New dining experiences, much-needed housing and a neighborhood church: These are the elements of a community gathering place for northwest Valley residents that has been seven years in the making.
This morning, Peoria officials joined the Pederson Group and community and business leaders in turning the first shovels of dirt on The Trailhead, a 903,000-square-foot, mixed-use development at 83rd Avenue and Happy Valley Road.
Named after the area’s trail system, The Trailhead will feature 140,000 square feet of retail space, anchored by a 63,000-square-foot Safeway, plus a 350-unit multifamily housing complex, a renovated church and amenities, including a water feature, picnic and games areas and a community garden, plus a host of community events.
So far, Pederson Group has inked leases with two full-service restaurants – Tacos & Craft, with scratch-made tacos and craft beer, and Sparrow, from the creators of Squid Ink, an American-themed restaurant with specialty menu items. Additional announcements on several first-to-the-market restaurants will be made in the coming months.
“Peoria is growing exponentially, yet residents have little access to retail outlets and they often travel five miles or more for a quality dining experience,” said Jim Pederson, founder and chairman of Pederson Group. “At The Trailhead, they will be able to choose from a variety of regional and local restaurants in nearly every food category.”
The Trailhead was conceptualized and designed with valuable input from area neighbors, city staff and elected officials. The development is housed in the geographic center of Peoria and will serve as the commercial crown jewel of the ruggedly beautiful and thriving Happy Valley Corridor, with more than 3,000 homes under development set to join the more than 56,000 households in the immediate surrounding area.
“We envision that development will become a neighborhood hub, with its bike- and pedestrian-friendly paths that connect seamlessly with the surrounding neighborhoods and the pristine Sunrise Mountain Preserve,” said Peoria Mayor Jason Beck.
Set to open at the end of this year, the $100-plus million project will be developed, owned and managed by Pederson Group. Butler Design Group is the project’s architect and Campbell Development is the contractor.
