, an innovative entertainment concept by Harkins Theatres. Movie theater of the future Scottsdale-based Harkins Theatres in 2023 announced its new Harkins BackLot concept, a film studio-inspired entertainment venue with bowling lanes, a video game arcade, electronic darts and a sports bar featuring jumbo screens. The first Harkins BackLot is set to open in the Norterra neighborhood of Phoenix in March, according to CEO Mike Bowers. The second location, debuting at Verrado Marketplace, will combine a luxury movie theater with the entertainment venue in the
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same building, unlike the Norterra location where the BackLot and theater are separate. Opening next spring with the marketplace, it will feature a “VR experience,” at least a dozen bowling lanes and a menu of “elevated” bar food like specialty burgers and flatbreads. “We think it’s just a great complement to the movie theater experience,” Bowers said at the groundbreaking ceremony in November.
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West-MEC Southwest Campus 500 N. Verrado Way, Buckeye, AZ 85326
623.872.6260 west-mec.edu
InBuckeye.com | Winter 2025
Winter 2025 | InBuckeye.com
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