BUSINESS
1 McDonald's opened in June on Miller Avenue in the Fry's shopping center. 2 Target employees celebrate the May opening in Verrado Marketplace. 3 Home Depot in Verrado Commons celebrates with a board cutting. 4 Early risers find a place in line for the May opening of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers at North Verrado Way and West Roosevelt Street.
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The new location also brought in 147 employees, with more than 80% net-new hires drawn directly from the local community. Buckeye's civic leadership said the ribbon cutting represented vindication of a long- standing argument: that the city's residential growth trajectory would eventually compel major retailers to follow. “We are no longer a community that has to leave town to meet its basic needs,” Orsborn said. The city’s retail surge extends well beyond the Verrado interchange. Fry’s Food Store opened on Miller Road in mid-2025, a McDonald’s restaurant opened in June, and city officials are continuing to plan future retail
sales tax revenue that can help fund city services and future infrastructure improvements. "For years, residents have had to leave Buckeye for many of their shopping needs," Orsborn said during his May State of the City presentation. "Now we're beginning to bring those retailers here." In mid-June, the city celebrated the opening of a new Home Depot in the Buckeye Commons Shopping Center near Costco. With the opening, the City of Buckeye closed a 20-year gap that began when the original construction was abandoned during the Great Recession that began in 2007. Securing the long-awaited retailer is a signal of Buckeye’s viable growth market, city officials said.
The first phase of the development opened in May, bringing major retailers, including Target, HomeGoods, Marshalls and Ulta Beauty to one of the fastest-growing corridors in the West Valley. Vice Mayor Clay Goodman called it “a new standard for Buckeye.” “By having a powerhouse like Target here in Verrado Marketplace, we’re sending a clear signal to the rest of the state: Buckeye is open for business, and we are ready for that business to come,” said Buckeye Vice Mayor Clay Goodman. Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn said the project represents more than new shopping options for residents. It is expected to generate close to 1,000 jobs while creating a significant new source of
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B UCKEYE'S LONG-AWAITED RETAIL boom is finally arriving, with major national chains opening their doors and new shopping centers emerging across the city as leaders work to transform the fast-growing community into a regional shopping destination. At the center of that transformation is Verrado Marketplace, a 500,000-square-foot retail center that city officials view as a game- changer for Buckeye's economy.
RETAIL EXPLOSION Buckeye growth reshapes city as new shopping centers open across city
BY DAVID KENNARD
InBuckeye.com | July/August 2026
July/August 2026 | InBuckeye.com
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